- Thread starter
- #21
My wife, seeing the little blade box on the counter, said she thought it looked like it should be filled with chiclets. Anybody else remember these?
Hang's Harangues
- Thread starter hangblague
- Start date
I logged in just to click the Haha button.
Honored, sir
- Thread starter
- #25
My next shave is going to be with a Crystal stainless blade - that's tonight. Anyone paying attention will have already noticed I'm into some blades now not pictured with my original sample pack. I've ordered a bunch of 5 or 10 packs of various other brands to increase the trial varieties.
This is the oddest brand so far, in terms of nailing down manufacturing detail. The packaging says "made in Israel" and very little else. Online, there's a lot of indirect information about their quality and possible connection with the Israeli Personna red. There's a lot of information about disruption of supply because of Edgewell's management, etc. What I cannot find is ANY information that is not indirect. Everything you can find out is only because of third party descriptions (retailers, forums like this, etc.). It's as if NOBODY wishes to admit to making or marketing the Crystals. Personna doesn't, Edgewell doesn't (at least online). And Crystal itself doesn't have any web presence that I can find either. A possible explanation is that it is defunct and that there is simply a glut on the wholesaler's shelves still (also a hardy internet rumour). They certainly don't seem hard to come by. If the indirect information is correct, they may be (or were) made in Nazareth, Israel (that's Galilee, folks), and it could be that it is the same factory (if not the identical blade) as the more renown "Israeli reds". I am not providing new information here. There is detailed research covered in other B&B threads. The Israeli operation appears to have been originally the setup of the American Safety Razor Corporation. The re-organizations of this company with Personna and Edgewell are confusing and multitudinous.
The blade itself is printed with the words "Super + Platinum" and a patent number that relates to a manufacturing process going back to 1959. Not much to inspire confidence maybe, but there's plenty from the overall favourable reviews this one seems to get. I'll be the judge of that tonight.
This is the oddest brand so far, in terms of nailing down manufacturing detail. The packaging says "made in Israel" and very little else. Online, there's a lot of indirect information about their quality and possible connection with the Israeli Personna red. There's a lot of information about disruption of supply because of Edgewell's management, etc. What I cannot find is ANY information that is not indirect. Everything you can find out is only because of third party descriptions (retailers, forums like this, etc.). It's as if NOBODY wishes to admit to making or marketing the Crystals. Personna doesn't, Edgewell doesn't (at least online). And Crystal itself doesn't have any web presence that I can find either. A possible explanation is that it is defunct and that there is simply a glut on the wholesaler's shelves still (also a hardy internet rumour). They certainly don't seem hard to come by. If the indirect information is correct, they may be (or were) made in Nazareth, Israel (that's Galilee, folks), and it could be that it is the same factory (if not the identical blade) as the more renown "Israeli reds". I am not providing new information here. There is detailed research covered in other B&B threads. The Israeli operation appears to have been originally the setup of the American Safety Razor Corporation. The re-organizations of this company with Personna and Edgewell are confusing and multitudinous.
The blade itself is printed with the words "Super + Platinum" and a patent number that relates to a manufacturing process going back to 1959. Not much to inspire confidence maybe, but there's plenty from the overall favourable reviews this one seems to get. I'll be the judge of that tonight.
- Thread starter
- #26
Right on time, here are some goodies that arrived today from Top of the Chain, even the Rockets (not kidding)
- Thread starter
- #27
Crystal blade
Preshave shower
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
I like the Crystal. I felt that it knew who was boss. Lots of feedback but no fight. I did 2 passes WTG, XG and then some touch up. I got bold enough on the touch-up pass to do my sideburn area 100% ATG. Here, I took care to sort of ride the cap with my angle. That's my first BBS shave (but only localized at the sideburns). That's where my wife always inspects. Under my chin is a very different story, but I'm calling this overall a CCS. The Crystal is worthy of further trials.
Other notes. I watched and adopted face-lathering instruction from a video by Ruds Shaves on Youtube. Load brush without lather, paint on pasty and dry, add water (by dipping brush), scrub, add water, scrub, repeat till well hydrated.
Nice to use a new decent-quality brush (cheapest Semogue badger). It seems sort of flippy-floppety, but in a very springy way. No complaints, since I wouldn't know better. It certainly is an improvement over the cheap WS that sometimes feels more like a rag than a brush.
Sterling soap. Works very well, fun to get a bunch of flavours in small samples. I got my wife to sniff the first one (Agar) and asked her what she thought. Reply: "Smells like an old person's bathroom".
Fine platinum aftershave. From the bottle it smelled perfumy, but on the face smelled more of rubbing alcohol. That sounds negative, but I sort of like it. Nice pleasant sting.
Preshave shower
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
I like the Crystal. I felt that it knew who was boss. Lots of feedback but no fight. I did 2 passes WTG, XG and then some touch up. I got bold enough on the touch-up pass to do my sideburn area 100% ATG. Here, I took care to sort of ride the cap with my angle. That's my first BBS shave (but only localized at the sideburns). That's where my wife always inspects. Under my chin is a very different story, but I'm calling this overall a CCS. The Crystal is worthy of further trials.
Other notes. I watched and adopted face-lathering instruction from a video by Ruds Shaves on Youtube. Load brush without lather, paint on pasty and dry, add water (by dipping brush), scrub, add water, scrub, repeat till well hydrated.
Nice to use a new decent-quality brush (cheapest Semogue badger). It seems sort of flippy-floppety, but in a very springy way. No complaints, since I wouldn't know better. It certainly is an improvement over the cheap WS that sometimes feels more like a rag than a brush.
Sterling soap. Works very well, fun to get a bunch of flavours in small samples. I got my wife to sniff the first one (Agar) and asked her what she thought. Reply: "Smells like an old person's bathroom".
Fine platinum aftershave. From the bottle it smelled perfumy, but on the face smelled more of rubbing alcohol. That sounds negative, but I sort of like it. Nice pleasant sting.
- Thread starter
- #28
Derby Extra (Istanbul, Turkey)
Preshave shower
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
The Derby felt non-threatening and forgiving. It felt like it was inviting me to add pressure and multiple passes. I suppose that is why I nicked myself above the lip, centre-left. Felt smooth, but didn't leave a particularly close shave. I quit after 2 passes this time. I'm still unsettled about the best approach for my 2nd, XG pass on the neck. The Derby can work, but I sort of feel that it would provoke bad habits.
Here's the fun looking Turkish commercial. I don't know the language, but I think they're telling Turks to be loyal to Azmusebat Derby like they are to their soccer teams.
Next stop, Japan. The Feather is the one I've been looking forward to the most.
Preshave shower
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
The Derby felt non-threatening and forgiving. It felt like it was inviting me to add pressure and multiple passes. I suppose that is why I nicked myself above the lip, centre-left. Felt smooth, but didn't leave a particularly close shave. I quit after 2 passes this time. I'm still unsettled about the best approach for my 2nd, XG pass on the neck. The Derby can work, but I sort of feel that it would provoke bad habits.
Here's the fun looking Turkish commercial. I don't know the language, but I think they're telling Turks to be loyal to Azmusebat Derby like they are to their soccer teams.
Next stop, Japan. The Feather is the one I've been looking forward to the most.
I’m a bit late, but welcome to the journals!
Your blade trials are a good read. I kinda cheated in that area. I tried the VDH blades from Walmart, then Dorco and then Astra SP. The Astra was my goto. Then I picked up some Wizamet and Feather blades. All three of those work well for me.
Your blade trials are a good read. I kinda cheated in that area. I tried the VDH blades from Walmart, then Dorco and then Astra SP. The Astra was my goto. Then I picked up some Wizamet and Feather blades. All three of those work well for me.
- Thread starter
- #30
Feather Hi-Stainless (Seki, Japan)
Preshave shower & conditioner
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Nivea Protect & Care aftershave
(Thanks very much Milkcrate!) I liked the Feather, but it did not feel like the magic bullet I fantasized it would. The blade went nice and easy on first pass, but seemed to leave quite a bit behind. Also, I dug up a weeper on the chin. XG pass went fine as well, but I still wasn't satisfied with the closeness. In many ways, the experience was not unlike the Derby. This tells me I may have a long way to go before I can meaningfully assess blades. Oh well.
For nearly 24 hours after the Derby, I was feeling (though not looking) pretty beat-up from that shave. This time, with the Feather, I probably asked for it even more. I couldn't stop after the 2nd pass, the results were just too unsatisfactory. I did an ATG pass. I kept adding lather (which seemed a bit dry) and kept touching up, but couldn't get that perfect result. Close to it, but not there. It's a DFS I suppose, but I worked for more. This is disappointing. It's one thing to suffer a bit, it's another to not be rewarded for it. One bad moment was feeling the blade skipping across stubble at one point while rounding the chin. I think that either means too light pressure or wrong angle.
I decided to feel the burn with the wet alum block, which I haven't been bothering with much. It stung like the dickens everywhere.
The brush was giving me its own smell rather than the soap today. Funny it didn't as much before, the first two uses. I think the badger woke up and started pumping pheremones after smelling the weeper blood on my chin.
Seki, where the blade is made, is a small city (small town really by Japanese standards). I learned that, appropriately, it is known as the blade capital of Japan. The original centre for the manufacture of Samurai swords, etc. I learned also that Feather has a super cool razor museum there, free of charge. If you're ever in that neck of the woods... If you're not, here's a taste anyway:
See Tripadvisor for more pics.
- Thread starter
- #31
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (Green, I think), St. Petersburg, Russia
Preshave shower & conditioner
WS Premium Classic TTO
Sterling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Mennen Skin Bracer aftershave
I have to say, this was a better experience. I say "have to say" because in truth I'm not hoping to become dependent on P&G, and because I didn't like the Astras made at the same plant. Two passes only this time. First pass was smooth and effective. Second pass also smooth and also effective. I quit there while I was ahead, except for a tiny bit of chin touch up. The a/s was stingy, but no blood or other visible damage. I haven't gotten a better 2 pass shave before. The shave is not up to ultimate snuff of course, but I can call this a CCS and the route there was very comfortable.
Petersburg Products International (PPI). I've learned what I can about this P&G factory and its many DE blade brands, but like the Israeli operations of Edgewell/Personna, you don't learn anything directly. The one thing I DID learn directly (by asking through P&G FB) is that the brand new "King C Gillette" DE blades marketed along with the new "King C Gillette" razor are also made at PPI. These KCG blades are priced in America at $6 for 10 blades. I wonder if that means they are supposed to be twice as good as the 7 o'clocks. Doubt it. I think just means you're not supposed to know about inexpensive PPI blades that aren't sitting on the shelves of your pharmacy. But maybe some experienced shaver can comment. Final note on this blade is that I ASSUME it's a PPI blade from the green box (rather than yellow or black) as the blade came from a sampler, not a box. I'm pretty sure I have it right.
Technicial notes. I tried a new strategy for my neck. Grain pattern is down in the centre, but more outwardly sweeping at the sides. I tried addressing this simply today by doing NS on pass 1 and SN on pass 2, thinking that would amount to some XG action and keep things simple. It worked OK, but less so on the throat where the grain is more vertical.
I'm finding the Stirling lathers very well, but leaves the skin feeling a bit dry and sort of tacky after the stroke sometimes. I'll try to lather with more water and see if that makes a difference. Can anyone else comment whether this is a property of the Stirlings?
The yellow box ones that I have are printed with the words sharp edge on them so I think you're probably right in your assumption
- Thread starter
- #33
Dangerous diversion: today, while driving around with my wife, I spotted the local antique mall, and thought I should at least be curious. We walked out $12 later with what I think is a Canadian made Gillette Tech. I'm trying to research more about it in the forums but still find the vintage Gillette world confusing.
The store had a bunch, none in pristine condition, some silver coloured, some gold coloured, all identical design. One I didn't pick claimed to be from the 50's. I wasn't supposed to do this. I was supposed to complete the apprenticeship with the Wilkinson Sword. I couldn't help myself.
The store had a bunch, none in pristine condition, some silver coloured, some gold coloured, all identical design. One I didn't pick claimed to be from the 50's. I wasn't supposed to do this. I was supposed to complete the apprenticeship with the Wilkinson Sword. I couldn't help myself.
For $12 you just got yourself one of the finest tech's around. Load it up with that Gillette Green Super Stainless, add more water to the Stirling, as Stirling is very, very thirsty, and you should have a nice comfortable shave.
Tech's tend to be on the mild side, so they are best when paired with a sharp blade.
- Thread starter
- #35
Gillette Tech (Canadian, late 40's)
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (2)
Stirling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Nivea Protect and Care aftershave
Abruptly, I'm interrupting (maybe abandoning) the multitudinous blade trials with the Wilkinson Sword TTO as I got too intrigued with the Tech I brought home from the antique store. I like it.
I wondered about the size. The razor is a pretty dainty-looking thing, compared to the WS, about a full inch shorter and significantly lighter. It has the "fat" handle of course. I spent a long time combing the forums and the interweb generally to learn what I can about the razor. If what I gleaned is reliable, it would have been manufactured between 1947 and 1950 (oval slots, no date markings apart from the universal patent year). On the edges of the top of the head, some of the plating (nickel?) has rubbed off to reveal the brass (I believe) beneath. The shortness of the handle and overall lightness as it happened, did not bother me. The grip on the razor is excellent.
I decided to push this first shave and put my face through its paces with this razor. I did three thorough passes (WTG, XG, ATG) as well as lengthy touch up. I really pushed this shave, as I say, trying to see if I could get that perfect BBF by persistently running ATG on specific spots at the end. It never quite got me there. It got me there in many places, but not everywhere. It's a solid DFS anyway. It got me a little closer than the WS ever did. Mind you, I never had the nerve to try quite as hard with the WS as I did today with the Tech. The Tech is smooth and seemingly harmless. It seemed to be telling me to expect protection rather than extreme closeness. It felt as though I could just keep trying with diminishing returns but never get cut or damaged. With the WS, I felt rather that I was going to pay for extra effort. The aftershave surprised me with no sting at all (maybe that's because I went with the Nivea, not sure). I feel a good amount of heat in my face after that extended session, but not irritated or cut at all.
I went with the 7:00 blade (as Ross suggested) in order to give a fairly good contrast to the WS experience, using the same blade. Maybe I'll continue the blade trip, but with the Tech instead of the WS and later try out the early blades reviewed before today.
Soap. Today I loaded extra wet in order to get a wetter lather. I guess that worked fine, but I still find that my face dries quickly after the razor stroke. Maybe that's normal, but I see many here talk about "residual slickness". I don't know if that's exactly what I'm getting from the Stirling. Anyway the lather itself seems fine, if I keep replacing it on my face.
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (2)
Stirling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Nivea Protect and Care aftershave
Abruptly, I'm interrupting (maybe abandoning) the multitudinous blade trials with the Wilkinson Sword TTO as I got too intrigued with the Tech I brought home from the antique store. I like it.
I wondered about the size. The razor is a pretty dainty-looking thing, compared to the WS, about a full inch shorter and significantly lighter. It has the "fat" handle of course. I spent a long time combing the forums and the interweb generally to learn what I can about the razor. If what I gleaned is reliable, it would have been manufactured between 1947 and 1950 (oval slots, no date markings apart from the universal patent year). On the edges of the top of the head, some of the plating (nickel?) has rubbed off to reveal the brass (I believe) beneath. The shortness of the handle and overall lightness as it happened, did not bother me. The grip on the razor is excellent.
I decided to push this first shave and put my face through its paces with this razor. I did three thorough passes (WTG, XG, ATG) as well as lengthy touch up. I really pushed this shave, as I say, trying to see if I could get that perfect BBF by persistently running ATG on specific spots at the end. It never quite got me there. It got me there in many places, but not everywhere. It's a solid DFS anyway. It got me a little closer than the WS ever did. Mind you, I never had the nerve to try quite as hard with the WS as I did today with the Tech. The Tech is smooth and seemingly harmless. It seemed to be telling me to expect protection rather than extreme closeness. It felt as though I could just keep trying with diminishing returns but never get cut or damaged. With the WS, I felt rather that I was going to pay for extra effort. The aftershave surprised me with no sting at all (maybe that's because I went with the Nivea, not sure). I feel a good amount of heat in my face after that extended session, but not irritated or cut at all.
I went with the 7:00 blade (as Ross suggested) in order to give a fairly good contrast to the WS experience, using the same blade. Maybe I'll continue the blade trip, but with the Tech instead of the WS and later try out the early blades reviewed before today.
Soap. Today I loaded extra wet in order to get a wetter lather. I guess that worked fine, but I still find that my face dries quickly after the razor stroke. Maybe that's normal, but I see many here talk about "residual slickness". I don't know if that's exactly what I'm getting from the Stirling. Anyway the lather itself seems fine, if I keep replacing it on my face.
Stirling can handle a fair amount of water. I usually run it a bit wet, with a soaked brush.
Congrats on the Tech score!
Congrats on the Tech score!
If you want your tech to shave a little closer, you can add a shim under the blade.
When I shim my English Tech there is a marked improvement in efficiency.
- Thread starter
- #38
Thanks. I'll definitely give that a try some day. Still need a bit more experience first I think.
My early shaves were just like that. My skin was dry after each stroke and sometimes there would be lather left behind that was also dry. It doesn't happen anymore but I'm not sure why so maybe that's not much help, haha! But I guess what I'm saying is just give it time and it will most likely sort itself out. Adding more water can help but now I'm really cutting back on water and I still have damp skin and residual slickness after each stroke, much more on the second pass which I think is normal.
There's a paradox with lather. More product and especially more water will make a better lather. But the main cause of poor lather is too much water.
- Thread starter
- #40
Gillette Platinum blade, St. Petersburg, Russia
Gillette Tech razor (Canadian, late 40's)
Stirling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
Another Russian PPI blade. This one did not go as well as the 7:00. It felt comparatively jagged to my imagination. Maybe it's one of those blades that does better on the second shave than the first. If so, I probably won't find out for a while...
I did the three passes and opened up some temporary red dots in the moustache area while ATG, feeling too casual about the protective nature of the Tech. The closeness of the shave is decent, but not as good as last time as I did not do any further touch-up after the 3rd pass. I can call it a CCS I suppose, which is less than satisfactory for a 3 pass session.
I lathered extra wet today. That seemed fine, but I don't know if it improved the slickness. I still felt a bit sticky between passes. Not a serious problem anyway, I don't think.
Gillette Tech razor (Canadian, late 40's)
Stirling Agar soap
Semogue 2010 pure badger brush
Fine Platinum aftershave
Another Russian PPI blade. This one did not go as well as the 7:00. It felt comparatively jagged to my imagination. Maybe it's one of those blades that does better on the second shave than the first. If so, I probably won't find out for a while...
I did the three passes and opened up some temporary red dots in the moustache area while ATG, feeling too casual about the protective nature of the Tech. The closeness of the shave is decent, but not as good as last time as I did not do any further touch-up after the 3rd pass. I can call it a CCS I suppose, which is less than satisfactory for a 3 pass session.
I lathered extra wet today. That seemed fine, but I don't know if it improved the slickness. I still felt a bit sticky between passes. Not a serious problem anyway, I don't think.
Similar threads
