Are certain countries generaly known to produce higher or lower quality DE blades?
Blade Quality by Country of Origin
- Thread starter sternej
- Start date
Japan IMHO is Quality Winner.
One really needs to look at blade quality by brand given the global nature of the industry. Gillette makes it's blades (e.g. Astra SP) at different factories. Dorco makes great blades at its Vietnam factory and so on.
The worst blade I have tried is definitely the Chinese Assured For Men blade from Dollar Tree.
The best blades I have tried were Russian Voskhods.
I have also tried really good Chinese blades like Flydear SP.
I don't think there is a strong correlation except with countries that only make one blade, where the correlation is 1:1, and randomly with countries that only have a few blades or facilities.
P&G has factories basically near every major market that can and do make good blades.
The best blades I have tried were Russian Voskhods.
I have also tried really good Chinese blades like Flydear SP.
I don't think there is a strong correlation except with countries that only make one blade, where the correlation is 1:1, and randomly with countries that only have a few blades or facilities.
P&G has factories basically near every major market that can and do make good blades.
I think like @Lane101 says it is really up to the company and the specifications they demand from the factories, whether operated by them or contracted out. I am not sure who currently owns the Gillette brand (P&G?), but most blades sold under the Gillette name are consistently good for a reason. They have no reason to sully the value of the brand by selling low quality goods for short term gain.
So many great blades from everywhere, but I gravitate towards Egypt, a few countries in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan), and then China, Japan, and USA for a treat.
I don't think I could judge a blade in its country of origin. Any county can produce good quality or junk. It all depends on the $$$
That would depend on your preference. Everyone would have a blade they like that would be considered the best quality from that country because it works for them. I could say one blade from a certain country is good but another from that country can be the worst blade I used. An example would be is I have tried blades from the exact same factory in India and one is(I should say was and no longer is) a quality blade and the other ones are mediocre to no desire to try again. Same with German blades, I have one that is my current blades and others I tried were not great at all. Makes it hard to nail down one country.
lasta
Blade Biter
I'm about 110 blades into my tasting journey. The best are made by Gillette's Russian factory bar none.
If we were to include some noteworthy vintages, Gillette's French and English produce were consistently excellent as well, along with some varieties from their Brazilian plant.
A few anecdotes from @Mopar Mark suggest that French Gillettes were made using the same machinery after the English plant closed down (along with some upgrades).
If we were to include some noteworthy vintages, Gillette's French and English produce were consistently excellent as well, along with some varieties from their Brazilian plant.
A few anecdotes from @Mopar Mark suggest that French Gillettes were made using the same machinery after the English plant closed down (along with some upgrades).
Have you gotten your hands on the current production Brazilian blades like the Astra SP Brazil?
lasta
Blade Biter
Unfortunately no, although this is new to me. Last I read, Chinese Gillette's were flooding the Brazilian market...
I am going to see if I can hunt some down in the next year. I have some friends coming to visit from Brazil, but they didn't know anything about double edged razors when I asked about it. They use cartridges. I saw a recent picture somewhere online of a tuck that was marked "made in Brazil." I think someone posted about it here, too.
The same plant can produce good and bad blades. The same American plant made Graham-Fields, Lab Blues and Med Preps.
There are countries with better safety standards and controls regarding both materials used and production. The better standards benefits workers and users but cost us a few bucks more a year to shave.
I thought the plant was shut down and they were just importing blades and packing them in Brazil so they could stamp them as domestic? I swear I remember a post about them coming from India which would make sense because SPs were the first ones we saw with the switch over.
I've been using the Russian GSB blade for years. I tried many different blades and settled and stocked up on the GSB years ago.
So many blades, so little time!
Overall, I am a huge fan of the St. Petersburg Gillette options.
BUT I also enjoy Personna (variously named), Lord, Kai, etc. etc. Great fun to try these options!
Overall, I am a huge fan of the St. Petersburg Gillette options.
BUT I also enjoy Personna (variously named), Lord, Kai, etc. etc. Great fun to try these options!
There are Gillette DE's marked "made in Brazil" as well as "made in China" that are distributed in Brazil/Latin America, so I don't think there's any reason to think that they're "faking" being made in Brazil.
The current state of Brazilian DE's, as I understand it-
Gillette's Wilkinson Sword are still made in Brazil:
Minora Super Stainless made in Brazil:
The manufacture of Gillette Super Thin Mejorada switched from Brazil to China in the last few years:
Gillette Super Stainless Platinum, made in China, were introduced in Brazil in the last couple years:
King C Gillette DE's made in Brazil:
I think I read Gillette move out of St. Petersburg? Is this true? Doesn't effect me as I have more of their GSB blades than I will ever use.
Blades that were intended for sales in countries not participating in the Russian trade sanctions/embargo are unaffected. So Nacets and Permasharps should continue to be made and available through the usual channels, including Amazon because those listings we see are from third party sellers acquiring the blades overseas and then selling them to purchasers in western countries.
Rubies were for the Russian market and those have tried up apparently. Because is is difficult to export from Russia and the low profit margins aren't worthwhile enough to find a gray market seller and then export it yourself?
Blades that were sold to countries like the USA have largely moved elsewhere. See Astra SP, King C Gillette, Gillette Platinum which are now made in India or China.
I imagine we will see this change happen soon enough with the Gillette Sliver Blue and Astra SS. No inside information just an assumption I make following the above logic.
A couple of my favorites are Egyptian.
