So i'm back with another monthly review. Something a little different this month. My Henry Cavendish soap finally reached it’s inevitable end so i’m now going to be doing my reviews with Van Der Hagen Luxury soap. To be truthful, the Henry Cavendish was pretty awful so it’s a very welcome switch. Nevertheless, each blade will still be reviewed based on a 2 pass (plus touch up) shave using a Van Der Hagen razor, (now) Van Der Hagen Luxury soap and a generic Fento badger brush. 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.
This month is Treet Carbon Steel. The first thing i need to get out of the way is that the Treet packaging and blade are pretty much second to none as far as aesthetics go. Both the retro packaging and the black blade are old school cool. Needless to say i was very excited to try this blade. They don’t appear to have a US website and they’re manufactured in Pakistan. They don’t appear to have any coating at all but with the lack of info, i can’t be sure. So how did they shave? The term mixed bag came to mind...
As far as sharpness the Treet, frankly, was not. Shaves 1-4 all tugged and remained just a shade shy of unpleasant. These blades are definitely on the duller end of the razor sharpness spectrum. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was uncomfortable, but ideal it was not.
Smoothness, well, that’s where these blades shine. Zero irritation, zero weepers and perhaps the smoothest shave i’ve had yet. I was able to get the second BBS shave of my life with the Treet’s; and after chasing it for so long, it’s no small feat.
Longevity was merely ok. My best shaves on both blades were shave # 3. No idea how or why; it’s just the way it turned out. But shave #4 showed a marked degredation in sharpness and though i think i could’ve pushed a few more out of it, it certainly wasn’t what i would consider a long lasting blade.
Consistancy was merely ok as well. Each blade shaved slightly different; though they both peaked on shave 3. The first blade seemed better on shave 4 but shave 2 on the second blade seemed closer than 2 on the first. Nothing earth shattering but not exactly a model of consistency.
As far as price, a 200 pack will run you 18.95 on amazon so they’re on the higher end of the price point for DE blades. Not break the bank expensive but certainly a think twice expenditure.
The final verdict was a tough one. For me, a BBS shave is a real rarity so to get one from the Treet means it’s undoubtedly a performer. But, the tugging during the shave was undeniably bad and the actual experience of shaving was marred by it. Based on results it was a 9. Based on shaving enjoyment, a 3. So i’m going to settle on an overall score of 6. It’s a very good blade and one i’d highly recommend for someone with sensitive skin. But for me, it’s just too dull to endorse wholeheartedly.
I’m aware that there has very recently been a lengthy discussion on this blade so i expect the comments to be minimal. But hopefully i added something to the discussion and you enjoyed the review! Next up is Tiger 3H. I’ll be posting it up soon because as you all will see, it was a short lived venture. Also, the Tiger review will mark my posting of pictures for the blades and wrappers. Not sure why i haven’t been doing it but going forward i will. Till then, happy shaving!
This month is Treet Carbon Steel. The first thing i need to get out of the way is that the Treet packaging and blade are pretty much second to none as far as aesthetics go. Both the retro packaging and the black blade are old school cool. Needless to say i was very excited to try this blade. They don’t appear to have a US website and they’re manufactured in Pakistan. They don’t appear to have any coating at all but with the lack of info, i can’t be sure. So how did they shave? The term mixed bag came to mind...
As far as sharpness the Treet, frankly, was not. Shaves 1-4 all tugged and remained just a shade shy of unpleasant. These blades are definitely on the duller end of the razor sharpness spectrum. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was uncomfortable, but ideal it was not.
Smoothness, well, that’s where these blades shine. Zero irritation, zero weepers and perhaps the smoothest shave i’ve had yet. I was able to get the second BBS shave of my life with the Treet’s; and after chasing it for so long, it’s no small feat.
Longevity was merely ok. My best shaves on both blades were shave # 3. No idea how or why; it’s just the way it turned out. But shave #4 showed a marked degredation in sharpness and though i think i could’ve pushed a few more out of it, it certainly wasn’t what i would consider a long lasting blade.
Consistancy was merely ok as well. Each blade shaved slightly different; though they both peaked on shave 3. The first blade seemed better on shave 4 but shave 2 on the second blade seemed closer than 2 on the first. Nothing earth shattering but not exactly a model of consistency.
As far as price, a 200 pack will run you 18.95 on amazon so they’re on the higher end of the price point for DE blades. Not break the bank expensive but certainly a think twice expenditure.
The final verdict was a tough one. For me, a BBS shave is a real rarity so to get one from the Treet means it’s undoubtedly a performer. But, the tugging during the shave was undeniably bad and the actual experience of shaving was marred by it. Based on results it was a 9. Based on shaving enjoyment, a 3. So i’m going to settle on an overall score of 6. It’s a very good blade and one i’d highly recommend for someone with sensitive skin. But for me, it’s just too dull to endorse wholeheartedly.
I’m aware that there has very recently been a lengthy discussion on this blade so i expect the comments to be minimal. But hopefully i added something to the discussion and you enjoyed the review! Next up is Tiger 3H. I’ll be posting it up soon because as you all will see, it was a short lived venture. Also, the Tiger review will mark my posting of pictures for the blades and wrappers. Not sure why i haven’t been doing it but going forward i will. Till then, happy shaving!
