Black performed quite well on shave # 4 today. I am really enjoying these blades!
GIVEAWAY! Anyone in U.S. who wants to try Gillette 7 O'Clock Black - free blades!
- Thread starter JCinPA
- Start date
First off - not only a great PIF, but great reach - @JCinPA
Overwhelming majority of my DE shaves are with a Muhle R89, where I find the Lords and Sharks (SS and SC) to be fantastically good as are these 7 o'clock ninjas. I love the PermaSharp and Nacet in my R41 and GC.89 - but they dice the daylights out of me in the R89
I have found that Reds, Med Preps, and PolSilvers are universally great in my arsenal...
Others 80% of folks will love them and some will say they are the worst shave of their life. Hawkweber is one of those, apparently.
No, that honor goes to Shark Super Chrome.
I found as I trialed different blades that a great blade + a great razor oftentimes makes for a dismal pairing.
Overwhelming majority of my DE shaves are with a Muhle R89, where I find the Lords and Sharks (SS and SC) to be fantastically good as are these 7 o'clock ninjas. I love the PermaSharp and Nacet in my R41 and GC.89 - but they dice the daylights out of me in the R89
I have found that Reds, Med Preps, and PolSilvers are universally great in my arsenal...
Fun Fact - I came across my rogue tin today searching for some fishing gear
Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum - Shaves #4 & #5
TL;DR - #4 was another excellent shave, #5 very good but blade is slowing down
Equipment: SCS Mod A razor, Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade (4 & 5), Ach Brito & PdP B&T, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: Shave #4 was just like #1 - #3, very close, DFS+/BBS- range. Shave #5 took some clean up yet resulted in the DFS+ range. I'm going to push this blade to #6 before switching razors and loading up a new blade.
TL;DR - #4 was another excellent shave, #5 very good but blade is slowing down
Equipment: SCS Mod A razor, Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade (4 & 5), Ach Brito & PdP B&T, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: Shave #4 was just like #1 - #3, very close, DFS+/BBS- range. Shave #5 took some clean up yet resulted in the DFS+ range. I'm going to push this blade to #6 before switching razors and loading up a new blade.
Very much the same experience for me on shave #4 with my slim. I kind of decided against buying any because of the price compared to current favorite blades but they are really making a good case for themselves.
- Thread starter
- #125
Yea, shave 7 is a little shaky. Shark platinum lasted longer but not as sharp initially
- Thread starter
- #127
Nice! So almost a full week, but that may be pushing it. Considering my stash of blacks ran about 10 cents per balde (10 years ago) that's not bad. I don't know why they've gotten so expensive lately, though. I just bought 400 Nacets off eBay for a lot less money, and those are as good for me as the Gillette super plats. I'll probably stick with those going forward.
OTOH, 30 cents per blade is not so bad these day, with some of them ranging up to 60-70-80 cents per blade currently, I guess.
OTOH, 30 cents per blade is not so bad these day, with some of them ranging up to 60-70-80 cents per blade currently, I guess.
Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum - Shave #6
TL;DR - 6 very good shaves (4 excellent, 2 very good), definitely a nice blade
Equipment: SCS Mod A razor, Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade (6), Ach Brito Soap, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: Shave #6 (last with this blade) was similar to shave #5, close, DFS+ range, with additional clean up in the usual places. Time for a new blade in a different razor.
@Fourbtgait, I'm being wooed into thinking there's another shave left in this blade!! I'm trying to be strong!!
@kirbyg, next razor will be a vintage razor, either the Slim or Tech, but I haven't decided yet.
@JCinPA, 30 cents isn't really that bad for a very nice blade, if the QA is consistent (and some sellers still include that really cool tin). I've paid 50 - 60 cents for the KCG blade, which are top shelf blades for me.
TL;DR - 6 very good shaves (4 excellent, 2 very good), definitely a nice blade
Equipment: SCS Mod A razor, Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade (6), Ach Brito Soap, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: Shave #6 (last with this blade) was similar to shave #5, close, DFS+ range, with additional clean up in the usual places. Time for a new blade in a different razor.
@Fourbtgait, I'm being wooed into thinking there's another shave left in this blade!! I'm trying to be strong!!
@kirbyg, next razor will be a vintage razor, either the Slim or Tech, but I haven't decided yet.
@JCinPA, 30 cents isn't really that bad for a very nice blade, if the QA is consistent (and some sellers still include that really cool tin). I've paid 50 - 60 cents for the KCG blade, which are top shelf blades for me.
My Slim enjoys a sharp blade. I think I am running it at 6/7.
- Thread starter
- #131
Wonderful! Glad you like them!
Haven't tried one in my tech yet, but I will say they do very well in either of my Super Speeds as well as my Slim.
Just finished a shave with my second blade, after using two different blades between them. With my first blade I had 4 equal shaves with my Rockwell 6S using plate #3. With my second blade I stepped up the aggressiveness a bit with plate #4, using Chiseled Face and Maggards tallow soaps. I did 3 shaves with plate 4 and had some tugging on the 3rd use plus a cut on my mustache area. Then I tossed the blade (as a rule I typically do 3 shaves/blade and toss)
To summarize: 4 great shaves with Rockwell plate 3, then 3 shaves with Rockwell plate 4 with a cut and some tugging and on the chin hairs on third use. At this point I will not read too much into it.
I will add that I did not use my Pre-Shave (Proraso White or Green) for any of my 7 O’Clock Blade shaves. In future I will use Pre-Shave with plate 4 to see if it makes a difference. Proraso Pre-shave never hurts and only helps, but when testing new blades and especially soaps, I want to minimize variables so I stick with just a hot face cloth
To summarize: 4 great shaves with Rockwell plate 3, then 3 shaves with Rockwell plate 4 with a cut and some tugging and on the chin hairs on third use. At this point I will not read too much into it.
I will add that I did not use my Pre-Shave (Proraso White or Green) for any of my 7 O’Clock Blade shaves. In future I will use Pre-Shave with plate 4 to see if it makes a difference. Proraso Pre-shave never hurts and only helps, but when testing new blades and especially soaps, I want to minimize variables so I stick with just a hot face cloth
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August 14, 2024 Wednesday shave
Razor: Karve Overlander, brass
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (2) Generously provided by @JCinPA.
Soap: Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre
Bowl: Captain's Choice Heavyweight copper
Brush: Omega 10066 boar
Post shave: Barbero alum block, Thayer's Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Fine Snake Bite
Another day in paradise and another stellar shave with the Overlander. No issues, only a great shave. Every item used performed well.
The 7 O'Clock blade was extremely smooth. To me, it seems that this blade offers a smooth shave, and it prioritizes smoothness over ultimate sharpness. I'm glad I got to try these out!
Razor: Karve Overlander, brass
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (2) Generously provided by @JCinPA.
Soap: Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre
Bowl: Captain's Choice Heavyweight copper
Brush: Omega 10066 boar
Post shave: Barbero alum block, Thayer's Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Fine Snake Bite
Another day in paradise and another stellar shave with the Overlander. No issues, only a great shave. Every item used performed well.
The 7 O'Clock blade was extremely smooth. To me, it seems that this blade offers a smooth shave, and it prioritizes smoothness over ultimate sharpness. I'm glad I got to try these out!
- Thread starter
- #135
I am not as discerning as many blade experts here, but I find myself indifferent between these and Nacets (which I just ordered a ton of). Either one is sharp enough for me and smooth enough, I change blades on Mondays and Thursdays, so I’m either getting 3 or 4 shaves per. Perfectly happy with either.
Finally my first shave with the 7 o'clock blacks. Thank you again to JCinPA for letting me try these out. I had to finish out my Nacet I was using. That's why it took a bit before my first review. Now that I'm retired, I shave every 4 - 6 days, with 5 days being the most typical. Today was a 4 day growth.
My standard shave. First a complete shower to soften things up, then right to whipping up a bowl of Arko. I go between my Timeless Bronze 78 and my Karve CB with the C plate. I just came off the Karve with the Nacet blade, so I stuck with that so as not to cloud the water.
This is definitely a quality blade. I did my usual three pass shave, changing nothing. I am writing this six hours later, which I think is better for evaluating a shave.
My favorite blade is Nacet, with Perma-Sharp coming in a close second. This is after going back and forth a number of years. I would say this black is right up there with my two favorites, but I will not know where it lies exactly until I get more shaves in. I almost always get my best shave out of DE blade on the third shave. I think everyone pretty much knows that a metal blade cannot actually get sharper with use, so we surmise that the coating wears off the edge, leaving the sharp edge more exposed. I cannot prove this is true, but I think it is a reasonable and logical assumption. My point is that I feel a first shave off of any blade cannot be compared to another first shave off of any other different blade, due to the difference in coatings.
I will make sure that I wait the full 5 days before my next shave, and again for the one after that. I will get as many shaves as I can out of this blade, just for the sake of testing. My typical use for a DE blade is 4 shaves.
I got a solid DFS out of this first shave today. I must add that I never get my best shave with a 4 day growth. I always need 5 or 6 days to get my best. Don't ask me why, it's just the way it is with me.
I will say that for a 4 day growth, this shave was about as good as any other 4 day growth shave with Perma-Sharp. My initial perception is that the black is not quite as sharp as a Nacet, but I am not deciding anything yet.
Another review in five days.
My standard shave. First a complete shower to soften things up, then right to whipping up a bowl of Arko. I go between my Timeless Bronze 78 and my Karve CB with the C plate. I just came off the Karve with the Nacet blade, so I stuck with that so as not to cloud the water.
This is definitely a quality blade. I did my usual three pass shave, changing nothing. I am writing this six hours later, which I think is better for evaluating a shave.
My favorite blade is Nacet, with Perma-Sharp coming in a close second. This is after going back and forth a number of years. I would say this black is right up there with my two favorites, but I will not know where it lies exactly until I get more shaves in. I almost always get my best shave out of DE blade on the third shave. I think everyone pretty much knows that a metal blade cannot actually get sharper with use, so we surmise that the coating wears off the edge, leaving the sharp edge more exposed. I cannot prove this is true, but I think it is a reasonable and logical assumption. My point is that I feel a first shave off of any blade cannot be compared to another first shave off of any other different blade, due to the difference in coatings.
I will make sure that I wait the full 5 days before my next shave, and again for the one after that. I will get as many shaves as I can out of this blade, just for the sake of testing. My typical use for a DE blade is 4 shaves.
I got a solid DFS out of this first shave today. I must add that I never get my best shave with a 4 day growth. I always need 5 or 6 days to get my best. Don't ask me why, it's just the way it is with me.
I will say that for a 4 day growth, this shave was about as good as any other 4 day growth shave with Perma-Sharp. My initial perception is that the black is not quite as sharp as a Nacet, but I am not deciding anything yet.
Another review in five days.
- Thread starter
- #137
Yep, shave 2 & 3 on these blades are the best.
My favorite two are these and Nacets, but I've had good luck with Permasharps, I'll have to try a few of those again.
My favorite two are these and Nacets, but I've had good luck with Permasharps, I'll have to try a few of those again.
Same for myself. By the end of last year I had tested perhaps 10 or so blades. My two affordable favorites (meaning Kai and Feather are great but hard to justify price) turned out to be Perma-Sharp and Nacet. As I narrowed it down to these two I then alternated using each to see which is better. Every time I leaned towards one, I would flip flop to the other. I decided the difference, if there was one, made no tangible difference to me. And, since these Russian made blades would no longer be Russian made, I decided to stock up (I also like that I am able to say, ‘I shave with Russian blades’). I went with Perma-Sharp since the price was half that of Nacets ($10/100) at the time, so I stocked up with roughly 5 years worth (assuming one blade/week).
7 O’clock blacks were new to me and those shaves were right up there with the Perma-Sharp and Nacet shaves. I doubt I could identify which was which if I did three blind trials with the same amount of beard growth and shave soap. All three get my Fonzie double thumbs up rating
Shave #5 today and it was still a good shave but the blade seems to have started to fall off a little bit. I'm going to give it one more to see but i'm thinking 4-5 might be the limit for me with these.
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Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum - Blade #2 - Shave #1
TL;DR - New blade, different razor, results consistent with prior blade's experience
Equipment: Gillette Slim (4), Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade 2 (1), PdP 63 Soap, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: GBSP Blade #2 performed wonderfully in the Gillette Slim on 4 (personal preference). It's great that the GBSP is consistent. Based on my and others' experiences, the Q/A seems to be a priority. It's just shave #1 with this blade, but a smooth, close shave, in the DFS+ range, is a great way to start.
TL;DR - New blade, different razor, results consistent with prior blade's experience
Equipment: Gillette Slim (4), Gillette Black 7 O'clock Super Platinum Blade 2 (1), PdP 63 Soap, DSC T4 Brush
On To The Shave: GBSP Blade #2 performed wonderfully in the Gillette Slim on 4 (personal preference). It's great that the GBSP is consistent. Based on my and others' experiences, the Q/A seems to be a priority. It's just shave #1 with this blade, but a smooth, close shave, in the DFS+ range, is a great way to start.
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