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Carbon Forest of Treets: A deep dive into carbon steel double-edge blades

Join me as I shave through and compare a forest of Treets and carbon steel allies!

Goal: To compare carbon steel blades produced by Treet to each other, to other carbon steel blades, and, occasionally, to stainless steel blades in terms of subjective shave quality (sharpness, smoothness, efficiency etc.) and blade longevity.
treet1.jpg

Photo: Assembly of Treets and other blades, courtesy of @T Bone

Methods:
I intend to shave every other day. On off days, I'll note how soon a shave stops being "socially acceptable." I will use one blade exclusively until it no longer gives acceptable shaves.
Anyone is welcome to share their own experiences or experiments with Treets and/or carbon steel blades

About me: I've been double edge shaving a couple years and am pretty comfortable. I'll try to hold my technique constant but I suspect I'll refine and adjust to individual blades as this experiment proceeds.

I have a moderately thick wiry beard and curly hair. Mediterranean ancestry. 45. Because a shave has to last two days, I try to get as close as possible. I tend to use a blade three times before finding it unacceptable. I don't buy blades that give me fewer than three shaves and I've only recently tried a blade that gives me more than five shaves.

Before this experiment, I've used just one carbon steel blade, an old-style yellow Treet Dura Sharp which will not be in this test. I generally favor blades labeled "stainless" (whatever the coating) over those labeled "platinum," for what it's worth.

Now, onto the equipment and then to the shaves!
 
The Equipment

I'll keep my equipment fixed except when it's part of the test, as with changing razors. I'll shave to a desired result -- a near BBS -- with the blade dictating how I get there. If it takes extra passes or extra cleanup, I'll do so unless it's causing irritation.

I plan to use up to four razors of various designs. All are vintage Gillettes, because that's what I own. I'm open to testing in modern razors, if any should find me. I'll use a single blade in a single razor until it's done before moving on to another blade or another razor.

Razors:
treetsetup.jpg

  • NEW short comb: My smooth, middle-of-the-road razor
  • Old Type (the later, common, thick-cap model): Different design, slightly more likely to bite.
  • Super Speed Red Tip: A mild razor that shaves smoothly but not necessarily close
  • Slim adjustable: A moody wild card of a razor. I'll fix the setting for comparison's sake.
(I also have a Tech but I haven't used it enough to be comfortable with it.)

Aftershave: I have a small number of mostly alcohol-based splashes. I may stick with one or rotate equitably. I'll note this.

Other equipment: I'll use one puck of Ogallala sandalwood that isn't particularly slick. I have one brush. I will keep face prep constant. I won't talk much about any of this. If I have ingrowns, I may swirl the dry brush on my face to help free them the evening before a shave.

Storage: I will rinse, remove and pat the blade dry between shaves, return it to its packaging envelope and store in a tin with a dessicant packet to minimize oxidation.
treet_tin.jpg

Now that that's settled, let's get shaving!
First up: A Treet Silver in the NEW short comb razor.
 
Treet Silver
Blade One, Shave One
June 6, 2022

Razor: NEW short comb
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan splash

Here we go!
treetsliver1.jpeg

First impression: the blade is double wrapped, no wax, with the interior wrapper not quite large enough, like when I misjudge a box's size when wrapping presents. No matter. Writing on the blade looks a little janky, but who cares.

First pass, with the grain, is effortless. Gets into the chin patch, where it's not strictly with the grain, and doesn't blink. Same way across the grain, very efficient. To define efficiency here, it means that if I did another pass in the same direction, it would come up with nothing.

To memory, it's very similar to the old carbon Treet Dura Sharp I tried. Lots of audible feedback, and a feeling that the blade is thin. I don't know if the blade actually measures thin, but it makes me think of a thin sword slicing through air.

I did get a weeper or two across the grain, second pass, which is somewhat unusual. Shave was going well enough that I didn't decide to do diagonal passes on the mustache before jumping in against the grain. Blade handled itself well in mustache, except a spot of blood or two that closed quickly.

Neck went pretty smoothly but not flawlessly. A little irritation. Chin and jaw needed extra cleanup passes and I had some trouble getting as close as I wanted. In the process, opened a few weepers, two of which kept on weeping after I finished up and applied aftershave. Dotted with styptic, which is rare for me.

In all, a pretty good first shave, with some warnings. I try not to let this creep into my shaves, but when I do extra buffing or cleanup strokes on a blade known for not lasting many shaves, I realize I may be shortening its life. But that's science, and we'll deal with it when we get there.

Not much aftershave burn, and a small amount of lingering irritation. BBS- , with just a few jawline/neck spots not true BBS.

I'll note that my cat selected this blade for the first trial:
treet3.jpg

and that the hole she bit in the box went clear through the first few blades (near the green edge here):
treetsliverhole.jpg

Thanks for reading and I'll be back with shave two on this setup Wednesday.
 
I did get a weeper or two across the grain, second pass, which is somewhat unusual. Shave was going well enough that I didn't decide to do diagonal passes on the mustache before jumping in against the grain. Blade handled itself well in mustache, except a spot of blood or two that closed quickly.

Neck went pretty smoothly but not flawlessly. A little irritation. Chin and jaw needed extra cleanup passes and I had some trouble getting as close as I wanted. In the process, opened a few weepers, two of which kept on weeping after I finished up and applied aftershave. Dotted with styptic, which is rare for me.
I often get weepers trying to be too perfectionist on cleanup passes, or occasionally just going ATG, but this blade gave me a few on earlier passes too. I chalked it up to the fact that I was using an aggressive razor for just the third or fourth time, but sounds like you had a similar experience! 😧
 
I often get weepers trying to be too perfectionist on cleanup passes, or occasionally just going ATG, but this blade gave me a few on earlier passes too. I chalked it up to the fact that I was using an aggressive razor for just the third or fourth time, but sounds like you had a similar experience! 😧
It felt, in the first passes, similar to the Dura Sharp that had treated me so well. I went back and looked at that shave and it turns out I had to end it in a hurry, so I didn't have time to do the cleanups. Holding out hope that this blade shaves as well as the Dura Sharp, or perhaps gives a longer-lasting shave, which was my only complaint about that blade.
 
Yours will probably prefer the mild Tech over the Old Type. But what do I know!
Either way there's a lot of surface area to cover.



And @T Bone, you've missed your calling, unless you're already in the pet grooming business!
If an open comb excels at anything, it's that! Plus, the cat can enjoy the scritches the comb teeth give her.
 
I've been investigating Carbon Steel blades for use in my older vintage Gillettes. So far, the Treet Black Beauties and Classics perform the smoothest, with the Silver coming in 3rd place. The Black Beauties and Classics are the only blade I'd consider a 2nd shave with.
I have some Treet Dura Sharps on order & have heard they're the best of all the carbon steel alternatives.
Leon Superfine Carbon blades are the only blade I've been unable to complete a shave with and the Falcon blades shave poorly. The Treet Super Power and New Edge are OK, but aren't good for more than a single smooth shave.
I'll definitely buy more Black Beauties & Classics - we'll see if the Dura Sharps are as good as others claim.

My best shaves ever with my Goodwill, LC, SC and Old Types have been with the Black Beauties & Classics.
I'll reserve my stash of BiC, Voskhod, Blue Diamond, GSB, Rapira Lux, Astra SP, Lab Blues and others for fantastic shaves in my adjustables, Super Speeds & Techs.
 
I've been investigating Carbon Steel blades for use in my older vintage Gillettes. So far, the Treet Black Beauties and Classics perform the smoothest, with the Silver coming in 3rd place. The Black Beauties and Classics are the only blade I'd consider a 2nd shave with.
I have some Treet Dura Sharps on order & have heard they're the best of all the carbon steel alternatives.
Leon Superfine Carbon blades are the only blade I've been unable to complete a shave with and the Falcon blades shave poorly. The Treet Super Power and New Edge are OK, but aren't good for more than a single smooth shave.
I'll definitely buy more Black Beauties & Classics - we'll see if the Dura Sharps are as good as others claim.

My best shaves ever with my Goodwill, LC, SC and Old Types have been with the Black Beauties & Classics.
I'll reserve my stash of BiC, Voskhod, Blue Diamond, GSB, Rapira Lux, Astra SP, Lab Blues and others for fantastic shaves in my adjustables, Super Speeds & Techs.
Thanks for your input. It's good to hear positive reviews of the Black Beauties and Classics, as they seem to disagree with a lot of people. I'll be going through all the blades you mentioned in both my NEW SC and my Old Type, so hopefully I get some winners.

The one exception is the Dura Sharp: I only have the stainless version now, so you'll have to let me know if the carbon steel ones work as well for you as they did in my single-blade trial. I got four shaves from the carbon Dura Sharp, but I should have stopped at three.

I'm also unsure how to approach these blades in an adjustable. I'm thinking of starting at a high setting. Maybe I'll try the Red Tip first so I can get used to a twist-to-open head without needing to worry about adjustable settings.
 
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Thanks for your input. It's good to hear positive reviews of the Black Beauties and Classics, as they seem to disagree with a lot of people. I'll be going through all the blades you mentioned in both my NEW SC and my Old Type, so hopefully I get some winners.

The one exception is the Dura Sharp: I only have the stainless version now, so you'll have to let me know if the carbon steel ones work as well for you as they did in my single-blade trial. I got four shaves from the carbon Dura Sharp, but I should have stopped at three.

I'm also unsure how to approach these blades in an adjustable. I'm thinking of starting at a high setting. Maybe I'll try the Red Tip first so I can get used to a twist-to-open head without needing to worry about adjustable settings.
I initially got the Black beauties to see if they would emulate the vintage Gillette Thins. The thicker Treet blade seems to be ideal for older vintage razors, but not so good for the "newer" model razors - superspeeds, adjustables & Techs. Those giving the Treet carbon blades thumbs down are likely trying to shave with them in a 'newer' model razor.
I get awesome, butter smooth shaves with the Black beauty & Classic in my Goodwill, LC's, SC's, Sheratons and Old Types, but mediocre performance in Techs, Slims, etc.
 
Treet Silver
Blade One, Shave Two
June 8, 2022

Razor: NEW short comb
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan splash

I took the Treet out of its little dry box and everything looked good, so I loaded it up for shave two. It took out the first pass, with the grain, effortlessly, and there didn't seem to be much for it to do on the second pass, across the grain. I didn't get the magic "thin" or fluid sense that I did with the first shave, but I can't put that down to anything real.

Third pass, against the grain, went perhaps smoother than the first shave. Only the tiniest cut in my mustache that closed up before the shave ended. Needed more cleanup on the chin and jaw. It felt like I couldn't get some spots close this time, as I did some extra passes compared to my first shave with this blade.

These are mostly alongside the chin, in an area where the hairs seem to retract after the shave to leave it BBS even when I feel some stubble left during the shave. I wouldn't bother trying to get close but, then, this is the area where second-day growth starts to show first, so it pays to get it as close as possible.

I did get some weepers for my efforts here. Probably less than the first shave, but still there. Little feedback from aftershave, less irritation than the first shave. Probably BBS-; just a few hints of stubble.

Note: Part of this trial is to see how long the shaves last. Most of my meetings are in the morning, so I don't mind having a socially unacceptable beard in the afternoon the day after a shave. The first Treet Silver shave lasted until my morning shower and my applying lotion but got pretty rough about an hour later. I've never really measured this before, so we'll see if there's a real difference. You know, for science.
 

Ratso

Mr. Obvious
I’ll be watching your results for new combinations to try with my carbon blades and various razors. That’s the fun part of this hobby.
 
I’ll be watching your results for new combinations to try with my carbon blades and various razors. That’s the fun part of this hobby.
It’s slow progress, but I hope to leave a good resource when I’ve made my way through a good number of these!
 
Off-day update:
I may as well update this if I'm tracking the reappearance of stubble and otherwise have no shave news for the day. Today I was socially acceptable until about 10 a.m., two hours after the shave and around the time I usually have on-camera meetings. Maybe a bit longer than the first shave. Definitely not socially acceptable after lunch, but that would take a miraculously close shave.
 
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