Yet Another Journal of Razors and Blades and Stuff

[cranewarrior]

I've been thinking about how to accomplish this, because I think that we will be very surprised at the results if we did conduct blind blade tests. I have not figured out how to make it happen and I am talking across several wet shavers.

Get 3 or more razors you don't mind scratching up, maybe the Lord L6 since they are cheap and L6s usually have consistent blade alignment. Load each with a blade you are trialing, and throw them into a bag and shake them around. Pull one out and shave with it until the quantity is exhausted.

That's probably how I would do it.

 

[blethenstrom]

Get 3 or more razors you don't mind scratching up, maybe the Lord L6 since they are cheap and L6s usually have consistent blade alignment. Load each with a blade you are trialing, and throw them into a bag and shake them around. Pull one out and shave with it until the quantity is exhausted.

That's probably how I would do it.

Hmmm that would certainly work, but it would be more fun to have a number of people doing the same thing at the same time and share experiences at the same time and then have a blade reveal event and see if we are surprised or not. However, to do that you have to remove the writing on the blade and even if you are successful in doing that someone else has to handle the blade before you use it and that would not be sanitary. Now as @spacemonkey42 said if your dear wife could load a random blade for you that may work. Now the only challenge is to convince my dear wife to do it.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have two Athenas....... one for each of our sons. I think that's what I will do.... Load a Nacet in one.... Perma-Sharp in the others.. then have my wife switch them around a few times in their respective boxes so I don't know which one is which... Label them 1 and 2... since I'm a one and done guy, I'd have to complete two or three shaves and see which one I like the most. Or if I can't tell the difference. Easy for one test... to keep it blind, I guess I could label them each shave... after she switches them around....

Any other suggestions on how to keep it a blind test for subsequent shaves?

Edit: I don't know if I have any round label, but I could just up labels I have into small circles that will fit the bottom of the razor.... switch them for subsequent shaves or make new ones and have my wife stick them on the bottom before she puts them in their respective boxes.

 

[blethenstrom]

Hmmm that would certainly work, but it would be more fun to have a number of people doing the same thing at the same time and share experiences at the same time and then have a blade reveal event and see if we are surprised or not. However, to do that you have to remove the writing on the blade and even if you are successful in doing that someone else has to handle the blade before you use it and that would not be sanitary. Now as @spacemonkey42 said if your dear wife could load a random blade for you that may work. Now the only challenge is to convince my dear wife to do it.

The reason that I would like a blind test for blades is that our opinion of blades, being so YMMV, are very much clouded by what we read and hear about that particular blade. I think it is even hard for ourselves to judge objectively (I am talking about self objectively here not in an overall sense) which blades are better and worse for us.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I do have two Timeless 0.68OCs at the moment, but I was going to sell one of them.... hmmm.

 

[blethenstrom]

I have two Athenas....... one for each of our sons. I think that's what I will do.... Load a Nacet in one.... Perma-Sharp in the others.. then have my wife switch them around a few times in their respective boxes so I don't know which one is which... Label them 1 and 2... since I'm a one and done guy, I'd have to complete two or three shaves and see which one I like the most. Or if I can't tell the difference. Easy for one test... to keep it blind, I guess I could label them each shave... after she switches them around....

Any other suggestions on how to keep it a blind test for subsequent shaves?

Edit: I don't know if I have any round label, but I could just up labels I have into small circles that will fit the bottom of the razor.... switch them for subsequent shaves or make new ones and have my wife stick them on the bottom before she puts them in their respective boxes.

I think that is an excellent idea!

 

[blethenstrom]

I have two Athenas....... one for each of our sons. I think that's what I will do.... Load a Nacet in one.... Perma-Sharp in the others.. then have my wife switch them around a few times in their respective boxes so I don't know which one is which... Label them 1 and 2... since I'm a one and done guy, I'd have to complete two or three shaves and see which one I like the most. Or if I can't tell the difference. Easy for one test... to keep it blind, I guess I could label them each shave... after she switches them around....

Any other suggestions on how to keep it a blind test for subsequent shaves?

Edit: I don't know if I have any round label, but I could just up labels I have into small circles that will fit the bottom of the razor.... switch them for subsequent shaves or make new ones and have my wife stick them on the bottom before she puts them in their respective boxes.

You could make a small dot with a sharpie at the bottom on one. The sharpie will come off easily with a bit of rubbing alcohol.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The reason that I would like a blind test for blades is that our opinion of blades, being so YMMV, are very much clouded by what we read and hear about that particular blade. I think it is even hard for ourselves to judge objectively (I am talking about self objectively here not in an overall sense) which blades are better and worse for us.

I totally agree.... I've been biased towards Perma-Sharps and have been using them for a few months.... but this last time with the Nacet, it made me wonder if the Nacet is a hair smoother... a blind test would take out the bias, I think.

 

[blethenstrom]

I totally agree.... I've been biased towards Perma-Sharps and have been using them for a few months.... but this last time with the Nacet, it made me wonder if the Nacet is a hair smoother... a blind test would take out the bias, I think.

You will have to let us know how your test goes. I am very interested to hear if you can discern any differences. Maybe I do have to go out and buy a few Lord L6's after all....... It will have to wait a bit. I am in GRUME.

 

[T Bone]

Get 3 or more razors you don't mind scratching up, maybe the Lord L6 since they are cheap and L6s usually have consistent blade alignment. Load each with a blade you are trialing, and throw them into a bag and shake them around. Pull one out and shave with it until the quantity is exhausted.

That's probably how I would do it.

That would work! I'm not sure I'd want to try it with an unfamiliar razor myself, but I'd enjoy watching.

When I was trying Henson mild vs medium, I had both in black, so I just shuffled those 2 without the blade. You have to look really closely to see which is which, so it was no problem loading a blade without knowing which was which.

Hmmm that would certainly work, but it would be more fun to have a number of people doing the same thing at the same time and share experiences at the same time and then have a blade reveal event and see if we are surprised or not. However, to do that you have to remove the writing on the blade and even if you are successful in doing that someone else has to handle the blade before you use it and that would not be sanitary. Now as @spacemonkey42 said if your dear wife could load a random blade for you that may work. Now the only challenge is to convince my dear wife to do it.

A blind test wouldn't be too hard if folks got their significant other to load the blades. Double-blind... Yeah, IDK. Not unless you have 2 of the same razor like @Phoenixkh.

 

[cajunrph]

But RK (made in India)

I have 100 RK, and got them free with the Henson, I may revisit them as they were the first blade I used on the return to Wetshaving, and whatever my opinion then had likely changed now.

 

[blethenstrom]

That would work! I'm not sure I'd want to try it with an unfamiliar razor myself, but I'd enjoy watching.

When I was trying Henson mild vs medium, I had both in black, so I just shuffled those 2 without the blade. You have to look really closely to see which is which, so it was no problem loading a blade without knowing which was which.


A blind test wouldn't be too hard if folks got their significant other to load the blades. Double-blind... Yeah, IDK. Not unless you have 2 of the same razor like @Phoenixkh.

The benefit of having your significant other load it for you is that you could use any of your favorite razors and there is no need for multiples of the same razor.

 

[T Bone]

I have two Athenas....... one for each of our sons. I think that's what I will do.... Load a Nacet in one.... Perma-Sharp in the others.. then have my wife switch them around a few times in their respective boxes so I don't know which one is which... Label them 1 and 2... since I'm a one and done guy, I'd have to complete two or three shaves and see which one I like the most. Or if I can't tell the difference. Easy for one test... to keep it blind, I guess I could label them each shave... after she switches them around....

Any other suggestions on how to keep it a blind test for subsequent shaves?

Why not just repeat from the beginning? Load 1 Athena with a Nacet, 1 with a Permasharp. Put them in their box with the empty blade wrapper hidden inside. Shuffle them. Shave with one then the other. Do they shave the same? If not, find the wrapper in the box and see which was better. Rinse and repeat. Do you keep picking the same favorite, or is it different each time?

 

[huck1680]

We do go out of our way to figure out new ways to occupy our shaving time...don't we?

 

[blethenstrom]

We do go out of our way to figure out new ways to occupy our shaving time...don't we?

We are not BOSCies for nothing!

 

[Galibier_Numero_Un]

I pointed a buddy to a double-blind test that Geofatboy did with Accuforge vs. Lab Blues. What a hoot! Can you imagine anyone in this thread buying a pair of Athenas and rattling them around in a box

After shaking the razors in a box, he "coded" the razors with two different colored strips of tape.

To my point, and Galibier Rule #1: any opinion of mine is suspect, and if it's older than a month, it mandates re-visiting.

Blade testing for me is imprecise and variable, and a blind or double-blind test will tell me nothing I can use. I need multiple shaves with several blade samples to begin to see a pattern. This might be 3 or 4 blades with more than 10-12 shaves.

I've never been a "one and done" guy in my "long" history of DE shaving (which is all of a year ).

My face is also assymetrical - especially in the chin area. A shaving disaster will manifest mostly on the left side of my chin, with a rash that can take 2, 3, or 10 days to recover from. My record is 4 weeks, from a failed experiment with a cartridge razor, but 2-5 days is the norm.

One current example:

I loaded an OG Wizamet Iridium, and unlike most PPI blades, the 1st shave wasn't as rough as I expected. In general, I find a first shave with a Nacet or several other PPI blades to be a bit "nasty", after which (depending on the blade) it gets progressively better, with the 2nd shave being quite good, and the 3rd one being so good, that I've begun to consider a 4th shave with some blades.

For my 2nd Wizamet, I performed my first corking experiment, and the 1st shave went slightly better - 3 great shaves. That blade is waiting for an experimental 4th shave.

At present (to be revisited) my corking technique is to give the blade one "swipe" in each direction, for a total of 4 swipes - two on each edge.

Next up, I loaded and corked a GSB which was a huge letdown. The image of @spacemonkey42's avatar comes to mind The left side of my chin was a wreck by the 3rd shave with that GSB.

So, the key variables leading into any blade test are:

1. Setting a baseline, but using my "safe" blade for 3 shaves leading into the experiment: Personna Platinum Chrome
2. The condition of my face to start which is somewhat "controlled" by #1.
3. Shaving interval since the previous shave with the "old" blade. This too, is somewhat "controlled" by #1.
4. My variable technique (which is getting better with each passing month).
5. The razor (which I'm holding constant, with an Overlander at the moment).

I confess to not being terribly disciplined with respect to #1, and as I write this, I'm going to try to exercise more discipline in this regard.

Since I've wouldn't dream of collecting meaningful (to me) data from a double-blind, left/right shave, the assymetry of my face isn't a consideration. The same razor and blade is passing over the entirety of my face.

Oh yes ... lather is a constant: Haslingers Schafmilch. I see no reason to change this amazing soap.

While my technique may be considerably inferior to the majority here, I can't believe that these variables wouldn't apply to most of you, at least to some degree.

... Thom

 

[T Bone]

Blade testing for me is imprecise and variable

Definitely. I question the reliability of my own ratings right now in evaluating razors, though after a few shaves, some patterns do emerge.

a blind or double-blind test will tell me nothing I can use. I need multiple shaves with several blade samples to begin to see a pattern. This might be 3 or 4 blades with more than 10-12 shaves.

I didn’t anoint Nacet as top dog right away. After the first blade went well, I made sure to come back to it within a few weeks. After 2-3 blades, I decided it’s at least among my favorites. But it took awhile for it to become my standard go-to blade.

Since I've wouldn't dream of collecting meaningful (to me) data from a double-blind, left/right shave, the assymetry of my face isn't a consideration. The same razor and blade is passing over the entirety of my face.

I wouldn’t either! I wouldn’t put any stock in anyone’s left vs right comparison, especially my own. For one, I’m not ambidextrous, so it’s harder to shave parts of the right side of my face because I have to reach around with my left hand to hold my skin. And second, the grain is not exactly the same on both sides either.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I was just assuming that @blethenstrom’s experiment would be trying blades either on alternating shaves, or finishing a blade out before starting another. (Or knowing him, you might have to go through a whole tuck before trying the next blade. )

 

[spacemonkey42]

Totally agreed to everything @Galibier_Numero_Un and @T Bone said. Apart from blades with larger differences, there are so many variables that I am not sure I could pick blades in a blind test. The only time I've done anything close was with the awesome blade PIFs that @Grundi, @AnimalCatcher, and @Space_Cadet have generously provided. Then I alternated between two blades for 4 shaves each. I could tell quite a bit of difference between the blades in this recent Bridge challenge, that was a lot of fun!

 

[T Bone]

The only time I've done anything close was with the awesome blade PIFs that @Grundi, @AnimalCatcher, and @Space_Cadet have generously provided.

And to Mountain Goat Thom’s point about the precision of blade testing: there’s some question as to whether or not the vintage English London Bridge and Wilkinson Sword are in fact the same blade rebranded. After trying one of each so far, I’m about 55% confident that they’re different. So just slightly more confident than a coin flip.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The reason I hate blade tests is.... I only shave 3 times a week max... sometimes, only two.... it takes forever. I'm sort of reconsidering the blind test.... I was going to use one razor for a whole shave... then switch to the other razor... that leaves one shave left in the week.... so might not remember by the time I got around to the third shave. I think I'm just going to use a Nacet for a while.... see how it goes.... Try them in various razors, see how they do. I used them for months in a row before I started using Perma-Sharps... I have quite a few of both.