Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp Stainless

[know1special]

Absolutely! FWIW, my beard is not that challenging so that probably contributes.

At this point on my shaving journey I have largely settled on Feather and Bic CP as my weapons of choice.

However, I've got great heaping piles of different blades in the hopper and do like to mix it up every so often. Maybe one shave out of 50 let's say.

 

[GBerry]

I just stumbled on this thread and am thankful to the community for bringing it alive.

I use the PPI made Perma-Sharp in the Blackbird Lite with excellent results. I take the shaves to DFS+ without nicks or irritation. They are smooth in use and a very good post shave feel.

I may check out the Nacet blades too.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

I may check out the Nacet blades too.

Let us know if you see much of a difference?

 

[GBerry]

@ShavingPrimate This did not take long. I will do a Gillette PermaSharp (Gold & Red box) tomorrow.

20230320
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite (71)
Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Lather: Stirling Soap Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: Cold water rinse; Stirling Soap Co Unscented Post Shave Balm

No nicks; No irritation; Very close; smooth; DFS+ shave. The Nacet appears to be less sharp than the Perma-Sharp Super on the first shave. The Nacet was almost tugging ATG on the first shave. A little buffing was needed on the upper lip. I would prefer the Perma-Sharp based on first shave results. Next up will be a new Gillette PermaSharp Super (Gold & Red box) shave number 1.

Shave log summary 20230311

Cheers!!!

 

[Goblin]

I finally got around to trying the 7OC Permasharp Stainless today and I wanted to post my thoughts. This interesting thread seemed like the best place to do it, rather than starting a new one.

When I sampled the 7OC Blacks I was hoping to find another blade that really clicked for me, but I was actually a bit disappointed in their sharpness, and didn't really find them anywhere close to being "Indian Feathers" (except in price).

Accordingly, I didn't expect much of these significantly cheaper Indian 7OC blades, and it's true that they do seem cheaper than the Blacks in terms of manufacturing precision. On my Gamechanger, these blades have to be worked down over the nubs on the baseplate because the gaps in the blade are very small and seem to be positioned fractionally too far apart, which causes the blade to warp until the cap is cinched down. Once the razor is assembled, sighting through the lather channels shows that the exposure on each side isn't 100% uniform. I checked with a couple of blades and it was the same story, but neither of these were serious issues and didn't affect my usage.

The actual shave was good. Really good in fact. I have done a lot of blade sampling over the past 18 months and pretty much decided that my favourites were the ones I already knew before I started - Feather and PPI Permasharps. These 7OCs worked well enough for me that I could see them becoming another favourite. I really wanted to find a true "budget" blade that worked for me as an alternative to costly Feathers and these are the best candidate so far.

To continue the Nacet comparisons of this thread, I would say these 7OCs are similar in sharpness. Maybe a bit sharper. Almost zero pulling sensation when using sliding strokes on the tough stuff, but not so screaming sharp or scratchy that a bit of ATG buffing seemed reckless! They passed the GC 0.84 test with flying colours, as I find that blades of lesser sharpness can get chattery in that razor. No such problems today.

For me, Nacets always feel a bit ragged even when fresh out of the wrapper, and often become downright rough on the second shave. These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

Oh, Sharp Edge! How the mighty have fallen!

 

[cranewarrior]

These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

These are a great deal if one likes the sharper range of blades. eBay has the best prices if you buy from an Indian seller in bulk. I bought a lot not too long ago and only had to wait < 3 weeks for it to arrive in the USA and I saved 50% from what the AMZ price was.

I too found it a good alternative to Nacets. I like sharp blades in my mild razors.

 

[Theodore]

I finally got around to trying the 7OC Permasharp Stainless today and I wanted to post my thoughts. This interesting thread seemed like the best place to do it, rather than starting a new one.

When I sampled the 7OC Blacks I was hoping to find another blade that really clicked for me, but I was actually a bit disappointed in their sharpness, and didn't really find them anywhere close to being "Indian Feathers" (except in price).

Accordingly, I didn't expect much of these significantly cheaper Indian 7OC blades, and it's true that they do seem cheaper than the Blacks in terms of manufacturing precision. On my Gamechanger, these blades have to be worked down over the nubs on the baseplate because the gaps in the blade are very small and seem to be positioned fractionally too far apart, which causes the blade to warp until the cap is cinched down. Once the razor is assembled, sighting through the lather channels shows that the exposure on each side isn't 100% uniform. I checked with a couple of blades and it was the same story, but neither of these were serious issues and didn't affect my usage.

The actual shave was good. Really good in fact. I have done a lot of blade sampling over the past 18 months and pretty much decided that my favourites were the ones I already knew before I started - Feather and PPI Permasharps. These 7OCs worked well enough for me that I could see them becoming another favourite. I really wanted to find a true "budget" blade that worked for me as an alternative to costly Feathers and these are the best candidate so far.

To continue the Nacet comparisons of this thread, I would say these 7OCs are similar in sharpness. Maybe a bit sharper. Almost zero pulling sensation when using sliding strokes on the tough stuff, but not so screaming sharp or scratchy that a bit of ATG buffing seemed reckless! They passed the GC 0.84 test with flying colours, as I find that blades of lesser sharpness can get chattery in that razor. No such problems today.

For me, Nacets always feel a bit ragged even when fresh out of the wrapper, and often become downright rough on the second shave. These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

View attachment 1795247

Oh, Sharp Edge! How the mighty have fallen!

Yes, I was quite surprised to find I also preferred the green permasharp to the black 7'oclock. Everything I had read lead me to expect the super platinum to be the top of the heap.

Had my second green permasharp shave today and still quietly impressed with it.

 

[Bobovata]

Another vote for the Permasharp Green.

Nice shaves, and excellent value at the price (in bulk, from India, via eBay).

 

[Goblin]

No eBay blade purchases for us Brits - that was phase one of the Blade-pocalypse! Even so, £11 for 100 via RBC is still pretty good, given that the likes of Lords and Treets are around £8.80 per 100.

These are one of those blades I have known about and been curious about for years. I should have gotten around to them much sooner. As it is, I am discovering them just in time!

 

[Goblin]

Had a second shave with the green Permasharp Stainless today, still in the GC 0.84.

It was good. Struggling a little bit by the end perhaps, but it never felt too ragged or prickly. I had to do a hard ATG stroke to clean up my jawline. I dread that stroke. Those flat-growing whiskers can be stubborn, and hitting them ATG can cause chatter that leaves me with irritation, or I end up unconsciously applying pressure to force the blade through, and then that pressure causes the irritation! No problems today - the Indian 7OC Green still had enough left in the tank to take down the whiskers without any fuss. BBS bar a couple of stragglers.

Me likey.

I have ordered 300.