I posted not too long ago in the Clinic forum about my first experiences with a sharp blade. It was a Sputnik that I received as a sample from Shoebox Shaveshop, and it was very sharp but also very harsh. It left my skin tender. Prior to the Sputnik I had only ever used 3 blades, all of which with a reputation of mass suckage: 7am, Wal Mart Personnas, and Merkurs. As a result I had never had a BBS shave in 5 months with my DE, and I finished every shave with a final ATG pass with the Fusion, which resulted in BBS. I went through two DE razors before finding comfort in a Merkur 15c open comb, but I still didn't achieve BBS, so this week I finally (belatedly) ordered a blade sample pack.
And I'm writing this after perhaps the best shave I have ever experienced, thanks to a Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp. Holy crap! The sampler contains 2 blades each of:
7 o'clock SharpEdge, Permasharp, and Platinum
Feather (I'm afraid of going near these)
Shark Super Stainless
And one each of Derby, Bolzano Superinox, and Zorrik
Anyway, I tried the 7 o'clock Permasharp first, and maybe it's because I haven't used many other blades, but it blew me away. I made the first stroke and said "You've gotta be f---ing kidding me."
I couldn't even feel the blade as it sliced off 3 days of growth. The shave was butter-smooth even on the first pass. In fact, I could've stopped after the first pass and had a DFS. The blade just skated across my face with no tugging or pulling of any sort, and I wasn't using a tallow soap or lanolin-based cream. I skipped the XTG pass and moved straight to ATG. After that, it was damn-near BBS already. I just needed the Fusion to touch-up a few spots.
The Floid hardly burned after the shave; just a little on my neck. I couldn't believe it. No nicks, cuts, weepers, irritation....it was the best shave I've had since starting this hobby back in October, when I still used a Fusion 100% of the time with cream and a brush. And I FINALLY understand now what people mean when they say a blade is sharp and smooth. I almost want to complain, since I couldn't feel the razor slice the hairs off like normal.
So...now I have to work my way through this sample pack. I don't want to declare a winner already, but the others have some catching up to do. For my face the 7 o'clock Green is a damn good blade.
I'm still sitting here faceturbating. Wow.
And I'm writing this after perhaps the best shave I have ever experienced, thanks to a Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp. Holy crap! The sampler contains 2 blades each of:
7 o'clock SharpEdge, Permasharp, and Platinum
Feather (I'm afraid of going near these)
Shark Super Stainless
And one each of Derby, Bolzano Superinox, and Zorrik
Anyway, I tried the 7 o'clock Permasharp first, and maybe it's because I haven't used many other blades, but it blew me away. I made the first stroke and said "You've gotta be f---ing kidding me."
I couldn't even feel the blade as it sliced off 3 days of growth. The shave was butter-smooth even on the first pass. In fact, I could've stopped after the first pass and had a DFS. The blade just skated across my face with no tugging or pulling of any sort, and I wasn't using a tallow soap or lanolin-based cream. I skipped the XTG pass and moved straight to ATG. After that, it was damn-near BBS already. I just needed the Fusion to touch-up a few spots.
The Floid hardly burned after the shave; just a little on my neck. I couldn't believe it. No nicks, cuts, weepers, irritation....it was the best shave I've had since starting this hobby back in October, when I still used a Fusion 100% of the time with cream and a brush. And I FINALLY understand now what people mean when they say a blade is sharp and smooth. I almost want to complain, since I couldn't feel the razor slice the hairs off like normal.
So...now I have to work my way through this sample pack. I don't want to declare a winner already, but the others have some catching up to do. For my face the 7 o'clock Green is a damn good blade.
I'm still sitting here faceturbating. Wow.
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