Are these Astra SP fake or very old?

[wanalipa]

Hi. I bought this pack of Astra SP for a really good price (though nowhere near as good as this guy here ) from an online vendor recently. I haven't got opportunity to try them yet but I hope in the mean time knowledgeable historians here may help with identifying whether or these are counterfeit, or if very old stock (and from which year, if that's the case).

So far from the looks of it:

• Claims Made in Russia
• No date written anywhere
• Plastic dispenser (sealed in cellophane)
  • No extra cartoon packaging inside plastic
• "ASTRA SUPERIOR" written in paper
• No glue inside paper / on blades
• No numbers (1/2/3/4) on blade

 

[Brian H Shaves]

That is quite interesting. I would say you have a VERY OLD version of the SP ASTRA or they are fake. The print and wrapping don't match my Russian versions that I have received from two different businesses. You have identified some of the differences I noticed comparing them to mine.

 

[wanalipa]

I think it may be old and fake I don't care about the fake part if it shaves well enough but I'm afraid that may have to wait for a few days.

 

[Lane101]

No real way to tell if fake. They are old. I purchased my Astra SPs almost 5 years ago and even then they only came in cardboard tucks. First time I've seen these in a plastic tuck. Perhaps someone here can tell us when they changed from plastic to cardboard tucks.

At the time I purchased my Astra SPs they had just changed from printed to laser etched blades. Believe they changed back to printed blades since then.

 

[Whisky]

The fact that the box says "Superior Platinum" and the blade and Tuck both sat "Superior Stainless" makes me think they're fake. Let us know how they shave.

 

[Beezerpuppy]

I have a similar pillar of the Astra SS (blue pack) with the same plastic tucks and the same wax paper with "Astra" printed in the same font. They date back to roughly the 1980''s.

 

[Lane101]

The fact that the box says "Superior Platinum" and the blade and Tuck both sat "Superior Stainless" makes me think they're fake. Let us know how they shave.

You're right that something is off. Superior Stainless blades typically come in the blue packaging. Hard to know for sure as per @Beezerpuppy these blades are likely 30-40 years old. Hard to tell how they were labeled then.

 

[abies]

The fact that the box says "Superior Platinum" and the blade and Tuck both sat "Superior Stainless" makes me think they're fake. Let us know how they shave.

I'm inclined to agree with you on that, although weirdness sometimes happens with blades and tucks/boxes, Accutech and Personna kinda being a recent example.

 

[TheBigL]

I had Astras like this. I believe they are real, just old. I don't think I have the carton anymore, but I still have some of the plastic tucks.

 

[WVShaver]

They look like real ones just old but they could still be fake. They were using cardboard tucks at least as far back as 2010-2015ish and probably further back.

I’ve seen some really old Astras in plastic tucks made in Czech instead of Russia. Im not sure when they started making them in Russia but I bet these are 90s or early 2000s.

 

[wanalipa]

Okay I've had a quick 1 pass shave. Comfort-wise it wasn't gliding like my 2022 Astra SPs at all (you call that harsher I assume?). Cutting-wise it cut OK.
Note that I'm a newbie shaver so I'm nowhere qualified enough to compare & contrast blades. Also it was a very quick shave so lather was insufficient my hair didn't get soft enough.
I have slight irritation.

 

[Jopo]

They look like real ones just old but they could still be fake. They were using cardboard tucks at least as far back as 2010-2015ish and probably further back.

I’ve seen some really old Astras in plastic tucks made in Czech instead of Russia. Im not sure when they started making them in Russia but I bet these are 90s or early 2000s.

Production moved to Russia in the 2000's, 2005 I believe.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Superior Stainless printed on blade instead of Superior platinum.
Blade surface printed way off to the left side and slanted.

Hard to say its legit with all these red flags.

 

[wanalipa]

Superior Stainless printed on blade instead of Superior platinum.
Blade surface printed way off to the left side and slanted.

Hard to say its legit with all these red flags.

Makes sense.
I don't understand why they'd put them in plastic dispensers, considering plastic dispensers last used when production was in Czechia and would be more expensive than cartoon boxes which even the originals are using.

 

[TheBigL]

Superior Stainless printed on blade instead of Superior platinum.
Blade surface printed way off to the left side and slanted.

Hard to say its legit with all these red flags.

I'm going to go find my old ones to compare. I've seen a lot of other brands that advertise one thing and the blade says another.

The printing is a concern, but as fast as the machines are running, I'm surprised there are not more blades printed crooked.

 

[CuppaJoe__]

(though nowhere near as good as this guy here )

 

[wanalipa]

Fake Astra SP?

Long first post. I shaved with Feather for 15 years but always had extremely rough shaves. I have fairly tough beard and very sensitive skin (bad combo), but I figured it couldn't get any better since Feather are the sharpest, thus they should be the best. Even so, in 2019 I bought a pack of...

www.badgerandblade.com

These looks similar to mine (though mine lacks numbers on blades)

 

[Jopo]

Makes sense.
I don't understand why they'd put them in plastic dispensers, considering plastic dispensers last used when production was in Czechia and would be more expensive than cartoon boxes which even the originals are using.

Seems the Russian factory did produce plastic dispensers initially.

 

[helicopter]

I am 90% confident they are not counterfeit. There is probably a date code somewhere.

 

[TheBigL]

Do multiple blades say stainless?

I wouldn't be surprised if there is production and packing overlap that a factory worker isn't paid enough to care about.

I forgot to check my plastic tuck blades for numbers