*CONFIRMED* King C Gillette blades are *NOT* rebranded Platinums!

[APBinNCA]

We have other threads with microscopic photos where KCG blades differ from Gillette Platinum blades (in all variations). Even if not 100% accurate @Unidentified_Snail ’s quest and answer corroborates those photos and research done by @South Dakota Guy.

But as is and always will be - blades are the epitaph of YMMV. Even when it comes to Tiger Platinums!

Cheers,

Guido

The Eye Test. King C Gillette and other P&G blades.

The more I use those King C. Gillette blades the more I like them. And for the record I'm not a fan of P&G, Gillette or any of their agendas. Hopefully someone will send @South Dakota Guy a Gillette Platinum blade to compare if they are the same as the King C. Gillette's. I just received Some...

www.badgerandblade.com

Edit to address the above, there is something called market segmentation I think. Products from one region aren't meant to be sold in another region. It is perfectly believable that a product from one region would be re packaged to be sold in that other region, under a different name. This doesn't mean that I agree that they are all the same.

Wizamets were packaged to be sold in N Africa specifically and those feel the closest to King C blades. Another example is the two different Platinums photographed above, one has Arabic so it's meant for certain countries and the photos show they are different than the ones that don't have Arabic. They were made different for two different markets that aren't meant to get the other version, but have the same name in this case. A completely different example is German made Schick blades, those aren't meant for countries that get Wilkinson Sword branded blades. I can't remember whether it was settled that those are relabelled Personnas or relabelled Wilkinson Swords? The come from the same factory now, but have very different characteristics. The Personnas are being made to the same specs as they were Israel.

 

[Medivh]

P&G/Gillette be like:

 

[TxAggie2018]

No comment on the KCG razors. Never shaved with one.

But as far as their prices... $3 per 5 is pretty much what razor blades cost at retail, and KCG's list price of $7 per 10 is right in line with that. I don't even think it's P&G bilking us, it's the retailer needing to justify $X of sales for that shelf space.

Manufacturing wise, I have no inside knowledge, but I am willing to bet that PPI is not coloring too far outside the lines there.

 

[Mike M]

This is worse than the Arko conspiracy theories.
The more evidence found to show that KCGs and Platinums are not the same the more some people claim they are.
I am firmly of the opinion they are not the same at all, they don't feel the same to me and the KCGs perform better and last longer

 

[purecro]

I have shaved with the KCGs blades many times and I do find them to be sharp and smooth, they are a blade that works for me so I do consider them a very good blade.

 

[Dtownvino]

I appreciate you looking into this and passing along P&G's comment. So please don't take what I'm about to write personally. My comment is not pointed in your direction at all.

They are lying.

I'm saying this for a number of reasons;

1) My face. I've used KCG's and light blue plats in a number of different razors. I can't tell the difference. So even if they really are different designs, does it matter?
2) They have no reason to be honest. If they say its the same as a less expensive option and it gets around the internet they are killing that product line.
3) I've worked with corporate marketing / communications / PR people for decades. They are literally paid to lie. Some will call it stretching the truth. Some will call it lies of omission. Regardless, they are not to be trusted. So even if my face didnt tell me otherwise, I still wouldn't believe the note you received.
4) The way the message is worded screams of corporate deceit. They said GP's "are a different design" than our newer KCG's. OK, whats different? The design is not. Clearly they wouldnt build a new plant to produce them, they are off an existing mfg line. Is the edge different? The type of metal used? Or....maybe just maybe the only thing different is the label printed on the blade. Certainly P&G has proven they are not above such nonsense.

I know, I sound like a crazy old guy that doesn't trust anything, and maybe I'm still mad because Gillette called me a toxic male, but I simply do not believe their note. I like the blades, but I wont buy them. They are rediculously over packaged and over priced. Now get off my lawn everyone.

Of course the design is different. The packaging and printing are not the same… they can say they are different and not be lying even if they are identical in every way but markings.

But they are good blades, just expensive.

 

[Slock]

This is worse than the Arko conspiracy theories.
The more evidence found to show that KCGs and Platinums are not the same the more some people claim they are.
I am firmly of the opinion they are not the same at all, they don't feel the same to me and the KCGs perform better and last longer

I can confirm that Arko and saponificio varesino are not the same. I have both shave soaps I can tell there is a difference. I keep Arko around for research purposes only. Not sure about the KCG blades and Gillette platinum.

 

[Hair Scraper]

I have a very unscientific theory about blades.

We’ve probably all seen photos of the edge of razor blades, taken through a microscope, showing the edge grind.

What if a fictitious razor blade company called “Acme Razor Blade Co., Inc.” had the machinery to manufacture their own blades. Let’s say they start with a ribbon of steel from a foundry, feed it through their machines and grind, heat treat, plate, mark, and coat and their blades to their own specs.

And, let’s say they make different types of blades, stainless, carbon steel, chrome plated, platinum plated, Teflon coated, etc.

Now, the Acme QA department somewhere in the process just randomly inspected a batch of 10,000 blades and found that the grinding wheel in use is wearing down and needs replacing. The edge grind on this lot of blades just doesn’t meet Acme’s strict specification for a fine surface finish.

What do they do? Throw them out? Or do they ink them as every day non-premium, or brand “X” super market blades?

We’ve probably read here on the forums where someone who’s been using one flavor of blade for years gets a bad tuck or box of 100 and tosses them out. (Made on a Monday or Friday, wrong grind angle, rough grind, wrong heat treat, etc.)

I’m thinking that King C’s are marked as such because that lot met that tight spec, and the others that don’t, get inked as Platinums. (or a supermarket brand) They work fine for most people, but they just won’t be as smooth, stay sharp as long, etc. for others.

Notice too, King C. blades only come from one plant. Maybe that plant can hit that tighter spec more often due to newer machines, more experienced workers, better heat treat, etc.

 

[Yuritau]

All it would take to qualify as a new blade design is a different edge geometry specification.

 

[Mike M]

The KCGs are so much better than the Platinums there is only one explanation

 

[lasta]

I can confirm that Arko and saponificio varesino are not the same. I have both shave soaps I can tell there is a difference. I keep Arko around for research purposes only. Not sure about the KCG blades and Gillette platinum.

I found Arko and SV nearly identical in slickness. Arko smells better.

 

[Andris83]

No comment on the KCG razors. Never shaved with one.

But as far as their prices... $3 per 5 is pretty much what razor blades cost at retail, and KCG's list price of $7 per 10 is right in line with that. I don't even think it's P&G bilking us, it's the retailer needing to justify $X of sales for that shelf space.

Manufacturing wise, I have no inside knowledge, but I am willing to bet that PPI is not coloring too far outside the lines there.

where I live, a tuck of 10 of Bic CP cost €3 in a premium supermarket. (not the euro-store).
I have seen in brick and mortar stores across Europe 5 and 10 packs of Wilkinsons for about 2 euros. I bought light blue platinums (5) for about 1.4€ equivalent.
7€ for a tuck is ridiculous. I tried to find online what a tuck of KCG blades cost here now, but I only found the razor, it comes with 5 blades, and costs €22. That is a very good deal imo. Iirc, the blade pack cost over €5 the last time I checked, but not sure how much exactly.

 

[Fuzzy]

Bought some last summer and yes they are different.
I prefer vintage blades and have turned onto the injector trail lately, but when I tried them, I thought they were as good as some of my DE vintage blades:their price point I think lends most guys to pay more attention. I have used the Platinums and the Kings are a bit smoother.

 

[ylekot]

I’m no expert in engineering or metallurgy or anything else, but, I used to be a hell of a good machine operator. I can tell you that small, simple changes can have a noticeable affect on the final product. Slowing the process down so everything locates better in each station, the fluids you use, the stock you start with literally everything. To touch back on what @Hair Scraper said earlier, it could be as simple as a wear item, like a grinding stone, does it’s best work in the first 10 million blades, as it wears it’s not quite as good but it still has another 40 million in spec blades in it. It is certainly not hard to figure this sort of stuff out in any process. Pass them through one stage of the machine, like the grinder, an additional pass. Again, not hard to add a loop to a modern machine line to do this when you want to. There are a million ways to gain tiny changes. And considering the minuscule scale of a razor blade and what it does an extra fraction of a second in process can make a huge difference. But it slows down the process. It’s a trade off and a balancing act.

 

[APBinNCA]

Slowing the process down so everything locates better in each station

This is an interesting one and on the list of things I would love to know more about if we ever got a real detailed video on blade production(yes there is a video, no it doesn't go into engineering detail). I have blades from all over that have wavy or uneven primary grind, but obviously a straight edge and it's always bothered me even though it doesn't matter specifically because it makes me think they were whipping the machines too hard! And I have some blades that do have visible edge damage proving that they were indeed whipping the machines and not performing good QC.

 

[lasta]

This is an interesting one and on the list of things I would love to know more about if we ever got a real detailed video on blade production(yes there is a video, no it doesn't go into engineering detail). I have blades from all over that have wavy or uneven primary grind, but obviously a straight edge and it's always bothered me even though it doesn't matter specifically because it makes me think they were whipping the machines too hard! And I have some blades that do have visible edge damage proving that they were indeed whipping the machines and not performing good QC.

I think debris of sorts can be mistaken for edge damage.

I've had blades that looked chipped, even under a loupe. But a quick rub, or lick and those perceived nicks disappear.

 

[APBinNCA]

I think debris of sorts can be mistaken for edge damage.

I've had blades that looked chipped, even under a loupe. But a quick rub, or lick and those perceived nicks disappear.

Yeah, I have been guilty of that more than I would like to admit. But when you take a light to the apex and angle it just right and it looks serrated, it's probably damaged. Especially when it's right below a spot where the machine obviously jammed momentarily!

This doesn't rule out fakes and dross being smuggled out and sold on the grey market.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

3) I've worked with corporate marketing / communications / PR people for decades. They are literally paid to lie. Some will call it stretching the truth. Some will call it lies of omission. Regardless, they are not to be trusted. So even if my face didnt tell me otherwise, I still wouldn't believe the note you received.

I am with you on this one. Corporations lie! The government lies! That is what they do, have always done and will continue to do.

Coca-Cola will tell you that they use the same formula as they always have. This is an outright lie!

I am not speaking of the sweetner, only the basic formulation of the concentrate..

About a month before Passover, in some markets (* see probability map), they sell Kosher Coke. Kosher Coke contains table sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. But that is not the only difference. The additional chemicals that are contained in regular Coke are not Kosher for Passover. Kosher Coke is the original Coke that people drank back in 1968.

* Darker areas have a higher probability of having Kosher Coke.

You don't need an electron microscope to tell the difference. Just your taste buds.

B.T.W. K-Coke is sold in 2-liter bottles for a limited period of about 30-days prior to Passover. It is identifiable by its distinctive yellow caps and is usually found in the Kosher foods section of grocery stores.

I’m thinking that King C’s are marked as such because that lot met that tight spec, and the others that don’t, get inked as Platinums. (or a supermarket brand) They work fine for most people, but they just won’t be as smooth, stay sharp as long, etc. for others.

These were my same exact thoughts from the beginning. Platinum's that have been vetted for the highest QC.

There isn't any way in hell that a company the size of P&G is going to set up and manufacture an entirely new blade for the microscopic amount of K.C.G. blades that they sell. P&G owns half the world market on razor blades.

The K.C.G. DE razor and blades are not there to sell either razors or the blades, they are there to sell all their other maga profit shaving supplies.

Now, write Gillette and request to be explained the specific differences between the K.C.G. and the Gillette Platinum's...

 

[AndyPanda]

This thread made me think of a news story in the high $$$$ art world. A prison employee from Thunder Bay bought a painting from an inmate named Peter Doige many years ago for $100 ... and nowadays there is a famous painter named Peter Doig (no "e") whose paintings go for several million. The guy with the Peter Doige painting partnered with a gallery that was going to sell his painting for millions claiming it to be an early Doig painting (even though you can clearly see the signature is spelled Doige

The famous Doig told the gallery it isn't his work. So the Gallery sued the artist for lying and causing their painting to be worthless (they claim he's lying because he doesn't want people to know he was in prison once). So this took years in the courts to prove that there was a different guy named Peter Doige who was in prison back then -- and that the famous Doig without the "e" is a different person. The courts ordered the Gallery to pay 2.5 million (Legal fees etc.) for the years of Doig defending himself from their nutty lawsuit --- the Gallery still believes Doig is lying about it and plan to appeal the decision.

Painter Awarded $2.5 Million in Dispute Over Work He Denied

The owner of a painting and a gallery had sued Peter Doig, insisting he falsely denied creating the work. But a federal judge ordered sanctions after ruling there was no evidence of that.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Razrnewb]

I second Snowman here. I've interacted with P&G a number of times to get some clarifications on products they have, only to be told things that would later be confirmed to be incorrect. Whether or not they are intentionally lying, I could never answer, but it seems like they have a convenient tendency to be incorrect. Many of us have worked in some of these corporate offices, the workers aren't exactly trying to go above and beyond for no benefit. I wouldn't be surprised if they just make an educated guess on products and call it a day.

i would suspect that many such inquiries are also answered by an entry level employee simply paid to answer the customer service phone and email that really doesn’t have amy idea or just repeats what they are told. It says new and a different name on the box, so must be, right? The world has become an outsourced international parts bin.