Battle of the Ruskies
I decided to try out various Russian blades that are not branded under the Gillette 7OC trademark. Hopefully I will also get to them one day.
Each shave was for 1 to 1.5 days growth on a beard of average density (although I think each whisker is harder than average). The prep was either a hot shower or in a few cases, a prolonged face-washing at the sink with warm water.
Each shave was a two-pass DFS. I wouldn’t know a true BBS if it bit me on my B. The first pass was a WTG/XTG combo, and the second pass was a XTG/ATG combo. Each blade was tested for at least 3-4 shaves.
The creams/soaps used are those known to be generally accepted by BBers as being high quality; e.g., RazoRock Classic and XXX; Nancy Boy; Mama Bear’s soaps/stick; Cella, Valobra, La Toja Stick, Palmolive Stick, Coates Sandalwood (discontinued) and Musgo Real. Various popular aftershave splashes and balms were always used after a cold water rinse.
The actual razor(s) used varied and are indicated for each shave.
I know that YMMV, OMMV, hell, everyone’s MMV. But this activity is designed primarily for my interest and enjoyment. Therefore, please excuse the fact that there are no statistics and controlled experiments.
In general, the rankings at the end would be quite different if only the first two, maybe 3 shaves were considered. By going beyond that, ie, from 4-6 shaves, the durability of the blade was tested in cases where the properties of the blade were not clearly diminishing after the first 3-4 shaves. There is little doubt that the rankings presented below take into account the blade’s initial and sustained performance, not just initial impressions of sharpness and smoothness.
Perma-Sharp
1] Super Adjustable set @ 4: incredibly smooth, even ATG; 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] pass gave that “I forgot to put the blade in” moment; quite a memorable shave, 2] Same settings as first shave, and another amazing shave, identical to first, no blood, no irritation. 3] As good as the first shave; 4] Also a close, smooth irritation-free shave just like the first shave.
In a previous “study”, I got 4 excellent irritation-free close shaves in a Red Tip.
This is clearly, IMHO, a special blade. In a previous test in the Red Tip, these blades gave four close irritation-free blades.
Voskhod
1] Slim Adjustable set @4- gave smooth, close shave with no blood or irritation; blade seems sharp; second pass gave a “no blade in razor” feeling. 2] Same settings as first shave, and same result. 3] Slim Adjustable set @6- again, excellent, smooth, even ATG on my neck which is prone to irritation; second pass on my upper lip felt like no blade in razor. 4] Muhle R101 (old R41 head), a mild shaver gave an amazing shave, like the first w/o blood or irritation; the blade seems very durable, but I have to give some credit to this razor, it is just brilliant. Shaves 5] and 6] were almost indistinguishable from the first, except that toward the end of the sixth shave I perceived some loss of sharpness; but still smooth and bloodless, even ATG on the neck.
In a previous “study” in Gillette 50s superspeed, I got three excellent shaves, with the fourth evidencing some loss of sharpness.
This may be the best blade performance I’ve experienced since I have been methodically recording my impressions.
Ladas
1] Super Adjust. @ 4; smooth, effortless and close although the AS gave a bit more burn than with the above-referenced blades; but no blood or redness. 2] Same razor settings; Still felt sharp and gave close smooth shave. 3] R101 (old R41 head); felt sharp as if no blade in razor and no blood or irritation; I give some credit to this awesome razor. 4] R89, almost excellent; a couple of weepers when I ATG’d the neck; some loss of sharpness detectable, however second pass had that “forgot to put in the blade” feeling. 5] and 6] were in R89 and gave the same performance as shave 4]. Although lost some sharpness, the sharpness did not seem to continue diminishing through two more shaves; basically very sharp and pretty durable blade.
In a previous “study”, again in a Super Adj shave 1] @4 and 2] @6, were excellent, smooth, close, no irritation. Shaves 3] and 4], also @6 were excellent. My note rate this blade very high.
Sputnik (Teflon-coated)
1] Super Adjust. @4- first shave was excellent and effortless; very sharp ATG on the neck. 2] Super Adj @4; same result as first shave. 3] Super Adj @7- some loss of sharpness evident as there was a sensation of “feeling the blade” although there was no blood or irritation. 4] Super Adj @7 showed further loss of sharpness; shave not as close and some irritation ATG on the neck.
Sputnik Super Platinum
1] Fatboy @1-very good shave, no blood or irritation even ATG; some tugginess although I did not any alcohol burn from the AS. 2] Fatboy @ 3, was even better than the first shave; excellent sharpness and better smoothness; Fatboy @5 also smooth and close with no irritation or blood; this blade seems to improve with the aggressiveness of the setting (go figure). 4] Fatboy @7, most aggressive setting attempted and got excellent feeling shave although I did get 2 weepers. Definitely very good-excellent blade. I think they seem more preferable than the teflon-coated Sputniks.
Astra SP
1] New Tech Long Comb; excellent shave, smooth and close even ATG on neck; 2] Same razor, and shave was at least as good as first shave, perhaps a bit smoother. 3] Super Adj. @5, gave excellent shave, even ATG; minimal loss of sharpness but no blood or irritation. 4] Super Adj. @5 excellent shave as in third shave, close, smooth even ATG on the neck.
I would say this is very good to excellent blade; durable as well.
Astra SS
1] Red Tip – definitely had that “feeling the blade” sensation; not as smooth or sharp as other blades; however, surprisingly close; second pass almost felt like “forgot to put the blade in.” 2] Red Tip-second shave smoother than first; no blood or irritation ATG on neck. 3] Slim Adj @5-blade seems the same after third shave as it did after the first; not the smoothest, but gave a close shave with one weeper. 4] Sim Adj @5- similar to above except not as close; the blade’s attributes seem to be diminished.
In a previous “study”, in a R89 gave three excellent shaves, with the fourth being a bit irritating.
In general, a better than workman-like blade performance; I would call it very good.
Gillette Rubie
1] Fatboy @3-definitely less sharp than the others; still got a good irritation-free shave, but not as close as the others. 2] Fatboy @3-second shave a bit smoother, but could still clearly “feel the blade”; solid performer so far, but not for the price. 3] R101 (old R41 head)- in what I believe is a fantastic mild shaver I got a reasonably good DFS after two passes, but there was clear loss of sharpness, i.e., tugging although no blood. 4] I punted on fourth down.
In a previous “study”, shaves 1] and 2] in R89 gave very good shaves although I felt the blade which seemed like it was not as sharp as others, although no blood or irritation except ATG on neck; Shave 3] in a Red Tip showed more loss of sharpness so I was extra careful and got a very good shave; 4] Again I did not bother with a fourth shave.
Considering the price, I think these are clearly not worth it. Basic, workman-like performance.
Rapira Super Stainless
1] Muhle R101 (old R41 head) excellent, smooth and close; 2] Same razor, same results. 3] Excellent shave but perhaps beginning to lose sharpness. 4] Very good to excellent shave, no blood no irritation.
Rapira Swedish Supersteel
1] Fatboy @5; very good shave, no blood, no irritation; could have been smoother however I had my recurring problems trying to lather Cella; 2] Fatboy @3, excellent shave with milder setting; no lather problems, no blood or irritation; very close shave; 3] R101 (old R41 head), a superb mild shave gave "awesome" smooth, both ATG and XTG; 4] with R101, also excellent shave but some slight irritation ATG on neck; maybe losing sharpness.
Voskhod >Rapira SuperStainless, Perma-Sharps and Ladas > Rapira Swedish Supersteel > Astra Super Plat and Sputnik Super Platinum > Astra Super Stainless > Sputnik (Teflon-coated) > Gillette Rubie
Note-The Rapira SS, Permas and Ladas could be considered equal to the Voskhods and I would not argue. Similarly, there is not much difference between Rapira Swedish Supersteel and Astra Super Plat.
Also, given the price of Gillette Rubies and Sputniks, I was sorely disappointed.
I decided to try out various Russian blades that are not branded under the Gillette 7OC trademark. Hopefully I will also get to them one day.
Each shave was for 1 to 1.5 days growth on a beard of average density (although I think each whisker is harder than average). The prep was either a hot shower or in a few cases, a prolonged face-washing at the sink with warm water.
Each shave was a two-pass DFS. I wouldn’t know a true BBS if it bit me on my B. The first pass was a WTG/XTG combo, and the second pass was a XTG/ATG combo. Each blade was tested for at least 3-4 shaves.
The creams/soaps used are those known to be generally accepted by BBers as being high quality; e.g., RazoRock Classic and XXX; Nancy Boy; Mama Bear’s soaps/stick; Cella, Valobra, La Toja Stick, Palmolive Stick, Coates Sandalwood (discontinued) and Musgo Real. Various popular aftershave splashes and balms were always used after a cold water rinse.
The actual razor(s) used varied and are indicated for each shave.
I know that YMMV, OMMV, hell, everyone’s MMV. But this activity is designed primarily for my interest and enjoyment. Therefore, please excuse the fact that there are no statistics and controlled experiments.
In general, the rankings at the end would be quite different if only the first two, maybe 3 shaves were considered. By going beyond that, ie, from 4-6 shaves, the durability of the blade was tested in cases where the properties of the blade were not clearly diminishing after the first 3-4 shaves. There is little doubt that the rankings presented below take into account the blade’s initial and sustained performance, not just initial impressions of sharpness and smoothness.
Perma-Sharp
1] Super Adjustable set @ 4: incredibly smooth, even ATG; 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] pass gave that “I forgot to put the blade in” moment; quite a memorable shave, 2] Same settings as first shave, and another amazing shave, identical to first, no blood, no irritation. 3] As good as the first shave; 4] Also a close, smooth irritation-free shave just like the first shave.
In a previous “study”, I got 4 excellent irritation-free close shaves in a Red Tip.
This is clearly, IMHO, a special blade. In a previous test in the Red Tip, these blades gave four close irritation-free blades.
Voskhod
1] Slim Adjustable set @4- gave smooth, close shave with no blood or irritation; blade seems sharp; second pass gave a “no blade in razor” feeling. 2] Same settings as first shave, and same result. 3] Slim Adjustable set @6- again, excellent, smooth, even ATG on my neck which is prone to irritation; second pass on my upper lip felt like no blade in razor. 4] Muhle R101 (old R41 head), a mild shaver gave an amazing shave, like the first w/o blood or irritation; the blade seems very durable, but I have to give some credit to this razor, it is just brilliant. Shaves 5] and 6] were almost indistinguishable from the first, except that toward the end of the sixth shave I perceived some loss of sharpness; but still smooth and bloodless, even ATG on the neck.
In a previous “study” in Gillette 50s superspeed, I got three excellent shaves, with the fourth evidencing some loss of sharpness.
This may be the best blade performance I’ve experienced since I have been methodically recording my impressions.
Ladas
1] Super Adjust. @ 4; smooth, effortless and close although the AS gave a bit more burn than with the above-referenced blades; but no blood or redness. 2] Same razor settings; Still felt sharp and gave close smooth shave. 3] R101 (old R41 head); felt sharp as if no blade in razor and no blood or irritation; I give some credit to this awesome razor. 4] R89, almost excellent; a couple of weepers when I ATG’d the neck; some loss of sharpness detectable, however second pass had that “forgot to put in the blade” feeling. 5] and 6] were in R89 and gave the same performance as shave 4]. Although lost some sharpness, the sharpness did not seem to continue diminishing through two more shaves; basically very sharp and pretty durable blade.
In a previous “study”, again in a Super Adj shave 1] @4 and 2] @6, were excellent, smooth, close, no irritation. Shaves 3] and 4], also @6 were excellent. My note rate this blade very high.
Sputnik (Teflon-coated)
1] Super Adjust. @4- first shave was excellent and effortless; very sharp ATG on the neck. 2] Super Adj @4; same result as first shave. 3] Super Adj @7- some loss of sharpness evident as there was a sensation of “feeling the blade” although there was no blood or irritation. 4] Super Adj @7 showed further loss of sharpness; shave not as close and some irritation ATG on the neck.
Sputnik Super Platinum
1] Fatboy @1-very good shave, no blood or irritation even ATG; some tugginess although I did not any alcohol burn from the AS. 2] Fatboy @ 3, was even better than the first shave; excellent sharpness and better smoothness; Fatboy @5 also smooth and close with no irritation or blood; this blade seems to improve with the aggressiveness of the setting (go figure). 4] Fatboy @7, most aggressive setting attempted and got excellent feeling shave although I did get 2 weepers. Definitely very good-excellent blade. I think they seem more preferable than the teflon-coated Sputniks.
Astra SP
1] New Tech Long Comb; excellent shave, smooth and close even ATG on neck; 2] Same razor, and shave was at least as good as first shave, perhaps a bit smoother. 3] Super Adj. @5, gave excellent shave, even ATG; minimal loss of sharpness but no blood or irritation. 4] Super Adj. @5 excellent shave as in third shave, close, smooth even ATG on the neck.
I would say this is very good to excellent blade; durable as well.
Astra SS
1] Red Tip – definitely had that “feeling the blade” sensation; not as smooth or sharp as other blades; however, surprisingly close; second pass almost felt like “forgot to put the blade in.” 2] Red Tip-second shave smoother than first; no blood or irritation ATG on neck. 3] Slim Adj @5-blade seems the same after third shave as it did after the first; not the smoothest, but gave a close shave with one weeper. 4] Sim Adj @5- similar to above except not as close; the blade’s attributes seem to be diminished.
In a previous “study”, in a R89 gave three excellent shaves, with the fourth being a bit irritating.
In general, a better than workman-like blade performance; I would call it very good.
Gillette Rubie
1] Fatboy @3-definitely less sharp than the others; still got a good irritation-free shave, but not as close as the others. 2] Fatboy @3-second shave a bit smoother, but could still clearly “feel the blade”; solid performer so far, but not for the price. 3] R101 (old R41 head)- in what I believe is a fantastic mild shaver I got a reasonably good DFS after two passes, but there was clear loss of sharpness, i.e., tugging although no blood. 4] I punted on fourth down.
In a previous “study”, shaves 1] and 2] in R89 gave very good shaves although I felt the blade which seemed like it was not as sharp as others, although no blood or irritation except ATG on neck; Shave 3] in a Red Tip showed more loss of sharpness so I was extra careful and got a very good shave; 4] Again I did not bother with a fourth shave.
Considering the price, I think these are clearly not worth it. Basic, workman-like performance.
Rapira Super Stainless
1] Muhle R101 (old R41 head) excellent, smooth and close; 2] Same razor, same results. 3] Excellent shave but perhaps beginning to lose sharpness. 4] Very good to excellent shave, no blood no irritation.
Rapira Swedish Supersteel
1] Fatboy @5; very good shave, no blood, no irritation; could have been smoother however I had my recurring problems trying to lather Cella; 2] Fatboy @3, excellent shave with milder setting; no lather problems, no blood or irritation; very close shave; 3] R101 (old R41 head), a superb mild shave gave "awesome" smooth, both ATG and XTG; 4] with R101, also excellent shave but some slight irritation ATG on neck; maybe losing sharpness.
Voskhod >Rapira SuperStainless, Perma-Sharps and Ladas > Rapira Swedish Supersteel > Astra Super Plat and Sputnik Super Platinum > Astra Super Stainless > Sputnik (Teflon-coated) > Gillette Rubie
Note-The Rapira SS, Permas and Ladas could be considered equal to the Voskhods and I would not argue. Similarly, there is not much difference between Rapira Swedish Supersteel and Astra Super Plat.
Also, given the price of Gillette Rubies and Sputniks, I was sorely disappointed.
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