Astra SP at greatrazors.com

[smu]

Greatrazors.com sells cryogenically tempered razor blades and they now have 100 packs of Astra SP for $16. They are advertised to last 4 times longer than regular blades. I have used the cryogenically treated blades with great results! Astra Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades 100 Count - https://www.greatrazors.com/featherrazorbladesnewhi-stainlessdoubleedge10pack-1-3.aspx

SMU

 

[jesseix]

Are these different from the “regular” Astra SP’s? It seems like they’re just selling the SP’s that tend to go for $7-10 per 100, I don’t see how they could be unwrapping and “treating” and re-packaging all these...

 

[smu]

Are these different from the “regular” Astra SP’s? It seems like they’re just selling the SP’s that tend to go for $7-10 per 100, I don’t see how they could be unwrapping and “treating” and re-packaging all these...

They are treated in the box. I usually go 3 times longer so that comes out to $5.33 per 100. If you get the advertised 4 times longer it's on;y $4.00 per 100. Where do you get them at $7.10 per 100?

 

[jesseix]

They are treated in the box. I usually go 3 times longer so that comes out to $5.33 per 100. If you get the advertised 4 times longer it's on;y $4.00 per 100. Where do you get them at $7.10 per 100?

I don’t know anything about this company or their products so I’ll try to read around on the site a little, but they are doing some kind of treatment on the blades while they’re still in their individual wrapping in the box? Admittedly I have no clue what cryogenic tempering is... but if it does something good for blades I wonder if they can do it in others (it looked like Astra’s are the only DE blades they have from a quick glance).
Astra’s are typically available from Amazon/vendors/eBay for $7-10. There’s been a couple postings in this forum for deals when they pop up, I think some guys found some for a little less than $6 at some point.

 

[smu]

I don’t know anything about this company or their products so I’ll try to read around on the site a little, but they are doing some kind of treatment on the blades while they’re still in their individual wrapping in the box? Admittedly I have no clue what cryogenic tempering is... but if it does something good for blades I wonder if they can do it in others (it looked like Astra’s are the only DE blades they have from a quick glance).
Astra’s are typically available from Amazon/vendors/eBay for $7-10. There’s been a couple postings in this forum for deals when they pop up, I think some guys found some for a little less than $6 at some point.

They are treated by freezing them at a temperature way below zero degrees. This makes the stainless steel harder. They don't have to remove them from the box to do this. I have used their blades for many years and have not been disappointed.

 

[nicobie]

Interesting concept. Have anyone else here had any experience with these?

 

[emwolf]

I have some cryogenically treated Crystals. I can't say it does anything really. I wanted to try them and they were very cheap

 

[smu]

It looks like the vendor changed the guarantee to 3 times longer, instead of 4 but I have always gone with 3. Read what the vendor wrote about the life of a razor blade. GreatRazors.com - https://www.greatrazors.com/lifeofarazorblade.aspx

 

[muzichead]

I'd say proceed with caution on this one!! There is nowhere on that site that explains the process in detail and would assume the blades have to be unpackaged and unwrapped to do the process cause I can't see it being done wrapped and in the package. There's not even any reviews of the Astra's from any end users which is suspect also!! I'm thinking its just gimmick advertising at best which basically translates to "Buyer beware"!!

 

[sneefy]

Cryogenically freezing already set metal does nothing to the crystalline structure therefore it does not make it harder. You have to heat it first, then cryogenically temper it under controlled circumstances.

This is psychosomatic at best and a scam at worst.

 

[smu]

Alll I can say is that I have been using cryo blades for over 10 years and they do last longer.

 

[Shave Souffle]

Sounds like a crock of...

 

[skibik]

Cryogenically freezing already set metal does nothing to the crystalline structure therefore it does not make it harder. You have to heat it first, then cryogenically temper it under controlled circumstances.

This is psychosomatic at best and a scam at worst.

My thoughts exactly. I live in northern MN and it can get to -40F are you telling me if I went and tossed a pack of blades outside in the snowbank it would temper them, I don't think so. It would make the metal a miniscule bit more brittle at that temp but the metal would retain the same properties when you return it room temperature. If that is the case then I guess all my vehicles I have owned were tempered! I say it is just a scam to get people to pay more for the same blade. Cryogenically tempering may do something for the blades if it were part of the process at the factory.

 

[FarmerTan]

I'm thinking about having my head frozen (after I'm dead) and stored alongside Ted Williams.

But then, if I'm dead, will my wife pay for the freezer rental?

 

[smu]

skibik

The website says they are frozen at 300 degrees below zero, not 40 degrees below zero like in MN. However, if your or anyone else does not want to believe me, it wont hurt my feelings.

 

[skibik]

It is like someone selling snake oil. If you believe it works great then it works for you.

If you know anything about the properties of steel just freezing it does nothing to the hardness of steel no matter how cold it is frozen at without heating it up first.

Under the description of the blades on the link you gave says nothing about how cold they are frozen at. Unless you are dropping it in liquid nitrogen I don't think(I repeat, I don't think) it is possible to find a freezer that will get that cold.

If you believe the same blade is better frozen and you are willing to pay twice as much for them, good for you!

 

[Rrose Sélavy]

I once ran the 100 meters in 9.6 seconds. There used to be video, but someone lost the tape.

 

[xiletero]

I know some German blades are ice-tempered. Now these.....aren't they supposed to be cold treated before coated....both are different materials....so they will shrink w cold then re expand at different rates..... and the coating might crack......

 

[myke]

It is like someone selling snake oil. If you believe it works great then it works for you.

If you know anything about the properties of steel just freezing it does nothing to the hardness of steel no matter how cold it is frozen at without heating it up first.

Under the description of the blades on the link you gave says nothing about how cold they are frozen at. Unless you are dropping it in liquid nitrogen I don't think(I repeat, I don't think) it is possible to find a freezer that will get that cold.

If you believe the same blade is better frozen and you are willing to pay twice as much for them, good for you!

⬆
100% agrees

Just to be sure, I asked my brother in law who is into metalworking for aerospace and he told me exactly the same.

 

[myke]

Also in the explannation you can see this on the web site :

I tend to think of a blade's life in terms of 3 stages. The first stage, when the blade is brand new and just out of the box, is characterized by extreme sharpness. The blade will never cut any better than this. It's so sharp, in fact, that you should be extra careful while shaving so as not to cut yourself.

The second stage is after the first shave or two (possibly 3, but not likely), when that marvellous initial edge has been dulled just a bit. It's still very sharp, but it's not quite as easy to cut yourself now, as the blade has been 'worked in', so to speak. This is my favorite stage.

I think it has been demonstrated that most blades are usually sharper on the second shave as per these tests : RAZOR BLADE SHARPNESS TESTING where we can see that on the second shave most of the blades are sharper than before the first shave.

All of this makes me even more suspicious.