QC of Polsilver SI - Polsilver vs. Gillette Blacks (India)

[JCinPA]

I've been going back and forth between 5-packs of Polsilver and Gillette Blacks for some time now and I have a question for you Polsilver fans.

First, after trying over a dozen blades, I settled on the Gillette Blacks as my standard. I find a half dozen or so perfectly acceptable but the Blacks are my favorite and I am not driven to try every blade known to man. I have several hundred and am contemplating getting 700 of them to avoid having to be without them (think Gillette 7 O'Clock Blue).

My experience with the batch of Polsilvers I got (about 100 blades) is that the quality range seems quite wide. Out of 100 Gillette blacks I might toss two right away. Every blade produces a stinker once in a while, I guess. But my record with the Polsilvers is more like 20%. Not that they are not usable, they are, but they are not up to standard, and rather than use them, I toss them looking for a top-notch sample.

When they are good, I think the Polsilvers slightly outshine my beloved Blacks, but only by a hair's breadth. They do not make me love my blacks any less. But the consistency of the blacks keeps me with them. I am wondering if any others have found this to be the case with the Polsilver or did I just buy out of a bad run of blades?

Again, it's not like they are unusable, but the range of quality is much wider in my batch of Pols than it is in my blacks. That's all. Does anyone else find the Pols that way?

 

[ElliotR]

If you are talking about Polsilver Super Iridiums I have not found any bad ones in my experience. They are by far my favorite blade.
No other blade shaves as smoothly imho. I am thinking of buying enough to last for 30 years because I am afraid they will stop producing them.

 

[socialjunk95]

I don't know about the polsilvers but the gillette blacks from India are outstanding blades.

 

[Early Morning]

Polsilvers Super Iridium has been around for 40 years now, maybe 41. If they make it another five years, it will surprise me since they are an old brand. So, maybe the market will become saturated with more counterfeit blades when that occurs (if they are discontinued).

The older Iridiums never fail me, but they are not the closest shaving blade or the best blade for cutting through thick whiskers, IMO. They are a good compromise between sharpness, durability and comfort. The Blacks feel a little bit rougher to me, but I'd say they are sharper than the iridiums. I still haven't arrived at any definitive conclusions about the newer SI, because I intuitively reach for the older ones and the new blades are not jumping into my razors for whatever reason.

 

[GTwannabe]

They're both excellent blades. PolSilver are sharper, but the Blacks are smoother. I'd stock up on Blacks as they are a bit cheaper.

 

[Timbo35]

i saw some bulk prices from India for the blacks on ebay.

 

[JCinPA]

Yes, eBay is where I am contemplating a 700 blade purchase.

I am using current production Polsilver SI. Again, they did not tear up my face, the quality was just inconsistent. In other words when I had a good one, I'd give it a very slight edge over the Blacks. When I had a bad one, it still worked, but the black was far superior.

Apparently, not many of you have experienced this, so maybe I had a bad run. It happens.

These are the blades

View attachment 455997

 

[DrAwkward]

I have several hundred of those blades, but I have not noticed any problems with QC or consistency.

 

[jwilock]

Yes, eBay is where I am contemplating a 700 blade purchase.

I am using current production Polsilver SI. Again, they did not tear up my face, the quality was just inconsistent. In other words when I had a good one, I'd give it a very slight edge over the Blacks. When I had a bad one, it still worked, but the black was far superior.

Apparently, not many of you have experienced this, so maybe I had a bad run. It happens.

These are the blades

View attachment 455997

I bought a few hundred of the older Iridium Supers from the guy who advertises in our marketplace. If you contact him you might see if he has any of the older blades still around. I've not had a bad blade from that batch. And, as you know, those blades were at one time considered among the best you can buy.

 

[JCinPA]

Well, went from Gillette blacks to Polsilver again. I think I've figured it out.

It may not be a QC issue at all. I think I was trying to like these better than my go-to Indian blacks and perhaps because of all the fans I imagined a shave or two was better. Then when I did not think it was, I thought I had a bad blade.

I really think the answer is I prefer the Blacks. No more experimentation. I'm off to buy the 700 blades!

 

[kiwimike]

I'm In a similar position to you JC but I haven't tried the blacks yet because they're hard to get here in NZ.
I think all the Russian made blades I have tried are inconsistent and that gets me confused.
So I would like to try the blacks seeing as they are made at a different plant.
JC would you say the blacks are sharper than the PSIs?
I'm after a slightly sharper blade that's still smooth and consistent.

 

[f86sabjf]

I finally tried my blacks after a year while trying to find a blade my face liked in my Weber. I like them a lot better than my polsilvers for comfort and closeness seems about the same.

 

[f86sabjf]

I'm In a similar position to you JC but I haven't tried the blacks yet because they're hard to get here in NZ.
I think all the Russian made blades I have tried are inconsistent and that gets me confused.
So I would like to try the blacks seeing as they are made at a different plant.
JC would you say the blacks are sharper than the PSIs?
I'm after a slightly sharper blade that's still smooth and consistent.

ebay straight from India the only way to go. Literally half price or less to our prices in the states.

 

[JCinPA]

I'm In a similar position to you JC but I haven't tried the blacks yet because they're hard to get here in NZ.
I think all the Russian made blades I have tried are inconsistent and that gets me confused.
So I would like to try the blacks seeing as they are made at a different plant.
JC would you say the blacks are sharper than the PSIs?
I'm after a slightly sharper blade that's still smooth and consistent.

I don't know if one is sharper than the other or not, but I like the Blacks better. And second the direct from India shippers. The bigger ones are very highly rated. The Blacks are sharp and smooth and consistent, in my experience. I'm sticking with them and I'm going to quit fooling around. I found my blade for life, I think.

P.S. I never found the old 7 O'Clock Blues to be inconsistent, and those were Russian. The Astras are Russian. I'm not sure the Pols are. Upon reflection I think it really was me trying (hard!) to discern a difference which sometimes I thought I did. Bottom line they are probably very consistent, given all the love they get around here. I just like my Blacks. Nice to have confirmation.

 

[Timbo35]

ik really like the indian blacks, but never tried the polsilver

 

[Penknight]

Before you purchase, be sure to take a look at RazorsDirect.com for the Gillette Black blades. Apply CUSTSERV in the coupon code area and get 10% off your order. Hope that helps!

Sadly, someone sent me a pack of Polsilver Super Iridium blades, but each time I try them, the blades end up with a burr or something like that and it tears up my face. Maybe I was sent a bad pack? I've only used two of them. If anyone has a couple blades they know to be of good quality because of the others they've used that they can spare, I'd be interested in trying them again.

 

[geezerone]

I find Polsilver SI blades consistently good and longer lasting than the Gillette Black blades. Most inconsistent blades I found have been Personna Barber blades.

 

[JCinPA]

Razors direct could not even come close. Just got 700 for $120 from a highly-rated Indian vendor. That's shipped.

 

[Penknight]

Razors direct could not even come close. Just got 700 for $120 from a highly-rated Indian vendor. That's shipped.

It was just a suggestion. I'm glad that you picked up what you were wanting at a good price. I do most of my blade buying through either Razors Direct or Amazon these days.

 

[Johnsebesta]

Like the Polsilver stainless. Sharp but smooth.