New Red-Pack Personna

[Teddyboy]

I just acquired some Red Pack Personnas. Apparently they are now made in the U.S., as indicated directly on the blade.
No more made in Israel. Hope they are good.

 

[bosseb]

I have noticed that the EU variant of the red IPs is since a few years packaged with a blue label. Just recently the marking 'Made in Israel' has disappeared from the label. No indication whatsoever on the blade. The blade is the same as always though. Go figure...

http://connaughtshaving.com/redpersonna.html

 

[SteveWY]

Could you post a photo of the packaging and blade? Where did you get them?

 

[The Dean]

I just acquired some Red Pack Personnas. Apparently they are now made in the U.S., as indicated directly on the blade.
No more made in Israel. Hope they are good.

The Israeli made Red blade sometimes says "Made in Mexico" on the package. These are still actually manufactured in Israel as I understand it.

I wonder about the Made in USA blades. I'd imagine if it is actually on the blade, they are really made in the USA.

Personna keeps delivering the mystery.

 

[i8ntskeered]

View attachment 382217

The saga continues.

 

[bosseb]

The saga continues.

But luckily the blade remains the same. Just in case it changes I have stashed 800 in my den.

 

[xillion]

There was a seller on the bay offering older made in the USA Red Personna blades in large quantities a while back.

Here is a thread from April.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/340671-personna-red-say-made-in-the-usa

I have an old sleeve of Red wrapped Personnas that say made in USA.

They are great. Nothing special. Three good shaves, smooth and consistent. They're at least 20 years old. The cardboard is aged and the paper tape on the corners of the box split at the slightest touch. The blades though are beauties. I keep them as an everyday blade that I can gauge different razors with since they are so smooth and consistent.

I paid near nothing for them considering how many I got. It was a random sale from someone on eBay who did not have any other shaving related items for sale.

I also got a sleeve of Personnas once that have multi-colored wrappers. They're wrapped inside out. Terrible shaves. Terrible I tell you. The seller listed them as Army surplus. These were unmarked at all on the blade itself. I bought them in the hopes that some would be 74s. There have been more than one occasion where Personna 74 blades have been found inside platinum wrappers that are inside out.

I got a small lot once with 30 - 40 blades all with inside out wrappers. Over a dozen were marked as 74s on the blade. The rest were marked platinum on the blade.

Personna made great blades over the years. Some such as the Platinum and Stainless Steel are superb. The 'lab' and hospital blades currently available are a great blade and a great value if you don't feel the need to pay the premium for the hospital marked blades. My brother insists on the hospital Personnas despite my belief that the 'lab' blades are the same at a much better price.

I've tried Israeli Personnas, and while I was not dissatisfied with them, I also was not enamored by them. The one blade I've never tried are the 'barber' blades available at Sally Beauty stores. Price is a deal breaker, but the lack of enthusiasm and positive reviews for them is enough for me. The 'barber' blades may very well be the same as 'labs' for all I know though.

I have some old carbon steel Personnas I've never had the guts to try. The packaging is very cool and I've seen them in dispensers as well.

For curiosity sake, I've bought thousands of blades. I've tried almost every blade currently available and many vintage brands. For anyone newly into wet shaving I usually advise them to go for the Personna labs in the links above this post. Readily available and consistent.

For my AD and treasure hunt urge, I'm always looking for anything I can find made in the USA. Some of the best blades I enjoy using are made in the USA from the 60's through the 80's. For the most part - DE blades of that era are coated in one way or another, sharp, and made from stainless steel. Before cartridges became popular and after proprietary cut outs and notches stopped changing, there was an arms race to provide the best value to consumers. Gillette, Schick, Wilkinson Sword, and Personna were all turning out some of their best blades at that time.

What I haven't given into temptation wise, is buying generic and store brand DE blades. There have to be some that are just fantastic, and are only packaged and labeled differently than their name brand counterparts. Alas I have but one face to experiment with and test out blades...

*If a couple of you fellows would like, PM me and I'll tape a few of the Personna Reds made in the USA I have to a piece of an index card and mail them in an envelope. It may satiate some curiosity for you. I don't know if the ones pictured in the OP are the same as I have, but at least you could find out without owning 1,300 of them.

*offer open until 4/14/13 only to the first 10 posters of this thread.

View attachment 382228

 

[i8ntskeered]

There was a seller on the bay offering older made in the USA Red Personna blades in large quantities a while back.

Here is a thread from April.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/340671-personna-red-say-made-in-the-usa



View attachment 382228

That is the box I bought. 1300 of them, but I paid less than $100 for them. Couldn't pass it up.

 

[bosseb]

That is the box I bought. 1300 of them, but I paid less than $100 for them. Couldn't pass it up.

Saw that; only ships to US. The curse of not moving to Minnesota with the relatives in the 1880's!

AFAIK it's still the same blade. I hope at least...