132 Blades - Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum

[Kent Kimmons]

The Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum is a good blade and would have scored higher if the bleeder count was lower. Had it given up only 4-6 bleeders, it would have scored well within the top 10, but there is no way mathematically it could have taken the top spot from the Big Ben Super Stainless. Instead, it was a bloodletter and the score reflects that. It places behind 10 better blades and that makes it mathematically, just barely one of the common herd, and that, I think, is where it rightly belongs.

Judging by just the first 4 shaves, the blade does rate significantly better, it takes spot #8 in the pecking order. However, this number can only go down as there are still a little under 100 blades to go.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

That is a lot of bleeders! The Big Ben Super is such an outlier, I wonder what it would score on another run?

 

[lasta]

Yeah...21 weepers is pretty brutal!

They are on the sharper end, are you using very aggressive razors?

 

[Iridian]

Big Ben Super Stainless rate highest?

Now that's pretty shocking, I rate them as rather dull.

Edit: Hmm you truly don't get along with one of my favorite non-threatening, highly cushioned blades, the Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum.

 

[Goblin]

That sounds like a lot of blood-letting. Could it be a duff blade? If you love the Big Ben then maybe you just aren't used to blades at the sharper end of the scale...did you also get bleeders from the Feather?

I will say that I find sharp Indian-made blades tend to produce more weepers for me than sharp Russian or Japanese blades - I don't know why. Still, that seems like a lot!

 

[Kent Kimmons]

That sounds like a lot of blood-letting. Could it be a duff blade? If you love the Big Ben then maybe you just aren't used to blades at the sharper end of the scale...did you also get bleeders from the Feather?

I will say that I find sharp Indian-made blades tend to produce more weepers for me than sharp Russian or Japanese blades - I don't know why. Still, that seems like a lot!

For the Feather, I had about 1 weeper per shave. The best blades so far, purely in terms of lack of blood are Asco Super Stainless, Big Ben Super Stainless, Champion Platinum (horrible blade - 2 and out), Elios Inoxideable, Jaws, and
Jianyu (Marlin). None had more than 2 weepers or bleeders across all of the shaves they gave me. I pulled the data I had by country, it's kind of all over the board.

Blade	Country	Coating		weepers	bleeders	shaves
Astra Superior Platinum (Laser Marked)	Russia	Platinum		14	1	6
Astra Superior Stainless (Laser Marked)	Russia	Stainless		8	5	5
Dollar Platinum	India	Platinum		3	0	6
Feather New High Stainless	Japan	Platinum		6	1	5
Gillette 365	India	Platinum		13	0	6
Gillette 7 O'Clock Permasharp Stainless	India	Stainless		7	2	5
Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge	Russia	Platinum		3	0	5
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum	India	Platinum		21	0	7

 

[Kent Kimmons]

Yeah...21 weepers is pretty brutal!

They are on the sharper end, are you using very aggressive razors?

No, that's what is so surprising. I'm using a new King C. Gillette so the razor is fairly mild.

 

[Kent Kimmons]

That is a lot of bleeders! The Big Ben Super is such an outlier, I wonder what it would score on another run?

I really haven't done the math to say it is an outlier, the range is 5.86 on the bottom to 8.67 at the top. There is a large degree of difficulty as each day is different from many perspectives, time of shave, water temperature etc. I've started to look at groups rather than individual blades. The bottom dwellers, for me, likely have no chance of becoming a top blade, but, over time, they may rightly belong in the "common herd" while those at the top can suffer the inverse fate and be banished to the herd as well. That's why I plan on taking a fairly large sample from the top of the list, buy 2-3 of each, and get to know them better before any 100 blade buys. That's also why I don't actually name a "my best blade". In the end, it will devolve into 3 lists, those I will buy and use, those I will use but not buy, and those I will not use.

 

[Goblin]

This is really interesting. I can honestly say that weepers or any blood at all is a real rarity for me when I use Japanese / Russian blades - I might get one weeper every couple of months. With Indian blades, it tends to be something that might happen once or twice a week. AFAIK I never had a weeper from an Egyptian blade, but many of them aren't sharp enough for me to want to use in the first place. Also, I am increasingly at the point of one-and-done for most blades - maybe if you never let the edge get really deformed and ragged that reduces the likelihood of weepers, but pushing a dull, deformed edge makes it more likely? Who knows...just thinking out loud.

 

[Sweeney_]

This is really interesting. I can honestly say that weepers or any blood at all is a real rarity for me when I use Japanese / Russian blades - I might get one weeper every couple of months. With Indian blades, it tends to be something that might happen once or twice a week. AFAIK I never had a weeper from an Egyptian blade, but many of them aren't sharp enough for me to want to use in the first place. Also, I am increasingly at the point of one-and-done for most blades - maybe if you never let the edge get really deformed and ragged that reduces the likelihood of weepers, but pushing a dull, deformed edge makes it more likely? Who knows...just thinking out loud.

Indeed, interesting. Frankly, I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around using weepers, nicks or lack of blood as a blade rating criteria.

The last weeper I remember was maybe 3 weeks ago using that same blade during 7 O'clock Week. Used it all week long in a Lupo 95, so not exactly a mild razor and only one small weeper on my Adam's apple due to a moment's lack of focus. I can't imagine having a shave with more than an occasional, rare weeper or nick. @Kent Kimmons run away from that blade!

 

[Kent Kimmons]

This is really interesting. I can honestly say that weepers or any blood at all is a real rarity for me when I use Japanese / Russian blades - I might get one weeper every couple of months. With Indian blades, it tends to be something that might happen once or twice a week. AFAIK I never had a weeper from an Egyptian blade, but many of them aren't sharp enough for me to want to use in the first place. Also, I am increasingly at the point of one-and-done for most blades - maybe if you never let the edge get really deformed and ragged that reduces the likelihood of weepers, but pushing a dull, deformed edge makes it more likely? Who knows...just thinking out loud.

Before I started this journey, I was quite comfortable with my go to blade being a Viking Sword and using Proraso (green) shave cream. The Arko is as new to me as these blades, it came with them from my wife for Christmas and I started with it so I will finish with it as well. Before the test started, I was spilling blood maybe once a month, maybe a little more. I've bled a lot since starting.

I can't do one and done. I used to do 4 and done with the Viking Sword. Looking at the data, a few blades give me a better second shave than first. Every blade that has ANY legs has peaked by #3. In the future, I will go back to 4 and out or maybe 3 and out. I'm going farther for this test because there are those who like to push their blades as far as they can. So far, nothing has gone past 7 days for me and no blade has really been a candidate to do so.

 

[Kent Kimmons]

Indeed, interesting. Frankly, I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around using weepers, nicks or lack of blood as a blade rating criteria.

The last weeper I remember was maybe 3 weeks ago using that same blade during 7 O'clock Week. Used it all week long in a Lupo 95, so not exactly a mild razor and only one small weeper on my Adam's apple due to a moment's lack of focus. I can't imagine having a shave with more than an occasional, rare weeper or nick. @Kent Kimmons run away from that blade!

That blade is done and its kind will likely not be repeated. I use weepers and bleeders as it is an indication of how the blade degrades and also of blade quality IMO. The criteria are set up such that no blood tends to score higher but a blade can perform well enough in the other areas to overcome a little blood. I did this because all of the test blades are one and out. If I look at the data, the one in the lead right now was not the most bloodless (it's #2 0n that list), but I believe that a buy of multiple blades will quickly yield blood free shaves, especially when I go back to 4 and out or maybe 3 and out.

 

[Sweeney_]

That blade is done and its kind will likely not be repeated. I use weepers and bleeders as it is an indication of how the blade degrades and also of blade quality IMO. The criteria are set up such that no blood tends to score higher but a blade can perform well enough in the other areas to overcome a little blood. I did this because all of the test blades are one and out. If I look at the data, the one in the lead right now was not the most bloodless, but I believe that a buy of multiple blades will eventually yield blood free shaves, especially when I go back to 4 and out or maybe 3 and out.

You're likely correct on that last point and I hope that's the end result. Thanks for putting in the time and sharing the data.

 

[BigJ]

+1! I agree with the concept that bleeders and weepers should be counted against a blade!

 

[geneaut]

It's one of my favorite blades, but not one to let your mind wander while using ... at least for me.

 

[Kent Kimmons]

It's one of my favorite blades, but not one to let your mind wander while using ... at least for me.

I can see where the blade would definitely be one that would work for a lot of people. Makes me wonder what my experience would be in my Diplomat or my flare tip (red) or silver. When I do buy for phase 2 of the test, I plan to use 3 razors, none of them my King C. Gillette.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Hey man, if you rarely had weepers before using Arko, you might best stop using Arko. Your weeper rate is really quite high, and knowingly putting your health at risk is dangerous.

Please go back to Proraso.