Did you read all my posts in the thread? I have 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Do you think 2020, 2021 and 2022 are all 'bad batches'?Hmm... I was about to buy some wizamet blades from Ebay. I don't think I will if the blades are lower quality.
@ivan_101 maybe you got a bad batch of blades?
Thanks for figuring this out! I have 2017s and 2019s and one tuck with no date.With the help of @nav I could pinpoint it even better. He has blades manufactured 05/2020 that are the older sharper Iridiums. I have 06/2020 that are the newer version with less sharpness.
Ergo the blades were changed in June 2020.
01/03 means the 1st of March.As a fan of all things Wizamet and Polsilver, have been following this thread with great interest since the first post. I am currently on a road trip reading this post, and noticed I have three squished tucks of Wizamet blades in my travel kit. So I figured I would take them out and examine.
For the record, I have many sleeves of Wizamet blades, but don’t really know that I have any past the 6/2020 time stamp noted above. I do note that on occasion I have experienced a sub par shave with a Wizamet blade, where there would be some tugging, irritation, etc. But I have always attributed that to an incompatibility with that particular razor. Next shave with a blade from that same tuck in a “known-compatible” razor would prove more than satisfactory in my recollection. And my policy is that once I have a sub par shave with any blade, I bin it regardless. So I would not have known if that actual blade was a dud, or if an incompatible razor was the true culprit.
I have 3 tucks with me today. These were tossed into my travel kit randomly at different times for who knows what reason. Why there are three, I have no idea. It just happened that way. I have a bag of blade tucks that come with me in my kit. And I travel a lot, so they get shuffled around a lot. Used a lot. No rhyme or reason as to what winds up in there. And that bag is like hotel California. Once they go in, they never leave… until empty.
My tucks current tucks are from 2017, 2019, and 2020. They are all slightly different. The first two have white wrappers, but different tuck graphics. The 2020 tuck is the same as the ‘19, but have the printed inner wrapper. All three have the two wax dots near the center slot. The 2020 is from Jan or March depending on which date format was used. If anyone knows, let me know. The 2020 pack was the only one that was sealed. The other two are down to a blade or two. I opened the 2020 tuck just for the photo, and will shave with it today. My last shave was with a ‘17 specimen, and it was a silky smooth ride. I would normally use it again right now, but I will bin it in the name of science and use the 2020. But based on the notes above, I don’t expect it to be anything but silky smooth. I only have one razor with me, which is a Timeless 68 in polished stainless. Not the most efficient, but a worthy weapon any way you slice it.
I will report back shortly. I will also dig out my blade stash when I get home and check to see if have any later dated wizzies in there.
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The newer blades are by no means bad. They are just slightly less sharp compared to the old ones. That's all. I keep shaving with them without problems. But they are not the old ones. If I load an old in my mildest Tech I know I will get BBS. If I load in the very same Tech a new Iridium, BBS will be impossible with my whiskers.@ivan_101 , I want to thank you for starting this thread.. I missed it the first time around. This is always a problem for us guys who are newer here.... Things change... I ordered my Wizamet blades quite a while ago. I got the first 250 sleeve sometime in the fall of 2022, I think... I based the purchase on the posts of several people here, thinking I was looking at the same blades they loved so much.
It isn't that they are bad blades for me. I was brand new to DE shaving, having started out with an AC razor. I figured I just didn't know what I was doing when I wasn't overly impressed. I thought they were supposed to be one of the sharpest and smoothest blades out there. After following this thread for a while, it seems they might be a sort of second tier blade... at premium prices.
Would you consider that an accurate statement?
I’m too new and have such limited experience with DE blades. AC blades are easier: there are only 6 or so from which to choose.The newer blades are by no means bad. They are just slightly less sharp compared to the old ones. That's all. I keep shaving with them without problems. But they are not the old ones. If I load an old in my mildest Tech I know I will get BBS. If I load in the very same Tech a new Iridium, BBS will be impossible with my whiskers.
First tier, second tier etc. are meaningless terms. Simply because blades are 100% subjective. I bet for many users the newer Irdium -Super blades will be preferable compared to the old ones. Simply because they are not super sharp. Heck I have even read here a few comments how Gillette Silver Blue or PERMA-SHARP are super sharp. No they are not. You just like mild blades.
I thought Perma-Sharp and Nacet blades were just under the Feathers and BICs, for sharpness, but I could well be wrong, given my limited knowledge and experience.
Not 'like', not 'almost'. Mandatory, if you like the blade very much. Buy a big amount.Razor blades are weird. It's like once you find a favorite, you almost have to stockpile a few thousand to ensure you have an adequate supply, even if the blade isn't discontinued, because there are no guarantees with manufacturing consistency year-to-year.
I'm lucky and have a number of 'favorites,' so while I have a large stockpile overall (thousands), it is spread over a number of different blades, including some that are quite inexpensive. A few hundred Iridiums in my regular rotation will last me a long time, and by rotating I get to treat the Iridiums like a special prize when they come up to useI haven't tried a Feather nor a Bic, but I myself think the Nacet and Perma-Sharp are up there past the Gillette Platinum and possibly the Silver Blue in sharpness. And certainly they are sharper than the usual range of Treets & Lords I prefer.
Razor blades are weird. It's like once you find a favorite, you almost have to stockpile a few thousand to ensure you have an adequate supply, even if the blade isn't discontinued, because there are no guarantees with manufacturing consistency year-to-year.
I'm lucky and have a number of 'favorites,' so while I have a large stockpile overall (thousands), it is spread over a number of different blades, including some that are quite inexpensive. A few hundred Iridiums in my regular rotation will last me a long time, and by rotating I get to treat the Iridiums like a special prize when they come up to use
Bless my easy-to-cut facial hair!
I once joked I could shave with an old credit card and cool whip.How easy? You shave with water only?