Luc DE Blades Review Project

[Luc]

I received today what was missing from the best-selling blades. At least, what I thought was interesting to test as I did not re-order a full sampler but only a few missing tucks. Wiki updated. Tests with the first replacement are almost completed. I'm currently on shave #5 (#6 tonight). The second replacement is a razor that I know but it's in transit.

 

[Luc]

I was testing the last razor of the lineup when I noticed an issue with it. I am currently trying to fix it so I will shave with a Gillette Tech (made in Canada) until the razor is either ready or declared not worthy. I have a backup plan stuck in customs at the moment...

 

[Luc]

As a quick update, I tried a few variations for the final razor(#5). It took more time than anticipated but I shaved every day and enjoyed it so who's complaining? I will update the Wiki page as soon as I'm ready to Rock'n'Roll!

 

[Luc]

I was going to post this tomorrow but there's nothing like right now!

The lineup for the reviews (left to right)

• Merkur 38C (barberpole)
• Gillette Tech with a RazoRock UFO handle
• RazoRock Game Changer .76 with an HD Handle
• Gillette Super Speed Y1
• Fendrihan MKII Scientist

First, shave tonight. The packaging changed a bit for the Astra Superior Platinum (Made in India) with my Merkur 38C.


I should probably specify what I'm looking for.

I am looking for a blade that is sharp and smooth (aren't we all) in all 5 razors. I would also want something that I can use for 7 shaves in all 5 razors (so that I can change the blade weekly). Finally, this one probably won't get it but if those glue spots aren't there, I would be happier.

I know, that I can use the old blade to scrape the glue spots off. I could also buy some of the known blades that are not glued in the packaging. I did not want to limit the options too much so the glue spots are nice to have.

I will try to aim for 7 shaves and report back.

For the last razor, it was close. I find that the Super Speed Y1 is giving me better shaves than the Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip and the Gillette Super Speed Black Handle. I tried the Schick Krona that came in a lot that I bought. It's good but the Y1 is better for me. I wanted a TTO for this as I don't usually use them.

The wiki page is updated to reflect the lineup and control group.

 

[md1234]

I've tried many TTO Gillette and the 40's Super Speed is just about perfect for daily shaving; gentle and forgiving but efficient enough for a two pass BBS.

 

[Luc]

Post-shave #1 with Astra SP (India) + Merkur 38c. I see what everyone means regarding the Astra SP (Russia) vs Astra SP (India). To be honest, I don't know if I would say that the one made in India is sharper or not. They are not distant cousins. They are brothers sharing a room! Both blades are *very* similar. If it wasn't for the packaging, I probably wouldn't notice. I find them identical. It's a good start but it's been 1 shave so I won't say right now that the experiment is done (I still have a good stack to finish).

I'm looking at my list and I see that I lack Chinese blades. Since China is a player in blade production I have blades to test from nearly every country except China. I should look at getting 1 or 2 tucks from China. I need to do some reading as I don't know which ones are worth it yet.

I re-updated the wiki page to include my objectives (i.e. what I want in a blade).

Funny story, Google is listening. I got a 70s advertisement (UK) on YouTube yesterday regarding Personna Stainless Steel blades. They had someone trying two razors, one with the Personna and the other one with another blade.

 

[blethenstrom]

Post-shave #1 with Astra SP (India) + Merkur 38c. I see what everyone means regarding the Astra SP (Russia) vs Astra SP (India). To be honest, I don't know if I would say that the one made in India is sharper or not. They are not distant cousins. They are brothers sharing a room! Both blades are *very* similar. If it wasn't for the packaging, I probably wouldn't notice. I find them identical. It's a good start but it's been 1 shave so I won't say right now that the experiment is done (I still have a good stack to finish).

 

[Luc]

I think that the Blade conspiracy is real.

If I look specifically at :

PERSONNA – LAB BLUE vs PERSONNA – MED PREP.

They are both labeled on RBC as:

• Manufacturer: American Safety Razor
• Country: United States
• Coating: Stainless
• Blades not packed

The Lab Blue is way cheaper. Is there an actual difference? Fortunately, I have some Lab Blue in my stack to test. I had to label them as they came in a small bag without anything written on the paper. My overall experience with Personna was always good but I have a few modern iterations to test.

Back to the Chinese Blades. I saw on RSC:

• BAILI – SUPER BLUE (BP005) - Currently N/A
• BAILI – SUPER BLUE (BP003) - Available in 100
• BAILI PLATINUM BP001 - Available in 1-5
• CLOUD SUPER STAINLESS - Available in 100
• CLOUD BRUCE LEE - Available in 100
• CLOUD BLUE B2004 - Available in 100
• GILLETTE – LONDON BRIDGE - Available in 100
• GILLETTE – PLATINUM NEW (CHINA) - Available in 100
• GILLETTE – SUPER BLUE - Available in 100
• GILLETTE – SUPER THIN PLATINUM (CHINA) - Available in 1-6-30
• GILLETTE – SUPER THIN PLATINUM (VIETNAM) - label as China so I'm guessing it's the same as the above version but for the Vietnamese market. - Available in 100
• GILLETTE – WILKINSON SWORD (CHINA) - Available in 100
• RIMEI – SUPER STAINLESS - Available in 100
• ROCKWELL - Available in 100
• YING JILI RED - Available in 100
• YING JILI BLUE - Available in 100

The sudden interest comes from the fact that Chinese Schick blades (Injector) were always the best of all the injector blades that I tried. So maybe (I say maybe here), there might be a double edge that is above average and worthy.

This thread from 2017 seems to point out that I should not waste any time on them. However, this thread from 2024 (the process was refined maybe?) will possibly help identify the good from the bad, I shall follow it!

There's a good chunk of threads regarding the Wilkinson Sword made in India vs made in China. It seems that the consensus is that the ones made in India are superior (I have some of these).

The Cloud ones are fairly cheap compared to the other blades but the package is the only pretty thing from what I understood here.

I have seen a few Gillette London Bridge floating around but I do not know if they are part of an experiment (review) or if they are worthy. @ajkel64, I'm looking at you here lol.

Anyway, I might align myself with Balin's Blade Bonanza if we match blades when I'm ready to switch and they also switch.

 

[Luc]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone located in Canada who ordered from RazorBladeClub that was hit with a customs fee? If so, how bad was the shaveapocalypse (it goes by declared value usually)? I had to pay a tax on imported goods before and often, the tax is higher than what I purchased (which is ridiculous).

To maximize my purchases, I would order what I want (if I reach that level one day) but I would like to avoid 10 transactions of 100 blades. So far I have done maybe 120 blades in 1 shipment without issues.

 

[Luc]

I’ve completed 7 shaves with the Merkur.

Next, Gillette Tech (RazoRock UFO handle) with Astra SP (India). This is going to be tonight.

 

[Luc]

2 shaves in with the Gillette Tech. The angle is slightly different compared to the Merkur. I can barely feel the blade but it's shaving my beard all right. So far, DFS on shave 1 (the angle was a bit off) and BBS on second (yesterday).

 

[Luc]

Gillette Tech was done yesterday (7). I believe that I would be able to get a few more shaves out the blade but 7 works. No issues compared to the control group (astra sp Russia vs astra sp India). I believe that I was probably doing too many touch ups with the Russian version in my Tech. All is normal right now.

Today, new Astra SP (India) with the RazoRock Game Changer .76 HD handle.


Post shave 1(shave in the morning for Mother’s Day). Very smooth and comfortable shave.

 

[wimbouman]

Post-shave #1 with Astra SP (India) + Merkur 38c. I see what everyone means regarding the Astra SP (Russia) vs Astra SP (India). To be honest, I don't know if I would say that the one made in India is sharper or not. They are not distant cousins. They are brothers sharing a room! Both blades are *very* similar. If it wasn't for the packaging, I probably wouldn't notice. I find them identical. It's a good start but it's been 1 shave so I won't say right now that the experiment is done (I still have a good stack to finish).

I'm looking at my list and I see that I lack Chinese blades. Since China is a player in blade production I have blades to test from nearly every country except China. I should look at getting 1 or 2 tucks from China. I need to do some reading as I don't know which ones are worth it yet.

I re-updated the wiki page to include my objectives (i.e. what I want in a blade).

Funny story, Google is listening. I got a 70s advertisement (UK) on YouTube yesterday regarding Personna Stainless Steel blades. They had someone trying two razors, one with the Personna and the other one with another blade.

Luc,
You may want to give the Flydear blades a try when interested in Chinese blades.
I tried them, and liked what i got from them.

Will update this post with a link to the forum thread that you might enjoy reading.

Wim

 

[wimbouman]

Experiences and opinions with FlyDear Super Platinum DE blades

I just received a recent acquisition, a shipment of DE blades by FlyDear. Super Platinums to be precise. As far as I know, they are made in China. Not expensive, but well packed and quality looks on par. I found the first shaving experience surprisingly good. Used my short Mergress on setting...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Luc]

Thanks @wimbouman, I missed that thread. I will keep a note.

 

[Luc]

Yesterday evening was my second shave with the Astra SP (India) in the Game Changer .76.

The blade is a tiny bit sharper/smoother. It's an efficient blade in an efficient razor! I don't have much more to report as the shave went well. I will wait until I tried all my razors but I believe that I will be buying a few packs of the Astra SP made in India. I'm however curious to try the different blades that I got. I am looking at buying a few things online so I might grab a pack of the FlyDear while I'm there as per Wim's recommendation.

 

[Luc]

I looked at the cart all day and decided to buy some Flydear (and a few other blades, I had to get free shipping right!).

I did not buy much but got a few tucks that are made in China(and a few injector blades). I will add them when I receive them and post a picture of the last (I hope) lot.

I looked at a few reviews and then remembered that sometimes, Amazon has a goldmine in review. Goldmine or I should say funny reviews. There's one of the blades that I bought today that is rated 2.6/5 with 3 reviews. So, I guess it's a gamble, no written reviews.

To keep the Astra SP (made in India) conversation. Amazon (Canada) has the following data:
4.6 / 5 with 50,359 ratings

• 5 Stars - 80%
• 4 Stars - 11%
• 3 Stars - 5%
• 2 Stars - 1%
• 1 Star - 3%

Now, I doubt that the product has 50k ratings from the newly produced blade (we all know that the production moved recently). All the recent reviews that I saw mentioned the change to India. The recent 1 stars mainly say they are cheap but dull. It was not my experience but then, I might hit a few duds in a 100-pack, who knows. No funny reviews but I will keep an eye on Amazon when I switch blades.

 

[wimbouman]

I looked at the cart all day and decided to buy some Flydear (and a few other blades, I had to get free shipping right!).

Valid and sound reasoning, in true B&B style.

Joking aside, I hope you like 'm!

 

[Luc]

Gillette SuperSpeed with Astra SP (India) on Sunday (yesterday).


Post shave 1 - There's some feedback from the blade. It's not bad but I prefer less feedback. I still got a BBS after 3 passes which is regular for me. I believe the Astra SP (India) is a perfect clone of the one made in Russia. Love the blade.

 

[Luc]

The last (for now) parcel containing blades got in today. If you are interested, I bought some injector blades too but those won't see any light any time soon.

What goes in this thread are the DE blades:

Clockwise starting top left:

• FlyDear Super Platinum (10)
• Cloud Super Blades (with Bruce Lee) (5)
• Super Gillette Blue Blades (5)
• Apache blades (5)

I believe those are all made in China. I will add them to the Wiki page to be tested.