BIC Chrome Platinum - bad batch?!?

[AndyPanda]

I'm new here to the forum and I'm learning a lot reading thru lots of posts. I started off my DE journey with a sleeve of feather blades and a sleeve of Gillette Platinum (dark blue pack - laser etched on one side and other side blank). The feathers are scary sharp so I bought the Gillette to have a safer learning experience ... And I've been enjoying the DE experience a lot so far ... that's the back story.

I've read lots of posts raving about how sharp and smooth the BIC blades are. They are frequently described as being nearly as sharp as a feather but smoother and that the 2nd and 3rd shave keeps getting sharper with the BIC while the feather is done after 2 or 3 shaves. And I wanted to try them out so I bought some in the Yellow packets ... but the BIC didn't seem sharp at all and felt like the blade was snagging my whiskers and trying to yank them out by the roots. I tossed that blade out after the first few strokes and put in a GP which sliced right thru my whiskers without any trouble. Then I tried another fresh BIC blade a few days later and had the same tugging experience - but I toughed it out and got thru the shave.

Out of curiosity I zoomed in with my camera phone and took a picture of the edge and thought I'd show you a comparison because the picture shows what I was feeling (like shaving with broken glass). I can't imagine that these blades I got are similar at all to the BIC blades people were reviewing in all those posts.

Here is the BIC Chrome after one really uncomfortable shave

here is a feather after 3 comfortable 3 pass shaves:

And here is a Gillette Platinum after 4 comfortable 3 pass shaves:

 

[Tathlum]

A couple years back I had the same problem with two tucks of the bic blades. Awful tugging and pulling. Couldn't get through one with the grain pass. Trashed em. About a month ago bought a razor off bst forum and the seller included 4 tucks of bic blades. These ones shave much better. You most likely got either a bad batch or counterfeits.

 

[AndyPanda]

I opened up a fresh BIC and took a picture of the edge. My suspicion is that they way they were sharpened left a wispy edge that folds over and breaks off when it hits whiskers. That very sliver of edge that looks white in this picture of a new blade - In the previous picture of the jagged BIC after one shave it's that same white edge that seems to be all broken up

 

[Tathlum]

Might try corking the blade and take another picture, see if it helps, that sliver edge might be a burr.

 

[NorthernSoul]

For some reason, these blades seem to be a love-it-or-hate it kind of thing. Maybe try another razor and see if it's a better match. For what it's worth, I love them in milder razors such as Gillette Techs.

Some people have speculated there are fakes out there, which I guess is possible. Still, it seems that there would be more profitable things to counterfeit.

 

[AndyPanda]

I've tried the BIC in three different razors and had bad experience with all three. The least bad experience (the one I was at least able to finish the shave) was a Slim on setting 1 which is even milder than a blue tip Super Speed.

I'll try corking that new blade and take another picture. I've read about it but not sure of the technique. Just one light swipe into a end of a wine cork?

 

[AndyPanda]

Well I ran the edge thru the cork one light pass in each direction - not sure if that's the correct method or if I should have just done one pass or something else. I think the edge was honed too wispy thin and turns to jagged shards when it tries to cut anything.

It seems like a lot of bother to counterfeit such an inexpensive item and the packaging looks perfect - it was only $11 for 100 on Amazon last week - price is much higher today though. Today it is sold by "Cosmic Marketplace" but the order I receive was sold by "b2c2c" whatever that is - but the b2c2c storefront has a mix of oddball stuff - only shave related item is Wilkinson Sword blades and Racer half blades ... other stuff is a dartboard, a Dell harddrive, some circular saw blades, a refractometer etc. Like a junk store with just random stuff

 

[JCarr]

For what it's worth...I had the same exact experience several years ago with the Bic Chrome Platinum blades. Three brand new blades on three different occasions...they all felt like they were trying to pull my whiskers out...no cutting, just tugging. Had to pull the blade and put in something else to finish the shave.

I never went back to them after that. However, I did buy 100 Bic Astor blades off of an eBay seller. I find them to be excellent...very sharp and smooth.

 

[Big_T]

I doubt that they are counterfeit but that edge sure doesn't look like other Bics I've seen and used. Maybe do that magnified look at a few more of your blades from different tucks. If they're all like that I'd toss them since they probably can not be returned.

If you're still interested in the Bic CP perhaps buy a few from a trusted source. I enjoy them although I don't care for the Bic Astor, just like I prefer Astra SP (green) over Astra SS (blue).

 

[AU55IE]

I am yet to try the BiC Astor blades but have tried the BiC platinum blades. My experience with them were positive but I have read so many conflicting reviews for these particular blades. I feel like the pics don't lie. It's no unheard of to get a bad batch or two. I find it extremely hard to believe there is a gang of criminals trying to profit on fake blades, such instances would be very very few and far between as I don't see that being a profitable venture at all and they'd have to be the dumbest lot of criminals ever. The amount of time, effort and expense vs profit is ridiculous you could say they're profit margins would be razor thin if anything. haha

 

[nav]

They are extremely razor-sensitive.
Either they'll work really well or feel horrible.

I found they don't work well in vintage Gillette razors as these don't bend the blade much.

 

[Dapper Gent]

Not my favorites but I've personally never had a problem with Bic CP, so fakes and a bad batch are possible.
But as always, YMMV

 

[Eric_75]

I haven't had any issues with Bic Chrome Platinum in any of my razors as of yet. They work just fine for me.

 

[SharpieB]

BICs can be great but I find that out of all my different blades, BICs have some of the worst QC/consistency.

 

[Tillerman]

So far so good with the bics. Currently using one now in my Lupo .72. Hope they stay good.

 

[KRpdx]

I've used Bic Chrome Platinum blades daily for years (Rockwell 6S w/6-plate) and get 5 great shaves per blade before I discard them. I did buy package of 100 last year, sampled blades from six different tucks, and they were all unusable. Whether counterfeit or a QC issue, I decided to always buy them from Amazon (famously great return policy) in case it ever happens again.

 

[AndyPanda]

OK I got my hands on a microscope and opened up several new BIC blades from different tucks. I'm still learning how to use the microscope but I think I can safely say that my batch of BIC Chromes is defective. I read somewhere that sometimes when there is a bad run at the factory instead of destroying the defects, they get smuggled out by workers and sold thru shady channels. Pure speculation but I think it's safe to say this this isn't a problem with my technique or a case of not being the right blade for my razor. I'll have to try BIC again someday but purchased from a reliable source. I bought mine on Amazon and Amazon will take care of me - but the same listing on Amazon might be fulfilled by any number of vendors (whoever has it in stock at the time of your order) and my batch came from a shady looking vendor.

After taking these pictures I tried corking and palm stropping and it didn't help much - still barbed wire.

 

[AndyPanda]

I'm still experimenting and learning how to use the microscope there is still a lot to learn but I'm geeking out and having fun with it. I opened two more fresh blades and took pictures before and then after one pass thru a wine cork and it actually does make a big difference. I'll have to try a shave and see how it feels.

Two fresh BIC blades right out of the pack

And the same two blades after one pass thru a wine cork

And for comparison sake ... here is a fresh Nacet before and after one pass thru a wine cork (experimenting with a different light source that's why these pics are yellowish)

 

[NorthernSoul]

I don't think there's any way my batch of BIC Chromes looked like that! They are smooth shaving blades in my milder razors.

If you want smooth, I'd suggest Personna Med Preps or the Personna Lab Blues. Make sure they are made in USA (from the Verona, VA plant). A lot of vendors list Personna blades in an incorrect way, so watch out for that.

 

[Rhody]

Crazy pics. I can think of many things I’d not want to see under a microscope
But these things look terrible for sure. Clearly a bad batch or bad QC going on there. I don’t think blades are returnable but maybe you can get a credit. $11 down the tubes for sure.