My Blade Search Journal

[RigelDust]

I found Rapira Lux and Voskhod to be very much alike too. I’m curious on your take of other Rapira blades when that time comes.
I also put PolSilver at the top of my blades. I feel like I’m cheating when using em. Very kind blades.

 

[AUvet14]

RPL Shave #3:

Slightly less smooth tonight but still perfectly comfortable. Good results. A little extra burn from the splash. No changes in the blade rankings.

I found Rapira Lux and Voskhod to be very much alike too. I’m curious on your take of other Rapira blades when that time comes.
I also put PolSilver at the top of my blades. I feel like I’m cheating when using em. Very kind blades.

The RPL is the only Rapira blade I have. I don't really plan on getting any others at the moment because I have so many blades as it is. Maybe some day but not any time soon

 

[RigelDust]

RPL Shave #3:

Slightly less smooth tonight but still perfectly comfortable. Good results. A little extra burn from the splash. No changes in the blade rankings.


The RPL is the only Rapira blade I have. I don't really plan on getting any others at the moment because I have so many blades as it is. Maybe some day but not any time soon

If needed I could probably help with that.
wink*

 

[Mouser]

Once you go Feather you will not want to use anything else. You better save that one for last.

180 degrees on that statement. I've never been so disappointed after all the posts I read about the great Feather. For awhile I'd revisit it to see if my opinion changed as I progressed and got better with my technique but this ain't rocket science or billiards and most men hit the peak of what's possible technique-wise relatively quickly. Blades are the most ymmv part of "our thing" ( sorry to go all Wise Guys there ).

 

[AUvet14]

Personna "Lab Blue" Shave #1:

I must say, I have read and watched great reviews of this blade. I had high hopes. Honestly, this first shave lived up to the expectations. You should be well versed in my shave procedure by now if you've been following this thread. I used the R4 plate for 2 passes and a third pass on R2 plate. This blade felt pretty sharp, pretty on par with Wizamet, Polsilver, and Gillette Platinum. The smoothness was also exceptional. At least after the first shave, this one is for sure in my top 3, right up there with Polsilver/Wizamet and Gillette Platinum. I can't say I'm wild about the printing on the blade which shows even when the blade is loaded into the razor but that is by no means a deal breaker, especially when the shave was as good and as comfortable as this one was. I'm really pleased with this blade and could very well be purchasing a 100 pack by the end of this.

 

[RigelDust]

I’ve never used any Personna blades. I didn’t want to get mixed up with the wrong crowd ya know. Maybe we can set up a trade in the near future. I have some interesting selections you could add to your arsenal.

 

[AUvet14]

Personne "Lab Blue" Shave #2:

Another really good shave. The smoothness holds up. I did have a pretty good weeper on my neck which I didn't feel at all which I suppose in a testament to the sharpness as well. Not sure how I got the weeper there. Very unusual for me but oh well. I'm not blaming the blade for that one. I still really like this blade.

Blade Rankings:
T1. Wizamet IS/Polsilver SI
T1. Gillette Platinum
3. Persona "Lab Blue"
4. Gillette Nacet
T5. Voskhod
T5. RPL
7. Derby Premium

8. Kai
9. Perma Sharp Super
10. Gillette Silver Blue

11. Astra SS
12. Astra SP

 

[AUvet14]

Personna Lab Blue Shave #3:

Short report tonight. Still a good shave. It felt a little less sharp tonight but still performed well. No changes in rankings

 

[AUvet14]

Personne Lab Blue Shave #4:

This was definitely the last shave for this blade. While pretty comfortable in the first couple shaves, it definitely faded over the past 2 shaves. It is still a very nice blade I am a bit disappointed in the durability, at least for me. The end results is still good but definitely had more irritation on tonight's shave.

 

[Rusty Shaver]

Love reading threads like this. Reminds me of when I started this journey. Now that I have a four or five different blades that I enjoy using and have enough stock of them to last the rest of my life, I don't get to experiment as much with blades anymore so it is nice to read the experiences of others in regards to this.

Hope you find some decent replacements! For my suggestions, it's the Gillette Sharpedge and Nacet blades, runners up go to the Voskhod and Wilkinson Sword blades.

 

[AUvet14]

Hope you find some decent replacements! For my suggestions, it's the Gillette Sharpedge and Nacet blades, runners up go to the Voskhod and Wilkinson Sword blades.

The Nacet was really nice but I felt perhaps slightly less smooth than my top 3 right now although the durability was ever so slightly better than the Lab Blue for me. I will probably use the Personna israeli red next and then start working my way through the Gillette 7 o/clocks.

 

[AUvet14]

Personna Platinum "Israeli Red" shave #1:

PAA CK-6 formula for the first shave as I've been doing for several blades now. This blade did a good job however I didn't feel it is the sharpest nor the smoothest. I still got a comfortable shave but compared to my top blade choices right now, this did not hold up. I think it felt fairly similar to the Perma Sharp Super in the sense that is was not the sharpest nor smoothest but still produced a pretty decent result although the exact feel of the two is slightly different but I can't explain exactly why since I tried the Perma Sharp Super a while ago. The results are still good but the it wasn't nearly as effortlessly comfortable as my top 4.

 

[AUvet14]

Updated thoughts on the Personna Platinum:

As the hours have ticked by since this shave, I have more irritation visible on my neck and the smoothness hasn't lasted as long as my top 4. As a result, I will be moving on from this blade for tonight's shave. This wasn't a terrible blade but as I have already found others that work much better for me, I'm not going to continue using a blade that just isn't the best thing for me.

 

[AUvet14]

Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless Shave #1:

Standard setup as each previous blades. 4 plate for 2 passes, 2 plate for a final pass. PAA CK-6 formula soap again. I would really like to get to sue some of my newer soaps but I'm trying to keep that consistent for at least the first shave with each blade so I am trying to practice at least some restraint My impressions of this blade are that it is moderately sharp and moderately smooth. I would put its sharpness somewhere around the RPL but smoothness was more similar the Perma Sharp Super. Fairly comfortable shave but just not as smooth as I'd like. As I test more and more blades I have developed a standard to which I seem to be judging the rest of the blades. For me, those top 4 a in another league from the others and the 7 o'clock didn't quite live up to those. Not a bad blade necessarily but not the most luxurious to use for my face.

Blade Rankings:
T1. Wizamet IS/Polsilver SI
T1. Gillette Platinum
3. Persona "Lab Blue"
4. Gillette Nacet

T5. Voskhod
T5. RPL
7. Derby Premium

8. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless
9. Kai
10. Perma Sharp Super
11. Personna Platinum
12. Gillette Silver Blue

13. Astra SS
14. Astra SP

 

[AUvet14]

Gillette 7 O'clock Super Stainless Shave #2:

Tonight's shave was better than last night's. The blade felt a bit smoother. Sharpness remained similar to last night. Idk if the smoothness improvement was due to a better lather overall or what. My impressions of this blade is that it is moderately sharp and moderately smooth and produces a fairly comfortable shave. Not too irritating but still doesn't live up to my top tier blades right now. I am not changing its place in the blade rankings but I will lump it into my new second tier just behind the Derby Premium.

Blade Rankings:

Tier 1:
T1. Wizamet IS/Polsilver SI
T1. Gillette Platinum
3. Persona "Lab Blue"
4. Gillette Nacet

Tier 2:
T5. Voskhod
T5. RPL
7. Derby Premium
8. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless

Tier 3:
9. Kai
10. Perma Sharp Super
11. Personna Platinum
12. Gillette Silver Blue

Tier 4:
13. Astra SS
14. Astra SP

 

[Tanuki]

I found Rapira Lux and Voskhod to be very much alike too. I’m curious on your take of other Rapira blades when that time comes.
I also put PolSilver at the top of my blades. I feel like I’m cheating when using em. Very kind blades.

I’ve got 100 each of the RPL and Voskhod. RPL a little smoother, Voskhod a little sharper. I got two tucks of the RSS, but I don’t get along well with them. I’ll try them again in Slantember and OCtober when I’m using a lot of different razors, see if they do better outside my main rotation.

I still haven’t opened the Ladas SS. After trying the three others and getting a couple hundreds I’m taking a Rapira/Ladas break. I’m watching this thread, though.

 

[RigelDust]

View attachment 1084841
I’ve got 100 each of the RPL and Voskhod. RPL a little smoother, Voskhod a little sharper. I got two tucks of the RSS, but I don’t get along well with them. I’ll try them again in Slantember and OCtober when I’m using a lot of different razors, see if they do better outside my main rotation.

I still haven’t opened the Ladas SS. After trying the three others and getting a couple hundreds I’m taking a Rapira/Ladas break. I’m watching this thread, though.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with Ladas. And where is Rapira chrome? lol
I need to revisit both Astras and Voskhod for fun and see if I like em more or less now.

 

[Chandu]

Soaps scents can be subjective,, but soap performance is key,, you may want to visit soap thread

I’m learning that wetshavers agree that there are some top tier artisan soap makers that have up the game in scent/slickness/ glide,/ post shave

I now look for top tier soaps only,, no not rich

But I used best razor, best blades and best soap, best routine etc,= one amazing shaves

Keep up the good work, fellow wet shaver[emoji3]

I think this is a huge YMMV issue. I've tried what many consider the top and thought some were good, but none warranted the per shave price over much cheaper products that don't require base changes and drops ever couple of months to build up demand that probably would not be sustained otherwise. Nothing like keeping the demand large and the supply small via base changes.

I've since decided to stay with some of the traditional (been around decades if not hundreds of years) purveyors of shave soap. I know how to apply balm if I need some post shave grease. My skin tends to the oily side anyway, so almost never an issue.

Once you go Feather you will not want to use anything else. You better save that one for last.

I like their DE blades but not the FHS-10 - tuggy dull-ish blade in the One Blade. My first choice are Personna Med Prep and Kai, but Feather are good for me too but can be a rougher ride the first time out.

 

[AUvet14]

I think this is a huge YMMV issue. I've tried what many consider the top and thought some were good, but none warranted the per shave price over much cheaper products that don't require base changes and drops ever couple of months to build up demand that probably would not be sustained otherwise. Nothing like keeping the demand large and the supply small via base changes.

I've since decided to stay with some of the traditional (been around decades if not hundreds of years) purveyors of shave soap. I know how to apply balm if I need some post shave grease. My skin tends to the oily side anyway, so almost never an issue.

I would tend to agree with that statement so far. After trying the A&E and B&M soaps, they perform very well, smell wonderful, and produce very comfortable shaves but I have gotten just as good a shave from the much less expesive Stirling. The PAA CK-6 soaps are a bit pricier than even the B&M with no real significant difference in performance IMO. It all depends on the quality of the lather. Some days I just dont get the lather quite right and the shave suffers but most of the time the lather is good and the shave is great.

 

[AUvet14]

Gillette 7 O'clock Super Stainless Shave #3:

Another pretty decent shave. Pretty comfortable overall. I'm not changing the ranking placement but still a rather pleasant shave. Not my favorite blade but solid nonetheless. On a side note, I'm really enjoying this Shavemac brush. It's really broken in nicely and is starting to whip up excellent lathers each time as long as I don't get lazy or rush the lathering process. Once this blade search is over I'll start using my SOC boar and my homemade w/ Maggard knot more frequently to figure out the best techniques required for those brushes. This Shavemac performs very similarly to my Thater 4125/0 but is slightly larger and can handle a bit more lather for 3 passes. My Thater has also begun to shed quite a bit as it has aged and been abused. Now that I know better brush care, I plan on caring for these new brushes better. The Shavemac has maybe shed only a few hairs since I got it, absolutely superb quality. I also got the Seville aftershave in and I must say the scent sticks around for a while after the shave and smells great. Idk that I'd call it very barbershoppy which is what they appear to have aimed for but it is a very enjoyable citrusy scent.