blades are all the same, aren't they?

[vincent]

I am wondering, is it possible, if the blade factories do not all play a bit of marketing on us. Market segmentation, branding, that kind of thing?

Someone wrote for instance that most Lord offerings boil down to two blades, one SS and the other coated, and the great variety of brands they offered, Asco, Crown, Lord, Big Ben, maybe even Sharks, are just packaging. Well, I don't know about the Sharks...

I have read that maybe Dorcos 300 and 301 are the same, maybe yes, maybe no. Bluebird and Derby look too much alike, aren’t they the same after all?

And I am wondering if all the Russian blades boil down to the same, one SS and one coated. The SS would be branded Astra SS, Green permasharp, Rapira, Gillette Bleue. The coated one would be branded Yellow, Astra Platinum, Iridium, Turkish Permasharp.
Are you buying it?

 

[southernmail]

I think there is some targeted marketing going on with various blades, but there are noticeable differences in some blade families. Experience in my household (myself and my son) says that the coated Astras and Iridiums are distinctly different. Also we find the Sharks to be quite different from the other Lord offerings.

 

[Dpflaum]

True. The Sharks are awesome, the Lords were awful.

Thought I would be lying if I said the Shark on the box didn't attract my attention.

Either way I just bought my second 100 pack of them.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Good question. I've wondered the same thing. I'm not up on all the various brands, but I've noticed a similar pattern with certain Gillette blades. For all of Gillette's various offerings, I've only been able to distinguish two discernable types: a stainless steel blade, and a platinum coated blade. I don't worry too much about it. For me, the old "Swedish" blade, which was Gillette's platinum-coated offering, and made in Poland, was the best blade I found for my preferences. They supposedly discontinued it, but the Super Silver Platinums are virtually identical; the only difference I can see is that now they are made in Russia. Now, are the Super Silvers the same blades as other companies' platinum-coated blades? I have no clue. I've tried a handful of other blades and don't like them quite as well, so I stick with Gillettes.

 

[K.T.]

This reminds me of a debate that one often sees on audio forums: that all cables sound the same.

I'm glad this argument doesn't come up here. If it did it would go something like this: All blades are the same. If you notice a difference, you're just imagining it. You're thinking you feel a difference on your face because you paid more for your blades and want to think that they perform better.

I'm glad people trust their razor burn to tell them that blades perform very differently from make to make.

Having said that, it is possible that some blades get relabled under other names.

K.T.

In my experience, cables can sound significantly different.

 

[Pavespawn]

Sometimes I wish they were all the same. Then I would not have the overwhelming urge to throw out a good blade in order to try a new brand. I also wish I could just stick with one brand. I mean I like trying new ones but I don't like the results if they don't agree with me!

 

[shamus]

The Blue Birds and the Derby's come in similar plastic containers. I've tried the Blue Bird blades and found them to be very smooth. I've tried the "Vertical" Derby's and found them to be harsh and very inconsistent and not worth my time or money. I've never tried the "Horizontal" Derby blades but have heard noting but great reviews of those blades.

The Blue Birds are supposedly made in Europe someplace....where is any one's guess. I get the Blue Bird blades for a friend in the VA hospital and he loves the blade. It reminds him of the Gillette Swede blade that has be discontinued but for a lot less money.

Cheers.

 

[mastinomaven]

My humble personal experience tells me the difference between blades is not as great as people have led on. I wonder how many people would know which blade they were using if they were blind-tested? (Wow, I might start a new thread on this!) I think the difference between razors is much more significant than the blades installed in them.

 

[ziplepingouin]

I have read that maybe Dorcos 300 and 301 are the same...

These are the same, I read that someone asked the Dorco company directly and posted the reply on the net (don't remember which forum it was), just the packaging is different.

 

[luvmysuper]

You might have something there, I find that these shave very differently even though made by the same manufacturer.

 

[Stubblefield]

I am wondering, is it possible, if the blade factories do not all play a bit of marketing on us. Market segmentation, branding, that kind of thing?

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. I do notice a difference between coated and uncoated blades from the same manufacturer, and a bigger difference between manufacturers.

 

[DE Shaver]

My humble personal experience tells me the difference between blades is not as great as people have led on. I wonder how many people would know which blade they were using if they were blind-tested? (Wow, I might start a new thread on this!) I think the difference between razors is much more significant than the blades installed in them.

Yes, this is true to some extent. The differences between decent brands of blade are not significant. It's only after using a blade for a while do you get a sense of how they shave. After a time, you'll be able to identify certain blades. However, individual blade variances, adjustments in technique, changes in razors and so on, can obscure these differences.

 

[jrowen]

In my search for "my" blade, I discovered that Gillete Yellows & Iridium Supers feel the same to me and give me irritation, but Astra Platiums are my go-to blade, so they obviously feel different to me.

- Jason

 

[john parker]

The Squire on shavemyface has a review of blades which features magnified blow-ups of the various blade edges. From looking at them, you can see differences in appearance on the cutting edges. And, it would seem that the manufacturing processes which make the edges are different to some extent.

 

[Atrin]

They might simply feel the same.

 

[jdlewallen]

Astras and Derbys were both too dull for my beard, even on the first use.

The Israeli Personnas, on the other hand, are great and give me 2-3 good shaves.

I plan to try the Sharks and Feathers sometime in the future...

 

[Drubbing]

Yes. And no.

I find Reds pretty much the same as Chrystals - I read somewhere they both come from the same factory. There's one or two other blades where I can't pick much difference between those two, and others where there are clear non placebo related differences.

For me, Feathers are too sharp, Derbys too dull, Astras were great to begin with, but started I to get regular nicks/weeps - and while I can get the same resulting shave from any of these, irritation of different amounts is the trade off.

Astras are made by P&G, so I wonder if any other brands they own are much of a muchness?

 

[johnmrson]

My experience is that alot of blades are very different. Shave with a Merkur blade and then with a Super Iridium, you'll certainly tell the difference.

 

[OldSaw]

My humble personal experience tells me the difference between blades is not as great as people have led on. I wonder how many people would know which blade they were using if they were blind-tested? (Wow, I might start a new thread on this!) I think the difference between razors is much more significant than the blades installed in them.

I probably couldn't tell which specific blade I was using in a blind test, but I am certain I could tell if one blade shaved better than another, especially on the ATG pass.

There are blades that I really wanted to like and gave them more than their fair share of chances, but to no avail. Derby's fall into this category. They are not a terrible blade, they just haven't swept me away and I have used well over a hundred of them.

 

[memoryleak]

Well, I'm unsure of the protocol regarding cross pollination between different forums. But, at "another forum", there is an extensive display of macro photographs of razor blades showing various grinds and edges, etc. which might affirm or contradict the opinions set forth here.