Blade journey

[Tirvine]

This is a fascinating journey. I have no rotation, only the same blade type everyday. Although I tried a number of others before selecting it, I wonder if this sort of test would have led to the same end result. Although I realize your shaves and my shaves are not equivalent, I am feeling good about the way your experiences are going and no longer feeling any interest in trying certain blades. Thanks!

 

[Rosseforp]

I don't know for sure. My blade came only in its paper wrapper, not the paperboard tuck. Here's a photo so maybe @lasta can tell us.

View attachment 1569457

Yep, same here R3 too! I think they come in a another 5-pack that doesn't say saloon, blade should be the same. Another 5-pack Gillette Wilkinson was made in China, but I think those stopped a few years ago.

These are the Wilkie's I got from PAA with my last order.

~doug~

 

[lasta]

These are the Wilkie's I got from PAA with my last order.
View attachment 1569496View attachment 1569497
~doug~

Sorry, plastic is hard on the teeth.

Those look like the standard German produce I got from RBC.

 

[Rosseforp]

Sorry, plastic is hard on the teeth.

Those look like the standard German produce I got from RBC.

Where did you get the India Wilkie's from, I want to try those too.

~doug~

 

[lasta]

Where did you get the India Wilkie's from, I want to try those too.

~doug~

Got mine on ebay, but it took its time getting to me from India！

Razor blades club should be quicker.

 

[Rosseforp]

Got mine on ebay, but it took its time getting to me from India！

Razor blades club should be quicker.

I hear that, I ordered my 7 O'Clock Salon pack from India 10/28 and got the final 10 blades 12/5. I got the first Salon pack about a month earlier, but it was missing a tuck. Had to email the guy but they finally showed up.

~doug~

 

[Alum Ladd]

I don't know for sure. My blade came only in its paper wrapper, not the paperboard tuck. Here's a photo so maybe @lasta can tell us.

View attachment 1569457

Yes Gentlemen, these are the Indian Gillette/Wilkies of cheap and cheerful fame.

I used them constantly for the first months with some IP's and Crystals which I now have horded, then began to get uppity and foresook the humble GWS. I have a strong urge to return to them. Most blades are mirrors of one's technique, ruthlessly exposing every wrinkle and imperfection.

Here is I think my first photo posted on B&B, artistic with fruit. This was my pear and tangerine Period. GWS are evident.

Hello @Guido75 I do like the Diamond Edge a lot, having been tipped off by @APBinNCA of their existence. India does seem an independent blade maker wonderland.

They remind me of a good example of a gillette Platimum, remarkably smooth to my face, and very acceptable blade sharpness. The only issue may be longevity, as I can get 10+ good shaves with a Plat, while the diamond Edge hovers around 6-7. I must say I have not really tested one properly yet, but they are very acceptable, pleasant blades to use.

 

[lasta]

Yes Gentlemen, these are the Indian Gillette/Wilkies of cheap and cheerful fame.

I used them constantly for the first months with some IP's and Crystals which I now have horded, then began to get uppity and foresook the humble GWS. I have a strong urge to return to them. Most blades are mirrors of one's technique, ruthlessly exposing every wrinkle and imperfection.

Here is I think my first photo posted on B&B, artistic with fruit. This was my pear and tangerine Period. GWS are evident.
View attachment 1569572

Hello @Guido75 I do like the Diamond Edge a lot, having been tipped off by @APBinNCA of their existence. India does seem an independent blade maker wonderland.

They remind me of a good example of a gillette Platimum, remarkably smooth to my face, and very acceptable blade sharpness. The only issue may be longevity, as I can get 10+ good shaves with a Plat, while the diamond Edge hovers around 6-7. I must say I have not really tested one properly yet, but they are very acceptable, pleasant blades to use.

Multitasking eh?

 

[mgweatherly]

Yes Gentlemen, these are the Indian Gillette/Wilkies of cheap and cheerful fame.

I used them constantly for the first months with some IP's and Crystals which I now have horded, then began to get uppity and foresook the humble GWS. I have a strong urge to return to them. Most blades are mirrors of one's technique, ruthlessly exposing every wrinkle and imperfection.

Here is I think my first photo posted on B&B, artistic with fruit. This was my pear and tangerine Period. GWS are evident.
View attachment 1569572

Hello @Guido75 I do like the Diamond Edge a lot, having been tipped off by @APBinNCA of their existence. India does seem an independent blade maker wonderland.

They remind me of a good example of a gillette Platimum, remarkably smooth to my face, and very acceptable blade sharpness. The only issue may be longevity, as I can get 10+ good shaves with a Plat, while the diamond Edge hovers around 6-7. I must say I have not really tested one properly yet, but they are very acceptable, pleasant blades to use.

That looks like a fine classic and straightforward setup indeed. I keep forgetting that I have a British all aluminium (see what I did there ) spiral Tech in my collection! It came inside a rather large leather travel kit that is overkill for the way I travel. And, I don't think I've used it yet. I've just gone and retrieved it from that kit so I can put it in my "active" collection. If I decide to broaden the journey to use a different Tech than my birth year baby, I might even throw this one into the mix.

A former job of mine took me to India four different times over the course of a five-year period. I was working with an industrial company making a high tech product. I'm a firm believer that India will become an important industrial economy on the world stage over the next couple decades. I am not even slightly surprised that an Indian company can produce a fine example of a razor blade like these Gillette Wilkinson blades.

 

[Guido75]

When you get the chance you should try the Gillette 365 too then Mitch. Excellent Indian blade with great longevity. I took the first blade into double digits.

Guido

 

[Guido75]

Here is I think my first photo posted on B&B, artistic with fruit. This was my pear and tangerine Period. GWS are evident.

So is the top lid of the toilet if my eyes are not deceiving me…evident.

I’m guessing you don’t dispose of blades using a blade bank, but flush them instead?



On a more serious note - the Gillette 365 has a similar wrapper to the Gillette Wilkies, but the Blacks have a totally different wrapper. Same factory and just marketing or perhaps different factories (as Gillette acquired 365 as a company)?

Cheers,

Guido

 

[mgweatherly]

For my PIF'd Blade Journey shave #7 (rated 9.3/10), I used the following setup:

• Razor: Birth year 1961 G4 Tech with custom stainless handle by @Rosseforp
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
• Brush: Semogue 820 Boar
• Preshave: Noxema dwell on face before rinsing (cheap effective pre-shave)
• Soap: Daveli Farms Sheep Fat Orange Cedarwood Oakmoss scent (superb)
• After shave: Thayer's unscented Witch Hazel splash followed by La Toja balm (superb)

The Astra SP is a blade I tried early in my wet shaving renaissance (first post ever), but it has been awhile. My first pass WTG using a Gillette slide on my cheeks was quite smooth and comfortable. The blade felt sharp enough (no tugging), but was only modestly efficient. The second pass ATG was also very comfortable, but again, not the most efficient. Getting to BBS required a full third pass in various directions as needed but was still quite comfortable. I see why so many daily shavers prefer the Astra SP because it is very smooth and comfortable. Two hours after my shave, I had no hint of any irritation.

At 12 hours, I still had a DFS+ finish with my skin feeling wonderful.

The summary sheet of my PIF'd Blade Journey is HERE.

Next up is another blade I've used once or twice before, the Turkish Derby Extra. Of course, I must mate it with the classic Arko soap made in Turkey. As with all the blades in this journey, I'm very interested to see how it performs in this "controlled" test.
Shave on !

 

[mgweatherly]

I used the following setup for my PIF'd Blade Journey shave #8 (rated 6/10):

• Razor: Birth year 1961 G4 Tech with custom stainless handle by @Rosseforp that is gold plated by BRG
• Blade: Derby Extra (AKA “extra” irritating )
• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Mistura Taj (incredible)
• Preshave: Noxema dwell before rinsing (value pre-shave)
• Soap: Arko baby! (shout out to @FarmerTan and @Arbor Man)
• After shave: Thayer's unscented Witch Hazel splash followed by Cella Extra Extra Bio balm (some much needed “Extra Extra” soothing)

I was fascinated by how bad this shave turned out and learned quite a bit from it. It was easily the worst shave on the journey so far, which surprised me. The first pass WTG felt tuggy like an old dull blade and left lots of stubble. The second pass ATG felt a little better with lots tugging still on my chin. The third full pass in various directions mostly achieved BBS except in my trouble spots of my left jawline and neck. I had significant irritation that reared its head during my shave and was apparent even while just rinsing my face. The worst irritation happened throughout my goatee and moustache areas, which is where my whiskers are the coarsest. Interestingly, I had not a drop of blood anywhere. This tells me that the presence or absence of weepers is not necessarily a telltale sign of irritation. This was just not a good shave experience even though I got the BBS job mostly done without any blood.

Two hours after my shave, my irritation was still my howling at me. Even my wife asked me what happened to my face because it looked so red and irritated to her. At 12 hours, I had a DFS finish with my skin feeling much better but still some residual irritation on my neck.

Summary sheet of my PIF'd Blade Journey is HERE.

Next up is another blade I've used a once or twice before, the Korean Dorco ST301. I look forward to seeing out it stacks up in this “controlled” test.

 

[mgweatherly]

Maybe going ATG on the second pass with a blade as tuggy and inefficient as the Derby is what caused the irritation. I'm still amazed at how bad this shave felt and can't figure out why. Is it possible that too much stubble was left after my first pass WTG that my beard wasn't ready for an ATG pass yet?

 

[Rosseforp]

Maybe going ATG on the second pass with a blade as tuggy and inefficient as the Derby is what caused the irritation. I'm still amazed at how bad this shave felt and can't figure out why. Is it possible that too much stubble was left after my first pass WTG that my beard wasn't ready for an ATG pass yet?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and blame it on the Derby. Pretty much the worst blades I have used.

~doug~

 

[FarmerTan]

I used the following setup for my PIF'd Blade Journey shave #8 (rated 6/10):

• Razor: Birth year 1961 G4 Tech with custom stainless handle by @Rosseforp that is gold plated by BRG
• Blade: Derby Extra (AKA “extra” irritating )
• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Mistura Taj (incredible)
• Preshave: Noxema dwell before rinsing (value pre-shave)
• Soap: Arko baby! (shout out to @FarmerTan and @Arbor Man)
• After shave: Thayer's unscented Witch Hazel splash followed by Cella Extra Extra Bio balm (some much needed “Extra Extra” soothing)

View attachment 1570899

I was fascinated by how bad this shave turned out and learned quite a bit from it. It was easily the worst shave on the journey so far, which surprised me. The first pass WTG felt tuggy like an old dull blade and left lots of stubble. The second pass ATG felt a little better with lots tugging still on my chin. The third full pass in various directions mostly achieved BBS except in my trouble spots of my left jawline and neck. I had significant irritation that reared its head during my shave and was apparent even while just rinsing my face. The worst irritation happened throughout my goatee and moustache areas, which is where my whiskers are the coarsest. Interestingly, I had not a drop of blood anywhere. This tells me that the presence or absence of weepers is not necessarily a telltale sign of irritation. This was just not a good shave experience even though I got the BBS job mostly done without any blood.

Two hours after my shave, my irritation was still my howling at me. Even my wife asked me what happened to my face because it looked so red and irritated to her. At 12 hours, I had a DFS finish with my skin feeling much better but still some residual irritation on my neck.

Summary sheet of my PIF'd Blade Journey is HERE.

Next up is another blade I've used a once or twice before, the Korean Dorco ST301. I look forward to seeing out it stacks up in this “controlled” test.

Possibly the BEST explanation I've read describing the Derby Extra. I'm not sure that blade is suitable for scraping wax off of panes of glass! The Dorco Prime is a GREAT blade, as is the Derby Premium. The Dorco ST301 is murderous. NOBODY'S Mileage Will Vary with those blades!

 

[lasta]

When I first lurked around here (2006'ish?), Derby was a very well regarded blade. When new members came along asking about what to get, 9/10 times the first reply would be Super Speed + Derby.

I wonder what happened? Has Derby taken the poor blades crown away from Merkur?

I used up 100 of them when I first started. Can't remember much, but I'm still alive haha.

 

[Guido75]

When I first lurked around here (2006'ish?), Derby was a very well regarded blade. When new members came along asking about what to get, 9/10 times the first reply would be Super Speed + Derby.

I wonder what happened? Has Derby taken the poor blades crown away from Merkur?

I used up 100 of them when I first started. Can't remember much, but I'm still alive haha.

Here in the Netherlands they are too supplied quite frequently with new safety razors. And the reviews are quite alright too.

I have never tried them because my KCG came with KCG blades so that’s what I went with.

Guido

 

[Guido75]

Possibly the BEST explanation I've read describing the Derby Extra. I'm not sure that blade is suitable for scraping wax off of panes of glass! The Dorco Prime is a GREAT blade, as is the Derby Premium. The Dorco ST301 is murderous. NOBODY'S Mileage Will Vary with those blades!

Well…I have to say Dorco ST300HQ and Titans are really nice blades in my experience. Sharp and comfortable. No irritation.

Guido

 

[Rosseforp]

When I first lurked around here (2006'ish?), Derby was a very well regarded blade. When new members came along asking about what to get, 9/10 times the first reply would be Super Speed + Derby.

I wonder what happened? Has Derby taken the poor blades crown away from Merkur?

I used up 100 of them when I first started. Can't remember much, but I'm still alive haha.

When I started wet shaving almost 4 years ago Derby blades were still being recommended along with Astra SP, GSB, and Nacet, so I got 5 tucks of each, plus a few more tucks of Derby's that came with razor purchases.

I gave away all of the Derby tucks, still have 4 tucks of the Astra SP's, but still reorder GSB, and Nacet blades. Gillette 7 o'clock blades have just replaced my Gillette Platinum blades as my favorites, with Wizamet blades hanging right up there too.

~doug~