Item Description
I was fortunate enough to be on the Tesco train for tryout of these blades. Ron (Guenron) was kind enough to coordinate the train and I was first on the schedule for the westbound train. So far in my DE experiences, I have tried Derby, Swede Gillette, Merkur, and Israeli Personna (my favorite up to now) blades. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the Tesco (being a generic supermarket type of blade) when I loaded it up in my Merkur HD and cranked up some mantic superlather (Nancy Boy cream plus Classic Shaving soap). Three passes later (N-S, W-E, and S-N) and OH WOW! BBS on just about all my face (small stubble on neck, but much less than usual) and absolutely no nicks or weepers. The alum bar stung less than usual, which told me this was a great shave. I was blown away.
The second shave was even better than the first. BBS all the way, thanks to a little blade buffing and touch up. Again, no nicks, no cuts, minimal irritation. Third shave was as good as the first two. By now, I was dreading the end of this experience, because this was nirvana to me. The fourth and fifth shaves weren't quite as good as the first 3, but still better than I had gotten with the IP's with still no cuts or nicks. I love these blades.
Price - My understanding is that these are reasonably priced in the UK, but I don't know how much they would be if they could be bought in bulk and shipped to the US, so I only awarded an 8.
Quality - Couldn't be better in my opinion. Best blade for my face.
Sharpness - I haven't used a Feather blade yet, so the only thing I could compare the Tesco to is a Swede Gillette, and the Tesco seemed sharper to me. No pulling until the 5th shave and only a little bit then that I can probably attribute that to lackluster lathermaking on my part. Just good cutting with this blade.
Longevity - If I can get at least 5 good/great shaves out of a blade, I'm happy with it. I think I can stretch it to a week's worth (6 shaves for me).
Smoothness - I had no nicks, no cuts, and less irritation than with any other blade. It seemed like a hot knife through butta on the first 3 shaves.
Packaging - Came in a standard plastic pack and the blade was wrapped in plain wax paper. The blade itself had absolutely no writing on it of any type. I have no problem with the presentation. Utility works best for me. Extra points added for Ron's imaginative use of a DVD case for shipping it to the participants.
In conclusion, I love this blade. I want more NOW!!! I'm going to load in a Feather now to see how it compares to this lovely, but I'm betting I will still prefer the Tesco. You lucky guys in the UK have it good, I'm tellin' you.
The second shave was even better than the first. BBS all the way, thanks to a little blade buffing and touch up. Again, no nicks, no cuts, minimal irritation. Third shave was as good as the first two. By now, I was dreading the end of this experience, because this was nirvana to me. The fourth and fifth shaves weren't quite as good as the first 3, but still better than I had gotten with the IP's with still no cuts or nicks. I love these blades.
Price - My understanding is that these are reasonably priced in the UK, but I don't know how much they would be if they could be bought in bulk and shipped to the US, so I only awarded an 8.
Quality - Couldn't be better in my opinion. Best blade for my face.
Sharpness - I haven't used a Feather blade yet, so the only thing I could compare the Tesco to is a Swede Gillette, and the Tesco seemed sharper to me. No pulling until the 5th shave and only a little bit then that I can probably attribute that to lackluster lathermaking on my part. Just good cutting with this blade.
Longevity - If I can get at least 5 good/great shaves out of a blade, I'm happy with it. I think I can stretch it to a week's worth (6 shaves for me).
Smoothness - I had no nicks, no cuts, and less irritation than with any other blade. It seemed like a hot knife through butta on the first 3 shaves.
Packaging - Came in a standard plastic pack and the blade was wrapped in plain wax paper. The blade itself had absolutely no writing on it of any type. I have no problem with the presentation. Utility works best for me. Extra points added for Ron's imaginative use of a DVD case for shipping it to the participants.
In conclusion, I love this blade. I want more NOW!!! I'm going to load in a Feather now to see how it compares to this lovely, but I'm betting I will still prefer the Tesco. You lucky guys in the UK have it good, I'm tellin' you.
