Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum

[sharktown]

I've heard both sides of the good and bad of these blades.
I get smooth comfortable shaves with 7 O'Clock Green SS blades but I would imagine the Super Platinums are much sharper.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

If you have heard anything bad about these blades, send them to me!

These now defunct blades are legendary for smoothness, sharpness, and longevity. If you have some, count your blessings. Or send them to me

 

[Boghopper]

They may be my favorite blade. Sharp and last longer then any other I’ve tried so far.
They’re defunct you say?

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

They’re defunct you say?

Yes, not being manufactured anymore. Whatever is out there is New Old Stock (NOS).

 

[lurchbrian]

there are these on ebay uk .

100x Gillette 7'O Clock Super Platinum Smooth Double Edge Razor Blades | eBay

 

[Boghopper]

I just ordered 100 direct from India on ebay. $12. Not too shabby.

 

[Bogeyman]

Unfortunately, the OP posted an old generic photo of the dark blue box 7 O'Clock SP that was discontinued and was made in Russia. Gillette currently makes a blade with that name in India but in a black box. They are not the same blade as many will attest. The poster Mischka has stated in a roundabout way that the Russian version of this blade lives on as the new Silver Blue blade. I agree after doing a SxS test on my own. YMMV.

 

[RayClem]

If the blue box SuperPlatinum blades are the same as the Silver Blue blades from Russia, they are good blades, but they are neither the sharpest nor the smoothest. I find them to be similar to the 7 O'Clock Green blades. They should work for most people, but whether they work for you will depend on your beard, your skin type, and the razor in which you use them.

The 7 O'Clock Super Platinum blades made in India and packaged in the Black box are excellent blades if you like very sharp/smooth blades. I find the Blacks are similar in quality to the Gillette Nacets with the Nacets being just a tad sharper and the Blacks being just a tad smoother. Both the Blacks and Nacets tend to be more expensive than the 7 O'Clock Green and Silver Blue blades (when purchased in 100 packs). So weather they are worth the price depends on your needs and preferences.

If you have not already done so, I highly recommend purchasing a sampler pack containing blades that range from rather dull (Shark Super Stainless and Derby Extra) up through the sharpest blades (Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Nacets and 7 O'Clock Black) with some mid-range blades included as well. After trying a variety of blades, you should determine what type of blade works best for you.

I have a rather tough beard and rather sensitive skin, so I want a sharp/smooth blade. In mild razors, I like the very sharpest blades. In more aggressive razors with significant blade exposure on the skin, I use mid-sharp blades as the sharpest blades are too rough. I cannot even use the blades that are at the dull end of the range, but those with beard that are not so coarse temd to like the Derby Extra blades due to their smoothness. I do not recommend Shark Super Stainless blades as I find they are neither sharp nor smooth, but others may disagree.

 

[Bogeyman]

If the blue box SuperPlatinum blades are the same as the Silver Blue blades from Russia, they are good blades, but they are neither the sharpest nor the smoothest. I find them to be similar to the 7 O'Clock Green blades. They should work for most people, but whether they work for you will depend on your beard, your skin type, and the razor in which you use them...

The Silver Blue is one of the most universally acclaimed blades on forums IMO. Again, what you are calling "sharp" is smooth. Once I realized this it all made sense.

Meyer J. "Mike" Shnitzler (1912 - 2007). Mr Shnitzler was the Vice President & Director of Research and Development working at Gillette from 1933 till 1967 and for 10 years thereafter as a consultant. An MIT Chemical Engineering graduate, he was the lead inventor of the adjustable safety razor and received over two dozen Gillette patents for his work. He designed the Toggle razor (1955), the Bottom Dial razor (1956), a single edge blade dispenser (1949), the Blue Blade Speed-pak double edge blade dispenser (1948), a rustproofing process, the plastic retail razor case (1949) among others. After discovering in his test lab that shavers could not tell the difference in blade sharpness, he was responsible for break-thru research that determined that blade sharpness was not a critical factor in receiving a good shave; rather a reduction in drag by hair clinging to the blade causing pulling was needed. This Drag Theory lead to the development of coated razor blades and specifically the Organosiloxane Gel coated Super Blue Blade (1959).

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[Yyragtoj]

As others mention above the picture is the Russian blue that is no longer produced in this form.
We seem to have enough info to point that the blade still exists under different packaging and @Bogeyman adds their personal view that the blue 7 O'Clock is the same as the current GSB.
I never tried the blue so I can't compare, but it's great to know we can still get it.
The blue 7 O'Clock seem to be discussed more after becoming unavailable, so might not worth going out of your way to find them.
I have to add to the case about the Indian black 7 O'Clock being a great blade, I used one during FFFMM and ended up getting 45 shaves out of it.
My next blade was a Dorco ST-301 which gave me around 20 shaves. I think the Indian black was shaving better after 45 shaves than the ST-301 at 20. Highly recommended blades.

 

[RayClem]

The Silver Blue is one of the most universally acclaimed blades on forums IMO. Again, what you are calling "sharp" is smooth. Once I realized this it all made sense.

I am sure that the early Gillette research was based on "average" shavers that were Gillette's target market at the time. I am not surprised that "average" shavers cannot tell the difference between sharp and smooth, but with my beard and skin, I can tell the difference.

I have a very coarse, fast-growing beard. I like blades that will sever the bristles with little effort. The blades that seems to be sharpest are: Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Gillette Nacets, 7 O'Clock Blacks, Personna Israeli Reds, and German Wilkinson Swords, and Dorco Prime Platinum STP301. These blades easily slice through my beard with no tugging.

However, I also have very sensitive skin, easily irritated by shaving. I consider blades that do not cause skin irritation to be smooth.

While Feather blades are quite sharp, they feel rather harsh on my skin. Thus, I consider them sharp, but not smooth. I cannot even get through three full shaves with a Feather blade before they become uncomfortable. When I do use them, I use them in a mild razor that has minimal blade exposure to protect my face from the harsh blade.

I find BIC blades to be both sharp and smooth; they easily slice through my beard and do not irritate my skin. I can even use them in a Muhle R41 as long as I am careful of my shave angle and pressure. A Feather blade would be much to harsh in that razor.

Personna Comfort Coated Lab Blue blades have a coating that feels smooth on the skin, but until that coating wears off, the blades are not sharp enough to give me a close shave. They tend to tug on the first shave, but work OK for the next couple of shaves.

I understand that Silver Blue blades work extremely well for many shavers. The average shaver has a beard that is not as coarse as mine and skin that is not as sensitive as mine. For me, the blades are not quite sharp enough and not quite smooth enough to obtain a close, comfortable shave like I can get with some other blades. I can use then, but the shave is not particularly enjoyable. However, that does not mean that they may not be the perfect blade for you.

 

[Bogeyman]

I am sure that the early Gillette research was based on "average" shavers that were Gillette's target market at the time. I am not surprised that "average" shavers cannot tell the difference between sharp and smooth, but with my beard and skin, I can tell the difference.

I have a very coarse, fast-growing beard. I like blades that will sever the bristles with little effort. The blades that seems to be sharpest are: Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Gillette Nacets, 7 O'Clock Blacks, Personna Israeli Reds, and German Wilkinson Swords, and Dorco Prime Platinum STP301. These blades easily slice through my beard with no tugging...

Ironically, only the first three blades you mention as your favorites are noted as being what many term "sharp" and the latter three more known as "smooth" which IMO only reinforces what Gillette research determined over fifty years ago. Thank you for proving their point.

 

[RayClem]

Ironically, only the first three blades you mention as your favorites are noted as being what many term "sharp" and the latter three more known as "smooth" which IMO only reinforces what Gillette research determined over fifty years ago. Thank you for proving their point.

In addition to my own personal shaving experience, I am also referencing the data from the Refined Shave web site where the author measured the force needed to sever test media using about 40 different blades. The blades that I have experienced as "sharp" all require less than 40 grams force on average over two shaves. The only blade under 40 grams I have not used is the Perma-Sharp Super.

 

[Keto]

In addition to my own personal shaving experience, I am also referencing the data from the Refined Shave web site where the author measured the force needed to sever test media using about 40 different blades. The blades that I have experienced as "sharp" all require less than 40 grams force on average over two shaves. The only blade under 40 grams I have not used is the Perma-Sharp Super.

Sounds like an interesting test

 

[Ukrainian]

I find BIC blades to be both sharp and smooth; they easily slice through my beard and do not irritate my skin.

I can attest to that.
I thought GSB and Polsilver were sharp and smooth until I tried BIC.
I still have a few blades from last blade sampler, including personna red, Wilkinson, Gillette Black and Dorco prime.
I think Gillette blades especially those made in Russia are promoted as something special on this forum, and I have tried Gillette Nacet, perma Sharp, Polsilver, GSB, yellow 7 o’clock after reading accolades here, now after I tried some others, my opinion is that Gillette blades neither sharpest nor smoothest.

 

[Bogeyman]

Sounds like an interesting test

I like that site, but his test is hardly peer reviewed science nor is it intended to be for that matter, with no disrespect meant to the owner. As well, he is a "two & done" shaver for the most part according to what he has stated there. But, as I linked earlier, sharpness is relatively meaningless.

 

[RayClem]

I like that site, but his test is hardly peer reviewed science nor is it intended to be for that matter, with no disrespect meant to the owner. As well, he is a "two & done" shaver for the most part according to what he has stated there. But, as I linked earlier, sharpness is relatively meaningless.

Yes, his method is fairly unusual in the shaving community. However, several folks have recently purchased the edge tester and are trying to confirm the results with both DE blades and straight razors. So far the SR tests indicate that a well honed, well stropped straight can be significantly sharper than the sharpest DE. As a user of both SR and DE razors, I can get closer, more comfortable shaves with a straight, so I am not surprised at those findings. I am considering purchasing one of the edge testers myself to satisfy my scientific curiosity.

As far as the two and done methodology, the researcher does two shaves, but each shave includes both a face shave and a head shave, so two shaves for him might be equivalent of three or four shaves for face shavers. Because he tested 40 different blades it took quite a while to complete the tests with just two shaves. Remember that his objective is to measure edge sharpness, not longevity.

Perhaps you can get multiple shaves with a single blade and consider longevity to be an important criteria. I have seen some folks who use a fresh blade for every shave. In most instances, I can get three shaves from a blade, but some like the Feather won't even make it through the third shave without becoming uncomfortable. I rarely use any blade more than three shaves, so longevity is not a factor for me. I am focused on sharpness to slice through my tough beard, and smoothness to prevent irritation of my sensitive face. My subjective evaluation of sharpness agrees fairly closely with the objective testing done by the web site author. However, I know that he only tested one blade per brand, so he has not captured any variations in quality that may occur.

If you do not consider blade sharpness to be important to you, but only smoothness, that is fine. Each of us have our own needs and preferences. Personally, I need blades that are both sharp and smooth.

 

[Bogeyman]

...If you do not consider blade sharpness to be important to you, but only smoothness, that is fine. Each of us have our own needs and preferences. Personally, I need blades that are both sharp and smooth.

It's the quality of the coatings via sputtering that give the smoothness that you are interpreting as sharpness. Since you don't believe me nor Gillette I'll quote from a new Edgewell patent that explains a lot. Science after all trumps emotion:

It is known from the art, for instance from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,743,551 and 3,838,512, that the shaving properties of a razor blade can be improved by applying a polymer outer surface coating (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene—“PTFE”). Typically, polymer coatings of this type are applied to create a relatively thin layer (e.g., equal to or less than 500 nm) on at least the tip of the blade. The layer can be applied using a variety of different techniques; e.g., spray application, bath dipping, etc. Since no application process will apply a perfectly uniform layer thickness across the entire desired surface, the thickness of the initially applied layer is typically chosen to ensure adequate layer thickness given an expected thickness variation. Although this “relatively” thin layer ensures adequate layer thickness, it is not optimum for shaving; e.g., it is too thick. During the first few strokes of use of a new coated blade, a portion of the polymer coating (if left at the initial thickness) will be removed from the tip during the shaving process by the user of the blade. This process of moving the surface coating by the user of the blade via contact is sometimes referred to as “push back” or “peel back” of the coating. After the excess polymer coating is “pushed back” by the user, a much thinner layer of polymer coating (a layer that can be one polymer molecule thick) typically remains on the blade edge throughout the useful life of the blade. Until the initial thickness of the polymer coating is “pushed back,” however, the user can experience some amount of discomfort....

In other words, what is contacting your face is the coating and not the blade edge.

US Patent for Method of shaping a surface coating on a razor blade Patent (Patent # 9,943,879 issued April 17, 2018) - Justia Patents Search

 

[Boghopper]

Unfortunately, the OP posted an old generic photo of the dark blue box 7 O'Clock SP that was discontinued and was made in Russia. Gillette currently makes a blade with that name in India but in a black box. They are not the same blade as many will attest. The poster Mischka has stated in a roundabout way that the Russian version of this blade lives on as the new Silver Blue blade. I agree after doing a SxS test on my own. YMMV.

I thought that was the black Indian blades in the picture. Looks black to me anyway.
Thanks for clarifying

 

[sscob1]

I use the Indian version, great blades works really well with Karve C and Variant. Didn't feel good with GC .84.