Participation PIF - The Unobtainium Polsilver Super Stainless

[gvw755]

Shave Lucky 13 with my Polsilver. The Gillette Psycho I bought off eBay arrived today and so I decided to test shave the razor tonight since I was thinking of loading the blade in a mild razor.

WTG pass went very well. Shave was very smooth although it left some fine stubble after the pass. For the ATG pass, I went slower and more deliberate. Since this was the first time shaving with a Psycho, I essentially had to learn it's character. The head shaved similar to a regular Tech, but the handle was longer and lighter which put the balance slightly off. With the exception of a few areas, there was no roughness or blade feel for most of the shave. I did, however, have to go with an XTG pass along the jaw line and under my chin as there was too much touch up to do.

What I am beginning to realize that when this blade starts to wear out, it doesn't show in tugging or roughness, but in efficiency, especially when using mid to mild razors.

Tomorrow is slant night and so I will load the blade in my metal Mulcuto diagonal razor, but I can see where the end is near.

 

[Demolition]

Eleventh shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 26mm Two-Band Badger
Soap: Pré de Provence Bergamot and Thyme

Someday, I'll have to bin this blade... but that day is not today.

Due to the reduction in sharpness that I noticed during this blade's last outing, I was ready to settle for an average shave. But, surprisingly, the FOCS/Polsilver Stainless duo provided a much closer and smoother shave than I had been expecting.

Today's shave was also much quicker because I didn't need to buff, at all. The main benefit of not buffing was an overall increase in comfort.

So, it looks like this blade has caught its second wind. 50 shaves might still be a possibility!

Side note: I enjoyed a superb performance from the Yaqi Moka Express Two-Band/PdP Bergamot & Thyme pairing. I suspect that the extremely rich, slick lather was a major contributing factor in my shave's overall excellence. The obvious lesson is not to skimp on the lather!

 

[SgtCrppls]

Blade #2 Shave #5
Another great shave, I have enjoyed these blades so much that 300 arrived at my door today.

 

[B_R_A_D]

Second Shave With Unobtanium Vintage Polsilver Stainless Blade #1

Razor: Timeless .95 Titanium Scalloped
Blade: Polsilver Stainless (2)
Bowl: Captain’s Choice Copper (Heavyweight)
Brush: Paladin Samurai 26mm
Soap and Aftershave: Murphy and McNeil Garda Siochana

A quick recap from the first shave with this blade, it tugged so much it was uncomfortable but surprisingly the end result wasn’t a massacre and no lingering discomfort or blood.

After the last shave, I took a day just incase so I could give the blade a fair shot. I used Murphy and McNeil again to keep things consistent, I got a fantastic slick lather, did you expect anything else. I did a three pass shave removing two days growth. The ATG pass was much better, with no tugging this time. It didn’t take off as much hair as I’m accustomed to but no tugging so that’s a plus. The XTG pass was mostly good except for my trouble areas of my lip, goatee and chin where it tugged but not uncomfortably. Onto the ATG pass, no tugging but it took quite a bit of buffing.

I thought it would be a closer shave but he end result surprisingly was about the same as last shave, DFS mostly except CCS on my lip, goatee, chin and around the adam’s apple. No cuts, weepers, irritation or redness. Again, I’m impressed with how forgiving this blade is, although I did alot of buffing, I had no feedback from the alum and not even a tingle from the alcohol splash.

I’m going to shave the next few days in a row, hoping as there won’t be as much hair to remove, maybe I’ll get a closer shave. Maybe this blade just isn’t sharp enough for my thick tough whiskers or maybe it’s a bad blade, we’ll see as the week progresses.

 

[Avi]

Day 6: Almost as good as day 5, perhaps a bit less good so thought I’d swap over to a new blade as I was curious how a new one would perform.

Blade 2, day 1: ( same soap etc )

So I noticed the wax blobs were huge, made it to the edge and moreover looked like it had oxidized: become yellow and very sticky.

Unlike with the first blade I rinsed this one off thoroughly using my finger nail a bit. It was surprisingly hard to get off compared to usual wax spots.

Given the somewhat harsh experience with the first blade on day 1 -3, I took a light touch with the BB @ 3. Ended up with a very mild DFS - - ( two minus shaves ).
Blade 2, day 2 : BB @ 4 far better with a DFS + shave.


My guess is the oxidized wax is affecting the performance of these on early days depending on the degree of rinsing and ability to get it off. OW a reasonably good blade.

Avi

 

[faroll2]

Hi all,

Little late to the party but I want to start off by thanking Grundi and Space_Cadet for providing this experience and opportunity.

Today's shave was really great.

Gear:

Muhle R89G
Simpsons Trafalgar T3
B&M Seville
Unobtainium PolSilver Stainless (1st use)

I find this blade to be just as smooth as the PolSilver SI but sharper.

Had a nice 3 pass shave BBS, cleared 3 days of growth effortlessly. I usually use Feathers with this razor, and it felt equally sharp but way smoother. I'm eager to try it with my other razors. So far so good.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

What I am beginning to realize that when this blade starts to wear out, it doesn't show in tugging or roughness, but in efficiency, especially when using mid to mild razors.

That is my initial impression as well. That is also very much my experience with Personna Israeli Reds, one of my favorites. To be honest, I don’t know if I ever have experienced tugging. Perhaps my beard isn’t that tough. Most of my shaving has been done with milder razors so it remains to be seen how these blades perform longevity wise with more efficient razors and my beard.

 

[JAHE]

Eleventh shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #1


So, it looks like this blade has caught its second wind. 50 shaves might still be a possibility!

Ha! It's magic, when that happens...cool!

 

[Weean]

Polsilver Super Stainless Blade 1 Edge 2 Shave 2. Wizamet W-11 Elegance, Cella original, Omega S-brush knot in homemade handle

With the W-11 opened up to 9 the shave was very reminiscent of the original Wilkinson Sword Classic shaves - very smooth, particularly on the cheeks, and a couple of weepers on the neckline. There was significantly more audible feedback, though.

I do wonder if I might have avoided weepers if I'd have used a soap with a more structured lather than I get from Cella, but I didn't manage that previously with other soaps, so the answer's probably no. I would have done better to use a smaller brush to get in amongst that tiny bowl, though.

I'm very happy with the results of this morning's shave, and I'll leave the blade in this razor until it starts dropping off in performance.

 

[BradWorld]

Polsilver SLIM Shave-Off -- Round 1

In the right corner: Slim on 9, PIF Polsilver Blade 2, Shave 1

In the left corner: Slim on 9, Modern Polsilver Shave 1

I gave the PIF blade the right side of my face. This way any strong-side bias would go to the PIF blade, giving it every chance to hold its own against the modern blade. I did the standard three pass shave. Slim on setting #9. NO Touchups. Super Steep Angle. I concentrated on making sure I did the same shave patterns on both sides. Minimal pressure. The 42 Softheart was amazing as usual.

Results: Both blades performed very well. Nice and smooth. There was no drama on either side. However, as expected, the Modern Polsilver on the left side was just a closer shave. Even running my finger down both sides of my jaw line I can feel how much smoother the modern blade left that area. The real test will be how it all feels tomorrow morning. But overall it was a great shave on both sides of my face. But the nod goes to the modern blade today.

View attachment 1302358

View attachment 1302359

So, it’s tomorrow morning now. 24 hours later. The level of the stubbles on each side of my face are surprisingly similar. Checking throughout the day yesterday, I noticed the stubbles on the PIF blade side starting to come back quicker than the modern blade side. And there is definitely more stubbles on the PIF blade side now, but not enough where I would have noticed had I not been actively evaluating this. So these results are surprising to me. I will do a head-to-head with these blades again tomorrow.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Wizamet Super Iridium Shave 1 Of Polsilver VS Wizamet

Razor Timeless SS .68 SB
Blade Wizamet Super Iridium
Brush Yaqi Rainbow
Soap Captain's Choice Lime
AS Pinaud Lime Sec
Balm Captain's Choice Lime

Rating 10/10 BBS

Another great shave. Very close and comfortable. After the first shave with each blade I doubt that I could tell the difference if I didn't know beforehand which blade was which. I must give some props to @Captain Pre-Capsize for his products. I get a great lather with fast and easy brush loading and lather generation. There is a super residual slickness that abets my blade buffing ways and prevents a lot of irritation. Same photo as yesterday, just imagine a Wizamet SI blade there.

 

[fast shaver]

Polsilver Stainless Blade1 Shave #9
Tools: Chieftain Razor PdP #63 & Plissoft Brush.
Got another close three pass shave this A.M.
The blade is slowing down a tad though but still good to go.
No nicks or Irritation noted.

 

[JAHE]

SOTD #189/2021
27-07-2021

Preshave: shower, frigid tap water
Brush: Semogue Owners Club 2-band finest badger butterscotch handle
Soap: Catie's Bubbles ~ Le Marché du Rasage
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Open Comb Stainless Steel
Blade: vintage Polsilver Stainless (6)
Post shave: frigid tap water, AXE Apollo AS.

Blade 1 - shave 6

I had to shave three days worth of growth today. After having completed two highly efficient passes I needed just a few touchups on my troublespots before my skin felt like 11 years old again.

During the first pass (wtg) I felt a tiny bit of roughness, so I thought the sharpness might have started to fade, but the atg pass was absolutely smooth again. I therefore will joyfully continue to shave with this blade number one. Onward to shave no. 7!

Happy shaves, y'all!

 

[Hms123]

Blade: Polsilver Stainless (6)
Razor: Tatara Masamune
Soap: Maison Lambert
Brush: Semogue C-5 Mistura
Oil: Truefit and Hill
Aftershave: Pre de Provence

Comments: I am in uncharted territory with shave 6. I have never used one blade for this many shaves. I was close to tossing it, but am glad I didn’t. Today’s shave almost seemed smoother than yesterday’s, but wasn’t quite as efficient. Nonetheless, the shave was a good one. Still no irritation. No idea what tomorrow will bring...of course, I never do.

(In line with yesterday’s comment about buying another Mistura brush, I did order a Taj from West Coast Shaving..on sale, I hope I can continue to afford to save so much on shave gear!)

 

[Chad3]

Shave#2 on 1st
Wolfman 1.55 WR2
Stirling coconut and lime
Yaqi HMW brush

I have to be using a bad blade and might have to bin it instead of working with this one for 2 weeks and saying how bad they are for me. Second shave is a mirror image of the first one. Very rough and AS burned!!! I’m not sure if I will take a break and revisit after another blade or pull out a second. I HAVE to believe it’s only this one because I can’t be that different from almost every review on here.

 

[12stones]

Shave#2 on 1st
Wolfman 1.55 WR2
Stirling coconut and lime
Yaqi HMW brush

I have to be using a bad blade and might have to bin it instead of working with this one for 2 weeks and saying how bad they are for me. Second shave is a mirror image of the first one. Very rough and AS burned!!! I’m not sure if I will take a break and revisit after another blade or pull out a second. I HAVE to believe it’s only this one because I can’t be that different from almost every review on here.

It’s most likely a bad blade. I mean even in the best modern manufacturing process there is variability, so vintage would usually suggest even higher levels of variability. While we always seem to expect perfection in products, we shouldn’t.
Don’t keep working with that blade. Toss it. Try another on your next shave. If that one isn’t good for you, then maybe this blade just doesn’t work with your skin, razor, and/or technique. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[12stones]

Blade 1 Shave 4

Another good shave with low irritation. I have a heavy beard so I dull razors pretty quickly. I started feeling a little tugging on this blade, but not too badly that I’ll change it just yet. 2 small weepers today, but I’ll chalk that up to it being only the second time I’ve used this Timeless. 3 passes and some buffing for a BBS shave.

Timeless Bronze
Polsilver Stainless (4)
Unknown Best Badger
Moon Soaps Havana soap and AS balm

 

[xiletero]

Blade 1 #5
Merkur 510 @3.5
Fitjar
Muhle synthetic
Speick Sport AS
Proraso blue balm
2+ head and face shave. No drama , no incidents. Minimal spotty irritation. A good shave.

 

[Grundi]

Unobtainium Polsilver Stainless Blade #2 - Shave #2 - Slims at Dawn

Equipment: Gillette Slim (4), Polsilver Stainless Blade #2 (2), WCS Duck Fat Fougere Shaving Soap

The Shave: Sticking with the Slim on 4, I received a classic (at least for me) shave #2, near effortless DFS shave, smooth, sharp, and no weepers. Love the WCS Duck Fat Fougere (scent and performance) with the only downside of it being in a sampler pack instead of a full-sized tub.

 

[BigJ]

Polsilver Blade 1, Shave #9

Wolfman WR1 razor
Simpsons chubby 1 best badger brush
Cella soap
Swiss Pitralon splash

Getting boring: another fine shave!! And it should be good for another shave or more!