Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (black) quality issues?

[Andris83]

I haven't found a recent thread about these blades so I'm opening a new one.

I just received my latest order, including the 7oc blacks. Quickly opened the tuck to load the blade into the razor only to realize how messy they look. I removed the blade and opened another one from the middle of the tuck. That was better, but not perfect. (no grit on the edge)
Do all of them look like this? Seems pretty low quality to me, pretty disappointing to see that Gillette puts its name on this dud.

Things to look for:
- stained on both sides, near the edge
- glue on the edge (scraped it away already before taking the photo)
- some kind of grit on the edge! the black mark on the 2nd photo, under the "e" of "Super". I tried scraping it off with my fingernail, but it didn't go. A little bump can be felt, so it isn't just thin paint.

 

[Seelector]

I thought you might have stumbled onto some fakes, so I checked my own stock of 7 O'clock blacks and they look the same as yours. Maybe not quite as bad but still not great. Mine are from a reputable vendor, so I think this is just how they look. For me they are a top tier blade blade, and even if they look cheap, they shave well which is what really matters.

 

[wulfgar1976]

This is quite normal in my experience. If it's smooth and sharp, that's all that matters.

The Russian ones (in the bluish packaging) were better than the Indian 7 O'Clock Super Platinums - they would last twice as long and were a bit sharper.

 

[Andris83]

the first shave (with the 2nd blade) was actually quite good. I hope it does not stain more, because I will not remove the blade between shaves. I'll check it tomorrow...

 

[geneaut]

I'll check mine when I get home. These are some of my favorite blades.

 

[Andris83]

the first shave (with the 2nd blade) was actually quite good. I hope it does not stain more, because I will not remove the blade between shaves. I'll check it tomorrow...

it didn't develop more stains

 

[Happy Jack]

Mine look exactly the same and shave perfectly well. I think that's just the way they are.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I think that appearance is just because of older machinery at the manufacturing plant. Gillette has gone to laser etching to replace most of their old ink print machinery.

 

[nav]

Up until 2013, the blacks were one of the best blades on the market.

Since 2014, their quality dropped dramatically!
I no longer found them sharp and due to this, they were tuggy.

The silver lining was that it lead me to discover Polsilver and I never looked back.

Definitely the blacks are no longer a premium blade as they used to be.

I still have a couple of tucks of the 2012 batch (5+2 free tuck with MRP of 45 rupees) which can give any premium blade a run for their money!

 

[wulfgar1976]

Up until 2013, the blacks were one of the best blades on the market.

Since 2014, their quality dropped dramatically!
I no longer found them sharp and due to this, they were tuggy.

The silver lining was that it lead me to discover Polsilver and I never looked back.

Definitely the blacks are no longer a premium blade as they used to be.

I still have a couple of tucks of the 2012 batch (5+2 free tuck with MRP of 45 rupees) which can give any premium blade a run for their money!

I haven't heard of a drop in quality but the only ones I have were bought around 2012. As I said in another post, the Russian ones were definitely better but there are other options like Super Thin Platinums and Super Blues that are incredible.

 

[nav]

I haven't heard of a drop in quality but the only ones I have were bought around 2012. As I said in another post, the Russian ones were definitely better but there are other options like Super Thin Platinums and Super Blues that are incredible.

The Russian blues were excellent and the old blacks also.

I feel after 2014, the blacks became unusable. Especially when I did side by side comparison with the 2012 blacks, the difference was stark.

 

[edw]

I have been buying almost 1 pack each year for last ten years from these Black Platinum from India through eBay sellers. I did not note change in shaving quality. The last one I bought this year is still on its way. When it arrives I will check how are these new batches coming. I hope they come good as usual because I bought 200 units this time and they are actually same price or more expensive than Russian Platinum ones.

One of my favorite blades.

 

[geneaut]

The last batch of Blacks I got from Amazon were fine. Same quality I was used to from many years ago.

 

[Andris83]

looks like I was lucky enough to start with a dud. I have used 4 more of the same tuck and they were fine. in fact these blades are becoming one of my favorite.

 

[ivan_101]

This is normal with the Indian made P&G blades. They look messy - spots and yellowish colour etc. But they shave fine.

 

[ElwoodP]

the first shave (with the 2nd blade) was actually quite good. I hope it does not stain more, because I will not remove the blade between shaves. I'll check it tomorrow...

I thought you were supposed to remove the blade between shaves. I take it apart and clean each piece. I heard that somewhere and it just stuck. Maybe I'll leave it together tonight.