What's new

Phoenixkh: An Old Man's Continuum....

Any comments on the Personna Lab Platinum blues (German) would be appreciated. How are they for you?
Kim,
The German Personna Platinum are a completely different blade than the USA made Lab Blues. And I believe that when people say "Lab Blues", they're referring to the USA made ones and not the German ones. I tried the German ones once and it was enough to scare me away. The rest are sitting in a drawer! They're on my list of top 5 worst blades ever!
The USA Lab Blues are fantastic. They're really something else!
Ever since I started using them, every other blade has just sat there!
These are the USA made Personna's:

full
 
Last edited:
OK.... I used the Athena again today. The end results were spectacular as usual but the path there wasn't as nice. I made the mistake of changing two things at one... the soap and the razor blade choice. I used a Personna Labs Platinum "Blue". I think they were the culprit but as I said, I also used a new soap for me: the Mystic Waters Unscented.

Oh, and I used the Omega Jade Premium boar. Unlike the Zenith B33 I used Thursday, the Jade was a bit pokey... so not broken in enough for a pleasant feeling. So that makes three changes.

The soap lathered up well, but did seem to disappear quite quickly on my face so I suspect I didn't get enough of the bubbles reduced in size. I'll lather it a bit longer next time and make sure to use less water. It has a hmmmm I can't quite come up with the right word for its consistency right out of the tub. It's more rubbery than creamy but it's soft. Anyway, I added some to the bottom of my Timeless "modest" blue shaving bowl, sprayed in a bit of water, spread it around thinly and then took my shower. I think I should have taken more water out of my Jade brush because I didn't have to add any more water. I'll dial that in next time.

The shave? Well, I don't think the Personna Lab Platinum German "Blue" blade was near as smooth as the Wizamet Super Iridiums. One use so it's hard to say. It cut well enough. I didn't need much more than the two regular passes: WTG and ATG, with just the few touchups, upper lip and chin. Very smooth end result. I do use three full passes on my upper lip, after shaving around my nose with my Claymore Evolution. I go against the grain first... then across the grain but on a slant of sorts, once in each direction. I don't do a straight against the grain on my upper lip very often. The two slant passes seem easier to do and get things pretty smooth.

Any comments on the Personna Lab Platinum blues (German) would be appreciated. How are they for you?
Are the Personna Lab Blues made in Germany? I thought they were US made. They only come in bulk packs, right? And the blades are in wrappers but not boxed into 5s or 10s. I’ve used a couple of the German made Personna Platinums (blue tuck of 10 with gold and white lettering) and they’re definitely rougher for me than the old Israeli made Personna Platinums or the Lab Blues that I have. Can you post a pic of the box of blades that you have?

Otherwise, a bad lather would definitely lead to a worse shave as your stubble won’t be as soft. A brand new boar tends to eat the lather until it starts to break in, so you’ll have to load way more soap.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
These are the Personna blade I bought... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0728M2ZCR/

I used twice as much soap as I thought I'd need.. but either I used too much water (likely) or just didn't spend enough time getting the right consistency. I had lots of useless lather left over. LOL

Good to know, these blade are a good part of the problem as well as the lather. That's what I get for changing three things at once: soap, brush and blade.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Kim,
The German Personna Platinum are a completely different blade than the USA made Lab Blues. And I believe that when people say "Lab Blues", they're referring to the USA made ones and not the German ones. I tried the German ones once and it was enough to scare me away. The rest are sitting in a drawer! They're on my list of top 5 worst blades ever!
The USA Lab Blues are fantastic. They're really something else!
Ever since I started using them, every other blade has just sat there!
These are the USA made Personna's:

full
After a quick google search, a eBay search... I'm not finding that packaging.

Edit: found these after adding "comfort coated": 100 Personna Double Edge Stainless Steel Blades Comfort Coated | eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/271861483997
 
These are the Personna blade I bought... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0728M2ZCR/

I used twice as much soap as I thought I'd need.. but either I used too much water (likely) or just didn't spend enough time getting the right consistency. I had lots of useless lather left over. LOL

Good to know, these blade are a good part of the problem as well as the lather. That's what I get for changing three things at once: soap, brush and blade.
Those are the Personna Platinums. Used to be made in Israel (so-called ‘Israeli Reds’) but now made in Germany and not as good.

The name “Lab Blues” is just what we call the US made ones that come in a bulk blue box. There’s also the “Med Preps” which I think are the same but more sterilized and more expensive.

Confusing as hell since the German Platinums also have blue/gold packaging. But it’s our own fault - Personna never called anything a “Lab Blue”, only people in shaving forums call them that.

By the way, it was always confusing for me in Europe because the old Personna Platinums (which forum people called ‘Israeli Reds’) were sold in blue boxes in Europe - looked like the current German ones except the word Personna was in red text. It was only America where these blades were sold in red boxes.

It’s a lot less confusing than it sounds. It only gets confusing when forum people give the blades informal names that aren’t what is written on the boxes.
 
Last edited:
After a quick google search, a eBay search... I'm not finding that packaging.

Edit: found these after adding "comfort coated": 100 Personna Double Edge Stainless Steel Blades Comfort Coated | eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/271861483997
Those are the ones!
They're $19 with shipping on The bay!
I buy mine at Pasteur shaving. They come out to $17.99 with free shipping & no tax for Florida. And I feel safe knowing that Pasteur's stuff is genuine:

 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I'm going to paraphrase @Fiddler once again. Why in the world would you buy an expensive razor and put an inferior blade in it? In addition, even with the best DE or AC razor, no matter how great the design, the blade is paramount.

My last shave was using the Athena with what I thought was a highly regarded blade here at B&B: the Personna Lab "blue".. that's what I thought I bought. I was gently corrected by @LRod as he told me, ummmmm the Personna Labs we all rave about are the USA blades, not the German ones. Ooooops. I had a horrible shave with the Athena last go 'round, but like an idiot, as you can see from my last post, I changed three things: blade, soap and brush.

Whew... Today's shave was brilliant once again. The Athena was such a joy to use. I went back to Canada Shaving soap (I forgot to get it into the light box... I told myself, you are forgetting something in this picture but then my mind wandered off and I took the photo without it). I did use a new boar brush, the Zenith 506N XSE. It was its maiden voyage and it performed quite well, even though it isn't completely broken-in. Lathered amazingly well. I had loaded extra soap just in case but I had enough left over for 4 or 5 passes. The brush didn't hog the lather either. It wasn't too scritchy... just had a nice scrub that will lessen over time into a perfect delicious scrub, I hope.

I also returned to a Wizamet Super Iridium blade. I'm not sure they are the best out there or anything. I have some of the USA Personna Lab blues on the way. But the Wizamets work very well in the DE razors in which I've tried them. I still like the Gillette 7 O'clock Blacks and the KCG blades as well. I still have some Perma-Sharp and Gillette Platinum "Light" blades to try.

So far, this is the third boar brush for the month. The Omega Jade might improve over time but the two Zenith brushes are outstanding right now. Do they make me want to ditch my SV 2.0 Manchurian badgers? No.... but it's fun to try boars for a month.

Canada Shaving soap? Still my favorite unscented soap at this point. Athena? Today's shave confirmed it's ranking as it is still tied with my other 3 top razors. I have a Green Cult 2.0 on the way.... I did resist ordering it for a day or so. <eg> I hope it ends up being tied with my top 4 razors as well.

All in all, a lovely shave today. I continue to be grateful that our youngest son got me into traditional wet shaving and I can't thank all of you enough for your suggestions and guidance. I am thoroughly enjoying this new journey I'm on. It turns out, an old dog can still learn a few new tricks after all.

RE_Dec5th_2022.jpg
 
I'm going to paraphrase @Fiddler once again. Why in the world would you buy an expensive razor and put an inferior blade in it? In addition, even with the best DE or AC razor, no matter how great the design, the blade is paramount.

My last shave was using the Athena with what I thought was a highly regarded blade here at B&B: the Personna Lab "blue".. that's what I thought I bought. I was gently corrected by @LRod as he told me, ummmmm the Personna Labs we all rave about are the USA blades, not the German ones. Ooooops. I had a horrible shave with the Athena last go 'round, but like an idiot, as you can see from my last post, I changed three things: blade, soap and brush.

Whew... Today's shave was brilliant once again. The Athena was such a joy to use. I went back to Canada Shaving soap (I forgot to get it into the light box... I told myself, you are forgetting something in this picture but then my mind wandered off and I took the photo without it). I did use a new boar brush, the Zenith 506N XSE. It was its maiden voyage and it performed quite well, even though it isn't completely broken-in. Lathered amazingly well. I had loaded extra soap just in case but I had enough left over for 4 or 5 passes. The brush didn't hog the lather either. It wasn't too scritchy... just had a nice scrub that will lessen over time into a perfect delicious scrub, I hope.

I also returned to a Wizamet Super Iridium blade. I'm not sure they are the best out there or anything. I have some of the USA Personna Lab blues on the way. But the Wizamets work very well in the DE razors in which I've tried them. I still like the Gillette 7 O'clock Blacks and the KCG blades as well. I still have some Perma-Sharp and Gillette Platinum "Light" blades to try.

So far, this is the third boar brush for the month. The Omega Jade might improve over time but the two Zenith brushes are outstanding right now. Do they make me want to ditch my SV 2.0 Manchurian badgers? No.... but it's fun to try boars for a month.

Canada Shaving soap? Still my favorite unscented soap at this point. Athena? Today's shave confirmed it's ranking as it is still tied with my other 3 top razors. I have a Green Cult 2.0 on the way.... I did resist ordering it for a day or so. <eg> I hope it ends up being tied with my top 4 razors as well.

All in all, a lovely shave today. I continue to be grateful that our youngest son got me into traditional wet shaving and I can't thank all of you enough for your suggestions and guidance. I am thoroughly enjoying this new journey I'm on. It turns out, an old dog can still learn a few new tricks after all.

View attachment 1567764
Nice Kim!
I say it again, that Athena is a work of art!
Must resist🤣
Only reason I'm holding back is because I still have the hope of eventually getting the Smart Helix Apollo!
Trying to hold the cash for that one if they ever get around to making mine and sending it to me.
Tough to get anything right now from Ukraine or Russia!
 

Eric_75

Not made for these times.
I'm going to paraphrase @Fiddler once again. Why in the world would you buy an expensive razor and put an inferior blade in it? In addition, even with the best DE or AC razor, no matter how great the design, the blade is paramount.

My last shave was using the Athena with what I thought was a highly regarded blade here at B&B: the Personna Lab "blue".. that's what I thought I bought. I was gently corrected by @LRod as he told me, ummmmm the Personna Labs we all rave about are the USA blades, not the German ones. Ooooops. I had a horrible shave with the Athena last go 'round, but like an idiot, as you can see from my last post, I changed three things: blade, soap and brush.

Whew... Today's shave was brilliant once again. The Athena was such a joy to use. I went back to Canada Shaving soap (I forgot to get it into the light box... I told myself, you are forgetting something in this picture but then my mind wandered off and I took the photo without it). I did use a new boar brush, the Zenith 506N XSE. It was its maiden voyage and it performed quite well, even though it isn't completely broken-in. Lathered amazingly well. I had loaded extra soap just in case but I had enough left over for 4 or 5 passes. The brush didn't hog the lather either. It wasn't too scritchy... just had a nice scrub that will lessen over time into a perfect delicious scrub, I hope.

I also returned to a Wizamet Super Iridium blade. I'm not sure they are the best out there or anything. I have some of the USA Personna Lab blues on the way. But the Wizamets work very well in the DE razors in which I've tried them. I still like the Gillette 7 O'clock Blacks and the KCG blades as well. I still have some Perma-Sharp and Gillette Platinum "Light" blades to try.

So far, this is the third boar brush for the month. The Omega Jade might improve over time but the two Zenith brushes are outstanding right now. Do they make me want to ditch my SV 2.0 Manchurian badgers? No.... but it's fun to try boars for a month.

Canada Shaving soap? Still my favorite unscented soap at this point. Athena? Today's shave confirmed it's ranking as it is still tied with my other 3 top razors. I have a Green Cult 2.0 on the way.... I did resist ordering it for a day or so. <eg> I hope it ends up being tied with my top 4 razors as well.

All in all, a lovely shave today. I continue to be grateful that our youngest son got me into traditional wet shaving and I can't thank all of you enough for your suggestions and guidance. I am thoroughly enjoying this new journey I'm on. It turns out, an old dog can still learn a few new tricks after all.

View attachment 1567764
That's one sexy blue bowl, sir. :p
 
By the way, Kim, I got my ATT X1 Slant a few weeks ago, since we’re razor brothers, and I’ve had a couple of shaves with it now. The head isn’t straight (unacceptable at this price point, surely?), but I really enjoy how unusually comfortable and smooth the shave feels.

It seems to have a slightly narrow effective angle, so I have to refine my technique a bit more with it, but I do get very clean and long-lasting shaves - just sometimes missing bits on my flabbier areas like under my chin. I’m using a Kai Pink blade but I suppose the extra exposure of a Feather Pro Super may make all of that easier if I decide I want it. But my second shave required substantially fewer touch-ups than the first, so I think I will master it soon enough and likely stick with the Pinks.

In some ways the feel of the X1 reminds me of my Rocnel SE50, though the Rocnel is even heavier and more angle-sensitive. I might try it again to see if I can get better results than I did before, but I suspect it won’t be able to match the X1.

Maybe I should clarify that I was kidding about the wonky head being unacceptable. I know it’s a slant. I guess if I don’t say this somebody will patiently explain slants to me because of my poor attempt at humour.

A9C6F5BE-A6DC-40F6-A84E-C29E4B055FAE.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
By the way, Kim, I got my ATT X1 Slant a few weeks ago, since we’re razor brothers, and I’ve had a couple of shaves with it now. The head isn’t straight (unacceptable at this price point, surely?), but I really enjoy how unusually comfortable and smooth the shave feels.

It seems to have a slightly narrow effective angle, so I have to refine my technique a bit more with it, but I do get very clean and long-lasting shaves - just sometimes missing bits on my flabbier areas like under my chin. I’m using a Kai Pink blade but I suppose the extra exposure of a Feather Pro Super may make all of that easier if I decide I want it. But my second shave required substantially fewer touch-ups than the first, so I think I will master it soon enough and likely stick with the Pinks.

In some ways the feel of the X1 reminds me of my Rocnel SE50, though the Rocnel is even heavier and more angle-sensitive. I might try it again to see if I can get better results than I did before, but I suspect it won’t be able to match the X1.

Maybe I should clarify that I was kidding about the wonky head being unacceptable. I know it’s a slant. I guess if I don’t say this somebody will patiently explain slants to me because of my poor attempt at humour.

View attachment 1567768
I'm glad you like it... I thought you would. Like the Blutt, Athena and Elite, it's a half a step up from the Claymore Evo, by my count (totally subjective, of course). I love all 4 of those razors. They are all worthy of my top ranking. Each one provides a unique, smooth, comfortable and close 12 hour shave.
 
Speaking of nice reviews, great write up Kim!!

but like an idiot forgetting the BOSC scientific ways, as you can see from my last post, I changed three things: blade, soap and brush.
Fixed it for you.

Anyway, really cool the Athena is giving such nice shaves. Reviews are beginning to increase now that they are more out there. And you have a fine stable (with yet a new one on the way 😏) to compare it with, so looking forward to your voyages!

Enjoy!

Guido
 
By the way, Kim, I got my ATT X1 Slant a few weeks ago, since we’re razor brothers, and I’ve had a couple of shaves with it now. The head isn’t straight (unacceptable at this price point, surely?), but I really enjoy the way it feels and how unusually comfortable and smooth the shave is.

It seems to have a slightly narrow effective angle, so I have to refine my technique a bit more with it, but I do get very clean and long-lasting shaves - just sometimes missing bits on my flabbier areas like under my chin. I’m using a Kai Pink blade but I suppose the extra exposure of a Feather Pro Super may make all of that easier if I decide I want it. But my second shave required substantially fewer touch-ups than the first, so I think I will master it soon enough and likely stick with the Pinks.

In some ways the feel of the X1 reminds me of my Rocnel SE50, though the Rocnel is even heavier and more angle-sensitive. I might try it again to see if I can get better results than I did before, but I suspect it won’t be able to match the X1.

Maybe I should clarify that I was kidding about the wonky head being unacceptable. I know it’s a slant. I guess if I don’t say this somebody will patiently explain slants to me because of my poor attempt at humour.

View attachment 1567768
Do you have any Schick Proline blades to try? It's my favorite blade for the X1!
I guess it's totally subjective though. They didn't work for Kim but work great for me.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I have to say, I'm relieved. I had an excellent shave with my 24K hardened gold plated Overlander for the first time today. Chris Spencer @ Back Roads Gold did such an excellent job with the replating, I really wanted this razor to work for me. I am still puzzled about the poor shaves I got when using it prior to today but..........

I used a Kai blade in it. The only experience I've had with the Kai blades so far was a poor outing with my England Flat Bottom Tech, but I had hoped I'd fare better with the Overlander/Kai pairing and sure enough, it was wonderful. Totally smooth, even in my problem areas. No problem going ATG on my upper lip and my problematic chin area is also smooth. I'll try it with a Wizamet or Personna Lab Blue USA next shave to see if it performs well with a blade having traditional dimensions. I know the problem has been me, but I can't for the life of me figure out what I have been doing wrong.

The only thing I changed other that the razor and blade from the last shave was the boar brush I'm using for DecemBOAR month. I used the Zenith Malachite bleached boar brush today. You might recall, I ordered this brush from YourShaving by mistake but liked the handle so I kept it. It isn't fully broken-in..... but what a performer. I used some extra Canada Shaving Soap just for insurance but man, this brush lathered up like a dream. I had lots of soap left over even with the two passes (WTG and ATG) and an extra pass on my upper lip. My upper lip whiskers grow very close together and need a bit of special attention so I've been doing the customary WTG, XTG in both directions and ATG when necessary. I'm still using the Claymore Evolution around my nose and except for the few minutes it takes to clean the razor afterwards, it is a net positive.

Everything else remained the same. I'm so pleased I got the Overlander dialed in. It's almost universally liked here. As I keep mentioning, there are quite a few people here now with whom I have razors in common. All of them who have the Overlander rave about it so I'm glad I found a way to make it work. I trust that I'll find a way to make a regular dimension DE blade to work, as I noted above.

So how does it rank with my top 4 razors? The jury is still out. With the Kai, I don't find it as smooth as the other 4 nor quite as close, I don't think. Since I had several appointments today, including one at 4PM, I shaved this morning instead of yesterday afternoon. I'll be awake long enough to see exactly how long this shave lasts. My guess it will be on par with my Claymore Evo.... around 10 hours, but that may not be accurate. I'll report back later this evening.

RE_Dec8thShave.jpg
 
Top Bottom