Bangladesh make blades as well, although I have never tried any of them or seen reviews (I think its just Sharp, Champion and Clifton blades after a quick google)
Blade Manufacturers
- Thread starter LazerBoi64
- Start date
Bangladesh make blades as well, although I have never tried any of them or seen reviews (I think its just Sharp, Champion and Clifton blades after a quick google)
To each his own, but to me the best quality blades come from Seki and Mino factories in Japan, as I only ever use Feather blades, both in my DE, SE and AC razors
Depends on what you mean by Mecca. If you mean the most varied brands coming out of a place, then it has to be St Petersburg, Russia. If you mean the highest quality blades then it has to be Japan.
<<<Of course, I’m not biased or anything.
<<<Of course, I’m not biased or anything.
I would argue its more about the Plant and Company doing the manufacturing than anything to do with the country they are from.
A lot of people say Russia because of the PPI blades (Where all the Gillette/Proctor and Gamble Russian made blades come from, and they have a LOT of well respected blades), but then I've seen quite a few posts recently about quality control issues at the other Russian blade plant Mostochlegmash (Voskhod, Rapira, Ladas, Sharp Star blades).
Chinese blades often get a bad rep, but then a lot of people really like the Chinese made Gillette blades.
Gillette's Indian blades and the Indian Super Max blades have a lot of fans, but then there are also Euromax and One blades that come out of the Vertice Global plant which I haven't heard much about and I have no idea if there are other factories in India.
Then there are Personna's which were made in Israeli but have switched production to Germany and initial reports seem to be that the blades are identical. Other German blades can be a hit (Wilkinson Sword Classics for a lot of people) or a miss (Merkur blades).
Getting a sampler was a good move, enjoy trying them all out and figuring out which blades you like! (but be warned, it can get addictive, I have 25 packs of blades in my shave den waiting to be tried out)
Exactly. Why so many people buy into this "nationalism" discourse utterly eludes me. I understand that the plant in St. Petersburg indeed IS, at least partially owned by the Russian nation as a whole, but as far as I know, none of the other plants are owned, in part or in full, by any nation.
I live in the formerly "United" States. I buy razor blades from a company which calls itself "American" and these blades are made in Virginia, but the American nation does not own the plant, so these aren't American blades.
I consider myself a good Socialist and a citizen of the world.
I get what you are writing although I wouldn't put it that way, because I don't accept Nationalism, but none the less it is interesting and fun, because you get a product which has so many permutations that it is fun to collect, like stamps. The artwork on the wrappers isn't what is used to be, but it's fun to have a collection of all the different sorts and consider where they were made, yes.
I think you're missing the point here.
It's not about "nationalism", but what people tend to associate with quality and/or lack of it therefore.
"Made in USA" was once a synonym for top quality, just think about iconic items as a pair of Levi's 501 or M65 jacket. Back in the day there was no need to add labels like "Original" "Genuine", as it was self-evident these were American products.
Same can be said about "Made in Germany" or "Made in Japan".
Somehow, one does not associate made in Russia, Turkey or Pakistan, fill_in_the_blanks... with high quality merchandise.
We're all biased in some way, but for any bias there is some basis.
Me, when it comes to shaving all I buy is Italian, besides Feather blades, which are Japanese made.
To each his own, YMMV and the usual B/S
- Thread starter
- #27
Gentlemen:
If you have been reading into my comments any hint of "nationalism" please stop immediately. That is the polar opposite of my intention regarding this topic. I intentionally did not mention what I'm sure are numerous Chinese manufacturers for this reason. The night before starting this thread I took my sampler pack from Amazon and stacked up each package of blades by country of manufacturer. Russia had the largest number, followed by Egypt...Egypt! I've been to Egypt and know what it's like - MASSIVE poverty. And sand. Then I thought, if they can make a goodly selection of razor blades, something that most of the world's population uses in one form or another, then good for them! On the other hand, I didn't see any blades from Pakistan. I have several different styles of scissors and other medical implements made in Pakistan which work very well so was surprised that they were noticeably absent from the group.
No. Shaving with a non-electrified device is new to me and the implements used are intriguing. True that I asked which country was best known for its blade quality. However, if someone came back and said that in reality no one country's blades are better than another and each country has great performers and examples of crap, I'd be just as happy. I'm interested in learning more about the hobby and if it means I get to spill less blood, all the better!
Thanks for reading and I appreciate everyone's comments!
If you have been reading into my comments any hint of "nationalism" please stop immediately. That is the polar opposite of my intention regarding this topic. I intentionally did not mention what I'm sure are numerous Chinese manufacturers for this reason. The night before starting this thread I took my sampler pack from Amazon and stacked up each package of blades by country of manufacturer. Russia had the largest number, followed by Egypt...Egypt! I've been to Egypt and know what it's like - MASSIVE poverty. And sand. Then I thought, if they can make a goodly selection of razor blades, something that most of the world's population uses in one form or another, then good for them! On the other hand, I didn't see any blades from Pakistan. I have several different styles of scissors and other medical implements made in Pakistan which work very well so was surprised that they were noticeably absent from the group.
No. Shaving with a non-electrified device is new to me and the implements used are intriguing. True that I asked which country was best known for its blade quality. However, if someone came back and said that in reality no one country's blades are better than another and each country has great performers and examples of crap, I'd be just as happy. I'm interested in learning more about the hobby and if it means I get to spill less blood, all the better!
Thanks for reading and I appreciate everyone's comments!
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Interesting read here. My take is that it’s probably more a function of marketing strategies over economics. Mega profit is in the disposable or cart world. Where you buy a handle hopefully over and over again as it is reinvented with batteries etc and then you need the replacement carts. Mass market profits for DE blades can’t compare I’m sure. One good de razor. And take for example 100 astras for what $10. Those economics are not going to power Gillette for sure. There’s also a huge market for guys looking for the quick and dirty fast shave without thinking about much and with no or few moving parts. That was me for a long time. In autopilot seems like the east way. Grab the cart. Drag it over face. Toss it in the soap holder in the shower and forget about it. Until it’s time to drop $20-30 for 4 more carts. If you go by the buy more color strip you are hooked. The marketing is probably slow to move to other countries but it’s moving.
The other take away from this thread is it’s time to stock up on blades!
The other take away from this thread is it’s time to stock up on blades!
Gentlemen:
If you have been reading into my comments any hint of "nationalism" please stop immediately. That is the polar opposite of my intention regarding this topic. I intentionally did not mention what I'm sure are numerous Chinese manufacturers for this reason. The night before starting this thread I took my sampler pack from Amazon and stacked up each package of blades by country of manufacturer. Russia had the largest number, followed by Egypt...Egypt! I've been to Egypt and know what it's like - MASSIVE poverty. And sand. Then I thought, if they can make a goodly selection of razor blades, something that most of the world's population uses in one form or another, then good for them! On the other hand, I didn't see any blades from Pakistan. I have several different styles of scissors and other medical implements made in Pakistan which work very well so was surprised that they were noticeably absent from the group.
No. Shaving with a non-electrified device is new to me and the implements used are intriguing. True that I asked which country was best known for its blade quality. However, if someone came back and said that in reality no one country's blades are better than another and each country has great performers and examples of crap, I'd be just as happy. I'm interested in learning more about the hobby and if it means I get to spill less blood, all the better!
Thanks for reading and I appreciate everyone's comments!
That's what I was trying to allude to in my post about there being good and not so good blades from various countries as well as blades that most of us on here have probably never heard of and are not exported. Blades also seem to be a very personnel thing, some people are big fans of Gillette Silver Blues and Feathers but I've never really got on with them. I really like BIC Chrome Platinums but others don't like them for their own reasons.
Trying out various blades to see what you like is part of the fun! (PS. Treet are the blades from Pakistan, I have only tried the Treet Platinums and to me they are a decent middle of the road blade)
- Thread starter
- #30
Profit rules, for sure! Wasn't it Gillette who started the whole concept of disposable blades back in the 1800's? Whomever it was definitely discovered a winner concept. I can absolutely understand the quick and dirty shave concept - I've done it less than a week ago using a Harry's razor. I'm sure doing so has caused me to develop bad habits that my current double edged endeavor will painfully exploit. I scraped my face dozens of times from every angle last week trying to get a smooth shave and ended up with a red, burning face even without applying any aftershave-type products. The burning face is probably the main reason I've held off from blades for so long.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Oh I developed so many bad habits with the cart that became painful liabilities using a de. But it just takes time to overcome it. Using no pressure is the biggest key and the opposite of what I was doing with a cart. No pressure and multiple passes was the key for me.
And a good blade like reds or astra.
TBH I don't care where a blade is made. If it works it works. Blades aren't a thing that I take time to care about manufacturing location. I don't like Derby because it doesn't feel good on my face, not because of where its made.
I think the razor matters more than the blade IMHO. Using Derby as an example. In my Merkur, the derby is the worst thing that has ever walked on this earth. In my Blue Tip I almost want to apologize for all the bad things I have said. I could use the Derby in the Blue Tip and be satisfied.
I can say the same about Feather's, or Gillette Blues, or any blade made.
Any blade can cut you, but it takes skill to come away unscathed.
I think the razor matters more than the blade IMHO. Using Derby as an example. In my Merkur, the derby is the worst thing that has ever walked on this earth. In my Blue Tip I almost want to apologize for all the bad things I have said. I could use the Derby in the Blue Tip and be satisfied.
I can say the same about Feather's, or Gillette Blues, or any blade made.
Any blade can cut you, but it takes skill to come away unscathed.
Russian blades work out well for me. I have quite a lot of astra SP and 2 other kinds of gillette.
And people in countries like india, pakistan, china do use a lot of DE blades to shave.
And people in countries like india, pakistan, china do use a lot of DE blades to shave.
My favorite blades come from Russia.
I ranked Big Ben blades as ones I would use but would not buy. Shark is on my list of don't buy or use. What is their top of the line blade?
Probably lots of different answers to this, but they're all in a similar price range. Lord platinums and Silver stars I'm guessing probably get the most praise. My personal favorite is probably lord cool so far, although I still have to try them all.
I'm thinking there will be some variability since blade quality tends to be a subjective thing. Some people swear by Vostokh blades, but they don't work well for me. However, Astra SP works pretty well for me, though there are some other blades that work better, including a little favored brand out of Bangladesh, Durablade.
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