Timor Solingen

This blade is terrible especially for the price. Not sharp at all. Tugging on the first shave. Somehow the end result is mostly smooth.

Like the Bolzano this is an poor performing, expensive blade.

The blade shaves as smooth as a Merkur blade but because the blade is sharper is leaves a much closer shave. I can get six BB shaves per blade when using a Merkur Vision with this blade.

There's not much to say about these blades, they're just very good in all aspects (apart from the price). Sadly, they're hard to find (I got mine from a Belgian internet shop). Perhaps the most likeable thing about these blades is the über cool packaging with some sort of ancient god or warrior on it plus the classic 'Solingen' logo.

This blade oozes nothing but German quality. The packaging and the look of the blade is nothing short of excellent. Even though sharpness is a bit lacking it is easily compensated by dialling up your adjustable. No fear of ripping your face and absolutely no irritation and believe me I have tried many blades before that were even duller and I got bad irritation. These blades are as smooth as Voskhod but with bite and they last 5 to 6 shaves with multi passes if you are so inclined. Why not a 10- easy because there is no such blade in absolute terms !

I have a face that breaks out if approached by a low-quality blade. I have been going through the sampler pack that I received as a graduation gift for about a month, and I decided to give the Timor Solingens a go. My first impression was a sharp blade that easily went through my stubble, leaving a few small specks of irritation in its wake. Over the next three shaves, they were perfect; smooth, close, and NO irritation. The fifth shave was a little rough, but significantly better than other blades I'd tried. The other blades in the pack had to be tossed after two or three shaves depending on the blade, but this one is proving its longevity with each passing day. I am very pleased with this blade and will be ordering a lot more.

Timor rostfrei eisgehärtet (stainless "ice-hardened") double-edge razor blades

Just average.

Price: US$4.50 for 10 blades ($0.45 each), which is slightly above average.

Quality: Mostly smooth bevels with no pitting.

Sharpness: Third tier for sharpness. Acceptable, but only barely.

Longevity: Lasts 3-4 days, which is average for the blades I have tried.

Smoothness of Shave: Smooth enough, though not remarkable.

Packaging: Plastic box of 10 with disposal slot; single-wrapped without adhesive

This is the best blade of about 15 I have tried so far and so I decided to write my first review about it. I use a fatboy and this was the first blade that gave me easy 2 pass cheeks BBS/neck DFS with no irritation at all. BBS is also possible even on my neck with some but not much irritation though. They are a bit expensive, but you can get 4 shaves easy, and maybe even 5 depending on how many passes you do in each shave so cost per shave is not that bad.
The highlight is the smoothness and forgiveness of the blade. First one that gave me enough confidence to try higher aggressiveness settings on the fatboy. All the other blades I have tried above 4 ended in a bloodbath, this one with extra caution gives only a couple of tiny nicks even with a setting up to 7. Anyone with a sensitive skin should give it a try. Even if it is not the best blade for you, you will not be disappointed.
The packaging is a common plastic box. I gave it a 10 because I like the vintage logo of the blades

Chester, you were right about Souplex being sharper! That is why you should never wright a review after one blade or worse, one shave!

Ok, the Timors. For starters, they are expensive just like Feather, Merkur and to a lesser degree, Souplex.
I used 3 blades and as far as you can rate quality after that I would say; consistant and good. Smooth and extremely longlasting blade (never got 5 shaves out of a blade before!) but they have one not so little issue for me and that is their sharpness. They work good on my face and the most part of my neck but I have two spots there with the grain all over the place. The Timors cannot cope with those spots well enough. There is too much tugging and after using 3 blades those spots are not looking too good; irritation, and several reddish follicles means I take a few shaving days off and start with a fav blade again.

So these are not for me but I still think it is an interesting blade that you should try. After 5 shaves it easily outperforms a Wilkinson Economy or a Dorco st-300 on its 1st shave. It is expensive but I can imagine people willing to pay the price. N/A for packaging because I find that packaging should not change the verdict.

I have shaved my way through a pack of Timors by now, so here's my verdict:

Like Souplex, the Timor's greatest strength is the exceptional smoothness of the shave. I wouldn't rate the sharpness of both quite as high as Chester does, but it's still very good. I use them for 3-5 shaves with no discernible difference in quality between shaves.
Sadly, they are expensive. But everyone who likes his shaves extra smooth should give them a try. They have reached the number 2 spot in my rotation (after 7 o'clock yellow).
Highly recommended!

I picked up a couple hundred of these about three weeks ago, after hearing about them from onotoman.

It took me the better part of a week to finish up the Iridiums I had in my slims, but then I was ready for Timor. This blade is made in Solingen, also the home of Souplex (another of my faves). It's been postulated that Timor and Souplex blades may actually be the same -- Timor being just a fancy-packed re-brand of Souplex, basically. I used Timor blades exclusively for two weeks, using only gillette slims (set to 4) and my feeling is that they are different.

Admittedly, because I was using Iridiums for the week before the "two weeks of Timor", my impressions of Timor are probably gauged against Iridium, in terms of performance and quality. Not a bad yardstick, though. I've tried to keep a mental comparison going with Souplex. (I'm starting "two weeks of Souplex", tomorrow.)

Basically, I find Timor to be an exceptional blade, and it comes at a premium price. I think you get what you pay for, though. They're very sharp, as sharp as Iridiums, with no break-in period to get a nice smooth performance. I used 4 blades from two separate packs, and they were all very consistent. I rarely push a blade past three shaves, but I did push one Timor blade out to five shaves and it was still performing very well -- not as well as shaves 1-4, but not tugging, and still pretty smooth. Mostly it just seemed to not cut as efficiently by shave 5. It reminds me of an Iridium, in so many ways.

As for the comparison with Souplex, I find Souplex to be the sharper of the two. I find Souplex blades to be incredibly sharp, and until I could appreciate them (and focus more keenly on technique!) they cut me badly. Each cut by the Souplex was a silent, effortless, painless, free-flowing bloody masterpiece. Where Souplex is not forgiving of lapses of technique, I found Timors to be very accommodating. Timors cut very well, and were very smooth right from the start, but not as sharp as Souplex. Souplex seems to develop its smoothness over the first couple shaves, in my experience.

So, onto the ratings: Price is rating a 6 because you'll pay anywhere from forty to fifty cents a blade, and you can find other offerings with similar performance for less. Iridiums are a little cheaper, and probably a better value, in comparison. Quality, Sharpness and Longevity all get a 9, because they were very consistent, not quite as sharp as a Souplex or a Feather, and they seem to tucker out at about 5 shaves, where I've been able to get 7 from a Schick Plus Platinum. Finally, I see them as very smooth (matching Iridiums), and the packaging is great. Plastic dispensers are not my favorite (however handy they are on the road), but the trademark is old-timey and looks much like the Apollos. The 200-pack is very nice (love the purple!), and makes for an attractive point-of-sale display. I'd recommend this blade to anyone who likes Bolzanos or Iridiums or Gillette Bleue Extras. Maybe pick up a 10-pack or two and see what you think!

So, there you have it. Hope it helps.
-- Chet