MY 2 most overrated blades

[Blondie]

Ok, so I have given a fair chance to these two blades:

Personna 74
Personna Med Prep

These are some really overrated blades. I think there is a herd mentality around these blades, and I ask that you do not help to fan the fire unless you have a TRULY superior blade you have tried to compare it to, say something like a

GILLETTE SPOILER

That is a blade to gush over.

Thanks, and keep it real!

 

[nannahill]

Feather and Astra are mine. Loving Personna Red. Shave five on my first try at this blade was as good as the first shave.

 

[RABIDMONKEY]

feather and astra , feather not worth the money and isnt smooth , astra is just average and so many other blades at same price are better than average

 

[Maxime D.]

I wan't to defend the P74.
They are expensive because they are no longer in production for about 35years, hard to find and historicaly valuable.

 

[Gamad]

Astra.
Talking about herd mentality...

 

[Kevan]

Wasn't impressed with the Med Preps or the Labs for my part. Astra is okay in TTO's but not in 3-piece razors for me. Feathers are too harsh and expensive.

 

[Gordy2]

Med Preps: YMMV, but I think they are great in both modern and vintage razors and have used them fairly extensively in both type razors. I rank them in my top 3 blades along with SI and Blacks.

 

[rickboone1]

I liked the P74. Never tried a Spoiler. MEd Preps sucked to me. Feathers just a junky.

 

[pipskicks]

Feather and Green Gillette

 

[OkieStubble]

Definitely Med Preps and Feathers are the most overrated for me. SI's are my ultimate.

 

[Gamad]

OkieStubble,

Have you tried PermaSharp Super? If you have - have you felt there is some difference between them and SI?

 

[BlackBard]

Ok, so I have given a fair chance to these two blades:

Personna 74
Personna Med Prep

These are some really overrated blades. I think there is a herd mentality around these blades, and I ask that you do not help to fan the fire unless you have a TRULY superior blade you have tried to compare it to, say something like a

GILLETTE SPOILER

That is a blade to gush over.

Thanks, and keep it real!

There you go again. Following the Gillette Spoiler herd.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[retiredguns]

I was the recipient of (2) P74s and am on shave #35. I'm about ready to retire the first but 35 (great) shaves from a single blade is pretty impressive. Felt somewhat "Feather-like" for the first few shaves then settled in as not only sharp but smooth for the next 20 or so shaves. It's the only blade I have ever tried that with but I can't imagine too many other blades giving this kind of performance? Will I pay for them? Likely not as there are so many other good, affordable blades that shave excellent.

I found Feathers harsh, short lived and for me over-rated.

 

[deafficianado]

Feather and Dorko 301. I don't like getting cut.

 

[dieselfuel79]

I find that the milder the blade (ie) Astra SP or Personna Red's....I get a close, smooth shave....but not as close as feather or bolzano's. I also find that the growth (to me) grows back faster.

 

[Blondie]

There you go again. Following the Gillette Spoiler herd.

Of course, YMMV.

They just WORK for me. Smooth and sharp from the get go. I don't want a blade that has to "settle in". Too many good shaves to be had to wait around for that nonsense...

 

[Viseguy]

"Herd"? There's only one person standing at the sink when I try a blade.

 

[Chester]

I don't know if the OP is meant as a joke or just some kind of puffery.

Either way, I can say the following about the P74:

I have only acquired the P74 injectors, but they are phenomenal in terms of sharpness that is supremely durable.
I still have the same P74 in my schick dial adjustable after more than a dozen shaves. It's still going strong -- better than any injector blade I've tried.
I've got a pack of Gillette Platinum Plus injectors (the GPP is also my favorite DE blade, over the spoiler/super stainless) and I have not had a chance to try them yet because the darn P74 just won't die. It's uncanny.

I have not had a med-prep, but some folks really like 'em.

I do think there are blades that don't measure up to the hype. (Could be that there's just too much hype.) For example, I feared the feather for months until I tried one and realized that I could only get about four comfy shaves out of one. Sharp, yes, but not so special, and nothing to fear. The feather SE blades in my VAS are the same way -- I get maybe six shaves out of them, but when they go bad, they're done, and it's a bit sooner than I like.

Anyhoo, I think it's safe to say that while there can be hype over current production blades, it's the vintage blades that probably get hyped because of rarity. That said, in my experience, they just made better blades in the 60s and 70s. The market was really mature, and the customer was a lot more discriminating.

I think everyone should acquire and try some vintage DE blades, and then decide for themselves if they're over-rated. Having tried the spoiler, and the "super stainless" blades that became the spoiler, I think they're a second-tier blade, beneath the Gillette Platinum Plus, but that's just me.

-- Chet

 

[OkieStubble]

OkieStubble,

Have you tried PermaSharp Super? If you have - have you felt there is some difference between them and SI?

The PermaSharps are very good blades. I find that for me, they are on equal par as Astra SP's. They both are smooth, comfortable, sharp blades. However, they fall just short of the 'zen' experience I get with the SI's. The SI's just shave me closer than any other blade I have tried. I know some have said that the Polsilvers were pretty much identical to them and Pols are about the only blade left that I haven't tried.

 

[ras120]

The thing about a blade -- any blade -- is that the user has to like the grind and hone that the manufacturer put on the edge. This is where "ymmv" comes into play. I personally did not care for the grind and hone that Personna used on their 74* blades, and the fact that I could get 30 shaves from one blade became a moot point. The smoothness and sharpness factors of the 74* can certainly be debated, but the ridiculous longevity has been pretty well established, so I don't see how they can ever be considered "overrated".

But, again, it's all ymmv.


I thought the Gillette Spoilers and Platinum Plus were nice, but I'm a Schick Chromium and Plus Platinum man through and through.