Personna Platinum (Israeli)

These left my skin irritated! The cut was rough for sure, especially on my neck. The blade had trouble cutting hair on my neck and I prepped very well. I had to use a lot of balm to fix my face after the cutting I received. My face is smooth but very irritated.. I like the RED IP's better.. Trying 7'oclock yellows and blacks next and the sputnik teflons after that..

First of all, I can't believe I'm the first to review these...

I'm calling these "Derby's Twin" because for me thats how they act. However, I get a slightly less irrritating shave on the first shave of the blade with the Derbys.

To date, I've shaved with American Personnas, Merkurs, Derbys, these, and Swedish Gillettes.

Price: The price is right on ebay, about 15 cents US a piece when bought in bulk. I'm giving them a 9 because I feel local access to US personnas at wal-mart for 15.6 cents a piece is a better value given the quantity.

Quality: Compared to thier american counterparts, these are excellent. They don't rust, are pretty consistent, and give a good shave.

Sharpness: I put the Derby slightly ahead of these, but they are no match for a fresh swede.

Longevity: I usually dispose of these after the third or fourth shave, but could probably get more out of it if I tried. I witheld the 10 because they do have a noticeable dropoff after day 2, then plateau through to day 5.

Smoothness: A lot of people swear by them, but I find the Derby smoother.

Packaging: Bulk wax paper and cardboard. No thanks. Derby, at the same price, at least gives you a plastic case to help prevent incidental bending in the supplies drawer.

I guess you should have reviewed the Derby's instead. These blades are in my opinion far better than the Derby's. Much sharper and smoother. They are priced just right on Ebay. I personally don't care about packaging, I'm not shaving with the box anyways. I get 4 great shaves but at the current prices there's no need to push it beyond. High quality product which I highly recommend. I'll say this, Swedish Gillettes and Feathers are shaper, the Swedish is by far the smoother of the three. The IP is my daily blade from which I get irritation free bbs shaves everytime.

Derby's Twin...I don't think so they are not even in the same family

Raf

I actually love the packaging. When I order 100 Derbys or Merkurs or Wilkinsons, they take up a lot of room in the cabinet because of all the packaging material and the separate packs of 5 or 10. The Israelis come in an incredibly small and efficient tiny box that fits all 100 blades.

In addition to these blades providing (for me) an excellent shave, I think they are the most economical high-quality blades on the market. They have a low price, and they last a day or two longer than other blades (maybe one day more than Derby and two days more than Feather).

Price: Cheap, 100 for 16.49 or so on ebay.

Quality: Well made blades, much better than some others I've tried.

Sharpness: Sharper than Merkurs, similar to Derby, not as sharp as Swedish Gillette's or Feathers.

Longevity: This was my biggest issue, I could only get 1 shave with this before it started irritating my skin and giving me nicks.

Smoothness of Shave: Eh, maybe I'm just spoiled with Feathers, but after 4 passes my face didn't feel 'smooth'. It felt really half assed to me, I don't know how to explain it my face just didn't feel like it cut close enough even after 4 passes.

Packaging: Nice little box with a 100 blades.

cuts ok for me. Not a bad back up... a close second...sharper than a merkur, not as sharp as feather. derbys are better for me, and at same/similar pricing, why not get the best blade for your face? like the "all in one" box idea for less packaging (i use a homemade blade safe, and have a couple of empty packs for travel)

I have been wet shaving with a DE for about a month and half, I started with feathers and a feather DE the one on classicshaving.com for $20 then got a old adjustable from a guy off shavemyface.com and wow weight makes a big differance in the shave.

The feathers I think are just to sharp for a every day shave and derbys tend to be to ruff, these are great can shave every day without any trouble and last about 5 good shaves and get a good close shave everytime!!!

Like others have said you can get them off ebay which I did like $17 to your door for 100. Not a bad price for some great blades.

Received those blades from some nice members from the US.
These are really good blades and most of all gives a very smooth shave. I think sharpness is even better than for exemple Derby and better in longevity than Tesco. And from what I've see on Ebay, the price is very low.Very good product made in Israël.

Price: $ 0.15 each or thereabouts (depending on what you pay for shipping) speaks for itself.

Quality: I have found these blades to be consistent in their excellent quality.

Sharpness/Smoothness: Sharpness somewhere in the region of Swedish G's (to my mind), with superior smoothness. Just hear them cut through that stubble, then feel the smoothness. I give them 10 on each count because they offer the ideal balance between the two for me.

Longevity: I get three great shaves out of one blade. I could try for more, but these feel so good new, and are such great value, that I don't see the point.

Packaging: OK, the cardboard box isn't the best way to keep your blades neat, but you can always transfer them to smaller containers for ease of transport. I like individually wrapped blades, so these are good for me on that count.

Note: I have tried these only in a Merkur Progress (setting 3) and once in a Slant, but the Slant was not for me...

Overall: But for the packaging, these blades should score in the nineties. They have become my default blade, delivering excellent smooth and comfortable shaves every time.

These are very good blades at a very good price. I enjoy them every time I use them and find them to be my go to blades. No sexy packaging or cases but a great deal.

I bought these off eBay from lildeb66143 for a total of 16.75$ shipment to Europe included. At today's extremely favourable USD/EUR exchange rate, these are even cheaper than Derby's. Price is therefore 10. The quality is great, no bad blades encountered so far: 9. Sharpness, they do the job for me and achieve BBS after three passes: 9 (where feather and swede are 10). They are very, very smooth blades for my skin, I can't feel them on my skin, I rate them 10. Packaging: ecological and practical, biodegradable, nothing fancy, no blade disposal slot, so an 8. Longevity: same as Derby, around four shaves, a 9 here.

My new favourite blade, works for me in combination with an adjustable (Merkur Progress, Gillette Fatboy and Slim) as well as a non-adjustable (Gillette Superspeed red tip).

These are probably the closest thing to perfection I have found. Just the right combo of smoothness and sharpness. I dont need Feather/Sweede sharp, these do me just fine, bbs with no irritation. I rated the packaging a 10 because it is so efficient, no waste. These are my favorite blades! Highly recommended!

My preference is Derbys but these come a close second. Derbys are less forgiving but go BBS in fewer passes. I generally find I need at least one extra pass with an IP to get an equal shave. IPs are more forgiving though, so if I'm going out etc, I'll switch to an IP to avoid nicks. I don't think I've ever nicked myself with an IP something I can't say about a Derby. I think the packaging of IPs is great, really eco-friendly and minimalist. Could happily live with just IPs and never use another blade, of course it help that they're cheap as chips.

Edit: Now (Nov 2013) being sold under the brand name "Q-Ball Platinum Plus"

Defiantly a cut above the Wilkinson Sword blades I had been using. The price is fantastic and certainly makes me remember why i started wetshaving. Not as sharp as feather blades, which for me, is a good thing. They shave easily without irritation, and are forgiving if I'm in a rush. I love the packaging because how impossibly small it is and how easy it is to store in my cabinet. Glad i found these when i did

I've been using these blades over a year now and they are great! I've tried several different blades from Derby,Feathers all the way to the Gillette Swedes. Hands down IP's produce a smooth and very forgiving shave. I don't mind the packaging as there is no bulk and minimal waste produced. As for sharpness I change my blade every two shaves as they are quite cheap to buy. I use these blades in my Progress and have a very enjoyable shave each day.

I bought 100 of these on Ebay when I first started wetshaving. I'd read enough positive statements about them here to feel it was a good gamble; I'm glad I went with them.

To my mind, for the price, the quality of these blades can't be beat. They're consistently sharp and smooth. I use them for three shaves, then toss them. I feel fine not trying to push the envelope of longevity at under 20 cents per blade. I docked them a point for sharpness because I guess a Feather would be considered sharper. Cool, they cost 40 cents more each as well.

I'm a big fan of the minimalist packaging. I can store the box away from the prying eyes and fingers of my two young'uns. Even if they do spot the box, it's not particularly attracting to the eye which I find perfect.

These are my daily blades and the benchmark for all others. If I can get a smooth, irritation-free shave from these bad boys, I'm hard pressed to find a reason to shell out the dough for Feathers or Swedes.

I shave primarily with a '58 Super Speed and use both soaps and creams, though I lean toward soaps.

Surfing for the Personna Red blades, I find offers of the blades made in Israel and blades made in the USA. Is there a except for the obvious (made in Israel or USA) a difference in quality between these blades?

I've been wetshaving for about four months, and I've used Dorcos, Derbys, Feathers, and Zorriks. I like these better than all of them! And yes, even better than the Feathers I shave my head everyday with 3 passes (wtg, xtg, atg), and these cut with very little effort, while seeming to fly over my skull at the same time. I've used them with both Nivea Milde Rasier Creme and Erasmic, and I find the performance slightly better with the Nivea. I'm real happy with the packaging, all paper, biodegradable, and what's more or equally important, recyclable. I gave a lesser score in the longevity department that may or may not be deserved, and here's why - this is the first blade that has really seriously wowed me, and I think the waning of that first super performance was just very pronounced, whereas maybe other blades I've tried have lost it more gradually. The high performance lasted about two days, but I've been using these blades for four, and really all that's missing is the "rush" you feel when a blade that you like is new out of the paper, the shaves are still just fine - my head is a cue ball LOL. Many people compare these to Derbys, and the comparison does makes sense, but I find these to be a little sharper and more aggressive than Derbys (and I do like Derbys), but stopping before the Feathers (obviously). I don't think you can nick yourself up too badly with these, either - I didn't cut myself once, and it does happen to me around the backs of my ears, often with an unfamiliar blade. And this is what I've been looking for - great cutting, but ease. Oh, before I forget, my razor is a Weishi, so you know and have a comparison with yours (I finally read Jim's points on a good review These really have a good balance of qualities, and what's more they're well made with a smooth finish, and don't cost a lot.

Price: $15 for a hundred. It equals the average price I pay.

Quality: The quality seems consistant.

Sharpness: Not really. The first shave may seem fine.

Longevity: I can hardly get 4 shaves.

Smoothness of Shave: Pulls hairs out but doesn't cut me.

Packaging: Honestly, its the best. A small tight package. Not a bunch of loose soft paper packaged 5 packs laying around. Takes up very little space. No blade disposal but most blades I buy do not have one.

After going through a razor sample pack, these were my favorite. A smooth shave and no irritation. Some say they dull faster than others, but I haven't noticed that. I change blades after two shaves (3 tops on occasion) every time.

I like that they are so cheap in bulk and that they don't come in flashy packaging. Not much else to say!