Participation PIF - The Unobtainium Polsilver Super Stainless

[Demolition]

@Demolition, @SharpieB, and @Cheekee, I am now out of "favors" with our Postal Systems. I had to call every one of them in, and the Postal Systems came through!! WOW!! This must be an actual records (especially for @Demolition, my poor Brother up in the Hinterland, has been on the tail end of receiving blades for too long)!!

Well, if that's the case, then it might be faster to drive to Maine and pick up the blades in person next time!

Hey, waitaminnit... let me think about this for a second... At a steady 65 mph, I could do a round trip from Vancouver to Lewiston and back to Vancouver in 150 hours (12-hr driving shifts with 8-hr rest breaks in between). That's only 6 days. Hmm...

(No, I'm not seriously considering this... Or am I? )

 

[texh]

Yes, you are included in this PIF. You were supposed to send me a PM, but I had an address for you from the previous PIF so I used that one. If you are still at that address, then you will soon be receiving a letter containing the Unobtainium Polsilver Stainless Blades!! If you have moved since the last PIF, please send me you new address.

No no same address.. should receive it soon

Thanks again!!

 

[B_R_A_D]

Received my blades today, thanks again @Grundi Shark week for me so will start with the Polsilver Stainless next week

 

[hairless wonder]

On Wednesday morning, I used the Polisilver with my Fendrihan Kingston head on a West Coast Shaving 79BR. I had a cold water shave with some Proraso Blue cream lathered with a Van der Hagen Night Star three brush silvertip brush in a Captain's Choice cobalt blue Seaworthy bowl. I finished off the shave with a generic alum block, a splash or two of Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue and a dash of Duke Cannon Ice Cold Aftershave Balm. Overall, I give the shave a 93/100.

It's been hot where I live, lately. I've been trying cold water shaves and have had some successes and some failures. I'm still trying to nail down a good cold water shave routine for the hot weather of summer. So much of the "bad parts" of the shave are probably due to user error.

I will say this, the blade feels very sharp. I wound up with a couple minor nicks from buffing like I usually do with other blades (including the vintage Astra stainless steel blades in a previous blade challenge). Additionally, I felt the blade much more with the Polisilver than I have with most previous blades on their first use out of the wrapper.

That said, the shave was super close and trimmed my bears hair very well. I felt just a tad less stubble 36 hours after my last shave than I usually do with other razors. I suspect if I were to use my regular post-hot-shower shave routine, the shave would've been top notch. I'll give that a whirl tomorrow morning, though I'm away from home* these next several days, so I'll be using my travel set.

*That's also why I didn't include a picture of my equipment for this past shave.

 

[Avi]

Guess what came in the mail last night ? Thank you so much. I switched to the wizamet’s 3 days ago as it feels like it would be the comparison of brothers. Will test these out in a few days, and then alternating between the two blades

 

[Hms123]

Day 4
Polsilver blade (new blade)
Razor: Tatara Masamune
Soap: A&E Asian Pear
Oil: Truefit & Hill

Comments: Second day with this set-up (see post #152). Still very smooth shave...DFS+ by my standards. Tomorrow I will change over to my ATT Windsor and Seville soap (Barrister and Mann) along with a third new blade. Should be fun...or else why am I doing this?

 

[lancre]

My envelope of unobtainium arrived today from Lewiston. Thanks Grundi!
Since I don't want to incur @BigJ 's wrath, I'll have to wait until after Shark Week to try them.
So Monday I stop anticipating and start participating.

 

[BigJ]

My envelope of unobtainium arrived today from Lewiston. Thanks Grundi!
Since I don't want to incur @BigJ 's wrath, I'll have to wait until after Shark Week to try them.
So Monday I stop anticipating and start participating.

Good man! Be careful when SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS!!

 

[Hachet]

Gentlemen,

My apologies for not reporting back sooner. I've been hauling kids around for the summer.

Anyway, the blades arrived this week (thank you, @Grundi) and I can't wait to take one for a spin.

I have about ten days worth of course stubble so this should be interesting

 

[gablett]

Razor: Wolfman WR2 1.25
Blade: Polsilver SI
Brush: AKA Brushworx Abyss w/ SHD 2 band
Soap & Splash: B&M 42

Third shave with the polsilver in my WR2 1.25 SB. I wanted to give it a couple before I reported. 2 pass shave is totally sufficient, 1 WTG 1 ATG. This blade is as smooth as glass. I think someone above said they had to make sure the blade is in it, I had the same feeling. One of the smoothest blades I have used for all 3 shaves. Which is usually not the case with the first shave on any blade for me. Its usually the second shave that is the best. But boy is she a sharp girl. Ended up with a few weepers that I usually dont get. Its like a smoother Nacet. Very easy to use and shows no sign of dulling in the slightest. It might be a little sharp for this aggressive of a razor so next stop will be the Blackbird Ti and if its still too much on to the GC 84. It is quite similar to the Rapira Platinum Lux in smoothness, just sharper. Rapira's are my #1. I do have some of the blue Polsivers and some Wizamet blades. I think these are smoother than both of them with no really difference in sharpness. Both of those blades last forever, so I imagine these will too.

The only downside for me on this blade is the glue dots. They have completely stuck my Wolfman together. I don't understand why some companies use those massive glue dots. As of now, thats my only complaint. That and these are impossible to get.

Thanks again to all who made this possible. No way I would have been able to experience this any other way.

 

[ewk]

Last night I enjoyed a very smooth shave using the Polsilver in the Yates/WSC Merica razor. The Merica is a very mild and comfortable razor, but the Polsilver gave me one heckuva smooth BBS shave; one of the smoothest BBS results I ever got from a mild razor.

 

[Jmp63]

First shave with the PolSilver stainless yesterday. Waited a good day and a half to shave. Of course they came after a fantastic shave with a second use Wizamet.
Razor: Karve SB-B
Blade: PolSilver stainless
Brush: Sagrada Familia
Bowl: Timeless
Soap: Haslinger Aloe Vera
A/S: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue

I thoroughly enjoyed this shave. Having last shave with a Wizamet, it was fun comparing the two blades. The PolSilver was very smooth, as was the Wizamet. The Wizamet did win out in the smoothness department. The sharpness of the PolSilver also seemed to be lacking on the first shave as well, it was sharp enough to take down the growth, but not as sharp as the Wizamet. Ymmv and all. The PolSilver performed below the Wizamet for me, however it was still a very enjoyable shave. One thing I did noticeabout the smoothness and, shall we say, not as sharp a blade, it seemed like cutting or nicking myself would have been next to impossible! Thank you again @Grundi and @Space_Cadet for the wonderful opportunity to try out this blade! Have a great day y’all!

 

[Weean]

They're here! Already loaded in my Wilkinson Sword Classic ready for tomorrow's shave.

Thanks @Grundi and @Space_Cadet for making this possible.

 

[Rrose Sélavy]

Shave #1 with the vintage Polsilver is under my belt, but before I talk about the shave, I should share a few things... My beard is tough and my skin is sensitive. I know people say that all the time, but I really mean it. While I have most certainly had excellent shaves with DE razors over the years, I have never experienced the "I couldn't even tell if a blade was was in the razor, it was THAT smooth" that some people get while shaving. I ALWAYS know when a blade is loaded, as the audible and tactile feedback that I get (no matter the razor) is evident with every shave. And while I wouldn't say that that there's tugging while shaving, even with the most hydrated lather, the razor will always get a bit of resistance from my beard. A hot towel and pre-shave oil before the shave does help a significant amount, but who has time for that every day??? Using a straight razor or artist club blades make for a great shave (minus my fear of the straight on my neck), and frankly, it is for this reason that I have been using the ATT S1 and my new Blackland Vector a lot of late. I haven't abandoned my DE razors, but they just aren't getting as much use as they used to. They have only been used for around half of my shaves recently. But this shave was nice. REALLY nice. The Polsilver loaded into my Charcoal Goods (Level 2 OC) really did cut through my stubble with what sounded and felt like less feedback. Yes, the shave was "smoother" than with all but my favorite DE blades. Could I have imagined that? Sure. Or perhaps I just took more prep time than normal because of the legendary status of these Polsilvers. Maybe it was because I used a bunch of my favorite stuff for the first shave. Or maybe the blade is just that good! As I don't want to post a boatload of hyperbole, I am going to reserve any further opinions on this blade until I have at least five shaves on the blade. That being said, I truly enjoyed my first shave with the vintage Polsilver. I really hope that the next four plus shaves are equally as enjoyable!

 

[Demolition]

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

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Omega 10005 Boar
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label

A fine shave, today!

My three usual passes were all quick and comfortable with no post-shave irritation. The vintage Polsilver Stainless was very smooth, particularly at the transition points (i.e. jawline to cheek) of the ATG pass. I expect that it will feel even better on its second and subsequent uses.

Side note: When I opened the inner wrapper, I noticed that three of the four wax dots affixing the blade had encroached on the blade edges. I didn't want to rub the edges with a towel or tissue, so I carefully scraped the wax away with my thumbnail. The quality control of that aspect of this blade's manufacture seems a bit sloppy. However, that's the only negative experience that I've had with this blade, so far. Everything else points towards a blade of exceptional quality!

 

[fast shaver]

I am participating in Shark Week so I will use the Polsilver starting Monday the 19th.!

 

[SgtCrppls]

Shave #6
Another great shave Polsilver Stainless (6) shave 7 tomorrow, just loving this blade

 

[Hachet]

Okay gents, just had my first shave. The results? Mixed... But I have a theory (read on)

Here's the short version with pics:

Ten days growth (thick, course hair)
Beard only
Cella (see photos)
Timeless aluminum (medium aggression, also see photos)

I only shaved with one side of the blade (saving the other side for the next head shave.) The first thing I noticed was that the blade seemed sharp. I mean it really wanted to cut but it was almost as if there were two spots on the blade's edge that were rough or jagged. It caused discomfort and I felt like it was going to bite me any moment. I decided after the first pass (which pretty much got rid of everything) that the blade's edge had probably degraded some with time and after a second xtg pass, I was convinced of that because I had to go over the same areas more than I like to, which is what caused me some razor burn (extremely rare for me) just under my nose and left jaw line.

Now!! Here is my new theory after the shave:

As seen in the photos, the glue blots are quite large and after rinsing the razor and disassembling it, I had a second look at the edge of the blade I used, and sure enough, as @Demolition pointed out, the glue had indeed encroached upon the blade's edge. I am now convinced that the glue was causing the rough sensation and is also why I had to shave over areas a few times. This also makes me believe that the blade is indeed VERY sharp and with the minimal after effects, I am also sure that this blade is really smooth. I should have incurred a lot more razor burn. In fact, I was dreading the Clubman splash because of how many extra strokes my shave took but was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable my face was afterwards.

So there it is. I actually think shaving with the other side is going to produce an incredible shave. Really looking forward to it.

Here are photos as promised. They are screenshots of the actual photos because smaller images upload faster to B&B from mein fone:

 

[Space_Cadet]

Ah yes, 55 days, as I recall. And you're practically within shouting distance of Maine.
The postal system must be really messed up when people in Europe get their blades before us Canadians do!

A lot of different conspiracy theories inevitably appear in my mind when I think of how the work of postal systems around the world has changed since the outbreak of Corona epidemic. The change is very significant and you can't fail to notice it. Just for example, I remember how during all those long years I've been a member of this community, I've sent innumerable items to the members who reside in US, and in most cases it took something like a week and a half, two weeks, or two and a half weeks for those shipments to be delivered. And the same in the opposite direction - from the US to me in Israel - about the same time. But since this cursed Corona outbreak, the delivery times have changed drastically - from around two weeks to a month, a month and a half, and sometimes even two months or more. The outbreak is over (by and large), yet the delivery times have stayed the same and haven't gone back to what they were previously. But I don't see any kind of outcry and demand for some kind of explanation from the clients of all those mail authorities, nor anything that might resemble even the most basic explanation from those authorities as to what the hell is going on with them. I am surprised how quickly people have got used to this change and apparently started seeing it as something usual, normal, expectable, and unavoidable. As if in some weird and inexplicable way this very recent change has turned into something permanent, invariable, eternal. Which is obviously crazy! I don't know what on earth happened to all those stupid and irresponsible slackers that pretend to work delivering mail, but I have a very strong urge to schedule a personal meeting with some high-level mail executive in Israel or USA, or any other country, and express my deep discontent by beating the hell out of him. I'm sure it will make me feel at least a little bit better. Seriously, I'm not kidding, I just might snap the next time I will go to the post office, force my way to the top floor, find the director, mumble a few words just so he understands why I am so angry, and then take my sweet time drastically redesigning his facial features and bone structure. And after I'm done, I will tell him that I'll send him some iodine and adhesive bandages by mail.

 

[JAHE]

I am participating in Shark Week so I will use the Polsilver starting Monday the 19th.!

Same here... the initial reviews really look promising.