I am also a bit of a blade nerd. No Bohler M390 razor blades hardened to RH of 61??? Heresy, I say.New shaver here, and I think my favorite aspect of the hobby is actually… the blades.
(I’m a bit of a knife & metallurgy nerd so that probably has something to do with it).
So far, I’ve shaved with:
-Gillette 7 o'clock yellow pack
-Gillette 7 o’clock Super platinum black
-Astra SP
-Gillette Silver blue
It’s really eye opening to see how much of a different feel they all have, and how they have their own character.
Different levels of sharpness, smoothness, blade thickness/thinness, etc.
So far I’ve liked the Gillette 7 o’clock Super Platinum blacks the best. They seem to have the best balance of very sharp & very smooth.
Are these considered pretty good blades? I’ve done some searches but can’t find too much on them.
Mine came with a Gillette 7 o’clock Sterling razor (india version of the TECH), so I presume these are made in India?
Just wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on these. Am I off in thinking that they’re good blades?
I think from a steel/hardening perspective, I think Kai does a great job. Mild sharpness on shaves 2-5, but they seem harder/more rigid than other blades. I find they do particularly well in large gap razors.
Which raises the next question is it the blade, the razor or the shaver? I think it's all of the above. As we are the one doing the evaluation, and assuming our technique is consistent, we can remove ourselves from the equation, relative to picking a specific blade for a particular razor.
Next, I think you can have a well engineered, precisely manufactured blade that works fabulously in one great razor, but performs awfully in another. Case in point: In my super efficient Blackbird OC, I get an almost perfect shave, almost every time with a Wizamet blade. I have a really tough time getting a decent shave with that same blade in my Henson mild. Conversely, I get an awesome shave with a BIC blade in that Henson, but in the Blackbird, that same blade with the same technique leaves me raw.
I find the 7 O'clock Black blades are great and work well for me in mild to moderately efficient razors. The others are well made blades as well, but you need to match them to a razor such that your technique with that blade in your choice of razor gives you a great shave.
Does that make sense?
Lots of experimenting to do!!!