Legendary Personna 74* loaded and ready!

[awa54]

I recently won a five pack of Personna 74* "plus" blades off ebay.... but when they arrived there was a perfectly good blade in my razor that needed to be used up Now it's dead and I can see what all the hubbub is about tomorrow morning (and quite possibly all the rest of the week and next if the stories are true).

 

[man00ver]

Enjoy! Remember it will start out sharp, sharp, sharp. Don't let the smoothness lull you!

 

[Slash McCoy]

It should last over a week. A couple of weeks is not unheard of. They really are longwinded blades.

 

[BroJohn]

Enjoy, and have fun.

-- John Gehman

 

[awa54]

OK, now I'm a bit upset..... I have discovered the ultimate blade and it's been out of production for decades Suffice it to say that I'm very impressed by the 74, in my setup they feel as sharp as a Feather, but as smooth and easygoing as an Astra, now if they really last for ten or more good shaves they'll be a true no compromise blade.

If only they were still available easily and at a fair price

 

[man00ver]

Set your bar higher. It should last you a month, more or less. Tossing it after two weeks would be a waste....

 

[Maxime D.]

Well the problem wasn't they weren't good......on the contrery, they were way too much good XD There is no money to make with something that last fereverevereverever. I while ago, I lucky member of B&B purchased a lot of 250 Personna 74 for about 300.00 if I remember well.

 

[man00ver]

Well the problem wasn't they weren't good......on the contrery, they were way too much good XD There is no money to make with something that last fereverevereverever. I while ago, I lucky member of B&B purchased a lot of 250 Personna 74 for about 300.00 if I remember well.

That looks like a bargain. I saw 200 P74 blades sell for $460 last month on eBay.

 

[Gordy2]

I'd like to try about 5 of these, just to see and feel the magic.

 

[awa54]

I'd like to try about 5 of these, just to see and feel the magic.

I won't post a link, but if you search for "personna 74*" on eBay you'll get two auctions, one auction is a bulk lot of open five packs and the other is a buy it now at $19.95 (free shipping) for sealed NOS five packs of the coated version.

it's a bit steep at $4.00 per blade, but probably worth it to try an amazingly good blade that is no longer available, the instant gratification alone is probably worth $10


Day two with this blade just confirms my initial impression; sharp, smooth and great final results without any irritation....I'm looking forward to many more shaves just like the first two

 

[Hirsute]

Nice! Looking forward to following the saga. It seems some folks get enough shaves from these blades that they're ALMOST cost effective.

 

[Nova316]

If you keep your eyes peeled on B/S/T
People throw them up sometimes I was able to snag a pack of 20 for 30$ shipped
which is a hell of a deal

 

[Maxime D.]

If only I could find a stockpile of these, I mean a forgotten garage full of them ! I'll be known as the Blades Baron lol

Hello gents, I heard you need blades ?

 

[BroJohn]

The P74 is a great blade, but I'm surprised at the price they seem to command. IMO, anything over $1 per blade is exorbitant.

There are some really excellent contemporary blades that are an excellent value.

-- John Gehman

 

[awa54]

I am in complete agreement, the 74* is amazing, but not worth what they seem to sell for.... But I had to try them, so the price of entry was worth it to me. I'll probably drag one out periodically when I tire of the fantastic but readily available Feather and Astra blades that I usually shave with. And next year I'll be ready for the single blade challenge

 

[rxonmymind]

A kind member of B&B sent me a couple of P74. I'm not one who wants to shave with them till I kick the bucket but to test run them and be satisfied with that. There are many, many modern blades as another has mentioned that I can get quickly wiithout consternation, angst and have the privilage of having to pay a huge price for. But for the collector & one for memory lane, I can see the "value" in it. Just glad to see them around for the folks who used to use them.

 

[awa54]

So the first day performance has lasted five days so far, no real sign that it's getting duller.... I'll keep posting my results here every few days.

My initial take hasn't changed much, I'd rate it just barely less sharp than a Feather, but rather sharper than the Lab Blues I have tried and it still seems to be in the same league with Astra SPs in terms of smoothness, even five days and six shaves in It also has performed well in all four razors I have used it in; R89, Black handle SS, plain chrome SS, and 11c.

 

[Rivguy]

I used them for a long time and they were great blades but I have found other blades that perform equally well.

Regards,

Doug

 

[awa54]

Day six seems to mark the first perceptible drop in performance....it might also be the razor it's in, I'll go back to the R89 tomorrow to see how that feels. still an excellent shave, just not what it was at first. If it takes another drop of similar proportion in at week two I may not be seeing a whole month from it.

 

[Nova316]

I thought I was feeling it as well, but it was just that it doesn't play nice in the OC single ring but very well in the EJ89