Personna made in Germany vs made in USA

[RayClem]

The Personna nomenclature is quite confusing.

The blades made in USA by Accutec Blades if Verona, VA are the least confusing. They make two DE blades. One is the "Comfort Coated" blades often called "Lab Blues". These blades are stamped "Made in USA". The other is the more expensive "Med Preps" that are labeled "For hospital use".

I have not tried the Med Preps, but I do have a bulk pack of Lab Blues. Personally, I find the blades to be very smooth, yet somewhat dull for my coarse beard on the first shave. As the coating wears off, the blades become significantly sharper.

The Platinum Chrome blades made in Nazareth, Israel are legendary. They are affectionately called Israeli reds, although they were shipped in red, UK blue and generic packaging. The blades were always stamped Platinum Chrome. The plant in Nazareth was closed in 2019 and the last shipment of blades from the plant left in 2020.

It appears there are two blades now made in Germany. One is the Platinum Chrome blade sold in blue and gold packaging. However, I have also see some German made Stainless blades that do not mention platinum anywhere on the blades or packaging. Some of these blades are being sold in red packaging that is similar to the former Israeli reds.

There is quite some debate on whether the German made Platinum Chrome blades are as good as the ones made in Israel. The ones I have tried have been very similar, but I have not tried enough of the German blades to state that they are the same.


Just do not purchase the Personna Stainless blades in red packaging and assume they will be the same as Israeli Reds. They might be similar to the Crystal Stainless blades formerly made in Israel, but that is just speculation.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

Thanks gents. We need a spinning head emoji just for Personna.

I'll report back with photos and my shave experience once I receive the blades.

 

[SoonerRick]

The Personna nomenclature is quite confusing.

The blades made in USA by Accutec Blades if Verona, VA are the least confusing. They make two DE blades. One is the "Comfort Coated" blades often called "Lab Blues". These blades are stamped "Made in USA". The other is the more expensive "Med Preps" that are labeled "For hospital use".

I have not tried the Med Preps, but I do have a bulk pack of Lab Blues. Personally, I find the blades to be very smooth, yet somewhat dull for my coarse beard on the first shave. As the coating wears off, the blades become significantly sharper.

The Platinum Chrome blades made in Nazareth, Israel are legendary. They are affectionately called Israeli reds, although they were shipped in red, UK blue and generic packaging. The blades were always stamped Platinum Chrome. The plant in Nazareth was closed in 2019 and the last shipment of blades from the plant left in 2020.

It appears there are two blades now made in Germany. One is the Platinum Chrome blade sold in blue and gold packaging. However, I have also see some German made Stainless blades that do not mention platinum anywhere on the blades or packaging. Some of these blades are being sold in red packaging that is similar to the former Israeli reds.

There is quite some debate on whether the German made Platinum Chrome blades are as good as the ones made in Israel. The ones I have tried have been very similar, but I have not tried enough of the German blades to state that they are the same.


Just do not purchase the Personna Stainless blades in red packaging and assume they will be the same as Israeli Reds. They might be similar to the Crystal Stainless blades formerly made in Israel, but that is just speculation.

The Walgreens brand double edge 10 packs are rebranded Personna Stainless made in Germany. The package used to be stamped Made in Israel, but no more.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi everyone. I received the blades today, and sure enough, they are not the packaging as shown in my very first photo, and not the packaging shown on the auction page. I have attached a photo of what i received. Sorry the photo is not the best. There are no markings or any indications on blade or package as to where these are made. Tomorrow is my shaving day, so I'll be using these for the first time, and I'll report back on my experiences.

Thanks.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi all. As promised, a few quick notes on my shave with the above blades. I've used one blade now for 3 shaves, over a 10 day period, using the same setup as I have for the last coupe of months (to make comparison meaningful).

Overall, they're not too bad. The actual look and feel of my skin post shave is fine, but the feel whilst shaving is not quite as smooth as I would like. I also find, which I have with other blades as well, a slight "metallic" sound as the blade cuts the stubble.

These would not be my first choice for a DE razor, but I would use happily enough if nothing else were at hand.

Astra SP, Feather, and Nacet I find more enjoyable during the actual shave.

 

[RayClem]

The Walgreens brand double edge 10 packs are rebranded Personna Stainless made in Germany. The package used to be stamped Made in Israel, but no more.

The Personna Stainless blades made in Germany are a recent addition to the Personna line of products. Previously, the generic blades sold by Walgreens, Meijer, etc. were Personna Platinum Chrome blades made in Israel. Shortly after the Israeli plant was closed, the generic blades were Personna Platinum Chrome blades made in Germany. Now the blades are sold as Personna Stainless with no mention of platinum anywhere on the blades or packaging. Do not assume the Personna Stainless blades are the same as the former Israeli Platinum Chrome blades affectionately known as Israeli Reds. To further confound the marketing, Personna is selling OEM branded Personna Stainless blades in red packaging similar to the old Israeli Reds, presumably to take advantage of the reputation of the now discontinued blades.

 

[Medivh]

I just saw this thread and I thought it would be better asking my question here instead of creating a new one.

My question is - how good is the Personna X-Series compared to the Lab Blue? I was able to zoom one of the pictures where it says that they are made in Israel, but other than that I really don't know anything about them.

 

[SharpieB]

I just saw this thread and I thought it would be better asking my question here instead of creating a new one.

My question is - how good is the Personna X-Series compared to the Lab Blue? I was able to zoom one of the pictures where it says that they are made in Israel, but other than that I really don't know anything about them.


View attachment 1552772

I am a big fan of Personna and have been using them for years… never seen these. Interesting….

 

[Medivh]

I am a big fan of Personna and have been using them for years… never seen these. Interesting….

I came across this thread and apparently, they are a bit smoother than the Lab Blue, but not as sharp and also a bit more expensive as well. I was looking to buy a few 100's of Lab Blue blades and found these, but it seems like the Lab Blue is the best choice.

Personna X Series.

So, I was surfin the web and came across these. Personna X-Series Double Edge Razor Blades they come in double edge and pre cut Shavette blades anyone know anything more than then product description? amazon also has them under personna x series. these don't appear to be lab blues, but I could...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Mike M]

I just saw this thread and I thought it would be better asking my question here instead of creating a new one.

My question is - how good is the Personna X-Series compared to the Lab Blue? I was able to zoom one of the pictures where it says that they are made in Israel, but other than that I really don't know anything about them.


View attachment 1552772

There was a PIF challenge with the Mystery X blades, you can read about it and people's opinions

Participation PIF - A Very Mysteree-X Shave

Participation PIF - A Very Mysteree-X Shave Made in Israel by a clandestine group of blade sharpeners, these Very Mysteree-X Blades carry a simple designation - the X Series. Only produced for a few years and currently out of production, the X Series Personna Blades are platinum coated and...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[RayClem]

I just saw this thread and I thought it would be better asking my question here instead of creating a new one.

My question is - how good is the Personna X-Series compared to the Lab Blue? I was able to zoom one of the pictures where it says that they are made in Israel, but other than that I really don't know anything about them.


View attachment 1552772

I have never seen these blades. Since the blades are not specifically marked Platinum Chrome as the former Israeli Reds were market, I suspect they are the same as or similar to the Crystal blades that came out of the same plant.

The Personna Lab Blue blades have a very thick "Comfort Coating" that makes the initial shave very smooth, but less sharp. After the first shave or two, these blades become super sharp. I do not particularly like them as my beard is so coarse that the tugging on the first shave is painful. After the first shave, they are great. For those whose beards are not quite so tough, they are great blades.

The Personna Platinum Chrome Israeli Reds are one of my favorite blades. They are not quite as smooth as the Lab Blues, but they are sharp enough for my beard from the 1st shave. The Platinum Chrome blades that came out of Germany initially seemed to be similar, but I have not tried enough of them to conclude that they are the same blade as Israeli Reds.

I do have some Crystals from Israel. They do not seem to be quite as sharp as the the Israeli Reds, but they are almost as good.
The ones I have are stamped Super Platinum+.

 

[koreysmith]

I purchased some of the Personna blades that are in the all red packaging. I found them to be okay, but I like the original Israeli Reds. I have quite a few of those on hand.

As far as the UK version of the Israeli Reds, are those just as good as the other Israeli Reds?

The Personna nomenclature is quite confusing.

The blades made in USA by Accutec Blades if Verona, VA are the least confusing. They make two DE blades. One is the "Comfort Coated" blades often called "Lab Blues". These blades are stamped "Made in USA". The other is the more expensive "Med Preps" that are labeled "For hospital use".

I have not tried the Med Preps, but I do have a bulk pack of Lab Blues. Personally, I find the blades to be very smooth, yet somewhat dull for my coarse beard on the first shave. As the coating wears off, the blades become significantly sharper.

The Platinum Chrome blades made in Nazareth, Israel are legendary. They are affectionately called Israeli reds, although they were shipped in red, UK blue and generic packaging. The blades were always stamped Platinum Chrome. The plant in Nazareth was closed in 2019 and the last shipment of blades from the plant left in 2020.

It appears there are two blades now made in Germany. One is the Platinum Chrome blade sold in blue and gold packaging. However, I have also see some German made Stainless blades that do not mention platinum anywhere on the blades or packaging. Some of these blades are being sold in red packaging that is similar to the former Israeli reds.

There is quite some debate on whether the German made Platinum Chrome blades are as good as the ones made in Israel. The ones I have tried have been very similar, but I have not tried enough of the German blades to state that they are the same.


Just do not purchase the Personna Stainless blades in red packaging and assume they will be the same as Israeli Reds. They might be similar to the Crystal Stainless blades formerly made in Israel, but that is just speculation.