Blade Sharpness Research Project

[helicopter]

This evening, I measured the Cloud Super Stainless red blade from Shanghai Cloud Blade Manufacturing Company Limited. This blade was very dull, extremely consistent, and quite durable, but alas, a dull blade should be durable and consistent.

It comes in perfect packaging. There is a cardboard tuck of ten blades with high-quality printing and glossy paper. The individual blades are wrapped in waxed paper with very small wax dots to keep them from sliding around. No plastic, no waste, efficient use of paper.

The new blade looks fairly nice. The scratch pattern is uneven on the primary bevel and looks like it was ground with an inconsistent abrasive of varying particle size. The secondary bevel is honed smoother, but some of the scratches from the primary are still there on the secondary and some of the scratches on the primary are on the proximal flat. Not terrible, but unimpressive. The coating looks moderate and even.

After testing, the coating is gone, the bevels have smoothed out, and the apex appears to remain in excellent condition, which probably has a lot to do with blunt edge geometry but also means they produced a blade of good steel.

Information Summary:

Date	7/20/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24
Blade	Cloud	Super Stainless	Red	Shanghai Cloud	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	12	12	12	15	13
Median F (g)	96	97.5	95.5	101.5	105
Mean F (g) Btm	105	106	109	113	114
Mean F (g) Top	89	88	90	89	94
Mean F (g)	97	97	100	101	104
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	87	88	91	94	95
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	74	73	75	74	78
Median adj. F (g)	80	81	79	84	87
Mean adj. F (g)	80	81	83	84	86

Complete Data:

Date	7/20/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24
Blade	Cloud	Super Stainless	Red	Shanghai Cloud	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	12	12	12	15	13
Median F (g)	96	97.5	95.5	101.5	105
Mean F (g) Btm	105	106	109	113	114
Mean F (g) Top	89	88	90	89	94
Mean F (g)	97	97	100	101	104
F (g) 1	99	108	109	110	111
F (g) 2	102	111	128	124	116
F (g) 3	107	118	104	100	107
F (g) 4	95	100	92	117	109
F (g) 5	98	101	106	113	117
F (g) 6	125	116	115	119	123
F (g) 7	108	107	114	111	110
F (g) 8	116	95	100	109	112
F (g) 9	105	95	112	128	113
F (g) 10	117	107	110	107	98
F (g) 11	91	109	107	107	123
F (g) 12	109	110	107	108	114
F (g) 13	107	104	107	103	128
F (g) 14	100	101	109	121	117
F (g) 15	95	110	116	122	116
F (g) 16	97	100	96	103	109
F (g) 17	87	95	86	82	88
F (g) 18	88	99	89	77	88
F (g) 19	80	78	93	84	97
F (g) 20	92	76	83	98	103
F (g) 21	97	86	89	90	99
F (g) 22	83	81	94	94	97
F (g) 23	83	95	92	93	87
F (g) 24	92	83	94	96	90
F (g) 25	91	83	90	79	96
F (g) 26	101	89	94	96	98
F (g) 27	87	96	95	90	83
F (g) 28	87	79	88	77	80
F (g) 29	72	93	80	85	101
F (g) 30	93	88	88	90	92

You may want to try this one if you have had good luck with other dull blades before. It should be reasonably smooth, and it should last a very long time. If you like sharp or normal blades, skip this one.

 

[Alex Jr]

Today, I measured the Derby Extra Super Stainless green blade. It is not very sharp, but nicely honed and quite durable and consistent. It comes in one of those plastic tucks. The blades are wrapped in a single piece of waxed paper with some wax to keep them centered.

View attachment 1880956

The description of this coating is elaborate: "Chromium-Ceramic Platinum Tungsten Polymer."

View attachment 1880957

View attachment 1880958

The blade looks nice under a microscope. It has a moderately even grind on the primary bevel and a finely honed secondary bevel. It looks smooth. It has a thin and even coating.

View attachment 1880959

After testing, the bevels are smoothed out, the coating is gone, and there are some dents along the apex. This is one of the relatively resilient edges that doesn't chip as much as most razor blades.

View attachment 1880960

Information Summary:

Date	7/20/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24
Blade	Derby Extra	Super Stainless	Cr-cer-Pt-W-poly		~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	9	7	12	7
Median F (g)	85.5	85	98	103	102
Mean F (g) Btm	94	85	98	102	103
Mean F (g) Top	81	82	98	103	105
Mean F (g)	87	84	98	102	104
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	78	71	81	84	86
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	67	68	81	86	87
Median adj. F (g)	71	71	81	86	85
Mean adj. F (g)	73	70	81	85	87

View attachment 1880955

Complete Data:

Date	7/20/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24	7/17/24
Blade	Derby Extra	Super Stainless	Cr-cer-Pt-W-poly		~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	9	7	12	7
Median F (g)	85.5	85	98	103	102
Mean F (g) Btm	94	85	98	102	103
Mean F (g) Top	81	82	98	103	105
Mean F (g)	87	84	98	102	104
F (g) 1	98	85	92	121	95
F (g) 2	96	76	93	107	100
F (g) 3	84	87	95	100	101
F (g) 4	95	87	100	103	95
F (g) 5	98	89	96	98	102
F (g) 6	96	75	97	93	102
F (g) 7	102	75	106	93	108
F (g) 8	101	93	105	91	105
F (g) 9	96	79	100	110	100
F (g) 10	103	91	104	92	101
F (g) 11	79	99	91	98	106
F (g) 12	85	93	98	103	101
F (g) 13	88	79	87	94	103
F (g) 14	101	66	103	128	114
F (g) 15	86	108	96	92	118
F (g) 16	93	84	108	105	100
F (g) 17	81	65	92	101	106
F (g) 18	80	84	98	80	103
F (g) 19	73	80	90	81	96
F (g) 20	79	85	92	109	97
F (g) 21	91	94	101	114	99
F (g) 22	85	85	108	104	110
F (g) 23	84	81	105	95	101
F (g) 24	90	75	85	116	120
F (g) 25	82	90	84	126	117
F (g) 26	76	74	98	107	99
F (g) 27	75	86	92	105	97
F (g) 28	72	70	98	105	110
F (g) 29	80	88	113	109	120
F (g) 30	75	88	102	88	105

If you like blades that are smooth and not especially sharp, I recommend trying this one, along with the Chinese Van Der Hagen Basics blade. They are quite similar in terms of sharpness and durability, though this one is double-beveled, so it might feel smoother.

Nice!

Derby is a weird blade for me, it can be amazing in the right razor and horrible in another one.

It felt ultra smooth and sharp enough in my game changer .84 and red tip. In my slim, it gave me 3 weepers and it was horrible.

You can say it works with aggressive razors but I haven’t found that to be always true.

It sucks in the lupo .95 and R41.

 

[PALORAZOR]

Lord Platinum would be interesting. Can't speak to it's durability, but have gotten some great single shaves from it.

 

[helicopter]

Today, I measured the Flying Eagle blade. It is a blued steel blade from Shanghai. It comes in a reasonably good package. A cardboard tuck of ten blades, and the tuck can be opened from the end without tearing the cardboard. The blade is wrapped in waxed paper and then in printed paper.

The edge has a single bevel that looks like it was ground with an inconsistent abrasive grade, and the edge is finely honed. Maybe the honing is enough to make up for the deep scratches in the bevel, but I bet you can feel it as inconsistency. It looks like it has some sort of coating on there, in addition to fingerprint oil. I don't really know how carbon steel blades are coated, so maybe you guys can tell me.

After testing, the bevel has smoothed a lot, and as we should expect for an extremely dull blade of good steel, the apex is in excellent condition considering what I put it through.

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Flying Eagle	Blued Carbon Steel		Shanghai	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	14	15	15	14	13
Median F (g)	157.5	166	159.5	169	166
Mean F (g) Btm	163	169	159	174	167
Mean F (g) Top	156	162	159	160	161
Mean F (g)	159	166	159	167	164
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	135	141	132	144	138
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	129	134	132	133	134
Median adj. F (g)	131	138	132	140	138
Mean adj. F (g)	132	137	132	139	136

Summary Chart:

The full chart is starting to get busy.

I was confused about the M-shaped cutting force curve; we usually expect a J-shaped curve. I tried removing the statistical outliers and re-analyzing the data, but it made almost no difference, other than reducing standard deviation. Maybe it is a strange impact of statistical randomness, but I think it probably did get sharper, then duller, then sharper again, because both edges showed the same directional trend at every cut, both before and after removing outliers. Maybe a coating wore off, then a burr formed, and then the burr fell off. Maybe it was something else. This blade isn't important enough for me to bother measuring it again at this time, so this is what we have for now.

This is what you get when you remove data outside of 145-180 grams and crunch what's left:

Central Tendency Check 145 to 180
Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Flying Eagle	Blued Carbon Steel		Shanghai	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	24	24	24	25	24
Std. Dev.	7	9	9	9	9
Median F (g)	157.5	166	159.5	169	166
Mean F (g) Btm	160	167	157	171	165
Mean F (g) Top	158	165	161	164	164
Mean F (g)	159	166	159	167	165
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	133	139	130	142	137
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	131	137	134	136	136
Median adj. F (g)	131	138	132	140	138
Mean adj. F (g)	132	138	132	139	137

Complete Data:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Flying Eagle	Blued Carbon Steel		Shanghai	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	14	15	15	14	13
Median F (g)	157.5	166	159.5	169	166
Mean F (g) Btm	163	169	159	174	167
Mean F (g) Top	156	162	159	160	161
Mean F (g)	159	166	159	167	164
F (g) 1	198	164	151	167	159
F (g) 2	166	173	160	172	166
F (g) 3	164	174	152	177	168
F (g) 4	157	176	174	162	155
F (g) 5	155	171	173	168	180
F (g) 6	178	176	172	173	155
F (g) 7	155	159	151	167	170
F (g) 8	150	176	155	175	183
F (g) 9	163	198	146	181	177
F (g) 10	150	148	186	186	165
F (g) 11	169	175	149	177	162
F (g) 12	153	171	164	188	148
F (g) 13	153	167	145	179	167
F (g) 14	168	150	149	169	177
F (g) 15	161	161	159	167	167
F (g) 16	152	167	159	151	156
F (g) 17	130	143	177	168	166
F (g) 18	138	131	160	147	146
F (g) 19	154	131	160	154	166
F (g) 20	163	185	166	168	141
F (g) 21	127	153	136	176	136
F (g) 22	158	157	158	175	169
F (g) 23	154	164	196	171	177
F (g) 24	181	179	128	169	166
F (g) 25	168	165	161	175	143
F (g) 26	165	160	136	163	157
F (g) 27	158	190	148	137	175
F (g) 28	156	160	162	128	159
F (g) 29	150	161	163	148	183
F (g) 30	182	180	181	169	182

I haven't measured any other carbon steel blades yet, so I can't really make a recommendation or comparison yet. Perhaps I will try it myself and see how I like it.

 

[Flanders]

This is going to give a few people PTSD, lol.
The yellow and pink ones are nice though.

 

[helicopter]

This afternoon, I tested the Lord Platinum Super Stainless blade made by the Soliman Holding Group in Alexandria, Egypt in September, 2023. We had some interest in this blade.

I got some of these with my LP.1822L razor, the mild Lord L6, and I also had a tuck of them here. I measured the one from the tuck because it has a date code.

The tuck is in good condition, but the first blade I started measuring had one damaged edge and one good edge similar to those in the data presented. Same thing for the second blade. I was about to give up, but tried a third blade which has two good edges. I am not sure how the other two remaining in the tuck are. I didn't bother to fully test and present the bad ones, but the edges were duller than any new blade I have tested, and the 200+ grams of force to cut the test media gave me concern that the measurement process would damage the blade. I don't see much value in testing the damaged edges because they were unusable in my opinion.

These come in a nice glossy cardboard tuck of five blades with a hologram on it. This shouldn't be the first choice for counterfeits. The blade wrapper has some small wax dots, plastic coating, and nice printing that included metallic ink.

The new blade has a single bevel edge with deep honing and thick coating. The primary grind is a bit coarse, but the honing has smoothed it out at the edge. I wonder if the difference between this blade and the Shark Platinum from the same company is just an increased amount of honing on this one, maybe slightly different angles, making it smoother but less sharp. The durability is very similar.

The testing procedure destroyed the edge of this blade, and afterward, we see lots of large chipping along the edge. This blade is really only durable enough to make it through P3, and shows significant deterioration at P6. It is probably best to use this one for something like 2-7 shaves, depending on your beard and shaving habits. Still, you might like it for its relatively short life.

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Lord Platinum	Super Stainless	Soliman	Alex., Egypt	September, 2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	11	13	15	17	19
Median F (g)	72	74	87.5	106.5	117
Mean F (g) Btm	78	82	90	102	112
Mean F (g) Top	70	72	99	113	122
Mean F (g)	74	77	95	107	117
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	65	68	75	84	93
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	58	59	83	94	102
Median adj. F (g)	60	61	73	88	97
Mean adj. F (g)	62	64	79	89	97

Complete Chart:

Mobile Chart:

Complete Data:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Lord Platinum	Super Stainless	Soliman	Alex., Egypt	September, 2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	11	13	15	17	19
Median F (g)	72	74	87.5	106.5	117
Mean F (g) Btm	78	82	90	102	112
Mean F (g) Top	70	72	99	113	122
Mean F (g)	74	77	95	107	117
F (g) 1	81	78	107	101	163
F (g) 2	93	94	83	94	116
F (g) 3	71	101	87	90	108
F (g) 4	71	71	83	94	117
F (g) 5	91	77	82	109	90
F (g) 6	84	65	86	97	102
F (g) 7	76	68	102	88	110
F (g) 8	66	77	80	135	91
F (g) 9	80	73	82	104	119
F (g) 10	78	100	117	87	108
F (g) 11	84	75	88	116	112
F (g) 12	67	92	79	106	82
F (g) 13	73	89	86	86	136
F (g) 14	71	76	85	107	92
F (g) 15	88	87	102	109	130
F (g) 16	44	87	110	131	117
F (g) 17	77	83	122	127	118
F (g) 18	74	72	69	111	131
F (g) 19	71	69	116	87	111
F (g) 20	71	73	79	135	157
F (g) 21	71	73	81	117	138
F (g) 22	55	70	119	140	130
F (g) 23	64	69	81	106	129
F (g) 24	64	59	112	127	105
F (g) 25	91	49	117	79	123
F (g) 26	69	73	113	114	119
F (g) 27	62	56	101	122	126
F (g) 28	70	62	95	123	82
F (g) 29	74	89	85	93	112
F (g) 30	92	90	92	87	138

 

[helicopter]

We also had some interest in Tiger Platinum. I am not familiar with the blade's reputation, but after testing, I am hoping you guys are objective enough to know it is quite bad. It starts out dull, looks rough under a microscope, and rapidly fails, chipping at the edge.

The new blade has a coarse and uneven primary bevel, moderate honing, and thick distal coating.

After testing, the apex is a mess.

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Tiger Platinum	Premium Stainless		Czech Republic	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	20	20	20
Std. Dev.	40	30	27	30	36
Median F (g)	113	126.5	135	137.5	153.5
Mean F (g) Btm	138	151	151	160	175
Mean F (g) Top	104	122	130	129	164
Mean F (g)	121	136	141	144	169
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	115	125	125	133	145
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	86	101	108	107	136
Median adj. F (g)	94	105	112	114	127
Mean adj. F (g)	101	113	117	120	141

Complete Data:

I only did ten cuts per edge at P6-P12 because I didn't want to waste time with precise measurement such a blade after it has clearly given up. The trend is clear anyway.

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Tiger Platinum	Premium Stainless		Czech Republic	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	20	20	20
Std. Dev.	40	30	27	30	36
Median F (g)	113	126.5	135	137.5	153.5
Mean F (g) Btm	138	151	151	160	175
Mean F (g) Top	104	122	130	129	164
Mean F (g)	121	136	141	144	169
F (g) 1	136	204	112	132	212
F (g) 2	200	128	142	173	143
F (g) 3	137	184	125	119	222
F (g) 4	163	153	167	211	203
F (g) 5	246	195	141	120	241
F (g) 6	101	109	208	168	154
F (g) 7	140	119	115	172	139
F (g) 8	98	106	150	135	140
F (g) 9	133	190	213	166	141
F (g) 10	93	164	138	204	153
F (g) 11	189	147
F (g) 12	101	164
F (g) 13	153	112
F (g) 14	71	113
F (g) 15	114	173
F (g) 16	87	106	116	126	234
F (g) 17	120	125	123	123	205
F (g) 18	110	116	134	124	164
F (g) 19	146	136	135	103	179
F (g) 20	84	125	134	142	152
F (g) 21	121	129	135	127	129
F (g) 22	86	123	131	100	139
F (g) 23	148	143	139	159	139
F (g) 24	104	120	119	144	158
F (g) 25	72	120	137	140	140
F (g) 26	83	91
F (g) 27	112	111
F (g) 28	73	134
F (g) 29	120	140
F (g) 30	95	112

I don't think I am likely to try this blade unless we have a special theme week and want bad shaves and good laughs.

 

[T Bone]

If you’re taking requests, I’d be curious how Kai stacks up since there’s less consensus on that one than on many others. Some say it’s a very sharp blade, others feel it’s mid-range but seems sharper because the extra width makes the razor a bit more aggressive. I’m in the latter camp, but would be interested to see what your tests say.

 

[Alex Jr]

We also had some interest in Tiger Platinum. I am not familiar with the blade's reputation, but after testing, I am hoping you guys are objective enough to know it is quite bad. It starts out dull, looks rough under a microscope, and rapidly fails, chipping at the edge.

View attachment 1881353

View attachment 1881354

The new blade has a coarse and uneven primary bevel, moderate honing, and thick distal coating.

View attachment 1881352

After testing, the apex is a mess.

View attachment 1881351

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Tiger Platinum	Premium Stainless		Czech Republic	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	20	20	20
Std. Dev.	40	30	27	30	36
Median F (g)	113	126.5	135	137.5	153.5
Mean F (g) Btm	138	151	151	160	175
Mean F (g) Top	104	122	130	129	164
Mean F (g)	121	136	141	144	169
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	115	125	125	133	145
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	86	101	108	107	136
Median adj. F (g)	94	105	112	114	127
Mean adj. F (g)	101	113	117	120	141

View attachment 1881342

View attachment 1881343

Complete Data:

I only did ten cuts per edge at P6-P12 because I didn't want to waste time with precise measurement such a blade after it has clearly given up. The trend is clear anyway.

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Tiger Platinum	Premium Stainless		Czech Republic	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	20	20	20
Std. Dev.	40	30	27	30	36
Median F (g)	113	126.5	135	137.5	153.5
Mean F (g) Btm	138	151	151	160	175
Mean F (g) Top	104	122	130	129	164
Mean F (g)	121	136	141	144	169
F (g) 1	136	204	112	132	212
F (g) 2	200	128	142	173	143
F (g) 3	137	184	125	119	222
F (g) 4	163	153	167	211	203
F (g) 5	246	195	141	120	241
F (g) 6	101	109	208	168	154
F (g) 7	140	119	115	172	139
F (g) 8	98	106	150	135	140
F (g) 9	133	190	213	166	141
F (g) 10	93	164	138	204	153
F (g) 11	189	147
F (g) 12	101	164
F (g) 13	153	112
F (g) 14	71	113
F (g) 15	114	173
F (g) 16	87	106	116	126	234
F (g) 17	120	125	123	123	205
F (g) 18	110	116	134	124	164
F (g) 19	146	136	135	103	179
F (g) 20	84	125	134	142	152
F (g) 21	121	129	135	127	129
F (g) 22	86	123	131	100	139
F (g) 23	148	143	139	159	139
F (g) 24	104	120	119	144	158
F (g) 25	72	120	137	140	140
F (g) 26	83	91
F (g) 27	112	111
F (g) 28	73	134
F (g) 29	120	140
F (g) 30	95	112

I don't think I am likely to try this blade unless we have a special theme week and want bad shaves and good laughs.

There it is. I knew it.

Damn I have 100 of these to go through…

 

[PALORAZOR]

There it is. I knew it.

Damn I have 100 of these to go through…

Maybe just get a few styptic pencils.

 

[Alex Jr]

Maybe just get a few styptic pencils.

Or a new face when that is over.

 

[helicopter]

Flying Eagle is a P&G blade:

 

[helicopter]

This evening, I decided to try the Kai blade from Seki City, Japan. It is durable and looks nice under a microscope, but I was disappointed to find that one edge was significantly sharper than the other. If you buy this blade, you might get lucky, or you might not. The quality control, specifications, or both, leave something to be desired.

It comes in a nice cardboard tuck that you can open up without ripping. The blades are in a plain white paper without any wax.

The new bevel has a beautiful uniform moderate scratch pattern, thin coating, and an edge that looks like it is honed in multiple steps, or with a flexible band, for a convex edge.

After testing, the edges look great. They were so different that I took pictures of each one, but neither one shows chipping. This is what we would expect with excellent steel and an edge like this. This is the duller of the two edges:

This is the sharp edge, the one from the first microscope photo:

You can see there is a big difference in the honing.

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Kai	Stainless Steel		Seki City, Japan	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	14	19	19	20	18
Median F (g)	86	83.5	82	91.5	90
Mean F (g) Btm	98	104	106	110	110
Mean F (g) Top	74	71	73	77	79
Mean F (g)	86	87	90	94	95
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	82	86	88	91	92
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	62	59	61	64	66
Median adj. F (g)	71	69	68	76	75
Mean adj. F (g)	72	73	74	78	79

Complete Data:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Kai	Stainless Steel		Seki City, Japan	~2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	14	19	19	20	18
Median F (g)	86	83.5	82	91.5	90
Mean F (g) Btm	98	104	106	110	110
Mean F (g) Top	74	71	73	77	79
Mean F (g)	86	87	90	94	95
F (g) 1	96	101	107	117	113
F (g) 2	122	106	82	100	92
F (g) 3	94	104	109	118	105
F (g) 4	103	97	104	135	104
F (g) 5	88	126	87	124	97
F (g) 6	105	92	113	130	112
F (g) 7	96	92	110	84	115
F (g) 8	98	98	108	97	110
F (g) 9	99	103	100	100	116
F (g) 10	96	97	122	99	118
F (g) 11	95	83	91	91	99
F (g) 12	96	121	130	111	125
F (g) 13	96	96	113	108	130
F (g) 14	103	119	110	116	112
F (g) 15	87	124	102	114	108
F (g) 16	83	71	70	93	82
F (g) 17	65	69	67	82	81
F (g) 18	75	73	73	71	74
F (g) 19	68	75	63	61	77
F (g) 20	62	70	78	81	88
F (g) 21	78	70	78	82	79
F (g) 22	74	65	75	81	80
F (g) 23	71	68	74	74	69
F (g) 24	82	66	79	73	81
F (g) 25	85	71	68	73	78
F (g) 26	75	60	70	72	79
F (g) 27	76	75	82	68	80
F (g) 28	80	84	79	81	79
F (g) 29	72	69	66	78	79
F (g) 30	69	79	75	92	81

I am not going to be stocking up on this one. Feather and Accuforge Personna are much better choices for blades made in high costs locations. You might get lucky with Kai, though, if you don't like such a sharp blade and you get a decent batch. The better edge on my blade shows they are capable of producing something excellent, at least part of the time.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Looks like Astra SS (blue) has not been tested yet? Or did I missed it.

If your’e kindly accepting request, can this be included too.

Edit: And Wizamet SI would be nice addition to the test.

 

[T Bone]

Looks like Kai is right in the middle.

Thanks, @helicopter!

 

[helicopter]

Here's the code on the ones I have.

View attachment 1878692

Chat GPT tells me mine is

• 5A: This might be a batch or lot code, indicating a specific production batch.
• 050723: This sequence represents the date:
  • 05: Day of the month.
  • 07: Month of the year (July).
  • 23: Year (2023).

So yours is batch J2A from January 17, 2023.

 

[helicopter]

I also measured the Treet Platinum blade from Pakistan, because we also had some interest in it. It seems fairly similar to the Treet Dura Sharp in sharpness. There was a significant variance between the two edges, an indication of low quality specifications, poor quality control, or both. Like other blades without consistent quality, you might get lucky buying this one, or you might not.

It comes in similar packaging to the other one.

It has a double beveled edge. The Primary bevel is coarse and uneven. The secondary bevel is moderate and finely honed, but some of the scratches from the primary make their way toward the apex. The coating is light.

After testing, the blade is in very good condition, smoothed out, with the coating gone, and only a small amount of chipping at the apex.

Information Summary:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Treet Platinum	Super Stainless	Batch G1A	Pakistan	June 24, 2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	12	13	10	13	15
Median F (g)	89	87.5	96	95.5	105
Mean F (g) Btm	97	94	99	102	112
Mean F (g) Top	78	79	91	95	93
Mean F (g)	87	87	95	99	103
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	80	78	82	85	93
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	64	66	75	79	77
Median adj. F (g)	74	73	80	79	87
Mean adj. F (g)	72	72	79	82	85

Complete Data:

Date	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24	7/21/24
Blade	Treet Platinum	Super Stainless	Batch G1A	Pakistan	June 24, 2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	12	13	10	13	15
Median F (g)	89	87.5	96	95.5	105
Mean F (g) Btm	97	94	99	102	112
Mean F (g) Top	78	79	91	95	93
Mean F (g)	87	87	95	99	103
F (g) 1	107	99	108	119	119
F (g) 2	95	108	92	99	113
F (g) 3	99	92	103	85	95
F (g) 4	98	94	98	103	99
F (g) 5	85	101	99	100	111
F (g) 6	99	76	100	102	118
F (g) 7	103	96	114	101	120
F (g) 8	91	97	99	128	112
F (g) 9	105	83	103	90	127
F (g) 10	98	103	102	92	106
F (g) 11	95	83	95	92	112
F (g) 12	97	109	97	87	114
F (g) 13	91	86	113	108	105
F (g) 14	100	95	85	100	117
F (g) 15	89	89	80	125	117
F (g) 16	85	58	93	81	76
F (g) 17	77	75	87	84	81
F (g) 18	75	75	78	125	89
F (g) 19	89	82	79	92	85
F (g) 20	77	80	86	85	84
F (g) 21	78	92	81	85	111
F (g) 22	88	65	95	121	93
F (g) 23	86	71	104	83	87
F (g) 24	89	76	106	86	97
F (g) 25	79	82	99	95	126
F (g) 26	74	94	83	92	82
F (g) 27	68	100	110	107	83
F (g) 28	67	69	82	96	95
F (g) 29	67	92	89	94	98
F (g) 30	65	79	89	100	105

 

[helicopter]

This evening I measured the Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum black blade from India. Mine was manufactured February 8, 2022. It is an excellent blade; it is durable, consistent, and sharp. This blade is placed in a market segment; It costs about $0.30 per blade in the US, and you can even pay more to get it in a nice steel tin. I didn't do that. I just have the regular tuck. It is packaged the same as other Gillette blades, in a nice cardboard tuck with light wax dots, waxed paper, and nicely printed blade envelopes.

The new blade has a beautiful finely ground bevel, with some light honing at the edge and a heavy coating.

After testing, the blade shows some medium chipping at the apex, which is typical for razor blade steel. The bevel has smoothed out, and the coating is gone.

I used this blade to shave today, and I thought it felt like typical blades form Gillette's Russian plant. Sharpness measurements and microscopic visual inspection indicate it is very similar in performance and construction to Russian Gillette blades I have tested including Perma Sharp, Minora SS, and Gillette Platinum.

If you want to see something interesting, look at the photos and information for this blade, then take a peek back at the green Indian Astra SP made in the same plant. Perhaps there is some difference in the angle or coating, but I have seen many blades with differences in batches and variances between the edges of the same blade that far exceed any difference here. As far as I can tell, this is the same blade in a different wrapper for more than three times the price. Do yourself a favor and get the equally excellent $0.09 Astra SP before spending $0.30 on this blade.

Information Summary:

Date	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24
Blade	7 O'Clock	Super Platinum	Gillette	India	February 8, 2022	Black
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12	1
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper	Face
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	13	16	12	13	9
Median F (g)	78.5	79	85	91.5	103.5	71.5
Mean F (g) Btm	82	84	85	94	106	74
Mean F (g) Top	77	79	87	91	105	70
Mean F (g)	80	81	86	92	106	72
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	68	69	71	78	88	61
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	64	66	72	75	87	58
Median adj. F (g)	65	66	71	76	86	59
Mean adj. F (g)	66	68	71	77	88	60

Complete Data:

Date	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24	7/22/24
Blade	7 O'Clock	Super Platinum	Gillette	India	February 8, 2022	Black
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12	1
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper	Face
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	13	16	12	13	9
Median F (g)	78.5	79	85	91.5	103.5	71.5
Mean F (g) Btm	82	84	85	94	106	74
Mean F (g) Top	77	79	87	91	105	70
Mean F (g)	80	81	86	92	106	72
F (g) 1	78	91	95	105	106	61
F (g) 2	91	83	68	89	102	93
F (g) 3	86	81	114	92	97	73
F (g) 4	90	95	82	80	87	81
F (g) 5	79	90	73	88	93	87
F (g) 6	79	91	92	94	120	82
F (g) 7	73	73	81	92	100	67
F (g) 8	71	80	81	91	101	57
F (g) 9	104	77	84	99	109	72
F (g) 10	92	96	87	99	119	76
F (g) 11	79	77	91	113	105	86
F (g) 12	75	90	80	85	106	61
F (g) 13	84	83	103	95	109	76
F (g) 14	72	77	86	87	115	68
F (g) 15	79	69	60	95	118	69
F (g) 16	72	132	94	108	100	67
F (g) 17	69	88	86	135	147	62
F (g) 18	78	69	87	86	102	69
F (g) 19	93	73	84	99	92	71
F (g) 20	88	81	71	84	89	74
F (g) 21	83	96	93	76	101	76
F (g) 22	83	70	92	80	89	76
F (g) 23	69	75	80	78	121	69
F (g) 24	73	84	62	80	121	61
F (g) 25	86	76	79	92	97	60
F (g) 26	71	69	139	89	98	74
F (g) 27	72	70	60	81	105	64
F (g) 28	67	78	72	76	92	73
F (g) 29	77	65	104	92	105	80
F (g) 30	75	64	97	105	119	70

 

[Sweeney_]

Well that is indeed interesting concerning the Astra SP vs 7OC Black.

 

[WhiskerLess]

If you want to see something interesting, look at the photos and information for this blade, then take a peek back at the green Indian Astra SP made in the same plant. Perhaps there is some difference in the angle or coating, but I have seen many blades with differences in batches and variances between the edges of the same blade that far exceed any difference here. As far as I can tell, this is the same blade in a different wrapper for more than three times the price. Do yourself a favor and get the equally excellent $0.09 Astra SP before spending $0.30 on this blade.

What's more surprising is that Astra SP's data shows better and more consistent all through out the test than 7'OC black.