Mfg diff in St. Pete blades

[don.putnick]

I'd like to know the difference in the three popular St. Pete blades in terms of manufacturing process, material, and coating. No, this is not a thread about how well they shave or how well you like them. Just the facts, please.
Thanx much.

 

[sandmountainslim]

The Gillette Leningrad Green's are the uncoated stainless blade.
I have never tried the others.
Wp

 

[Greybeard]

7 O'Clock Super Stainless (green) are uncoated stainless steel blades.

7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellow) are coated stainless steel blades. Whether they are actually coated with platinum, as claimed, I don't know. They are coated which fills and smooths some of the striations in the honed edge.
The beveled edge is also more refined and not as rough as the greens.

Super Iridiums are very similar to 7 O'Clock yellows. They are also coated and the edge looks very similar under a microscope to the yellows. The full surface of the blade is smoother finished than any of the others. They may be made of different steel.

Astra Superior Platinums are coated stainless steel blades. The bevel on these blades is very short and steep. The edge looks more like the edge of an axe blade whereas the others look more knife-edged. In straight razor parlance these would be a wedge, the others hollow ground.

There are other blades made in St. Petersburg but these are the best known.

 

[don.putnick]

Greybeard, thanks for the info! Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Rufust445]

7 O'Clock Super Stainless (green) are uncoated stainless steel blades.

7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellow) are coated stainless steel blades. Whether they are actually coated with platinum, as claimed, I don't know. They are coated which fills and smooths some of the striations in the honed edge.
The beveled edge is also more refined and not as rough as the greens.

Super Iridiums are very similar to 7 O'Clock yellows. They are also coated and the edge looks very similar under a microscope to the yellows. The full surface of the blade is smoother finished than any of the others. They may be made of different steel.

Astra Superior Platinums are coated stainless steel blades. The bevel on these blades is very short and steep. The edge looks more like the edge of an axe blade whereas the others look more knife-edged. In straight razor parlance these would be a wedge, the others hollow ground.

There are other blades made in St. Petersburg but these are the best known.

The coating is PTFE, or teflon, which has been used since Wilkinson started selling stainless blades in the '60's. Stainless steel is more brittle than carbon steel and more prone to microscopic chips and gaps in the edge during the honing process. Coating fills these in and makes the blade smoother.

Platinum is used in a hardening treatment on the edges to make them last longer.

 

[TiberiuR]

Great info!

I know many find Iridium blades very much alike Gillette Yellow ones. But for me Gillette Yellow are the worst blades, and the Iridium the best. Talking about YMMV..

Thank you for this information.

 

[zliv]

TiberiuR

I do agree. The Super Iridiums are a bit smoother and a bit sharper than the yellow Sharpedge to me. YMMV

 

[DE Shaver]

TiberiuR

I do agree. The Super Iridiums are a bit smoother and a bit sharper than the yellow Sharpedge to me. YMMV

I, too, also agree. The Super Iridiums are probably one of the best current production blades around, being both very sharp and smooth.