Carbon Forest of Treets: A deep dive into carbon steel double-edge blades

[slimshavy]

Treet Falcon
Blade one, Shave three
Sept. 5, 2022

Razor: Gillette Old Type
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan

This pairing has settled in as a mild combo, perhaps too mild to get the job done. Every shave with the Old Type has been surprisingly smooth compared to the Treets in the NEW and the Slim, but the trade off is that it doesn’t get to BBS without intensive cleanup after the regular three or four passes.

I got probably a better shave than last time, albeit with more passes to get there and therefore more irritation. Same or fewer weepers, which weren’t anything worth noting anyway.

It may be time to move on, but that time is different in this razor: not cutting closely, as opposed to snagging hair and cutting skin like in other razors.

 

[slimshavy]

CORRECTION:
I’ve been shaving with a Treet Falcon the last three shaves. My lazy copy-pasting incorrectly listed New Edge for the first two shaves. At least the photos were right.

 

[APBinNCA]

I had my 6th shave with a Falcon a few days ago and the results weren't as good as I had hoped. Because I use one edge at a time, I can get exactly the same use across two edges. Unfortunately, unlike the 3rd shave on the other edge, this one was a real tug fest! I used basically the same equipment, but it still could have been any number of slight differences including the blade being in the razor almost two weeks. The nice thing is if you are persistent, you can get through it without consequences. But I don't recommend it and normally only do 4 shaves considering the cost of each blade. At least after this experiment, I can now say that it is possible to do 5 full shaves before serious degradation sets in. For me, that means 2.5 on the first edge and then switching edges and doing another 2.5 shaves. That makes these a 2 cent per shave blade in my book. I bought a card of 200 and it's already in my mailbox waiting to be picked up.

 

[slimshavy]

Treet Classic
Blade one, Shave one
Sept. 7, 2022

Razor: Gillette Old Type
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan

The Classic surprised me in the Old Type. Not that I was just coasting after mild and smooth experiences with the New Edge and the Falcon. If anything, it was the opposite; I was careful and attentive.

Nevertheless, the against-the-grain pass gave me a sizable number of cuts, especially in the mustache. (I did do a modified diagonal XTG/ATG pass there in preparation, but that didn't seem to matter.) Call them weepers if you will; although most had closed up, I pulled out the styptic pencil and liberally treated the ones that remained.

I did feel I had gotten a closer shave than the Falcon had been giving me. But, then, I stopped the cleanup strokes so I wouldn't get any more cuts or irritation, and I left a bit of jaw/under-jaw stubble.

I just scanned my experience with the Classic in the other razors. It was bad in the NEW and not great in the Slim, but improving for the second shave. I'll give it another shave in the Old Type and see if it's calmed down a bit.

 

[fast shaver]

Lupo Razor: Treet Black Beauty Shave: 1
5 O'clock Shadow shave The BB was very smooth in the Lupo razor resulting in a DFS.
I usually only get two shaves from the BB blade & the 3rd is usually terrible.

 

[fast shaver]

Treet Black Beauty Shave #2 & Lupo razor
Got another close shave this A.M.
The Treet BB is slowing down some but should be good for one more shave.
As usual no nicks or irritation with the Wolf Razor on patrol.
Note: I always remove my blades & rinse them then pat dry on a microfiber towel.

 

[slimshavy]

Treet Classic
Blade one, Shave two
Sept. 9, 2022

Razor: Gillette Old Type
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan

This blade is a mystery, as what I'll describe below sounds terrible, yet I'm sitting here typing this with a good shave, or pieces of a good shave. I've already put the blade in my disposal tin, but not without some regret.

Given the rough outing on the first shave, I was again cautious and was cheered by the uneventful first two passes, with and across the grain. The next pass, hybrid across/against the grain, gave me a couple weepers on the side of my mustache.

Then, against the grain, I got weepers in several patches. It wasn't in the mustache or in trouble areas I might overwork; it felt a bit random. Nevertheless, I focused on skin stretching to different angles, trying to catch all the rough spots I've been missing.

One thing about this blade in the Old Type is the weepers weep for longer than the shave. I got used to writing "no weepers that persisted to the end of the shave" in the last round, for Treets in the Slim seem to cut a lot but only the most fleeting cuts. Both shaves with the Classic I've had to use the styptic pencil, which is a rare occurrence.

I have one small stubble spot on my left jawline, but other trouble spots are BBS, including under the jawline. I expect I'll have more irritation in the coming hours, but right now it feels fine. It was definitely irritated after the shave; the tepid and cold water rinses actually stung my face.

Like I said, a mystery. It might be sharper than other Treets, so I don't spend as long on cleanup. But, then, it might be not uniformly sharp, which explains the cuts. I'm looking forward to seeing others' experiences with the Classic here!

 

[fast shaver]

Treet Black Beauty shave #3 & Lupo razor
This shave was real tuggy & I was expecting it from past Treet BB shaves.
I did manage a fair shave overall but this blade will be binned.
I will take a day off & resume shaving Monday with the Treet BB blade.

 

[slimshavy]

Treet “black beauty”
Blade one, Shave one
Sept. 11, 2022

Razor: Gillette Old Type
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan

I was inspired by @fast shaver to try the Black Beauty next, so Shave One is in the books. It was not nearly as bloody as the Classic, but also not particularly sharp.

Despite the lessened sharpness and inconsistency, the Black Beauty doesn’t give me infinite passes before irritating or cutting me. I needed a lot of extra strokes around the chin and jaw, and for all my skin stretching effort, there are still ways I can stretch my face now, post-shave, where I will feel stubble.

I’m still of the opinion that this blade’s beauty is in its appearance, not its performance, but it was pretty smooth for its early passes, not tripping on the slightly longer beard this afternoon. Would make for an easy DFS if I could quit there, but I don’t.

 

[fast shaver]

I hope my Treet BB shave tomorrow will be better.
Looks like one or two shaves will be it for me.

 

[fast shaver]

Treet Black Beauty blade & Razorock Lupo Razor.
Got a nice close smooth shave this A.M.
The Treet BB blade always starts out sharp & smooth then goes South rather quickly on the second shave.
Tomorrows shave will let me decide to Bin the blade or go on for a 3rd shave.

 

[Grundi]

My blades arrived today!! I will be joining @slimshavy, @fast shaver, and @APBinNCA (and everyone else) in the Carbon Forest of Treets tomorrow morning!! (Thank you, @slimshavy! PS. Great packaging!! Love the nickel sleeves!!)

 

[fast shaver]

Treet Black Beauty 2nd shave & Lupo Razor.
The blade has run out of steam. Almost a repeat of the last 2nd pass shave. Lots of touchup was needed & slight neck irritation noted. Going to Bin this & use a Treet Platinum blade Tomorrow.!
The Treet Platinum has never let me down & will usually deliver 4-7 smooth close shaves.

 

[BobbyB]

Day 1: Treet classic

10.0 BBS A nice first shave with this blade. My WTG pass took care of most the beard. My XTG finished it off, with only token buffing for today’s shave.

 

[slimshavy]

Day 1: Treet classic

10.0 BBS A nice first shave with this blade. My WTG pass took care of most the beard. My XTG finished it off, with only token buffing for today’s shave.

Thanks, @BobbyB ! Can you let us know what razor your used, and any other details that might help for comparing these blades across users and settings?

 

[slimshavy]

Treet “Black Beauty”
Blade one, Shave two
Sept. 13, 2022

Razor: Gillette Old Type
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Leviathan

The Black Beauty fell off in sharpness for the second shave, and it wasn't that sharp to begin with, but the shave was pretty good. No real weepers (I had a bump that I planed the peak off) and some irritation with rinsing but not lasting.

This blade stopped the fluid, gliding motion the Old Type has brought to its shaves. I hadn't been stopped in a thick patch of hair with this razor, but the Black Beauty hit a wall with my mustache. I backed away, settling for a DFS here rather than just forcing it through the resistance.

Elsewhere, there was some skipping along the jawline, but no resultant cuts there. Still a long shave, and a struggle to get close on the jaws, but I got it BBS almost everywhere.

Time to move on to another blade, but a decent second showing from this blade.

 

[Grundi]

Into the Carbon Forest of Treets - Treet Falcon - Shave #1

TL;DR: better than expected shave, DFS+, and included a small weeper

Equipment: SCS Mod A Razor, Treat Falcon(1), Tiki's The Kilted Tiki shave soap

The Shave: the SCS Mod A razor paired amazingly well with the Treet Falcon blade. Tiki's The Kilted Tiki provided a wonderful lather base to work from, and results, DFS+, were much better than expected, based on previous reviews. Granted, this was just the first shave, and the SCS Mod A razor hides a lot of a blade's feel, but this combination exceeded my expectations, at least for the first shave.

Why The Falcon: I needed to chose a blade to start with, and I think "Falcon" is a great name for a blade

Bad Surprise: I did notice that the blade had significant movement within the wrapper; this is bad for the blade's edge.

 

[slimshavy]

Into the Carbon Forest of Treets - Treet Falcon - Shave #1

TL;DR: better than expected shave, DFS+, and included a small weeper

View attachment 1521934

Equipment: SCS Mod A Razor, Treat Falcon(1), Tiki's The Kilted Tiki shave soap

The Shave: the SCS Mod A razor paired amazingly well with the Treet Falcon blade. Tiki's The Kilted Tiki provided a wonderful lather base to work from, and results, DFS+, were much better than expected, based on previous reviews. Granted, this was just the first shave, and the SCS Mod A razor hides a lot of a blade's feel, but this combination exceeded my expectations, at least for the first shave.

Why The Falcon: I needed to chose a blade to start with, and I think "Falcon" is a great name for a blade

Bad Surprise: I did notice that the blade had significant movement within the wrapper; this is bad for the blade's edge.

This is great! I'm glad to get modern razors into this thread, and good to see the SCS is still treating you well.

I've noticed that all the Treets I've used in these trials have floated freely in the inner newsprint wrapper. The blades have four glue dots on one side, but not one blade has actually been kept in place by them. Curious.

 

[BobbyB]

14 Sep 2022: 8.5 BAS Moderate stubble, 2 nicks, 2 weepers. The Treet Classic and my WCS84S didn’t seem to work well this morning. Perhaps the WCS84S is too hefty for this blade. Yet post shave, my face is reasonably smooth. Tomorrow, I will use this blade in my Van der Hagen. Continuing to use the Noble Otter Lonestar with my Gray Dog brush.

 

[fast shaver]

Treet Platinum Blade #1 Shave #1
Tools: Lupo Razor & Mogno Bar Soap.
Got a nice 3 pass close shave this A.M.
The Treet SP blade was slightly tuggy but gave me a nice DFS shave overall.