Med Prep vs. Blue Lab - Info directly from American Safety Razor

[KRpdx]

I hesitate to start a new thread in light of current thread conversation on "Personna Med Preps -- This Feather user is a believer," but I know there is wide interest specifically in the Med Prep vs. Blue Lab comparison. I emailed customer service at American Safety Razor in Virginia twice in the past several weeks asking the question, "What is the difference?" No response to either email. This week I called them four times and ricocheted off several departments until I finally talked to a kind woman in Medical Sales who, for what they're worth, gave me quick, unequivocal answers: (I'm paraphrasing)...

"Obviously we can't give you proprietary information about our manufacturing processes, but I can tell you this,

-The Med Prep blade product number is 74-0002; the other blade is #60257
-There is one primary distributor of #60257, a beauty supply wholesaler
-Both blades are manufactured in the same plant
-Both blades are made with the same specifications
-The blades are made on different machines
-Neither blade is sanitized before leaving the factory

Maybe there's a manufacturing engineer among us who can tell us how probable (or not) it is that the blades are identical?

 

[hillbilly pick]

There are many threads dedicated to this very head to head. I will have to look in the archives but...

 

[hillbilly pick]

Here is some prep reading from the lab

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...uot-Lab-Blue-quot?highlight=Personna+Med+Prep


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-prep-or-Lab-prep?highlight=Personna+Med+Prep


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...rsonna-Med-vs-Lab?highlight=Personna+Med+Prep

 

[jdkdonk]

KRpdx,

Just wanted to let you know I appreciate ready about the results of your research. In fact, I'm doubly impressed. Calling companies on the phone is one of my least favourite things to do. Especially in a case like this where no one really wants to help you.

I'm not a mechanical engineer, computer actually, but I think these blades should be very similar. The tolerances required to get a good product require both machines/lines to be setup very similar to achieve sharp results. If machines could not be tuned into almost the exact same settings, then all lines of blades would shave differently over time. Its not like the grinding wheels belts etc last forever, they wear out and must be replaced.

That said, I think its only very minimal sharpening angle differences that separate one blade model from another, and as we know this leads to drastically different shave experiences.

I'm still fairly new to shaving so I can't answer this question:

Do shaves from one brand vary over time? Say you bought some Silver Blues in 2005, and some more in 2013. Do they feel about the same?

 

[BayRhum]

I'v been in automotive and aerospace manufacturing my whole career. The following statement is important:

"Both blades are made with the same specifications
-The blades are made on different machines"

This could mean a lot of things. But, even though the process is the same and the specifications the same, the product produced by two different machines could be very different. Specifications and QA "goalposts" could be so wide that very different end products could me the spec (e.g. wide tolerances on hardness, surface finish, grind angle, etc.). Pure speculation. On the other hand, the two different machines could be identical machines and the specs very narrow. We know at least the part marking is different and the wrappers a little different - maybe these are the only difference in the production line - sounds like they have dedicated production lines for the two part numbers. I'm obviously speaking from complete speculation.

Wasn't there some microscope pics of both blades and they looked a lot different?

The last two days I did my first back to back test on meds versus labs and the meds seemed noticeably smoother. Its my first experience with meds and they without question are incredible blades. Best ever. Labs damn good too. And hey, Made in USA - can't go wrong either way.

 

[hillbilly pick]

Here are the pics

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-Another-Personna-Med-vs-Lab-thread-With-pics

 

[hillbilly pick]

Looks that the bevel is smaller on meds

 

[dcobranchi]

Previous contacts with ASR indicated that they start off the same and then the meds are washed an additional time before getting the hospital use only stamp.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

I recently bought a pack of meds and a pack of lab blues from WCS, and looked at both of them under my optical comparator microscope. The edges looked pretty much the same. The meds were cleaner than the blues, with noticeably greater amount of oil on the blues. I am sorry that I can't share pics, but the scope is not meant for taking photos from.

What I saw would fit with them being made to the same specs. As noted, depending on when and where one sourced the two models of blades from, one would likely see some small differences based on line tolerances. I came away convinced that buying the lab blues essentially got me the same blade for half the price today, as they have for decades.

Stan

 

[mastershake]

only thing i notice that is different is the quality control. it seems to be be much more consistent with the meds than the labs. i love the meds and would buy them at the higher price if they were that much better to me. but i love the labs just the same but sometimes get a bad blade here and there.

 

[Jeff_H]

I haven't been particularly fond of the Lab's so far, but I haven't used them all that much. I may just have to buy a hundred or so just to support manufacturing in the United States.

 

[StubbleTrouble]

The strength of the calibration program on both the manufacturing floor and quality labs is key, and often overlooked or missing key components in any operation. Ideally, well defined process tolerances should be set for the blades, manufacturing process and measurement / test equipment. The calibration standards should be traceable to the SI Unit and there should be a team that understands metrology and it's application from the lab to the manufacturing floor. Without metrology, there is no quality.

 

[DrAwkward]

only thing i notice that is different is the quality control. it seems to be be much more consistent with the meds than the labs. i love the meds and would buy them at the higher price if they were that much better to me. but i love the labs just the same but sometimes get a bad blade here and there.

The comfort of my face is worth the extra money. I don't want to have to worry about so-so QC. Several weeks ago, I bought 100 meds from WCS and am glad I did.

 

[ckang79]

It would not surprise me if they were the exact same blade with different stamping and packaging but priced differently for two industries. Laboratories and salons need lower cost on supplies due to grant budgets or profit margins. For hospitals and clinics, the insurance companies pay and they can charge any amount they want like $8 for a bandaid which happens at all hospitals.

 

[mrb7]

.... For hospitals and clinics, the insurance companies pay and they can charge any amount they want like $8 for a bandaid which happens at all hospitals.

It isn't merely the fact that someone else is footing the bill. In any large concern the Bean counters factor in a cost account for liability. Some part of the cost of the item goes to an escrow account for covering unanticipated losses related to the product.

It isn't hard to imagine that the lab vs med liability is a large part of the cost difference. If an attorney thought he could squeeze a razor blade manufacturer for a medical procedure gone bad it actually is his obligation to try and get it for his client.

 

[Chadao]

Thanks KRpdx, this encourages me to follow my gut and go with the Med Preps.

Just bought 100 from WCS.

 

[Mick]

I would think the "different machines" statement would mean the silk screening process. the machines cut, grind, silkscreen, and package as one complete process start to finish. Obviously it would take 2 machines if one part of that process (even something as inconsequential as the silk screening) were different. Different packaging could be managed from the same machine just by loading the different wrapper and boxes for the machine to use but different silk screening would mean the machine would have to come offline for the change over.

 

[skydivemd]

For hospitals and clinics, the insurance companies pay and they can charge any amount they want like $8 for a bandaid which happens at all hospitals.

Oh, they can charge whatever they want... but insurance will only pay what they want to (typically what Medicare/Medicaid pays).

 

[jwilock]

It would not surprise me if they were the exact same blade with different stamping and packaging but priced differently for two industries. Laboratories and salons need lower cost on supplies due to grant budgets or profit margins. For hospitals and clinics, the insurance companies pay and they can charge any amount they want like $8 for a bandaid which happens at all hospitals.

ASR has said twice that they are NOT, Same specs does not mean same blade. "Extra washing or cleaning process" for one and not the other meand NOT the same. Made on different machines means they are NOT the same. Unless you think they are lying about all this, then they are not the same. How similar they are is a different issue.

 

[Chadao]

Good thinking.

ASR has said twice that they are NOT, Same specs does not mean same blade. "Extra washing or cleaning process" for one and not the other meand NOT the same. Made on different machines means they are NOT the same. Unless you think they are lying about all this, then they are not the same. How similar they are is a different issue.