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Discontinued blades and blade availability in general

I am in the process of figuring out which one razor I want to stick with and which one blade I will to pair it with. I'm not asking for suggestions or feedback on blade and razor choices or anything like that. What I am curious about is this:

What DE blades are still currently being made and which are NOS and not marked as such?

For example: I recently tried a voskhod blade and really enjoyed it, it was as efficient as the Astra SP I typically use yet I found it much smoother. I'd have no probablem switching if it keeps up like that. So as I do research about the blades I keep finding mention of these blades being discontinued back in 2016 when the company was bought out.

I'm not trying to make this specifically about voskhod and I know there are rumors of blade going away all the time. I simply don't want to settle on a blade then find out it's not available.

In terms of big names I would think Astra, US personna, Israeli personna, Bic, merkur, derby, and anything with the Gillette name won't be going anywhere soon but that's just an assumption.
 
Most of the blades discussed are current production. Probably the best suggestion I have would be to look at any of the big online shave stores and see what there inventory looks like, or Amazon. NOS tends to be relegated to eBay finds.

As for the future, no one can really predict what will continue to be available. Any of these blades could be discontinued at any time and with zero warning. Considering the low cost of blades, if you find one you really love you could drop $100, buy 1000 and never have to worry about them again.


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One razor? One blade? Forever? That's crazy talk.

Haha, it's been a long and interesting journey for me over the last few years that has even included electrics and carts. I've outlined this in many other threads so I won't go into detail here but the quick version is that while many other people here enjoy the collection aspect of traditional shaving... I enjoy the treasure hunt of finding that perfect one combo. It will happen haha.
 
Products come and go. Popular ones stay available longer than unpopular ones. When you find something you like and it gets discontinued, it's not the end of the world. You can pay more and stock up on them, or find another winner.
Here's a few of my observations, and YMMV:
You can buy a lifetime supply of your favorite product, and find out later it wasn't as awesome as you originally thought. Then you're stuck with a lifetime supply of your no longer favorite product.
There's always something out there that can be equally as good, if not better.
We are living in a golden age of wet shaving, so many products always coming to market.
Happiness is the journey, not the destination.
 
Maybe some other forum members who have been around longer will be more enlightening, but i don’t know of any major brands except the gillette platinum plus from brazil. Polsilvers and voshkod are two blades where rumors swirl about discontinuance but neither has been to date. I too am on your same quest so i understand the desire to know if something i use and love is going to be discontinued. I think if you stick with major brands though, chances are slim they’ll be discontinued before you can buy a lifetime supply.
 
Products come and go. Popular ones stay available longer than unpopular ones. When you find something you like and it gets discontinued, it's not the end of the world. You can pay more and stock up on them, or find another winner.
Here's a few of my observations, and YMMV:
You can buy a lifetime supply of your favorite product, and find out later it wasn't as awesome as you originally thought. Then you're stuck with a lifetime supply of your no longer favorite product.
There's always something out there that can be equally as good, if not better.
We are living in a golden age of wet shaving, so many products always coming to market.
Happiness is the journey, not the destination.

Well said.

Maybe some other forum members who have been around longer will be more enlightening, but i don’t know of any major brands except the gillette platinum plus from brazil. Polsilvers and voshkod are two blades where rumors swirl about discontinuance but neither has been to date. I too am on your same quest so i understand the desire to know if something i use and love is going to be discontinued. I think if you stick with major brands though, chances are slim they’ll be discontinued before you can buy a lifetime supply.

At this point, unless I try something different that blows me away, I have it narrowed down to Astra SP, personna blue, Bic (current greek), voskhod, and maybe GSB. Bic is the lowest contender, I really like the voskhod but need more time on it, and the personna/Astra choice usually splits on Astra for price and performance and personna simply for local availability.
 
Products come and go. Popular ones stay available longer than unpopular ones. When you find something you like and it gets discontinued, it's not the end of the world. You can pay more and stock up on them, or find another winner.
Here's a few of my observations, and YMMV:
You can buy a lifetime supply of your favorite product, and find out later it wasn't as awesome as you originally thought. Then you're stuck with a lifetime supply of your no longer favorite product.
There's always something out there that can be equally as good, if not better.
We are living in a golden age of wet shaving, so many products always coming to market.
Happiness is the journey, not the destination.

Yes!
 
I thought of that a while ago. We've all been there, but not many of us admit it. Personally I have a lifetime supply of blades.
 
I thought of that a while ago. We've all been there, but not many of us admit it. Personally I have a lifetime supply of blades.
If I admit that I have a lifetime supply, then I won't be allowed to acquire more. There's a trick to not having quite enough!!
 
I guess it's all arbitrary when you take into account how many older members on here regularly post about their decades of experience making blade choice almost irrelevant.
 
Products come and go. Popular ones stay available longer than unpopular ones. When you find something you like and it gets discontinued, it's not the end of the world. You can pay more and stock up on them, or find another winner.
Here's a few of my observations, and YMMV:
You can buy a lifetime supply of your favorite product, and find out later it wasn't as awesome as you originally thought. Then you're stuck with a lifetime supply of your no longer favorite product.
There's always something out there that can be equally as good, if not better.
We are living in a golden age of wet shaving, so many products always coming to market.
Happiness is the journey, not the destination.
+1 Same thoughts also.
 
I haven't found THE BLADE for me. I doubt I will. I get excellent results from a variety of blades, will probably go with longevity of comfortable shave when I buy my first 100. If I here about a major company shutting production, I might buy a 100 of 1 or 2 types that company produces. If 2 major companies are closing, I will then buy what I consider a lifetime supply of blades(in total, not of each) from various companies of blades I like, not just the companies that are closing, because the writing would be on the wall!
 
It seems like there is a thread every 6 months about either Voskhod or Polsilver going out of business!! I think its a ploy set by the Mfg'r to get a boost in sales is all because neither is going out of business any time soon...
 
Enough money, enough single-malt scotch, enough blades. You keep using that word - I'm not sure it means what you think it means... :001_smile
 
Enough money, enough single-malt scotch, enough blades. You keep using that word - I'm not sure it means what you think it means... :001_smile
Enough money=using larger than $1 bill to wipe your, err, blow your nose with, and then throwing it away. Spending it afterwards would be, hmm, yuk!!!
 
The only tragic one for me was the Gillette Swede. It was sharp, smooth, and lasted a looong time. I have 30 left.

This is also probably just incorrect speculation but I have read a few times that supposedly the Platinum blades are the same as the swedes. Haven't tried either myself.
 
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