Gillette London Bridge Blades

[Mark1977]

View attachment 1187786


Subjective impression based on a grand total of one shave: this is a very good blade.

I ordered 100 of these from the ebay seller on November 10, back when he was charging $10 for shipping, and received them in south Florida on November 27. Shipping time: not bad.

Where I’m coming from: these are my preferred DE blades, in order from sharpest to mildest (my subjective impressions only, YMMV)
Feather
Kai
Wizamet
Permasharp
Rapira SS

The shave: ’53 Tech, Maggard SHD badger bulb, Barrister & Mann Reserve Lavender soap, Stirling Bergamot & Lavender AS.

My last shave/frame of reference was the same Tech with a Kai blade (first use). It was a great shave.

This shave was slightly better. Two passes, WTG, and ATG, and pickups, DFS. (BBS everywhere except around my Adam’s Apple, where I left well enough alone.)

My problem spots, with the toughest whiskers, are at the sides of my mustache, and the sides of my chin. These spots, going ATG, are where I notice the biggest difference between a Feather blade, and blades that are less sharp.

Based on the London Bridge’s performance in those areas, I’d rate its sharpness as less sharp than a new Feather, but significantly sharper than blades like the Rubie/Sputnik/7 O’clock Black/Green (PPI)/Yellow.

I’m thinking about doing a shaveoff with a London Bridge and a Wizamet, to get a more accurate feel for its sharpness, but it seems in the Kai/Wizamet league.

What really stands out for me is how smooth this blade feels, given its sharpness. I can’t feel any post-shave irritation at all, none. I picked an AS with a lot of alcohol, but there was no more sting than when I’ve applied the AS without shaving, and that’s certainly not due to my clumsy shaving technique.

If these blades were more widely available, I’d buy more.

Thanks for sharing. The London Bridge is one of my favorite blades. Glad you were able to get hold of some.


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[rbscebu]

The London Bridge is my favourite blade that I use in my precision Chinese all SS shavette. We don't have a lot of blade choice (or razors for that matter) here in the Philippines, but we do have London Bridge blades readily available. Eat your heart out .

 

[Mark1977]

View attachment 1187786


Subjective impression based on a grand total of one shave: this is a very good blade.

I ordered 100 of these from the ebay seller on November 10, back when he was charging $10 for shipping, and received them in south Florida on November 27. Shipping time: not bad.

Where I’m coming from: these are my preferred DE blades, in order from sharpest to mildest (my subjective impressions only, YMMV)
Feather
Kai
Wizamet
Permasharp
Rapira SS

The shave: ’53 Tech, Maggard SHD badger bulb, Barrister & Mann Reserve Lavender soap, Stirling Bergamot & Lavender AS.

My last shave/frame of reference was the same Tech with a Kai blade (first use). It was a great shave.

This shave was slightly better. Two passes, WTG, and ATG, and pickups, DFS. (BBS everywhere except around my Adam’s Apple, where I left well enough alone.)

My problem spots, with the toughest whiskers, are at the sides of my mustache, and the sides of my chin. These spots, going ATG, are where I notice the biggest difference between a Feather blade, and blades that are less sharp.

Based on the London Bridge’s performance in those areas, I’d rate its sharpness as less sharp than a new Feather, but significantly sharper than blades like the Rubie/Sputnik/7 O’clock Black/Green (PPI)/Yellow.

I’m thinking about doing a shaveoff with a London Bridge and a Wizamet, to get a more accurate feel for its sharpness, but it seems in the Kai/Wizamet league.

What really stands out for me is how smooth this blade feels, given its sharpness. I can’t feel any post-shave irritation at all, none. I picked an AS with a lot of alcohol, but there was no more sting than when I’ve applied the AS without shaving, and that’s certainly not due to my clumsy shaving technique.

If these blades were more widely available, I’d buy more.

I think you're the first person outside of Asia who's managed to get hold of these blades.
Yeah it's smoothness is quite impressive.
Can't wait to hear your feedback on it's second and third shaves.
For me, the get even better with use. I find that the 2nd to 4th shave is even better than the first. It holds it's edge really well.
Stay safe.

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[ivan_101]

The London Bridge is my favourite blade that I use in my precision Chinese all SS shavette. We don't have a lot of blade choice (or razors for that matter) here in the Philippines, but we do have London Bridge blades readily available. Eat your heart out .

Haha. I guess I could say the same thing when here in Eastern Europe we had the Polsilver Super Iridium for like EUR 0.35 a pack

 

[Mark1977]

Haha. I guess I could say the same thing when here in Eastern Europe we had the Polsilver Super Iridium for like EUR 0.35 a pack

Yeah, so many great blades out there that cost quite a bit to purchase from over here in Asia.

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[ivan_101]

Yeah, that's why I buy lots of Gillette 365 from India again. You couldn't order them at cheap prices for more than 6 months. Now they started international flights again.
100 for $ 6.99 with free shipping.

 

[Mark1977]

View attachment 1187786


Subjective impression based on a grand total of one shave: this is a very good blade.

I ordered 100 of these from the ebay seller on November 10, back when he was charging $10 for shipping, and received them in south Florida on November 27. Shipping time: not bad.

Where I’m coming from: these are my preferred DE blades, in order from sharpest to mildest (my subjective impressions only, YMMV)
Feather
Kai
Wizamet
Permasharp
Rapira SS

The shave: ’53 Tech, Maggard SHD badger bulb, Barrister & Mann Reserve Lavender soap, Stirling Bergamot & Lavender AS.

My last shave/frame of reference was the same Tech with a Kai blade (first use). It was a great shave.

This shave was slightly better. Two passes, WTG, and ATG, and pickups, DFS. (BBS everywhere except around my Adam’s Apple, where I left well enough alone.)

My problem spots, with the toughest whiskers, are at the sides of my mustache, and the sides of my chin. These spots, going ATG, are where I notice the biggest difference between a Feather blade, and blades that are less sharp.

Based on the London Bridge’s performance in those areas, I’d rate its sharpness as less sharp than a new Feather, but significantly sharper than blades like the Rubie/Sputnik/7 O’clock Black/Green (PPI)/Yellow.

I’m thinking about doing a shaveoff with a London Bridge and a Wizamet, to get a more accurate feel for its sharpness, but it seems in the Kai/Wizamet league.

What really stands out for me is how smooth this blade feels, given its sharpness. I can’t feel any post-shave irritation at all, none. I picked an AS with a lot of alcohol, but there was no more sting than when I’ve applied the AS without shaving, and that’s certainly not due to my clumsy shaving technique.

If these blades were more widely available, I’d buy more.

How was your second and third shaves with the blade?

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[Eben Stone]

Holy cow! These blade are very impressive.

I hope you guys out there give this blade a try.

Can you please tell us what your beard type is, and what razor do you use? I'm considering buying the100pk, so I'm just trying to get an idea if this blade will work for me. A barber told me my whiskers are like wire, and I shave daily with an R41 or Ikon Tek and I like to go first pass AGT. My favorite blade is Polsilver and least favorite is Derby Extra, but I can get 1 good shave with a Derby before I toss it, Feathers last me 2 shaves.

 

[Mark1977]

Can you please tell us what your beard type is, and what razor do you use? I'm considering buying the100pk, so I'm just trying to get an idea if this blade will work for me. A barber told me my whiskers are like wire, and I shave daily with an R41 or Ikon Tek and I like to go first pass AGT. My favorite blade is Polsilver and least favorite is Derby Extra, but I can get 1 good shave with a Derby before I toss it, Feathers last me 2 shaves.

Hi Eben

Just like you, my beard is very tough. I stopped having a barber shave a decade ago because I just can't get a good shave there. Blades like Voskhod, pre 2016 Derby as well as other blades that lack sharpness just don't seem to work for me. I have to use much sharper blades. Very sharp blades.
The London Bridge is not as sharp as the Feather (no blade is). I've used Kai blades before and in my opinion it's just a step down from Feather in terms of sharpness. I would say that the London Bridge is as sharp as the Kai. It's also one of the smoothest blades I've ever used. Not sure what it's coated with.
As for razors, I've used them on my Merkur 34C and my Merkur Progress (4 setting for my first pass).
I wish I could send u a couple of tucks to try out but outbound parcels from Malaysia have been suspended due to Covid-19. I'll have to use DHL or FedEx which are too expensive.
Many people have tried out the London Bridge and I have yet to hear any negative reviews. So do give them a try. If your beard is as tough as mine, you'll definitely find that it shaves very well.


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[rbscebu]

This morning I took my Chinese SS shavette out for another drive, with a new half DE London Bridge blade. It was a smooth pleasure to shave with.

I don't have a lot of DE blades to choose from in Cebu but London Bridge are the best that I have available.

 

[Mark1977]

I just had to add another 100 to the 50 Gillette London Bridge blades I already have. At USD4.50 for 100, it's a steal. Tried these blades on every single razor I own. Felt great in every one of them. As sharp as Kai but smoother than any of the 46 blades I've tried so far. These include Personna Lab Blue, Personna Red, Astra, Derby, Voskhod, Nacet, 7 O'clock Super Stainless and many more.
Just completed my 4th shave with the current blade on my Merkur Progress at the 3 setting. 3rd pass was against the grain. BBS with zero irritation. The blade still feels sharper and smoother than it was on its first shave. I can't explain but it's smoothness is just out of this world.
This is definitely my favorite blade.

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[ivan_101]

Well, Mark we all got it. The London Bridge is you favourite blade. But only a 100? You have to buy at least 300.

 

[Mark1977]

Well, Mark we all got it. The London Bridge is you favourite blade. But only a 100? You have to buy at least 300. [emoji317]

Haha I think I'm done for for now. These should be more than enough.

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[ivan_101]

My 100 London Bridge blades have arrived in Frankfurt yesterday. It could be even the end of the next week when I receive them, who knows.
Meanwhile a put a new blue Derby in my Ming Shi Adjustable to try, since you were praising them so much.

 

[Mark1977]

My 100 London Bridge blades have arrived in Frankfurt yesterday. It could be even the end of the next week when I receive them, who knows.
Meanwhile a put a new blue Derby in my Ming Shi Adjustable to try, since you were praising them so much.

Great. Thanks for the info.
Also, do let me know what u think of the Derby.

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[DesertJake]

Well, so far I'm liking these a lot. Ebay gave me a $10 coupon for no particular reason in Nov and I didn't have anything I planned to get, so I picked up 100. They're definitely sharp! They seem sharper but perhaps not as smooth as my usual Nacets.

But I'm still on the first blade and it's looking like its longevity may be better as well. Could be a new favorite!

 

[ivan_101]

These finally arrived. I had a serious problem with that seller. The price is $8.99, but he stated on the CN22 declaration $20 and "gift". That is the first time I see such behaviour from a seller in 15 years. Unfortunately that CN22 is like a red flag for customs inspectors. I had to fill 2 declaration forms and pay a ~$3.5 fee. So that's time and money.

Now to the blades. It is the 1st of January and I decided to try them. Yes, Mark these are indeed very good blades. But I have to disagree with you these are on par with Feathers in terms of sharpness. Yes they are sharp, but not Feather-sharp. I started my shave with the Ming Shi 2000s @5 and on a couple of places I could feel very small tugging. Cranked it to 6 and it got better.
Although the blades are very good, I struggle to see what makes them better than Astra SP, Nacet Stainless or Silver Blues [all of them Russian made]. I even have Egyptian blades that are on par with the London Bridge. So logically I won't be buying more.

Now I am waiting for the Minora Stainless from Canada to try them. In a couple of days they will hopefully be here.

 

[DesertJake]

For me, the sharpness in my Game Changer razor is better than Astra/Nacet/Silver Blue, and the longevity is better than Nacet. Don't know about Feather since I've only tried them in sample packs and decided they weren't worth the premium for me.

But... for me to stock up on more of these London Bridge blades I'd need a better seller. Without the coupon I used they're $19 for 100 to bring into the US, whereas I can get 100 Nacets for $13 (sometimes $10 on a good sale). I like them better and at the price Mark is paying they're a no-brainer, but we need a better US outlet.

 

[Mark1977]

For me, the sharpness in my Game Changer razor is better than Astra/Nacet/Silver Blue, and the longevity is better than Nacet. Don't know about Feather since I've only tried them in sample packs and decided they weren't worth the premium for me.

But... for me to stock up on more of these London Bridge blades I'd need a better seller. Without the coupon I used they're $19 for 100 to bring into the US, whereas I can get 100 Nacets for $13 (sometimes $10 on a good sale). I like them better and at the price Mark is paying they're a no-brainer, but we need a better US outlet.

Absolutely. I find that some blades feels sharper in different razors.
I find the London Bridge to be sharper than the blades you mentioned. And it lasts longer. Any feedback regarding the smoothness? I find London Bridge to be very smooth. I get absolutely no feedback from my alum block.
Yeah the price of these blades might put off people outside of Asia as they have to pay a lot for shipping. These blades are ridiculously cheap here. So it's really an awesome deal for me.

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[ivan_101]

Yeah the price of these blades might put off people outside of Asia as they have to pay a lot for shipping. These blades are ridiculously cheap here. So it's really an awesome deal for me.

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That's why I told you to buy more. You don't know when they are going to disappear. Look at me. I have been stocking up my favourite blades by buying a pack or two often. After I accumulated around 300, they just stopped making them (after they have been sold here for 28 years). And I can use them only for 4 shaves. So later I had to buy 400 of them from abroad at prices almost 3 times higher.