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Gem stainless Vs the CVS carbon blades?

Does anyone like the Carbon steel blades you can find at CVS or RitrAid?

I found the stainless ones at Walgreens and they seem to last 10+ blades and respond fine to Palm stropping

Does anybody like the Carbon ones better than the stainless?
 
I hear the Carbon one is fine if you swoosh the SE razor in rubbing alcohol or something

But I'm not sure which one is sharper? I wonder if the Stainless gives u more shaves than the Carbon

The stainless seems to be Walgreens exclusive
 
I use carbon blades - DE & SE - at times. If I rinse the blade and oil the edge after shaving, they cut very well and last a while.
 
I use the CVS carbon blades frequently - but not by choice. I carry an Ever-Ready 1924 as a travel razor and when flying I do not check a bag. The razor is fine in a carry-on but single edge blades are a big no-no. Fortunately there is nearly always a CVS drugstore between the airport and my hotel so the CVS blade is my go-to travel blade.

I find them to be sharp but on the harsh side. I usually use a fresh blade for each shave - might as well, since my trips are less than 10 days. This also eliminates the need to dry the blade.

At home I've determined that they don't last as long as the stainless blades.

Bottom line is that the CVS carbon steel blades get the job done, but I definitely prefer the stainless steel blades. Even among carbon steel blades I find the PAL Super blued blades to be significantly smoother.

But they're not available between the airport and the hotel.

--Bob
 
When we discuss drug store SE carbon blades, are we not talking about Personna SE blades?

And when we discuss SE stainless steel coated blades (which I think are superior), are we not talking about Personna SE blades?
 
Yeah. I have an Ever Ready 1924 myself and it holds onto a lot of water inside unless u shake it off

I think only stainless are practical for it
 
I am not a big fan of the carbon blades. Didn't work as well for me plus extra worry about rusting not worth it to me.


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I've only used the CVS carbon steel blades, so I can't compare them to the SS blades, but so far, I haven't had any problems, other than the one time I got in a hurry, and forgot to dry the blade off. It had a good start of rust on it when i got home from work that evening. Fortunately, the cutting edge was OK, so I finished out the week with it in my MMOC. I've also used them in my Ever-Ready 1912, and got some really smooth shaves.

My only complaint about them is that I have to dry them after using them. I also dab a bit of mineral oil on them before I put them back in the razor. I'm sure the SS blades are way more convenient.
 
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