FATIP GRANDE - FIRST IMPRESSIONS
- Thread starter BrotherDerekB
- Start date
I knew some where highly sought after, but I'm good with plain ole Polsilvers. Its been a consistently good performer in all my DE's.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I don't know anything at all about DE blades except what I've learned from my experiences with them on my skin and my whiskers.
That's the only Polsilver I've tried. Interesting to hear of the history though.
Happy shaves,
Jim
That's the only Polsilver I've tried. Interesting to hear of the history though.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Probably same blade as the discoed Iridium Supers. Same car different paint job. I find most of the Gillette blades out of St Petersburg and India perform very well. I'm kind of blade neutral and the only blade I ever avoided was some Chinese brand with a Stork on it. Darn thing felt serrated. My favorites are Derbys because they are so darn cheap.
The whole Derby fiasco was a strange one too. Back in the day everyone raved about them then the manufacturer changed the orientation of the stripes on the packaging and everyone hated them. A simple packaging change brought out the dreaded "reformulation" bogeyman. Same thing with Iridium Supers to Polsilver Super Iridiums. The internets can be a weird thing.
Enjoy your shaves and ignore the flavors of the month and hysteria that accompanies them. I think it is still the most enjoyable part of my day and makes it start so much better after that final cold water rinse.
Derby Extra has been in my top 3 since I first used them. In my Fatip Grande and NEW SC they give a fantastically smooth shave. The BBS finish may not last as long, but they really are nice smooth blades, inexpensive too.
They've always been my first choice for blades in a new razor and have done equally well in all, with one exception, the R41. They're a horrible choice in that razor.
I found the R41 to be a blade eater when I was goofing with the first version years back when it hit the market. With the razor I could either shave off the top cap or the guard..not both. Real pain. If you used the guard it was more of a scraper and seriously impacted the blade life. Shaving off the top cap with that blade exposure caused a lot of flex and chattering. It was like trying to use a straight with no meat behind the edge to give it some rigidity. I heard it has improved with wider top cap and some design tweaks. Have not tried the new version.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I like mine with Polsilvers. Only blade I've tried in them. Both are the 2013 (newest model).
I use them at the design angle (neutral angle) or steeper. They're quite tame. For me.
Happy shaves,
Jim
O.K., guys. Thanks much for the responses. Looks like I'm going with the Blue Polsilver pack. I want to stay with what's in current production. But trust me, I do not need another St. Pete's bulk purchase!
I've been pretty fond of my SLOC lately, so I'll fire it up first, then switch to my tried & true Piccolo.
I shave every-other-day, so it will be a bit before I give any hard feedback. I like to get several shaves under my belt, before I form an opinion.
Thanks again!
Just wanted to give thanks for the historical perspective.
Meh. Derby's seem to really draw ire for some reason, but with your accolades, and my respect for your opinion, I guess I'll have to give the green "Derby Extra" in my stash a try.
Have you tried the "Derby Premium", in the black pack by chance? I've got those, too.
I had such a great shave from my first Polsilver that I ordered 200 before my razor was dry. That would have been April or May of last year and they're still my top blade after trying around 30 other blades.
Al of my Derby Extra are the pre 2016 that most very much dislike. I havent used any of the newer Derby Blades and seeing as I have 250 of the old ones I doubt I will.
Not long ago Rave used one in his Joris at 72 hours growth.
He finished the week with the same blade.
They're a good match in a Fatip. Wonderfully smooth and sharp enough. Seeing as you prefer Feather, you'll likely notice the difference in closeness however.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
After just having my first Polsilver shave, my initial impression is a positive one. The overwhelming impression is "smooth". It's definitely smoother than my usual Feather. Also, it appears to be fairly sharp. In addition, it left my face feeling cool & comfortable afterwards. So all-in-all it was a good experience. I would characterize my single Polsilver experience as being somewhat similar to GSB, though GSB accomplishes it's initial smoothness in a way that feels like it's coated, whereas the Polsilver feels as if its smoothness is intrinsic to the blade itself. It feels cleaner & more natural, than GSB.
I used it in my SLOC, which is not the best for new blade impressions, because it doesn't have a lot of blade-feel and is very mild & smooth by nature. So I'm going to give the Polisilver/SLOC combo a few more drives to get a better feel for it, then I'll soon move-on to trying Polsilver in my Piccolo. With my Piccolo I can form a better impression of the blade itself, since the Piccolo has more blade-feel and is more efficient than the SLOC.
The last thing I need is another PPI bulk purchase. But if I like Polsilver as much in my Piccolo, as I did today in my SLOC, I'll do some back-to-back comparisons with it and my Yellows/GSBs,/Nacets. Each of the aforementioned three PPI blades have their distinct niche. If Polsilver defines another niche, I may go for it.
With my extremely limited experience of one use in the SLOC, if I had to hazard a guess, I'm suspecting the Polsilver may exhibit itself as a cross between the clean & reasonably sharp blade-feel of Yellows, with the initial smoothness of GSB. If so, that would be a very good place to be - in my humble opinion.
Thanks for the recommendation guys. Hope your Christmas was a merry one![/QUOTE]
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Your skin should always be cool and comfortable after shaving.
I agree with Polsilvers having a more 'bare blade' type feel to them than the obviously coated 7 O'Clock blades, but they really smooth out for me at shave 4 and beyond.
I cant say the same for GSB though lol.
Your skin should always be cool and comfortable after shaving.
I agree with Polsilvers having a more 'bare blade' type feel to them than the obviously coated 7 O'Clock blades, but they really smooth out for me at shave 4 and beyond.
I cant say the same for GSB though lol.
View attachment 938411[/QUOTE]Yes, but that not to say the "bare" blade feeling is bad. My shave was very smooth and comfortable. That was in my SLOC. I'll know more when I use Polsilver in my Piccolo.
And interestingly and in contrast to your experience, I indeed find the initial shave with GSB to be exceptionally smooth. And, another wet shaver in my family agrees. In my experience, they lose that smoothness over the next shaves, as well as they then increase their propensity to nick as well.
I kind of like that bare blade feel. I get the same from Astra SP, Nacet and Kai but its more noticeable on them than it is Polsilver. I find Polsilver sharper than all 3 of those, and Astra SP very close to it for the first shave.
GSB for me was smoother the second and third shaves but still not what I'd call nice, although there was less blood lol.
Nice review. I got 2 Fatips, one grande and one special edition from two different suppliers over the last 7 days, with the latter being present from the wife.
I've only used the grande, the shave was smoother than expected but, the finish was better than expected, just lagging behind my more expensive and efficient razors. However, the hassle of blade alignment on the grande is a pain the rear and not much better on the special edition. If you get a good one then it worth keeping but if its duffer, its not worth the hassle if you have something in your kit that can match and/or beat it.
I've only used the grande, the shave was smoother than expected but, the finish was better than expected, just lagging behind my more expensive and efficient razors. However, the hassle of blade alignment on the grande is a pain the rear and not much better on the special edition. If you get a good one then it worth keeping but if its duffer, its not worth the hassle if you have something in your kit that can match and/or beat it.
Whoa. Looks like I missed a quote tag above. Thanks for seeing my post.
Of those blades you mentioned, I find Nacet has a sort of "prickly" feel on one's skin. Others here have noticed it here, too. Nacet also strikes me as the sharpest of the PPI blades I've tried, and the 2nd sharpest after Feather. But your claims of Polsilver's sharpness are great to know. I won't be able to see for myself, until I move over to the Piccolo and get a few more shaves with it under my belt. I'm looking forward to it.
Klinker
The Baron of Bokeh
My Schone OC gold isn't my daily driver, but it's definitely still in my weekly rotation.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I tried Nacets expecting a great blade. What I found was a very sharp blade, but I didn't like it.
There's a combination of sharpness and comfort that guys using the straight razor aim for. The exact combination probably varies from face to face, but comfort is part of the equation.
To me, the comfortable and sharp DE blade is the Polsilver (but that's my face and not yours).
Happy shaves,
Jim
There's a combination of sharpness and comfort that guys using the straight razor aim for. The exact combination probably varies from face to face, but comfort is part of the equation.
To me, the comfortable and sharp DE blade is the Polsilver (but that's my face and not yours).
Happy shaves,
Jim
Alright guys, just wanted to post a follow-up to your efforts and advice from awhile back.
I've been shaving with and comparing the PPI blue box Polsilvers, off & on, for several months. I figure I've got a solid dozen or more shaves each, in my Piccolo and my RR SLOC (Yaqi).
I've come to like the Polsilvers, and have been finding them very smooth, sharp enough, and long lasting with little variance over the 6-8 shaves I've used each blade. In particular, I really like the smoothness and natural feel about them. They are not as sharp or efficient as my Feathers, but really nothing is. But they are great for everyday easy-going shaving.
The only thing that has prevented a bulk buy as of yet, is I'm next going to put them in a back-to-back comparison with my much loved Yellows. Going by memory only, they seem somewhat similar to Yellow but smoother. So we'll see how this comparison goes. I suspect I'll be grabbing a 100ct display pack from my local brick & mortar store, before too long.
Anyway, thanks again for the Polsilver suggestion, and in helping me select the current production PPI variant to try (Blue Box).
