BIC Chrome Platinum batch variance - yellow vs orange wrapper?

[AndyPanda]

I bought 100 pack of BIC Chrome Platinum last year and found them to be pretty terrible with poorly finished edges (jagged bits of metal on the edges that could be seen under magnification).

I recently received a tuck from a forum member included with a purchase from the B-S-T. Had a shave with one of those blades yesterday and it was every bit as wonderful as all the rave reviews I've read about BIC Chrome Platinum blades. I noticed that the wrapper is yellow compared to the bad batch I bought last year which is orange. The cardboard tuck seems to be the same color -- only the wrapper is different.

I looked all over for any kind of lot number or any indication of year made etc. but I couldn't find any markings on the tuck or blade or wrapper etc. Does anyone know if there is any markings on BIC and where I would look to identify date of mfg or batch?

Anyone else have experience with the two different colors (yellow vs orange) on the wrappers and if so was there a difference in edge quality?

 

[Slanterino]

I don't know about quality but the yellow one tore my face to shred with the 37C.

 

[Frito Ray]

Interesting, I too hated the Bic’s I have. Just went and checked and they too came with the orange wrapper.

If the orange ones turn out to be counterfeit, I will give them a second chance.

If they are legit, then I’ll never touch another one again. Consistency from lot to lot is super important.

 

[lasta]

Hmm, I liked the orange better than the yellow!

Though, I do suspect my yellows may be fake.

 

[AndyPanda]

Interesting! For me the orange wrappers were the rough edge blades and the yellow wrapper are sharp in the vicinity of feather, nacet, perma-sharp. Also interesting that your cardboard tucks are different colors. My tucks are both orange it's just the wrappers inside that are different.

I'm leaning towards poor QA and some batches of bad blades get sold occasionally when the machine was out of adjustment or something. But there are plenty of forum members who post saying they've gone thru tons of BICs for years and never had a single bad blade.

I've looked all over the cardboard tuck and I can't find any embossed number or stamps to indicate batch number or date - not on either the tucks with orange wrappers or the tucks with yellow wrapper. I don't see how they can maintain any quality control at all if there is no way to identify one batch from another.

 

[AndyPanda]

Hmm, I liked the orange better than the yellow!

Though, I do suspect my yellows may be fake.
View attachment 1676045

I just checked the flaps on my tucks (they weren't visible in my earlier photo) but they are identical between the one with orange wrapper and the one with yellow wrapper. Unlike your yellow tuck that is missing the little triangle symbol (recycle?)

 

[lasta]

I just had a look under the loupe.

The blades themselves are identical in terms of grind pattern.

I guess I'd blame on on Bic QC...won't be the first haha!

 

[AndyPanda]

This is what one of mine looked like from the orange wrapper --- but I've found a few other tucks in that same 100 pack that don't have edge problems and shave wonderfully. Every blade in this tuck had jagged bits of metal on the edge.

 

[RayClem]

BIC might not be super fussy about the quality of the printing coming from the printer who makes the tucks.

They should be super fussy about the quality of the blades in the tuck, however.

BIC Chrome Platinums are one of my very favorite blades as I had a very tough beard and I need super sharp blades to deal with it. However, for those who are not accustomed to using BIC blades, they can surprise you. They are not quite as sharp as Feather blades out of the wrapper, but as the coating wears off, they become every bit as sharp as Feather blades. If you use them with a razor that is too aggressive, or if you shave with excess pressure, they can draw blood.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

This is what one of mine looked like from the orange wrapper --- but I've found a few other tucks in that same 100 pack that don't have edge problems and shave wonderfully. Every blade in this tuck had jagged bits of metal on the edge.

View attachment 1676074

Yikes!!!

 

[Brutus]

I have about 90 BIC blades left from a purchase of 100 and so far I cannot complain about them.

Yet that will most likely be my last BIC purchase, simply because there are too many reports of bad experiences with some batches.

The good may by far outweigh the bad experiences, yet it suggests inconsistencies in production and/or QC.
Unless the product has been updated and the packaging intentionally modified, such a noticeable variation in packaging as on your images looks just like another (typical?) BIC inconsistency to me.

BICs?
Maybe not.
I rather have consistency in my blades.


B.

 

[JWK1]

This is what one of mine looked like from the orange wrapper --- but I've found a few other tucks in that same 100 pack that don't have edge problems and shave wonderfully. Every blade in this tuck had jagged bits of metal on the edge.

The 100 pack I bought (responded in your other post) is just the same as your "bad batch". Orange tuck box and orange wrapper inside. Very interesting that you found good blades in the same box of 100. I'm going to pull another tuck out of the box and give it a test. I just shaved this morning, so it won't be for another 4 days or so. Retired, you know. Also, I can't get a super accurate judgement on a blade unless I let my face go 4 or 5 days between shaves.

I will report back in this thread.

Also, I would really like to hear from the people who have "bad bics" . Where did you make your purchase and what color are your blade wrapper? It would be interesting if there is any correlation on way or another. I got mine from Amazon. It was over a year ago, but I don't remember exactly when.

 

[TheBigL]

I dug through my blade stash and found some Bics. I know mine are almost 20 years old but the wrapper is the yellow one. I recall the blades tore my face up so I never really ever tried them again. I don't remember which razor I tried them in, but I've moved it to the front of the line to try again.

 

[TheBigL]

I tried the Bic this morning in a red tip. It felt pretty good. I could feel a difference between the edges. Maybe a little bit of tug but it didn't draw blood or cause irritation. Granted, I often get throat irritation later in the day from the heat and sweat. The first shave was perfectly acceptable.

 

[RBRB]

I bought 100 pack of BIC Chrome Platinum last year and found them to be pretty terrible with poorly finished edges (jagged bits of metal on the edges that could be seen under magnification).

I recently received a tuck from a forum member included with a purchase from the B-S-T. Had a shave with one of those blades yesterday and it was every bit as wonderful as all the rave reviews I've read about BIC Chrome Platinum blades. I noticed that the wrapper is yellow compared to the bad batch I bought last year which is orange. The cardboard tuck seems to be the same color -- only the wrapper is different.

I looked all over for any kind of lot number or any indication of year made etc. but I couldn't find any markings on the tuck or blade or wrapper etc. Does anyone know if there is any markings on BIC and where I would look to identify date of mfg or batch?

Anyone else have experience with the two different colors (yellow vs orange) on the wrappers and if so was there a difference in edge quality?

View attachment 1675980

I like them as well. Bought 100 from Amazon and have had no problems with them. Yellow wrapper!

 

[JWK1]

Today I shaved with a Bic from my stash of 100 as promised. Sorry it's a couple of days late, but I had to shave with an electric a couple of days after my last blade shave due to an appointment. I'm still old school enough to not like going out in public with a two day growth. Anyway, it was really the best test as I had 6 days from my last blade shave. That always gives me the best conditions for a great shave.

The Bic was like the others in the pack of 100. Just dull. Smooth enough, but really dull. It reminded me of the Rockwell blades I had before I finally gave them all away to my teenage son. After my first pass, I had just started the second when I said, "enough" and grabbed the razor I had been using. It was like night and day. It made it very apparent just how dull the Bic is. Just as I remember the last tuck I got through last year after giving up on them.

For those who may jump in right now and lecture me on how the first shave is the worst, you have to give it two or more shaves, etc; well please just don't. I've been wet shaving almost exclusively for 12 years and I know the difference between the "first shave of the blade" and a blade that is just not sharp. I do. Really.

I would love to try some Bics that are nice and sharp, but it's just not worth the gamble to me. I have plenty of Nacets, Perma-Sharp, and other what I would consider "medium" blades like Gillette yellow, Dorco Prime, etc. that are still significantly sharper than these Bics I have.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

From my daily shave thread today:

Fresh double Bic CP in my Twig with Proraso Blue. This was the darker orange version in a box. Great Shave, lots of blade feel and some resistance. Having taken a hot shower seemed to have really made a difference. Smoother shave that a fresh double BIC CP in my Twig with Proraso Blue with only a hot water splash. These blades were from the yellowish folded Bic CP packaging. I was worried they were fake and and still a little curious. The extra heat softened up the hair more than a hot water splash, so that might explain the delta (more resistance, but both cut rather well without feeling overshaved).

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Both the orange and yellow have given me great shaves in a Twig. Sharp with limited to no irritation and not feeling overshaved like with a feather and dorco prime. I do double them up sometimes from a tip I learned online. I plan to do a test with two Gillette China Super Blue Techs in the near future to see if there is a head to head difference.

Of note, a slicker cream (Proraso Blue and Trader Joes Mango) seems to do better than a slower cream (Proraso Red and White). Too slick creams with no protection like Creamo Orange belong in the trash though.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

This thread on Chinese website Baidu suggests there are quite a few fakes of BCP on the market. Packaging may or may not be a clear indication. They think the orange tucks with orange paper are more genuine. What seems to be the best is to check if the blade is triple ground and maybe the printing on the blade. A few of the comments suggest the fake ones are not bad and better than the local Chinese blades. Good for two uses, but much less long lasting than the real thing. The may also not have the CP coating:

The link below is only for completeness and you are clicking it at your own risk. Be sure to have security updates up to date!

【图片】真假bic刀片对比【吉列吧】_百度贴吧

真假bic刀片对比..揭晓答案上边深色的是真货，不论外包装还是里面包装都是接近深色橘黄，内包装白色部分光滑，刀片加工墨迹清晰层次分明，刀片分三段磨的痕迹明了，另外说一句，这刀片我已经用三次了，还能大而且没感觉有什么摔减。

c.tieba.baidu.com

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

I have two Gillette Super Clicks and plan to test orange tuck orange paper boxed BCP vs yellow tuck yellow paper folded BCP this weekend. I don't know if I can take an enlarged picture of them with my iphone. Anyone have any advice?