Long Time DE Shaver Needs New Blades - Sharp and Smooth

[Lazarus Long]

Looks like I may be a little late, as you have already decided on a selection.

For a single use blade, I would go with Treet Durasharp. They can certainly last for more than 1 shave, but I have found them to be very sharp and the most comfortable 'first shave' blade I have tried. Being carbon steel, they tend to rust but if you are only using it once not an issue. They are also inexpensive.

With some blades, the first shave may be a little tuggy/rough. The Durasharp is great right out of the wrapper.

 

[Jens]

For a single use blade, I would go with Treet Durasharp. They can certainly last for more than 1 shave, but I have found them to be very sharp and the most comfortable 'first shave' blade I have tried. Being carbon steel, they tend to rust but if you are only using it once not an issue. They are also inexpensive.

With some blades, the first shave may be a little tuggy/rough. The Durasharp is great right out of the wrapper.

Thanks - just what I wanted to know. I'm preparing a new order of blades, and debating what Treets to get. I am a big fan of "Black Beauties" (for smoothness), and debating whether to get "7 Days Platinum" or "Durasharp" for a Sharp Treet blade. Both have a following, it seems

 

[Lockback]

Thanks - just what I wanted to know. I'm preparing a new order of blades, and debating what Treets to get. I am a big fan of "Black Beauties" (for smoothness), and debating whether to get "7 Days Platinum" or "Durasharp" for a Sharp Treet blade. Both have a following, it seems

I really like the Durasharp as well.

 

[musicman1951]

Smooth, sharp and great longevity - Personna Med Prep.

 

[cvac]

One shipment of blades showed up the other day.

For today's shave, I chose to try the Bic Chrome Platinum.

I honestly cannot remember if I ever tried this blade before.

SOTD:

• TOBs old stearate formula lavender hard soap
• RR Plissoft brush
• EJ DE89L
• BIC CP blade
• Saint Charles Bulgarian Lavender AS

Result was very good overall. No pulling or tugging while shaving, though the blade was a bit "noisier" at first while cutting. There was no razor burn, though I did lightly nick myself cleaning up a missed spot after my usual 2 pass shave. That was probably my own fault and I won't blame the blade for it.

 

[cvac]

For today's shave I decided to try the Personna Platinum, made in Germany. To avoid confusion with all the other Personna blades out there, I have attached a pic.

My initial impression of this blade is that it's very decent, but not quite good enough to be a daily blade for me. Cutting is not quite as borderline effortless as what I am used to. Maybe they just aren't sharp enough, or maybe the coating affects how the blade performs. By the second pass I was getting a bit of harshness from the blade on certain areas of my face. I may try a second blade from the pack later, but I'm glad I didn't buy a 100 pack of these.

Basically this is the type of blade that I'd be satisfied with if I got a pack while traveling but not something I would stock for regular use.

SOTD:

• New Forest 2-band brush
• Fitjar Sandalwood cream
• HBG Sandalwood AS
• EJ DE89L
• Personna Platinum (Germany) blade

 

[cvac]

For today's shave, I chose the Bolzano blade. To be clear, the current packs are made in Egypt and that is what I have here. Some retailers still have the previous gen German ones.

Overall I found this to be another decent, but not quite good enough blade for daily use. I know some folks really love these blades, but to me they were nothing special. My understanding is that these blades are now made by the Lord company which offers many different blades under different brands and types. I cannot say if these are typical of Lord or not, but based on my experience with these I would not be rushing out to try more Lord blades.

SOTD:

• EJ DE89L
• Bolzano (Egypt) blade
• Vie Long Synthetic brush
• DR Harris Sandalwood Cream
• DR Harris Sandalwood AS

 

[Filudo]

Personna Med Prep *made in usa* is what you want.....sharper, smoother and last longer than your last 2. Yes, it's more expensive.....but it's worth the money (if you have it).

 

[cvac]

Personna Med Prep *made in usa* is what you want.....sharper, smoother and last longer than your last 2. Yes, it's more expensive.....but it's worth the money (if you have it).

I have a pack on order. Vendor is slow to ship though. I don't really get concerned with how long a blade lasts because I am one and done with every blade. It has to work well on the first 2 pass shave because that is the only shave for each blade.

 

[Phoenixkh]

For today's shave I decided to try the Personna Platinum, made in Germany. To avoid confusion with all the other Personna blades out there, I have attached a pic.

My initial impression of this blade is that it's very decent, but not quite good enough to be a daily blade for me. Cutting is not quite as borderline effortless as what I am used to. Maybe they just aren't sharp enough, or maybe the coating affects how the blade performs. By the second pass I was getting a bit of harshness from the blade on certain areas of my face. I may try a second blade from the pack later, but I'm glad I didn't buy a 100 pack of these.

Basically this is the type of blade that I'd be satisfied with if I got a pack while traveling but not something I would stock for regular use.

SOTD:

• New Forest 2-band brush
• Fitjar Sandalwood cream
• HBG Sandalwood AS
• EJ DE89L
• Personna Platinum (Germany) blade

View attachment 1737188

I didn't care for the German manufactured Personna blades at all... in fact, I binned 99 of them after using just one. It was bad enough I didn't want to give them away to anyone. I do enjoy the USA Personna Comfort Coated blades quite a bit.

 

[Chandu]

My favorites are the Personna Med Prep and Lab Blue and Muhle. I have heard Muhle are rebranded Personna which probably explains why I like them. In addition I like the Gillette Silver Blue, Platinum, KCG and Perma Sharp.

I see you and I agree on the "Blades that have NOT worked well for me in the past:" list.

 

[cvac]

I didn't care for the German manufactured Personna blades at all... in fact, I binned 99 of them after using just one. It was bad enough I didn't want to give them away to anyone. I do enjoy the USA Personna Comfort Coated blades quite a bit.

Yikes. I don't think my experience was as bad as yours but I didn't love the blade.

 

[cvac]

Shaved with a Feather blade today. Been years since I tried one of these but the difference is night and day from the last 2 blades I've tried. Very smooth shave, no nicks or irritation.

SOTD:

EJDE89L
Feather blade
DR Harris Rose cream
Thayers Rose WH
Rosewater glycerin spray

 

[BurnFree]

Thanks - just what I wanted to know. I'm preparing a new order of blades, and debating what Treets to get. I am a big fan of "Black Beauties" (for smoothness), and debating whether to get "7 Days Platinum" or "Durasharp" for a Sharp Treet blade. Both have a following, it seems

Easy answer: get both!

I really like Durasharps, but eventually want to try 7 days platinum (due to many positive comments) in order to get more than one shave from a blade. The durasharps rust, regardless of what the packaging implies. I can squeak out a 2nd, next day shave, but it still isn't as good as the first.

Unlike you I couldn't get through a tuck of Black Beauties. They were both dull and rough. Did not see rust under a microscope but still wondering if I got a bad tuck. I am happy with the Durasharp smoothness though, so no need to retry more Beauties.

It sounds like the standard Platinums are sort of the stainless equivalent of the black beauties if you liked them. There are some posts somewhere on B&B that they are not quite as sharp as the 7 days, but are smoother and great for buffing etc.

The Correct Answer is to get all 3 and then report back.

 

[BurnFree]

Looks like I may be a little late, as you have already decided on a selection.

For a single use blade, I would go with Treet Durasharp. They can certainly last for more than 1 shave, but I have found them to be very sharp and the most comfortable 'first shave' blade I have tried. Being carbon steel, they tend to rust but if you are only using it once not an issue. They are also inexpensive.

With some blades, the first shave may be a little tuggy/rough. The Durasharp is great right out of the wrapper.

I completely agree with this.

 

[BurnFree]

For today's shave, I chose the Bolzano blade. To be clear, the current packs are made in Egypt and that is what I have here. Some retailers still have the previous gen German ones.

Overall I found this to be another decent, but not quite good enough blade for daily use. I know some folks really love these blades, but to me they were nothing special.

That was my experience too, especially for the price. Will be interested to hear your other opinions.

 

[cvac]

That was my experience too, especially for the price. Will be interested to hear your other opinions.

If something isn't up to scratch for me, I don't really care how cheap it is. Even if the Bolzanos were $10 for a 100 pack, I still wouldn't buy more of them.

 

[cvac]

For today's shave I chose to try the Derby Premium.

My past experiences with "Derby Extra" blades in the green pack many years ago were not good. I found them very uncomfortable and not sharp enough.

My experience today with the "Derby Premium" is a bit better, but this blade doesn't really impress me that much. I do find them to be a bit more comfortable during the shave compared to say the German Personna or the Bolzano blades, but that's not saying a whole lot. These are definitely not sharp enough for my standards and a significant step down compared to what I am used to. Again, if I picked a pack up during travel because I didn't bring blades from home, I'd think these were okay. Not good enough for a daily blade though.

SOTD:

EJ DE89L
Derby Premium Blade
GFT Rose Soap (old pre-suck formula)
Thayer's Rose WH
GFT Coral Skin Food

 

[Jens]

Not good enough for a daily blade though.

SOTD:

EJ DE89L
Derby Premium Blade

Obviously mileage varies, but I note that you have now reported on "so-so" shaves with both the Bolzano and the Derby blades, which I personally tthink are great blades.
What I note is the razor you report using - EJ DE89 in both instances.
In my book, if you want to give a blade a fair chance, you should really try it out in more than one razor. In both cases, you have combined fairly "smooth" blades, with a fairly mild razor. For blades like the Derby Extras and the Bolzanos, I would go with a somewhat more aggressive razor to get the most out of those blades.
In my personal experience, it was also something of an acquired taste I developed for especially Derby Extras. I hated those blades for years.
What made me change my perspective, was the experience I gained in between, shaving with not-so-sharp (verging on "dull") straight razors, for the simple reason that I am not very good at honing straight razors. But I actually got to really enjoy a straight razor shave with a "smooth" blade. And once I had developed a liking for that, I discovered that the Derby Extra DE blades actually performed very similar to a "dull" straight razor. Very forgiving.
That does not detract from shaves with "sharp" blades, shaving with "smooth" blades is just a different experience (and I find that smooth blades are very suitable for daily shaving). A bit like going with a boar brush one day, badger on another.
Again, people's mileage varies and nothing wrong with that. But you may develop more of a liking for your new Derby and Bolzano blades, if you try them out in a few different (more aggressive) razors. Just a friendly suggestion. / J

 

[cvac]

Obviously mileage varies, but I note that you have now reported on "so-so" shaves with both the Bolzano and the Derby blades, which I personally tthink are great blades.
What I note is the razor you report using - EJ DE89 in both instances.
In my book, if you want to give a blade a fair chance, you should really try it out in more than one razor. In both cases, you have combined fairly "smooth" blades, with a fairly mild razor. For blades like the Derby Extras and the Bolzanos, I would go with a somewhat more aggressive razor to get the most out of those blades.
In my personal experience, it was also something of an acquired taste I developed for especially Derby Extras. I hated those blades for years.
What made me change my perspective, was the experience I gained in between, shaving with not-so-sharp (verging on "dull") straight razors, for the simple reason that I am not very good at honing straight razors. But I actually got to really enjoy a straight razor shave with a "smooth" blade. And once I had developed a liking for that, I discovered that the Derby Extra DE blades actually performed very similar to a "dull" straight razor. Very forgiving.
That does not detract from shaves with "sharp" blades, shaving with "smooth" blades is just a different experience (and I find that smooth blades are very suitable for daily shaving). A bit like going with a boar brush one day, badger on another.
Again, people's mileage varies and nothing wrong with that. But you may develop more of a liking for your new Derby and Bolzano blades, if you try them out in a few different (more aggressive) razors. Just a friendly suggestion. / J

I used to have half a dozen or more razors and would swap razors all the time. I moved away from that over a decade ago at this point. I have no interest in resuming it or messing with weird razors. I've tried open comb razors in the past, aggressive razors, cranking up an adjustable razor, etc. all years ago and none were for me.

For the most part, for years now, I prefer a sharp blade in a mild to average razor. The DE89L works for me and I like it more than any other razor I've tried. Occasionally I will use a Merkur 34C, especially on travel, and that also works fine. The vintage Gillettes I used to own were also fine. I kept only one of those and can't remember the last time I used it though. Maybe I will use it then next time I travel.

A blade needs to perform in my daily razor or I'm not messing with it, period. Also, only the very edge of the blade is doing the cutting, so there is not that much benefit to using a razor with a bunch more exposure in my particular use case. For years I have observed the whole "macho aggressive razor" fad on here with folks one-upping each other and I think it's stupid. Just being real here.

For folks that go several days without shaving and need more blade gap to mow down a 5-10 day growth or whatever, more power to them. I don't do that and have no interest in it. It's not my use case.

The blades that don't work for me will likely be PIF'd with a couple of extras thrown in.