Exactly so.
I don’t know why forumites call them Lab Blues. They are almost the only Personna blade that doesn’t come in a blue box and they don’t say “Lab” anywhere.
New go to (non Russian) blade (non political post)
- Thread starter Al Bundy
- Start date
I don’t know why forumites call them Lab Blues. They are almost the only Personna blade that doesn’t come in a blue box and they don’t say “Lab” anywhere.
Some might disagree with my line of thinking, but I'm very happy to use Russian blades that I've already purchased, but I won't be restocking with any.
“Because it sounds cool.”
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“Comfort coated” isn’t very macho. Sounds like toilet paper. “Lab Blues” sounds more manly.“Because it sounds cool.”
The US made Personnas (Med Prep & Labs) are great blades. It sounds like your blade preferences are similar to mine so another one I like are the Tatra Platinums. They're made in the Czech Republic so I don't know if that's easier to get where you are.
Some blue on the box. Plus, they are so tough that a single blade can shave a Labrador retriever.
Another thought is if you buy Russian blades its less steel to make other things.
Which Wiki didn't work for you? The three types are vastly different in their sharpness. Give Sharp Titaniums a try, they are from Bangladesh, as well as the Winner blades from India.
For years these were the only blades I used. My information is old, so it may no longer be relevant, but the Med Preps were made at a different location. My experience was that the Med Preps had slightly better QC than the Labs (2 bad blades per box of 100 or 4 bad blades). Back then the Med Preps were twice as expensive, so you'd have to be pretty fussy to pay that for the difference of 2 bad edges.
Great blades, with excellent longevity. I'm currently using PolSilver or Wizamet, but I could easily go back to these Personna blades when my supply runs out.
I'll add another recommendation for Kai blades. They are one of my very favorite blades.
You mention Wilkinson Sword. Were you referring to the ones made in Germany?
They also make some very nice blades that are made by Gillette in India, that cost a third as much as those made in Germany.
Besides the Black's, there are Gillette 7 O'Clock greens that are made in India.
Beside the Diamond Edge, Super-Max makes a Super Stainless in India.
Besides the Dorco ST300's and ST301's, which I happen to like, there are the Dorco Prime Platinum and the Dorco Titan's, which are perhaps a step up from the 300's/301's.
They also make some very nice blades that are made by Gillette in India, that cost a third as much as those made in Germany.
Besides the Black's, there are Gillette 7 O'Clock greens that are made in India.
Beside the Diamond Edge, Super-Max makes a Super Stainless in India.
Besides the Dorco ST300's and ST301's, which I happen to like, there are the Dorco Prime Platinum and the Dorco Titan's, which are perhaps a step up from the 300's/301's.
I‘m with you. I have thousands of Russian blades I bought prior to the current… “conflict”. I will keep using them as I bought them ages ago, but they won’t be getting any more of my money.
In any case, Lord makes quite a few different and excellent blades in Egypt. I like Asco, Big Ben, Crown, Platinum and Silver Star (one of my favourites).
Also, Lab Blues from Personna are excellent as mentioned above as are KAI from Japan. Dorco Primes are excellent and made in Vietnam and many like Indian Wilkinson Swords.
Lastly Personna Platinums are my favourite blade and the Israeli Reds are still available for a fairly reasonable cost and the replacement German made blades are almost as good.
Lots of good non-Russian blade options out there.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Three DE blades that are great for myself are Gillette 7oClock SP (sharp & smoooth), Personna Red (sharp & smooth) and Kai SS(Extra wide + sharp Smooth)blades.
Another excellent SE blade is the Gem Personna SS PTFE blade, very sharp, excellent longevity, smooths out nicely, predictable + safest blade to handle and just as cost effective(100 pc purchase) at around $.02 to $.04 per shave from my experiences. I can easily get 10 shaves per blade if that matters. I find the coated GEM blades out last the (AC) artist club blades so the steel might be of better quality. Personna has been making razor blades for well over 100yrs.
Personna SE SS PTFE injector blades are another alternative and they are sharp & smooth with great longevity.
Schick SE proline 50mm AC blades are reasonble blades for SE razors and I use them lots + Feather and Kia make excellent SE 50mm injector blades also( the guarded blades are nice for Shavettes) to learn with and are sharp and smooth.
Another excellent SE blade is the Gem Personna SS PTFE blade, very sharp, excellent longevity, smooths out nicely, predictable + safest blade to handle and just as cost effective(100 pc purchase) at around $.02 to $.04 per shave from my experiences. I can easily get 10 shaves per blade if that matters. I find the coated GEM blades out last the (AC) artist club blades so the steel might be of better quality. Personna has been making razor blades for well over 100yrs.
Personna SE SS PTFE injector blades are another alternative and they are sharp & smooth with great longevity.
Schick SE proline 50mm AC blades are reasonble blades for SE razors and I use them lots + Feather and Kia make excellent SE 50mm injector blades also( the guarded blades are nice for Shavettes) to learn with and are sharp and smooth.
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Another Personna vote (er, two votes) for the ‘labs’ (or med preps) and the Israeli reds!! Great blades for me!!
Are those any sharper than the Loi Titanium blades from the same manufacturer? I like them, but wouldn’t turn down a little more sharpness.
They should be the same blade. The thing with them is that they aren't particularly sharp on the first shave, but 2-6 they actually become quite sharp indeed. An unfortunate case of overcoating perhaps, but do give them a chance for those later shaves.
Thank you, @D4PPZ I’ll keep at it
Why not try Turkish Derby Premium's , they are smooth and sharp enough. One of my favorite blades, and seem to work well in different razors.
Just like there are many different blades made by PPI in Russia, there are different blades made by many other blade manufacturers.
For example, Shark (a part of Lord of Egypt) makes Super Chrome, Super Stainless, and Super Platinum blades. The Platinum blades are far superior to the other two blades, so it is not fair saying Shark blades do not work.
Likewise, Treet is one of the few companies that still makes carbon steel razor blades, but they are make platinum coated blades.
There are Wilkinson Sword Classic blades made by Edgewell in Germany. There are also Gillette branded Wilkinson Sword blades made in India or China. Which did you evaluate?
Some Dorco blades are made in Korea. Some are made in a fairly new state-of-the-art blade plant in Vietnam. I love the Dorco Prime Platinum blades STP-301 from Vietnam.
Muhle blades used to be made in Germany. I believe they were made by Timor. I never like the Ice Tempered blades. Now Mhule blades are made in the Czech Republic.
Another factor is that many blades do not provide their best shave on the first shave out of the wrapper. 7 O'Clock Super Platinum black, Personna Lab Blue, and Wilkinson Sword Classic blades are like that. They are only mid-sharp on the first shave, but become much sharper after the coating starts to wear off.
It would have been most helpful if you had provided additional information concerning what you did not like about each of the blades you rejected. Were they too sharp, not sharp enough, not smooth enough, or did not last long enough? You also failed to mention the razor in which the blades were tested. I find that matching the right blade to the right razor is critical to a comfortable shave.
The 7 O'Clock SharpEdge yellow blades are good blades, but they are not sharp enough for my beard in all but the most aggressive razors like the Muhle R41.
