Participation PIF - The Unobtainium Polsilver Super Stainless

[ImJustMe]

Blade #1, Shave #12 (that was yesterday's shave)

B&M Leviathan full set
Razorock Mamba 0.70 on a Stork titanium handle
Razorock 400 SE synthetic
Alum
Ariana & Evans Post Shave Serum Unscented

Altough I can feel the dent I put on the edge with my fingernail on one of the two edges, it still providing me an awesome shave. Leviathan is one of my all time favorite scent even though I can understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Fantastic shave! Even with my preferred blade, it should have been discarded after 12 shaves! I dunno if palm strop is helping that much or not, but I'm on an enjoyable mission to get as much shave as I could with it.

 

[tehnothing]

SOC-OCtober 11th

PAA Mentholated Cube
SOC Ash Wood Finest Badger
CC Copper Bowl
Cyril R. Salter Soap
Gillette New De Luxe Criterion
Wizamet Polsilver Stainless (16)
Alum
Witch Hazel
Nivea Sensitive Balm + Hyaluronic Acid
Vintage Yardley After Shave & Cologne

DFS+ 9.8/10

Blade two is still going strong on shave 16. I haven't had any of the tugging I had on the first blade. It is still sharp and smooth. It pairs well with the New De Luxe. They gave me another great shave today. Soap and after shave were a pleasant combination as well.

 

[ImJustMe]

Blade #1, Shave #13

I was inspired by another thread for this shave.

The Tabactober one.

I want to mentioned prior to write this review that it's the first time since a long time ago that I have the time two shave two days in a row and in a 24 hour time line.
I used my Tabac Stick shaving soap. Something I haven't done in a while. But something I haven't done more then a long time ago is use my Gilette Goodwill from 1929 that was made in Canada less then 20 km from my home.

Since it's a stick, I've had to face lather which is something I don't like that much. I think it left me with some irritation from the scrubbing of the brush.I've used this razor many times before with great result. I used to shave everyday a couple of week/months ago, which is not the case anymore.

First pass was more then enjoyable. Like if my skin wasn't complaining on the scrubbing. But pass 2 and 3 was more challenging. It was still a pleasant shave without any roughness. The only thing is that when I used my alum block it did told me that my face was a bit irritated by something. I dunno if it's the face lathering process or the razor ...

I felt some stinging from the Alum, but it wasnt that much of a big deal.

Although I'm "only" on shave #13, I'm very impressed by the performance of this blade. When I was lathering on pass 2 and 3, i could feel the scrubbing thar was comming from the brush.

Tabac is a awesome performer, i think that next time I'll scrappe some into my bowl prior to lathering.

Have a nice one gents!

 

[Demolition]

Thirty-eighth shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #2

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

Basically, a repeat of yesterday's performance.

We're now about 75% of the way to the goal of 50 shaves. So far, this blade has been much more consistent than the first blade that I tried which is actually quite remarkable because that blade was very consistent itself. However, at this point in its lifespan, the second blade hasn't had any significant ups or downs in its shave quality since new. The first blade had one or two which made me ponder whether to stop or keep going (of course, I kept going ). Anyway...

All three of my usual passes were quick and comfortable. I had to buff minimally, as usual, and the result was glass-like smoothness, once again. There was no post-shave irritation to speak of.

Just a lovely shave, overall.



p.s. It's hard to believe, but I've now enjoyed approximately three months worth of fine shaves with only two blades! Part of that is due to experimentation, but most of it is due to the fact that the vintage Polsilver Stainless blades are pretty darn good! So, I can't say this enough times: A big "Thank You!" goes out to @Space_Cadet and @Grundi for organizing this Participation PIF. Huzzah!

 

[Grundi]

p.s. It's hard to believe, but I've now enjoyed approximately three months worth of fine shaves with only two blades! Part of that is due to experimentation, but most of it is due to the fact that the vintage Polsilver Stainless blades are pretty darn good!

That is mind-blowing!! 88 shaves between 2 blades!! And every one of them captured in your excellent posts, @Demolition!! Very well done!!

 

[Space_Cadet]

p.s. It's hard to believe, but I've now enjoyed approximately three months worth of fine shaves with only two blades! Part of that is due to experimentation, but most of it is due to the fact that the vintage Polsilver Stainless blades are pretty darn good! So, I can't say this enough times: A big "Thank You!" goes out to @Space_Cadet and @Grundi for organizing this Participation PIF. Huzzah!

I knew it!
First I pondered sending all the blades to you to set you up for life. But then I said: nah, 5 blades will be enough to set Demolition for life.

 

[fast shaver]

Are we going to have some other brand of blades to try out soon.?
I love to test out different blades.

 

[Grundi]

Are we going to have some other brand of blades to try out soon.?
I love to test out different blades.

Yes, indeed!! But holding off until after the Annual Sue Moore Auction so that the focus is on raising money for cancer research and acquiring awesome items!!

After that though...be vigilant and watching...

 

[Demolition]

Thirty-ninth shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Omega 10005 Boar
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

Another fine outing from the FOCS/Polsilver Stainless duo.

Actually, every aspect of today's shave performed well above average. The blade/razor combo is a known quantity after so many uses; everything about it exemplifies smoothness and efficiency.

So, as usual, the shave quality was excellent. Comfort level was again very high and there was no post-shave irritation. I think that the latter has to do with the extremely minimal buffing that required to achieve a glass-smooth finish. Just a few strokes here and there and Bob's your Uncle.

Meanwhile, the Omega 10005/RR SMdF pairing generated a lovely lather. I could be wrong, but I think the Italians might know a little something about brushes and soaps!

That is mind-blowing!! 88 shaves between 2 blades!! And every one of them captured in your excellent posts, @Demolition!! Very well done!!

The astounding thing is that I'm not the only one who has been getting phenomenal longevity from these blades. In the last couple of weeks, several fellow shavers (notably @cwright, @hairless wonder, @ImJustMe, @Mike M, and @tehnothing) have been pushing the limits, as well.

Also, over the course of this thread, I've enjoyed reading the contributions from all of the other participants. Some posted more than others, but all added valuable information to our collective knowledge bank. So, a big thumbs up to everybody else who joined me in this experiment:

@JAHE, @Beefdrippings, @fast shaver, @B_R_A_D, @Chaucer, @BradWorld, @sugardaddy, @BigJ, @ewk, @Jmp63, @Hachet, @Weean, @FarmerTan, @Chard52142, @wazabees, @Forged, @str8six, @South Dakota Guy, @12stones, @borwish, @Hms123, @zoidberg, @CJB3, @Juanmosey, @SharpieB, @SgtCrppls, @gvw755, @Cheekee, @Niched_edge, @Messygoon, @Juijitsu2010, @texh, @Batchief909, @DCP, @middlethird, @Mark1977, @Balthier, @Alohawyatt, @xiletero, @Rrose Sélavy, @Pings, @lancre, @Adjustingtolife, @stone and strop, @Avi, @HarleyDChevrolet, @Chad3, @faroll2, @c__port, and @gablett.

(Did I miss anybody? Seems like I might be a few names short. If so, I apologize.)

And, last but not least, a hearty "Thank You" goes to @grizz_85 and @ivan_101 for providing loads of fascinating information about the history of these blades.

I knew it!
First I pondered sending all the blades to you to set you up for life. But then I said: nah, 5 blades will be enough to set Demolition for life.

I can see it now... On my 103rd birthday, I'll finally get around to opening my second tuck of vintage Polsilver Stainless blades and think to myself "Wow, I only have 290 blades left. I'd better stock up!"

 

[hairless wonder]

Last night, I had shave #30 with blade #2 of the vintage Polisilver Stainless Steel blades. The blade was held in place with a Fatip Open Comb Piccolo in nickel. This was my second time trying a Fatip razor.

I used Tabac (tallow) shaving soap and made my lather just right. It was rich and creamy with plenty of slickness and cushion. I managed to get a nice irritation free BBS shave.

Prior to the shave, I showered with cold water and also used cold water to soak my Semogue Owners Club cherry wood handle finest badger brush. Additionally, I drizzled a bit of cold tap water on top of the soap.

After the bloom water turned filmy with soap, I dumped the bloom water into an empty yogurt cup, shook my brush to remove some water, and picked up the soap puck in my left hand. I began swirling my brush across the top of the soap for a minute before scooping up all the protolather left on the puck and transferring it to the shaving bowl where I began to continued swirling my brush while gradually adding some of the bloom water (along with more cold tap water) to make my lather. After my lather was shave-ready, I applied a little of the bloom water to my face by hand before each lather pass.

I did my usual two pass (WTG and ATG) shave and barely buffed my trouble areas. I did not feel the during this shave since I learned not to hold the razor at a steep angle (i.e., past neutral). By riding the cap and maintaining a shallow angle, the shave was nothing but smooth.

I cleaned up my shave with my usual alum block pass before washing it off and applying aftershave splash (Stirling Spice) and aftershave balm (Nivea Men Sensitive Soothing Post Shave Balm). As with my last shave, I barely felt the alum block at all. Still, I felt some sting from the alcohol in the splash.

Thanks to the Fatip, I'm, now going to aim for shave #60 with this blade. I'm confident that I can get 40 shaves out of the blade. I'm thinking 50 is possible, but I want to aim for 60 smooth shaves with one blade.

All in all, I would give this shave a 99.5/100. I've never been more tempted to give a shave an 100/100!

 

[tehnothing]

SOC-OCtober 12th

Face wash with PAA Mentholated Cube
PAA The Tube as preshave
SOC Cherry Wood Boar
P&B Star Noir Soap
Gillette New De Luxe Criterion
Wizamet Polsilver Stainless (17) blade 2
Alum
Hyaluronic Acid + P&B Post Shaving Lotion
Minotaure EdT

DFS+ so close, but, still not BBS. 9.8/10

I have been reading through BOSC science posts and trying to take advice given along the way. To that end today I tried to shave with quick long strokes. It worked well as I am closer to BBS than I ever have been today. I said that every day this week, and, today is possibly as close as I can come. The razor and blade combo is a very good match. I am shaving this week with the De Luxe, and, next week with a New Short Comb. By the end of the month I hope to know these razors well.

The blade is still rocking. I'm pretty sure this is as far as I have come with a blade. In the past I didn't count, and, I shaved infrequently, which made it even harder to track. I really like this blade. It is sharp and smooth. Blade one was tuggy at twelve in the Fatip lo Storto Gentile, but, when I put it back in the Timeless Bronze .38 it was fine. Yet when I put it back in the Fatip was tugsville again, and, I binned it after another few tries. 14 was respectable, but, 17 and no hickups is great. I'm not sure if I can take it as far as @hairless wonder and @Demolition, but, as of now I don't see blade two slowing down anytime soon.

 

[Demolition]

Fortieth shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua 24mm Tuxedo
Soap: Vitos Classic Eucalyptus and Lanolin

Excellent performances from all aspects of today's shave.

The FOCS/Polsilver Stainless duo provided another quick and comfy shave with no signs of tugging or roughness, yet. All three of my usual passes were trouble-free, although I did have buff a bit around my Adam's apple in addition to the usual spots along my jawline.

Meanwhile, the Yaqi Aqua Tuxedo/Vitos Classic combination was spectacularly good. I can always count on Vitos to generate an extra-rich and slick lather.

So, we're now 80% of the way to 50 shaves, but if this blade continues to perform as consistently as it has, then I suspect that it could go much farther than that. I would not be surprised if @hairless wonder can take his blade to 60+ shaves. I think that my previous blade could have kept going to 60+, as well, but the only thing that got in its way was my will to carry on.

However, without any arbitrary constraints, who knows what the limit might actually be? All I know is that the vintage Polsilver Stainless is definitely a worthy Excalibur-class blade as many of us have already proven.

 

[Test4echo]

Good to see all the love for Polsilver Stainless blades. 5 years ago I was lucky finding a sale on these blades on Shaving.ie. I bought 1000 blades, costing 32 Euro per 200 blades. Still have about 900 left, the only blade I've used since I bought them.

 

[tehnothing]

OCtober 13th

Face wash in the shower with PAA Mentholated Cube
PAA The Tube as preshave
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Rudy Vey B&B LE 2019 Manchurian
WK/PP Timmermann Soap, Toner, Splash, and Balm + Hyaluronic Acid
Alum

So close to BBS 9.8/10

I went with the New Short Comb ahead of schedule. After all I've read about it in threads devoted to blade rigidity I had to try it. The shave yesterday was the closest I have ever come, and, today after some touch up I matched it. The unobtainium blade 2 keeps on trucking. Sharp and smooth and has worked in anything I have tried it in. I'm going to try and keep this combo the rest of the month, and, maybe by then I will achieve my first ever BBS. I really have to hunt for stubble.

 

[Demolition]

Forty-first shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Classic 20mm Angel Hair
Soap: RazoRock Black Label

A close, comfortable shave with very little effort.

As usual, all three of my usual passes were trouble-free. Efficiency is still quite good and the comfort level remains high.

Buffing continues to be almost an afterthought; after all this time, a handful of strokes along the jawline and one or two around the Adam's apple is the most that I've required to achieve the closeness that I prefer.

Overall, a lovely shave with no post-shave irritation.

 

[tehnothing]

OCtober 14th

Shower with PAA Mentholated Cube
Preshave with PAA The Tube
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Shavemac 26/54 Fan
Gillette New Short Comb
Wizamet Polsilver Stainless (19)
ZM No 1 Soap and Splash
Alum
Nivea Sensitive Balm + Hyaluronic Acid

Not as close today as the rest of the week. I guess my technique today could have been better. Alum feedback was pretty intense from buffing and I still didn't get all the stubble. Had one weeper. Oh well that is why I am sticking with this razor for the rest of the month. The blade was great. I was lacking.

DFS 8.5/10

 

[hairless wonder]

Last night, I had shave #31 with blade #2 of the vintage Polisilver Stainless Steel blades. The blade was again held in place with a Fatip OC Piccolo in nickel. This was my third time trying a Fatip razor; I think I'm starting to get the hang if it.

I used Tabac (tallow) shaving soap and made my lather a little thick in the bowl then tried to thin it on my face with more water. Unfortunately, I added too much water and wound up with lather that was a little too thin for my preference. Still, since it was Tabac, I managed to get an almost irritation free BBS shave.

Prior to the shave, I showered with cold water and also used cold water to soak my Semogue Owners Club cherry wood handle finest badger brush. Additionally, I drizzled a bit of cold tap water on top of the soap.

After the puck absorbed most of the bloom water, I dumped the remaining (now filmy) bloom water into an empty yogurt cup, shook my brush to remove excess water, and picked up the soap puck in my left hand. I swirled my brush across the top of the soap for a minute before scooping up all the protolather left on the puck and transferring it to the shaving bowl where I the stirred my brush while gradually adding some of the bloom water (along with more cold tap water) to make my lather. When my lather looked shave-ready, I applied a little water to my face by hand before each lather pass. When I applied the lather to my face, I noticed it was still too dry; after dipping my brush tips into water I thinned the lather on my face with it. Unfortunately, with both lather rounds, I went to the well too many times and the lather wound up being just a little too thin for my preferences. It just missed the cushioning I like, though it had good slickness.

I did my usual two pass (WTG and ATG) shave and barely buffed my trouble areas. With the thinness of the lather, I wound up feeling my blade a bit more than last time. Since I rode the cap and maintained a shallow angle, though, the shave was still pretty smooth.

I cleaned up my shave with my usual alum block pass before washing it off and applying aftershave splash (Pinaud Clubman) and aftershave balm (Nivea Men Sensitive Soothing Post Shave Balm). Unlike with my last shave, I wound up feeling the alum sting. It was about a 4/10. Afterward, I also felt the sting from the alcohol in the splash.

As I said before, I'm going to aim for shave #60 with this blade. If I can manage to make lathers the way I prefer, it just might be possible.

All in all, I would give this shave a 98/100.

 

[Demolition]

Forty-second shave with the Polsilver Stainless (Vintage) blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia 24mm Fan-shaped Tuxedo
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap (Non-Tallow)

An excellent performance, today.

It's kind of hard to wrap one's mind around it, but the FOCS/Polsilver Stainless duo has consistently delivered one fine shave after another for a mind-boggling six weeks. As I've come to expect, my three usual passes were all smooth and comfortable.

I've mentioned many times that the ATG pass indicates to me whether a blade is wearing down or not. However, this blade has not displayed any negative behaviours during the ATG pass, yet.

By this point in its life, my previous vintage Polsilver blade had already deteriorated somewhat and was only able to offer mediocre shaves until I mercifully put it out of its misery after 50 uses. But, this blade... I think that 50 shaves is just the beginning!

Meanwhile, the Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo Fan/Tabac (Non-Tallow) combination did a great job. I've become fully accustomed to the non-tallow formula by now, so it's just another soap in the rotation.

 

[stone and strop]

That is mind-blowing!! 88 shaves between 2 blades!! And every one of them captured in your excellent posts, @Demolition!! Very well done!!

I can't imagine!!!
If it works for you- awesome.

 

[tehnothing]

View attachment 1346140

SOC-OCtober 15th

Face wash with PAA Mentholated Cube in the shower
A&E Slick Stick
SOC Ash Wood Finest Badger
CC Copper Bowl
Gillette New Short Comb 4 passes
Wizamet Polsilver Stainless (20)
Wolfman WR2 1.15 clean up pass
Feather One and done.
A&E Which One's Pink soap and splash
Alum
A&E Post-shave Serum + Hyaluronic Acid

I did a four pass shave with the New Short Comb. WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG at a neutral angle. That part of the shave was good. Smooth. DFS. I should have been happy with that. Did I stop? No, no I did not. That wasn't with the Polsilver and New Short Comb though. Maybe if it was the styptic pencil wouldn't have gotten such a work out today.

The Polsilver Stainless performed great today again. I don't know I have ever put twenty shaves on a blade before. Still just as smooth and sharp as always. I'm just not comfortable with the Short Comb yet. Going back to a steep angle tomorrow. I will shave with only the New. I don't need any more variables till I get to know it.

DFS+ 8/10