So i'm back with another monthly review! As before, each blade will be reviewed based on a 2 pass (plus touch up) shave using a Van Der Hagen long handled razor; but like all good things, my Van Der Hagen Luxury shave soap has come to an end. Unfortunately i made the mistake of buying some “artisan” soap from a vendor at the Newport Folk Festival (New Englanders might know about this one) as a replacement. The vendor was selling shave brushes and asssured me that “lots of people use our soap for shaving.” Needless to say “lots of people” must be pretty disappointed. The soap has good silckness but you can literally watch the lather disappear on your face. For those interested, it’s called “Peace” soap and the flavor is “Twilight.” As they say, fool me once...
I’m still using my generic Fento badger brush for consistency and I run through 2 of each blade and use each 4 times; for a total of 8 shaves per brand. I'll be grading based on sharpness, smoothness, longevity and consistency. Price will be a factor but only of it's very cheap or expensive since most DE blades are pretty cheap comparatively.
With that out of the way, this month i review a blade that is seldom spoken of: The Polsilver Super Iridium. Truly a blade that flown under the radar and is hardly ever reviewed here on B&B...
Ok well maybe it IS the most overhyped and overreviewed blade of all time but hey, at least it’s not another Gamechanger or Tabac review right?
So lets go over some basics first on the off chance someone reading this has never read a Polsilver review: They’re made in the vaunted St. Petersburg Factory in St. Petersburg, Russia. The factory is operated by Gillette so technically the Polsilver is a P&G product if what i’ve read is to be believed.
There has been continuing controversy that Polsilvers were discontinued back in August of 2016 and that once available stocks are depleted, the much loved Polsilver will be gone forever. After some serious (read 5 minutes) internet sleuthing, I was able to find out that this is most definitely a rumor manufactured by shady vendors to drive up price and demand. It appears to still be circulating because there are a number of sites selling these blades that are still pedaling this myth. Rest assured friends, Polsilver is alive and well and churning out sharp rectangles of stainless steel as we speak.
The packaging for the tucks is quite destinctive in an understated way. It’s blue and black with the “POL” portion if Polsilver against a red background. The blade packaging is just a lackluster piece of waxed paper and the blade itself is equally bland: Black lettering that says “Super Iridium” and “Extra Stainless.”
I did come across something that might be of interest though: The “Extra” in Extra Stainless may be referring to extra low carbon stainless steel. What is extra low carbon stainless steel you ask? Well from what i could gather, it’s simply a very corrosion resistant form of steel. But for a razor blade, that’s most definitely a good idea. Perhaps some metal experts here at B&B can weigh in.
So that’s all the cool info i could drag up on the Polsilver to make this review more palatable. If you’ve read this far congratulations! You now get to listen to my ramblings about “sharp and smooth” and other such things.
With so many glowing reviews on the shapness of this blade, my initial shave was a pretty massive letdown. The blade tugged more than a little and while the shave was close, it was hardly what i’d call sharp. After some preshave grumbling i loaded up the Polsilver for shave # 2 and was truly surprised at how much sharper it was the second time. As in i actually managed some weepers just by shaving without the proper respect for the newfound sharpness. Of all blades i’ve tried, none have had such an improvement in sharpness from the initial shave. Shaves 3 and 4 were also nearly identical to shave 2. The blade stayed very sharp and i had to remain focused to avoid the red stuff. Based on shaves 2-4, i’d rate this at the higher end of the sharpness scale.
Smoothness was another story. Though i was able to get a near BBS every time, i did get the dreaded “tight face” feeling post shave. Basically my face felt a little raw. Not enough for me to say the blade is harsh, but enough for me to say it isn’t exactly the smoothest blade i’ve ever used.
Longevity is where this blade truly lived up to it’s reputation. I was blown away by how sharp it stayed after the initial shave. By shave 4 it literally felt no different than shave 2. I actually threw it both my gillette tuckaway AND my Tech and still didn’t notice much degradation in sharpness. Simply put, the Polsilver is far and away the longest lasting DE blade i’ve tried.
Consistancy was excellent as well. Both blades had the dull first shave them sharpened up and stayed sharp from shave #2 onward. Nuff said.
Price on these blades is frankly all over the place. Amazon has them for $30 per 100, but ebay has them going for $15-21 per 100. It’s best to shop around. But if you buy in the $15-20 range it’s a pretty standard price for DE blades.
So how would i rate them overall? This was a tough one. They’re sharp and incredibly long lasting, but left my face feeling just a bit raw after all but the first shave. This may have been a bit of user error but a result is a result. In balancing all these factors and having time to reflect, i’ve decided that the Polsilver’s are an 8 out of 10. Next to the Viking’s Sword blades (which i still slightly prefer), these are the best blades i’ve used thus far. God help me for agreeing with the general consensus but it’s hard to deny the quality of these blades. Perhaps i was a little overzealous in my opening. Over reviewed? Yes. Overhyped? Not at all.
Well that’s all for now folks. Up next another B&B favorite: the Personna “Israeli Red.” Until then, happy shaving!
I’m still using my generic Fento badger brush for consistency and I run through 2 of each blade and use each 4 times; for a total of 8 shaves per brand. I'll be grading based on sharpness, smoothness, longevity and consistency. Price will be a factor but only of it's very cheap or expensive since most DE blades are pretty cheap comparatively.
With that out of the way, this month i review a blade that is seldom spoken of: The Polsilver Super Iridium. Truly a blade that flown under the radar and is hardly ever reviewed here on B&B...
Ok well maybe it IS the most overhyped and overreviewed blade of all time but hey, at least it’s not another Gamechanger or Tabac review right?
So lets go over some basics first on the off chance someone reading this has never read a Polsilver review: They’re made in the vaunted St. Petersburg Factory in St. Petersburg, Russia. The factory is operated by Gillette so technically the Polsilver is a P&G product if what i’ve read is to be believed.
There has been continuing controversy that Polsilvers were discontinued back in August of 2016 and that once available stocks are depleted, the much loved Polsilver will be gone forever. After some serious (read 5 minutes) internet sleuthing, I was able to find out that this is most definitely a rumor manufactured by shady vendors to drive up price and demand. It appears to still be circulating because there are a number of sites selling these blades that are still pedaling this myth. Rest assured friends, Polsilver is alive and well and churning out sharp rectangles of stainless steel as we speak.
The packaging for the tucks is quite destinctive in an understated way. It’s blue and black with the “POL” portion if Polsilver against a red background. The blade packaging is just a lackluster piece of waxed paper and the blade itself is equally bland: Black lettering that says “Super Iridium” and “Extra Stainless.”
I did come across something that might be of interest though: The “Extra” in Extra Stainless may be referring to extra low carbon stainless steel. What is extra low carbon stainless steel you ask? Well from what i could gather, it’s simply a very corrosion resistant form of steel. But for a razor blade, that’s most definitely a good idea. Perhaps some metal experts here at B&B can weigh in.
So that’s all the cool info i could drag up on the Polsilver to make this review more palatable. If you’ve read this far congratulations! You now get to listen to my ramblings about “sharp and smooth” and other such things.
With so many glowing reviews on the shapness of this blade, my initial shave was a pretty massive letdown. The blade tugged more than a little and while the shave was close, it was hardly what i’d call sharp. After some preshave grumbling i loaded up the Polsilver for shave # 2 and was truly surprised at how much sharper it was the second time. As in i actually managed some weepers just by shaving without the proper respect for the newfound sharpness. Of all blades i’ve tried, none have had such an improvement in sharpness from the initial shave. Shaves 3 and 4 were also nearly identical to shave 2. The blade stayed very sharp and i had to remain focused to avoid the red stuff. Based on shaves 2-4, i’d rate this at the higher end of the sharpness scale.
Smoothness was another story. Though i was able to get a near BBS every time, i did get the dreaded “tight face” feeling post shave. Basically my face felt a little raw. Not enough for me to say the blade is harsh, but enough for me to say it isn’t exactly the smoothest blade i’ve ever used.
Longevity is where this blade truly lived up to it’s reputation. I was blown away by how sharp it stayed after the initial shave. By shave 4 it literally felt no different than shave 2. I actually threw it both my gillette tuckaway AND my Tech and still didn’t notice much degradation in sharpness. Simply put, the Polsilver is far and away the longest lasting DE blade i’ve tried.
Consistancy was excellent as well. Both blades had the dull first shave them sharpened up and stayed sharp from shave #2 onward. Nuff said.
Price on these blades is frankly all over the place. Amazon has them for $30 per 100, but ebay has them going for $15-21 per 100. It’s best to shop around. But if you buy in the $15-20 range it’s a pretty standard price for DE blades.
So how would i rate them overall? This was a tough one. They’re sharp and incredibly long lasting, but left my face feeling just a bit raw after all but the first shave. This may have been a bit of user error but a result is a result. In balancing all these factors and having time to reflect, i’ve decided that the Polsilver’s are an 8 out of 10. Next to the Viking’s Sword blades (which i still slightly prefer), these are the best blades i’ve used thus far. God help me for agreeing with the general consensus but it’s hard to deny the quality of these blades. Perhaps i was a little overzealous in my opening. Over reviewed? Yes. Overhyped? Not at all.
Well that’s all for now folks. Up next another B&B favorite: the Personna “Israeli Red.” Until then, happy shaving!
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