Personna 74- Was it worth it?

[John87]

Those of us who just had to have the Personna 74. Was your quest for the legendary Tungsten Steel blade worth it?

How did you get your hands on them? How much? How do the blades compare to your modern favorites or NOS blades?

I went to my favorite auction site and got 15 blades for about $30.

After thinking "My God, that's outrageous. I could get 100 real good blades for that!" I just looked up the price of Mach 3 cartridges and that made hitting that "bid" button that much easier.

Compared to the Gillette Silver Blue, Feather, Astra SP, PolSilver Super Iridium, and even modern Personna varieties, I really can't tell that much difference. It wasn't like I went "This is what I have been waiting for!" when it touched my face. Tried out various combinations for 20 OK shaves on the first blade before moving on.

What was your experience? Was it really worth it?

 

[global_dev]

isnt it just that it lasts a long time without significant degradation?

 

[Big Fish]

I used em back in the day, a great blade. Most probably won't ever get to use the 74 again.

 

[dionesius3]

I got some as a bonus in an eBay buy. They were not all that great but they had been submerged in sea water for an extended period then dried in the sun. They were bad.
The next batch came from a vintage blade lot I picked up at an antique shop. Got right around 85 assorted blades. In the lot was a full well preserved dispenser like above. These blades are very good. Every bit as good as the top modern blades but I don't get any more shaves from them than modern blades. But I am a member of Excalibur club and shave average blades to the mid to high 30's. The top blades for me so far have been the vintage Schick plus platinum blades. These have shaved into the 80's for me more than once.

The 74 blades go into the 40's but usually stop cutting rather abruptly. I wonder if they might have been better when they were new. It makes sense to me that titanium would degrade differently than the stainless steels used in normal blades. I know that salt makes titanium degrade.

I also wonder how much sharper they could be made on modern machines like the Feather blades are produced on, they might be unbelievable blades if they were produced now.

 

[CamberwellCarrot]

Is there any reason a tungsten blade couldn't be made today, other than that they last too long and destroy their own market share? I wouldn't mind paying a premium for a longer lived blade.

 

[BigJ]

Thanks for the review! I really like Personna reds, med preps and labs. Looks like I 'need' some 74s for comparison!

 

[coase]

Is there any reason a tungsten blade couldn't be made today, other than that they last too long and destroy their own market share? I wouldn't mind paying a premium for a longer lived blade.

You answered your own question. Market destroyer plus low price that most are willing to pay. Remember the market for ordinary DE blades aren't those in the West but in really poor areas of India, China, S. America. Places were people only pay a few cents per blade. There isn't enough demand for a top blade that would sell for over a dollar a blade retail (about what Personna 74s cost today inflation adjusted). I once asked on B&B how much people would pay to see their favorite vintage blade resurrected with full quality or better. The answers were usually under a dollar, even in a shaving forum! That suggests the total numbers for a really good but pricey non-collectible high end DE blade are just not there.

 

[Bobcat]

I just got 27 excellent shaves with a P74. You can do your own math.

I got one group of 45 for $1.00/blade and a group of 30 for $0.50/blade(better lucky than smart).

Here is the thread about the journey: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/481623-Personna-74-Tungsten-Blades-Finally-Got-Some

 

[John87]

I just got 27 excellent shaves with a P74. You can do your own math.

I got one group of 45 for $1.00/blade and a group of 30 for $0.50/blade(better lucky than smart).

Here is the thread about the journey: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/481623-Personna-74-Tungsten-Blades-Finally-Got-Some

Worked well in the Gillette? I'll have to try again with the Slim.

Note any difference in the unmarked "4 arrows" versus the ones marked with "Personna 74*" ?

 

[Bobcat]

John-I actually used the blade in 5 different razors over the 27 consecutive days. It did equally well in the Fat Boy, Slim, Red Tip, NEW SC, and Maggard V2 OC.

 

[bharvey60]

I have some and use one every few months. They shave great for about 11 shaves, good for 4 more then crap out abruptly. For me they seem to retain smoothness longer than sharpness. Would gladly shave with them all the time, but not at today's prices.

 

[DrAwkward]

I found the P74 to be a very nice blade, but it did not nearly live up to the hype. The longevity is remarkable: easily double any modern blade.

 

[BMblB]

I got 43 head and neck shaves out of my first P74. I got a 10 pack on eBay for about $2/blade. Totally worth it I my opinion.

 

[John87]

I can't figure out why someone won't license the intellectual property and whip up a new batch of Personna 74*.

I'm not buying the "They're so good that they put us out of business" line. You can factor that into the price.

At least then I could read thousands of critiques claiming the vintage ones were superior and the new ones are not as good.

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

I broke out a fresh P74 on April 1st. It's now May 12th and I'm still using the same blade.

 

[Bobcat]

Excellent!

 

[John87]

I broke out a fresh P74 on April 1st. It's now May 12th and I'm still using the same blade.

Wow! What razor are you using? Both sides? Three passes? Arko?

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

Gillette SS Black Tip, two pass and yes of course Arko!

 

[jpakstis]

I'll be honest, I never got the big deal with them. I use the Personna blue blades and I've found sometimes I can get a month with them. Considering the price difference, it wasn't worth it for me to hunt out P74s and that's when they were more available than they are now.

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

I'll be honest, I never got the big deal with them. I use the Personna blue blades and I've found sometimes I can get a month with them. Considering the price difference, it wasn't worth it for me to hunt out P74s and that's when they were more available than they are now.

I think I've seen them going for 8 bucks per blade. I wouldn't pay that price for them. Thrift stores are the place to get them. That's where the best prices are.