What's new

How many chances do you give?

My set up has been going well for quite a while now, so I thought it would be a good time to try the vaunted Nacet blades. Well, the first shave was a surprising disappointment - weepers galore and maybe a nick or two. And here I haven't seen blood in weeks! So how many chances do you give a new blade before you say no, not for me?
Put the Nacets away for a while. The first time that I used a Nacet blade was with a new to me third generation British Aristocrat. I didn’t know at the time that it was the most efficient/aggressive British Aristocrat. It was a blood bath. I have never bled so much before or since. I swore off of Nacets for 6 months. I started using them in milder razors and I began to get great shaves albeit sometimes with a little irritation. If you do a search looking for Eye Test in the title you will find several threads that I started with 200x photos of razor blades. If you look closely you will see that the Nacet, like most Russian Gillette blades show a jagged/serrated edge. Some people (me) are more sensitive to that than others. That said, I have been using a Nacet for my past three shaves with exceptional sharpness and no issues with comfort. Improvement in technique including lather making have made the Nacet a top blade for me when I want a close shave with a minimum of passes. It took me a while to get there though. Try the Nacets again in six months.
 
Given the "beweeping" (thank you foppy, that's a great term!) I received with my first Nacet, I think I'll try the blade in a milder razor and see if it doesn't make for a better pairing. Or not... maybe... I should just go back to my normal setup. I know that works and I really don't have a need for another setup.
@Hercule- What's your normal setup?

Good question- I've stopped after as little as one WTG stroke, if it's miserable. I have an old, worn Tech always sitting out that I'll switch an iffy blade into. If a blade won't shave well in my old Tech, I'll dump that blade and try another of that brand to make sure it wasn't just a dud blade. If a blade isn't initially really awful, I'll go a shave or two. I have a "Bad Blade Baggy" into which I toss marginal blades for revisiting in other razors or at other times. The only blades I've binned immediately have been a few truly awful blades, two were Chinese blades that came with other stuff I purchased, a few were counterfeits I was stuck with over the years, and a few razors I've bought had blades in them.

The advice to put some blades aside for revisiting later was advice I received early on here on B&B and have been grateful for, as some blades that did not feel good initially became fine in a different razor, and after my technique became more refined.

The consensus is that Nacet blades are quite sharp, and as @South Dakota Guy points out they and other PPI Russians are toothier. Initially I got very close shaves, but some irritation/bumps from Nacet blades; over time I've adapted and can use them effectively. With Nacet blades I just try and remember no pressure = a better shave.
 
If you do a search looking for Eye Test in the title you will find several threads that I started with 200x photos of razor blades. If you look closely you will see that the Nacet, like most Russian Gillette blades show a jagged/serrated edge.
That's exactly how Nacets and similar blades feel to me. Almost like shaving with a hacksaw blade.
 
That's exactly how Nacets and similar blades feel to me. Almost like shaving with a hacksaw blade.

Nacet 200x
K New 200x.jpg

I think it was @AimlessWanderer who described the feel as a scratchy micro-serration feel. If you look closely at the edge of this Nacet at 200x it appears to me to have micro-serrations. Most of the Russian Gillette blades I looked at had the same to a more or lesser degree. Some people don't notice it. It is the reason I can't use AstraSP blades.

Astra SP 200x
B New 200x.jpg
 
RR Game Changer .84P with Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless (Green)

Went back to my regular setup. No blood and BBS (for me). As expected. Saved the Nacet though, will try it on the .68P plate.
Sounds like an excellent setup, and using a milder plate a good plan.
 
Sounds like an excellent setup, and using a milder plate a good plan.
One of the YouTube shavers I used to enjoy watching suggested that a more aggressive blade would be the way to introduce a bit more sassiness into an otherwise benign razor. I found the .68 plate mild to the point that I over did it trying to achieve desired results. So maybe the Nacet might just be the ticket. I'll probably try it at some point. I think I'll leave well enough alone for a while though. I'm pretty happy with what I've got going. Shame on you guys for tacetly goading me into experimenting with blades in the firstplace!
 
Nacet 200x
View attachment 1412984
I think it was @AimlessWanderer who described the feel as a scratchy micro-serration feel. If you look closely at the edge of this Nacet at 200x it appears to me to have micro-serrations. Most of the Russian Gillette blades I looked at had the same to a more or lesser degree. Some people don't notice it. It is the reason I can't use AstraSP blades.

Astra SP 200x
View attachment 1412989
Wonder if you have counterfeit blades. Most blade magnification images I've seen show at least a two stage or "cathedral" honing process with a first rough hone with the micro-serrations on your pictures and a second hone at a different angle that smooths out the last portion of the edge. You can see this in the way a blade reflects light on the edge as you rotate it. The magnified images via the links below, including some Astra blade pictures, clearly show a second refined honing on the edges. Even Derby has adopted "cathedral" honing for its blades.

Your pictures don't show any refined honing at all - hence the concern about counterfeit product. My Astra blades deliver an excellent 4 - 6 shaves per blade. Where did you buy your Nacet and Astra blades?




 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
Where does this scenario fit into this equation? I've tried Bic Chrome Platinum blades on three separate shaves, each time, a brand new blade... and every time, I had to pull the blade out of the razor and finish up with a different blade. This blade is known for its sharpness and yet every time I used one it always felt as if it was trying to pull the whiskers out of my face. Three times with three fresh blades! Can my luck be that bad or is the Bic Chrome Platinum just not for me?

Ironically, I can use a Bic Astor with no issues whatsoever and actually like them.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
If a blade feels rough I assume it's a bad blade and change it in the middle of the first pass. If the next one down isn't any better I assume it's not the blade for me, but I save the rest until I forget what they were like - two or three years - and then try them again.

But I'm old. A blade needs to fit into the face/beard/razor/technique/blade marriage. Some work better than others, and some don't seem to work at all. I have a lot of blades that work well for my combo, so I don't spend much time suffering with blades that don't fit. If you're not sure of your technique then you've got a different issue - why was it a bad shave? If that's the case you might want to give it a second try, but voluntary suffering repeatedly suggests deep-seated problems we're not equipped to handle here.

Weepers are not generally caused by a blade (unless you get a really bad one), but by technique. Some of the very sharp blades are less forgiving of technique slips than others. Feather, which is an excellent, very sharp blade will eat your face off if you insist on using it with poor technique. I've seen some horrible pictures from beginning shavers wrestling the Feather.

Nothing wrong with trying a bunch of blades, just remember that you're looking for a good combo, that doesn't require great suffering.
 
Where does this scenario fit into this equation? I've tried Bic Chrome Platinum blades on three separate shaves, each time, a brand new blade... and every time, I had to pull the blade out of the razor and finish up with a different blade. This blade is known for its sharpness and yet every time I used one it always felt as if it was trying to pull the whiskers out of my face. Three times with three fresh blades! Can my luck be that bad or is the Bic Chrome Platinum just not for me?

Ironically, I can use a Bic Astor with no issues whatsoever and actually like them.
I'm fascinated by this Chrome Platinum vs. Astor question that comes up occasionally here. Some people swear they're the same and others swear one is better than the other. I'll eventually grab a few Astors to see for myself, as the Chrome Platinum are an effective, if finicky, blade for me.
 
RR Game Changer .84P with Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless (Green)

Went back to my regular setup. No blood and BBS (for me). As expected. Saved the Nacet though, will try it on the .68P plate.
I have trialed 23 different blades so far, using the r89 and T&H 1805 cream as my control. Fortunately, I have only come across 1 blade wherein I could not finish a shave. I binned on the 2nd pass after getting weepers where I never do. I will try again when scheduling allows, given it has a 50/50 following here - but that blade will come from a tuck that I newly acquire.

What I've found is that some blades simply shine in different hardware setups. In other situations it really is nuanced by the pilot for a number of variables to consider. It is neither good nor bad, just is what it is really. For example, the Nacet was ever so meh in my R89, but is the blade of choice for me when popped into an R41 or GC.84. Coincidentally, I could never get on with a 7'oClock Yellow or Green, no matter which razor I used - both have very positive followings here.

I'm fascinated by this Chrome Platinum vs. Astor question that comes up occasionally here. Some people swear they're the same and others swear one is better than the other. I'll eventually grab a few Astors to see for myself, as the Chrome Platinum are an effective, if finicky, blade for me.
My understanding is they are the same blade, with the Astor being uncoated
 
I gave Voskhod 1/2 a shave due to major suckage. Pulled, tugged, and ripped whiskers out instead of cutting. Just wasn't worth finishing the shave with it. Most of the time, however, I'll give a blade the benefit of the doubt and give it 2 shaves, but then I move on. For me to keep a blade in rotation, it has to work well in all my top users. I don't want to have to remember what blades work in what razor.
 
Top Bottom