I got confused reading reviews about Gem carbon steel blades. Some say they are very good and others say they're terrible. Now I understand this a little better. In the last few days I have had two opposite experiences with these blades. First I tried the CVS carbon steels a few days ago and they just wouldn't cut--completely dull. Today I tried the "Renewal" brand from Rite Aid and it worked OK. Both are supposed to be made by Edgewell Personna. From now on I'll just toss any dull blade and continue until one works as it should. I got a big pile of the "Renewal" brand on Ebay and was ready to throw them away, but at least now I can use them.