I would do that except I rarely get more than 3-4 shaves from any blade, so I fear that stropping the blade might shorten its life. I have heard of running the edge across a cork will also remove the coating.
Macduff’s Monthly Blade Review: Gillette 7 o’clock Sharp Edge
- Thread starter Macduff
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I would do that except I rarely get more than 3-4 shaves from any blade, so I fear that stropping the blade might shorten its life. I have heard of running the edge across a cork will also remove the coating.
Got it! That's why I like Kai blades, no coating!
I have not tried the Kai blades and do not plan to do so. After reading some reviews, I am concerned that the Kai blades are not sharp enough to tackle my coarse beard. I have heard that Kai blades are made from thicker gauge steel. For me, that might not be a good thing.
I know that some folks consider Kai blades to be very sharp, but I suspect they are the same people that consider Astra SP blades to be very sharp. I have tried Astra SP blades from multiple sources. I have never found them to be sharp enough to give me a close, comfortable shave. I need sharper blades to do that.
Multiple factors go into a blade choice. Some members rave about GSB, Voskhod for me, they are a couple of the worst blades I've ever used!
Why do you not like GSB and Voskhod? If you like Kai blades, it may be that GSB and Voskhod are sharper than you need/prefer in your razor of choice. Although I like those two blades, I prefer even sharper blades.
I've tried them multiple times from different vendors. They both were dull and couldn't get a close shave! Had to really open up my Progress to get somewhat of a shave out of those two blades. To each his own, I give blades a fair chance, if they don't work for me I move on! Again, Too many factors go into finding a blade that works for you and the razor your using.
I did not notice that new ones are laser etched. I am traveling right now but I have kept a tuck but I will pull a blade and see what's going on as soon I am home. However I will say that my past experience with them was also in direct reference to the Gillette India pricing. Over here Gillette sells the sharpest blades on premium and as price point goes down, blades too follow and loose sharpness right out of wrapper. In this scheme greens were right behind blacks and worked okay for my hard beard. But this lot was nothing like I used previously and felt worse than China made Indian wilkies that I rate lowest from Gillette India. All said I prefer very sharp blades like blacks, feathers and Polsilver so there might be a personal bias. On other hand I am inclined to believe that special promotion runs might have QC issues as shared with me by a fairly senior marketing guy from the company.
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- #28
@RayClem refined shave does actual sharpness testing on many popular blades (kai included i believe) so you may want to check out the site for ideas on blades to try. It gives you a general idea of what you’re getting into. That said, some blades “feel” sharper than others for some strange reason. I always review a blade before i look there to see if my perception lines up with reality. I’d say 75% of the time it does but it still leaves enough wiggle room to have to actually try a blade before a real personal opinion can be formed.
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- #29
I’d be interested to hear more from said marketing guy. Any idea the reason behind the qc issues. That’s super cool you have a link to the industry. I’d be asking him a million questions hahaha.
Great review but if I may.....get a vintage Gillette Superspeed or Flair or Slim to shave with.You will get a better shave with all your blades and get a better sense of how each blade works......cheers!Gene
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Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
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- #31
I have a Homelike Shaving START razor now and that’s what i use exclusively. But to be honest i felt like i was able to perceive blade differences better with the Van Der Hagen. I actually really enjoyed that razor. I PIF’d it to a new shaver when i bought the START but it served me well for 2 years and the blades i liked it in I still like in the START. I’m actually working my way through every blade for sale on both razorbladesclub.com and tryablade.com. Still using my same method of reviewing them. I’ll be posting up some scores and thoughts on them in the near future. I liked writing the full reviews but it simply got too time consuming. Glad you enjoyed this one!
Macduff lives!
Good to see you around again, sir! If memory serves (and it does always) there were nuptials to be had for you. Hope all went well and we will soon have another Macduff blade review.
Good to see you around again, sir! If memory serves (and it does always) there were nuptials to be had for you. Hope all went well and we will soon have another Macduff blade review.
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- #33
Hey@DEPenguin i’m shocked at your memory sir! I did indeed recently get married! Pandemic mucked things up a bit so we had to push off our “official” wedding in Puerto Rico till 2022. But we were always going to have a smaller, church wedding for family (and the man upstairs) afterward. We just decided to reverse the order and do the church this year and the “wedding” next year. It all went perfectly and honestly we both now kind of wish we had just done the small church wedding and skipped the big one. But alas, deposits are non-refundable. Still, it’ll be more like a big party now and after foregoing any traveling or vacations for 2 years we’re both ready for that! Many thanks for the well wishes by the way! To keep it somewhat shaving related, what did i use on the big day? My travel Gillette tech, a stick of Arko, a Polsilver blade and some Armani Aqua di Gio aftershave the fiancé’ (now wife) bought me. It was unexpectedly rushed as I had other things to attend to that morning but no weepers or irritation and i looked tip top if i do say so hahaha. Anyway thanks again for the well wishes and i’ll be back to posting some “thoughts” on blades in the near future.
Excellent! Glad things went well for you.
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