- Thread starter
- #21
I'm giving the Bic Chrome Platinum another shot tomorrow morning...wish me luck.
Bic Chrome Platinum vs Bic Astor
- Thread starter JCarr
- Start date
First shave on the CPs aren't comfortable for me, it feels like they are unforgivably sharp but somehow manage to still tug. Second shave and beyond are basically first shave feather sharp and smooth. First shave Astors are around 30% less tuggy on shave one and are smoother than the CPs on shave 1-4, but they don't seem to last as long as CPs. I get about 3-4 good shaves from the Astors and 6 with the CPs
- Thread starter
- #23
I bought 50 Bic Chrome Platinum on Amazon and used one this morning...huzzah! Finally...a good shave with a Bic Chrome Platinum! Smooth and sharp.
Great!!
For me they are super smooth and super sharp...The ultimate match-up with my blackbird!
Try to cork the blade next time, that step will definitely help you with the 1st shave
CP vs. Astor?
I prefer the CP by a long way. Astor isn't bad but I like the CP more than any other blade I've tried. And I've tried most.
I continue to be mystified by the sheer range of experience regarding this blade. Either I've been very lucky or I'm not nearly as discerning as I think.
I prefer the CP by a long way. Astor isn't bad but I like the CP more than any other blade I've tried. And I've tried most.
I continue to be mystified by the sheer range of experience regarding this blade. Either I've been very lucky or I'm not nearly as discerning as I think.
Don't like the current Astors. Definitely prefer the Bic Chrome Platinum. Vintage Astors are a completely different story.
Dredging a thread after finding little info on Astors and wanting to contribute after learning plenty from B&B.
I disliked them enough to call it good after only using 2 blades from a single legitimate tuck. Appearance is convincingly different than Bic Chrome Platinums in person, and I found CP's to be sharp and smooth whereas the Astors were neither.
Both Astor blades only got 1 shave each because initially-tuggy blades that turn out good have always smoothed out by the end of the shave for me. There was no glimmer of hope for these and I have no interest in enduring bad shaves just to get a good one later.
I then used an Astra Stainless after the two Astors, which seemed like a reasonable comparison. The Astra SS (better than Astra CP in my opinion), has also only been an "ok" blade for me. The Astra offered similar medium sharpness (jittered or missed the same trouble spots...never the Driver's fault!), but did everything more smoothly than the Astors for 50% less money per 100ct.
I really wanted to like Astors based on enjoying Bic CPs, trying to work away from Russian blades, and generally preferring stainless versions within brands (some coatings seem to irritate my skin with daily use). No dice.
My expert opinion also says this significant of a grind or steel difference cannot be hidden by coating alone, so it is unlikely that Bic Astor & CP are "siblings" or simply different packaging for different markets. They are probably budget vs premium lines with whacky American pricing, but based on all the confusion coming from Greece, I doubt we'll ever know. Perhaps I got a bad batch, but that alone is reason to Pass.
Current favorites are Nacets and German Wilkinson Sword Classics for comparison. Obviously the only way to know for sure is to try.
I disliked them enough to call it good after only using 2 blades from a single legitimate tuck. Appearance is convincingly different than Bic Chrome Platinums in person, and I found CP's to be sharp and smooth whereas the Astors were neither.
Both Astor blades only got 1 shave each because initially-tuggy blades that turn out good have always smoothed out by the end of the shave for me. There was no glimmer of hope for these and I have no interest in enduring bad shaves just to get a good one later.
I then used an Astra Stainless after the two Astors, which seemed like a reasonable comparison. The Astra SS (better than Astra CP in my opinion), has also only been an "ok" blade for me. The Astra offered similar medium sharpness (jittered or missed the same trouble spots...never the Driver's fault!), but did everything more smoothly than the Astors for 50% less money per 100ct.
I really wanted to like Astors based on enjoying Bic CPs, trying to work away from Russian blades, and generally preferring stainless versions within brands (some coatings seem to irritate my skin with daily use). No dice.
My expert opinion also says this significant of a grind or steel difference cannot be hidden by coating alone, so it is unlikely that Bic Astor & CP are "siblings" or simply different packaging for different markets. They are probably budget vs premium lines with whacky American pricing, but based on all the confusion coming from Greece, I doubt we'll ever know. Perhaps I got a bad batch, but that alone is reason to Pass.
Current favorites are Nacets and German Wilkinson Sword Classics for comparison. Obviously the only way to know for sure is to try.
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