How different are all these various DE blades?

[TheBigL]

I used to believe this was true until I tried a Treet Black Beauty carbon steel blade. It was the only blade out of the 30-40 that I've experimented with where I simply couldn't finish the shave. It was like shaving with a pair of tweezers the "tugging" was so bad. Painful.

The only other blade that came close was a ZaZa. Over the last 7 years or so I've found that I can shave with (almost) any blade, but that some are more comfortable, and last quite a bit longer than others. I can get 2-3 good shaves with a Derby, but I can get 60+ awesome shaves out of a PermaSharp.

To your point though, there are a half dozen different blade brands from the Russian Gillette factory that give me awesome shaves that I can barely tell apart. YMMV!

I could not ID a blade in a blind test. Interestingly, I can get a couple decent shaves from a Black Beauty but it fails quickly. I bought both the ZaZa gold and platinums. While I have not experimented with them very much, I have had some mediocre shaves with them and one excellent blade that - maybe it was the blade, maybe it was the combo.

Every Russian Gillette I have tried has been excellent for me.

I also do not try to push a blade so most of mine are done by shave #6.

Having worked as an engineer, I know that many "labels" are simply just labels - private labels. And often, one factory manufactures the same product for various companies. I have been wet shaving with a variety of different blades for a few months now, both DE and single edge shavette. I do see how certain shavette blades, such as Feather Proguard are different, in that they have ribs or combs that affect the path of the blade. But I have not seen much of a difference with respect to DE blades or non-guarded shavette blades. I have used "very sharp" blades like Feather and some that are rated not so sharp. I control the angle with my adjustable Gillette or shavette and I control the pressure. And I believe that DE shaving is better and safer than cartridges. I have nicked myself with cartridges, but not yet with DE or shavette blades. But I am unable to tell the difference between a Feather, Kai, Voskhod, Polsilver, etc. They all seem like great blades to me and they do a good job. Perhaps the differences are subtle and I am unable to discern them. I'm hoping someone here can provide some insight here. And I know it's a personal choice, but I would also welcome recommendations on good blades and which ones to avoid. Thanks for your responses.

What blows my mind, from an engineering standpoint, is that a single blade factory makes so many different brands or labels. Supposedly all different. For a product that has such a low retail price and does not require frequent re-purchasing.

 

[dfoulk]

After trying and comparing a ton of blades in both known and blind tests I've come to the following conclusion.

There are two criteria for me, sharpness and longevity.

Blades are not smooth or harsh, they don't really have individual characteristics they are just sharp or dull. Some are sharper than others. With poor technique a sharper blade will punish you. With good technique a sharper blade can mean less touch up to get a perfect shave.

In terms of longevity, the simple fact is that some blades retain their edge longer than others. Technique is a factor here as with very good technique some blades can last more than a dozen shaves while others might only last one or two. I've had some really excellent shaves from blades that lasted one or two shaves then fell off a cliff in terms of performance. The thing to consider here is price vs number of shaves. A cheaper blade isn't really cheaper if you only get one or two shaves from it when compared to a slightly more expensive blade that gives you a dozen great shaves.

Another thing to consider is that some blades work better with some razors than others. For example, the Timeless razor that I own doesn't seem to care what blade I put in it as it gives me the same shave regardless. I've had other razors that work better with one blade than another.

So ideally, look for blades that have excellent sharpness and excellent longevity. Find what works for you and stick with it. You don't have to try every blade out there as it really doesn't matter than much. Your technique and the products you use make a larger difference in your shave quality than does the blade (provided you're using a decent one).

I'm moving towards using Feather blades exclusively but some good choices might be (in no particular order):

Feather
Polsilver
Astra SP
Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow
Gillette Silver Blue
Bic
Wizamet
Nacet

 

[Peterv1]

My guess its all coating related in fact I have no other explanation..some blades work for me others just don't, these are my rotation blades

Polsilver
Perma sharp
King C Gillette
Nacet

Blades which don't work for me

Gillette silver blue
Derby extra
Persona platinum

 

[Dovo1695]

But I am unable to tell the difference between a Feather, Kai, Voskhod, Polsilver, etc. They all seem like great blades to me and they do a good job.

I used to believe this was true until I tried a Treet Black Beauty carbon steel blade. It was the only blade out of the 30-40 that I've experimented with where I simply couldn't finish the shave.

I decided to revisit the carbon steel Treet black beauty blades for this morning's shave to see if my terrible experience with carbon steel Treet black beauties would repeat.

To my surprise, they weren't anywhere near as bad as I remember them! A little bit of tugging, but more or less adequate. To give them a fighting chance, I put them in my favorite razor, the inimitable RR Teck 2. For whatever reason, it seems to make even marginal blades perform admirably. It's the razor I chose for my century club attempt for exactly that reason.

It makes me wonder what razor I used with the Treet black beauties the first time around. Some razors are just really finicky about blades (my R41 is that way).

At any rate, I'm glad I didn't throw them out! I'm curious now to see how many shaves I can get out of one.

The experience was a good reminder for me to never judge a blade until you've gotten a couple shaves with a couple different razors.

 

[geneaut]

If you run far down this rabbit hole you'll see people have already run ahead of you. There are literally places on the internet where you can see people looking at photos through a microscope of blades checking the grind/bevel. There's another website where a gentleman measures 'sharpness' by measuring the force required by a blade to cut through a certain medium. A test he repeats after using the blade to shave with a set number of times so he can even capture changes in the blade as it degrades during use ( oddly enough many blades are 'sharper' on use 2 then they are on use 1 according to his measurements ).

Someone here at B&B mentioned he classifies blades in tiers - high, medium, and low I believe - with 80% of the blades falling into the medium tier. I think he's correct. I'm pretty sure 80% of the blades I use fall into that grouping, and I'd be hard-pressed to differentiate anything about them if I didn't know what blade I had put in a particular razor on that day. On certain days even one of those can deliver a shave that is so good I might think it was in the highest 10%, or on the flip side I've had terrible shaves from that bunch where I've rechecked to make sure I knew what blade I had loaded that day.

 

[Earcutter]

OPI bought every blade I could to try out. I discovered two things.

A. I indeed believe there is a difference between blades. In some cases it’s dramatic.

B. What’s crazy is, the same blade can produce a radically different shave in different razors.

Remember, to your point about factories simply branding the same blade - that might be true, but there’s a lot of factories

I think blade differences are often overstated. I would love to see a blind “blade testing” similar to a blind wine tasting with a bunch of blade snobs. I would be astonished if a veteran shaver could guess which brand was which out of a half dozen or so.

Personally, I have a bunch of favorite blades that I use daily, a few brands that are ok that I use from time to time and a few that are crap that I will throw out or PIF.

I find that most blades available today are good or excellent.

You know, I doubt anyone could do a blind test and call out the exact blade, but I bet they could call out the differences.

I still have a ton of different blades I could make unrecognizable and send off to the OP so he could test the theory.

 

[TinyT]

I tried out 29 different blades earlier in the year. Here's a few of them.

I haven't used the Astor, Goal or Gillette Super Silvers yet. I think they're of some vintage or other.

No two were alike. I liked some more than others, a few I really didn't like and a few I knew from the very first stroke. Those were the keepers. The rest are stilll fun to use, often as a test of improvement in technique. Then, as others have mentioned, some blades will perform differently in other razors.

It's an endless subject and highly subjective. We all have different faces, skin and hair and shave differently. And those things all change over time too!

 

[Mempho]

I rate blades on three criteria: sharpness, comfort, and longevity. The Feather is very sharp, but to me it's a challenge to use and not very long-lasting. The Gillette Silver Blue is not as sharp as the Feather but it's more comfortable and long-lasting. The Polsilver is not even as sharp as the GSB, but it's very comfortable and even more long-lasting. For me, Derbys, Astras, and Sharks only last one or two shaves, so these cheaper blades end up costing me more in the long run.

I find that my face changes over time, and so does my technique and equipment. My opinion of blades changes too, so my current favorites wouldn't mean much to anybody else. That said, I think it's hard to beat the GSB.