Reliable list of blade coatings?

[dullhead]

Hi,

one reason to start shaving with a DE razor was a lesser impact on the environment: Card board boxes for the blades, "pure metal" waste (the blades), which
throws away only what is really used and so on.
Therefore I try to avoid blades with PTFE/Teflon coating, since this bad stuff is really hard to get rid of. The bond between fluor and carbo is VERY sturdy...

I thought I had found a good list of what blade uses what coating (razorbladesclub), but: The have Treet blades, which some of them are listet as "Teflon coated" and
other are not. On the internet O read, that one had emailed Treet, and they replied: All our blades are Teflon coated.

At least we have a anomality here...a glitch in The Matrix ....ve a anomality here...a glitch in The Matrix.

So...is there a list, which is known for its accuracy regarding the aforementioned topic?

 

[APBinNCA]

I can't think of a single blade other than the Treet "black beauty" Carbon blade. Tatra has a carbon that probably isn't coated. Unfortunately, trying to lessen your impact is about the best you can do. Otherwise, straight razors are your only option. I use vintage blades, the excuse being that they are already made decades ago and would go to waste otherwise. To repeat, all modern blades have PTFE coating except the 2 above and you wouldn't want a stainless blade without it.

Edit: if blades are recycled, the melting of the metal should vaporize the PTFE. Or you keep them in your wall forever so they don't get in the water.

 

[Slock]

The problem with PTFE is that is is a forever chemical. It does not break down. DOW chemical tried to do a study and could not find anyone in the world with out PTFE in their blood to use for their control group. They resorted to blood samples that came from Korean war soldiers. This from Wikipedia.

Polymer fume fever or fluoropolymer fever, also informally called Teflon flu, is an inhalation fever caused by the fumes released when polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, known under the trade name Teflon) reaches temperatures of 300 °C (572 °F) to 450 °C (842 °F).[1] When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the pyrolysis products are different and inhalation may cause acute lung injury.[2] Symptoms are flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the pyrolysis products of PTFE. A high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal.

It goes on to say it the fumes are deadly to parrots and other birds.

 

[dullhead]

I can't think of a single blade other than the Treet "black beauty" Carbon blade. Tatra has a carbon that probably isn't coated. Unfortunately, trying to lessen your impact is about the best you can do. Otherwise, straight razors are your only option. I use vintage blades, the excuse being that they are already made decades ago and would go to waste otherwise. To repeat, all modern blades have PTFE coating except the 2 above and you wouldn't want a stainless blade without it.

Edit: if blades are recycled, the melting of the metal should vaporize the PTFE. Or you keep them in your wall forever so they don't get in the water.

Hi APBinNCA,

thank you for your info!

What is the source of this information?

 

[dullhead]

The problem with PTFE is that is is a forever chemical. It does not break down. DOW chemical tried to do a study and could not find anyone in the world with out PTFE in their blood to use for their control group. They resorted to blood samples that came from Korean war soldiers. This from Wikipedia.

Polymer fume fever or fluoropolymer fever, also informally called Teflon flu, is an inhalation fever caused by the fumes released when polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, known under the trade name Teflon) reaches temperatures of 300 °C (572 °F) to 450 °C (842 °F).[1] When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the pyrolysis products are different and inhalation may cause acute lung injury.[2] Symptoms are flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the pyrolysis products of PTFE. A high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal.

It goes on to say it the fumes are deadly to parrots and other birds.

Hi Slock,

Yes, 100% agreed. One reason to avoid such stuff is the benefit for the environment if doing so. The other reason is to save the workers of those companies, from who are unknown, under which condition they do their work.

 

[APBinNCA]

Hi APBinNCA,

thank you for your info!

What is the source of this information?

I am sorry to say, it is just from personal experience. Mine and others on here. If I missed something, they would definitely correct me. Since 1965, all stainless razor blades have had some form of polymer coating. That is simply historic fact because the first stainless blades without it were reportedly very rough. The technology to produce a stainless blade existed much earlier, 30s I believe, but the manufacturers didn't believe they could sell them. Wilkinson Sword is credited with the first uncoated stainless blade, quickly followed by the coated one. Whether any company makes a more benign coating is unknown, that would be a trade secret.

As for the uncoated blades, there simply isn't a market for them. That is why there is only 2 available, probably soon zero. You can buy and examine only 20 year old uncoated carbon blades to see why they are no longer popular, the edge oxidizes. Of coarse, this excludes anything going on in China. Nobody really knows what the manufacturers there are actually doing. It is not a good idea to rely on merchant information, they occasionally have the wrong information. Lack of listing the coating is not indicative of not having a coating. For example, Voskhod had to stop listing the coating on the package as Teflon because that is a proprietary name owned by DuPont and they probably switched to a generic form of Teflon or weren't using Teflon from the beginning. Teflon is just one PTFE coating.

 

[lasta]

If you want to be completely environmentally friendly, start straight razor shaving.

Reduce, reuse, probably never need to recycle.

 

[dullhead]

I did that a longer time ago - and failed miserably. Straight razors will not be environmental friendly at least in my hands. All that cleaning and bleaching stuff to get rid of those blood stains all over my bathroom and may be elsewhere contains chemicals, which are poisonous...for example
NaClO, Tensides and others.
Especially Chlorine is a very nasty stuff...

 

[Rhody]

I hope all coatings are not Teflon or as bad. I suppose one answer might be exploring safe disposal of coated blades not fit for recycling. Maybe sealing spent blades in some time of water tight container before hitting the trash.

 

[Wil_D]

Hi,

one reason to start shaving with a DE razor was a lesser impact on the environment: Card board boxes for the blades, "pure metal" waste (the blades), which
throws away only what is really used and so on.
Therefore I try to avoid blades with PTFE/Teflon coating, since this bad stuff is really hard to get rid of. The bond between fluor and carbo is VERY sturdy...

I thought I had found a good list of what blade uses what coating (razorbladesclub), but: The have Treet blades, which some of them are listet as "Teflon coated" and
other are not. On the internet O read, that one had emailed Treet, and they replied: All our blades are Teflon coated.

At least we have a anomality here...a glitch in The Matrix ....ve a anomality here...a glitch in The Matrix.

So...is there a list, which is known for its accuracy regarding the aforementioned topic?

Treet Black Beauty and Gillette 365 are uncoated.

 

[BigJ]

If you want to be completely environmentally friendly, start straight razor shaving.

Reduce, reuse, probably never need to recycle.

+3! This is likely your best option.

 

[Angus MacAngus]

You could try vintage blades.

 

[APBinNCA]

Ah Gillette 365, that sent me down a rabbit hole! I hit my head somewhere along the way and 20 minutes later I don't know anything more than when I started except that they are the lowest price tier in India and the QC isn't very good. Very helpful information out there.

 

[dullhead]

Treet Black Beauty and Gillette 365 are uncoated.

I read elsewhere of someone, who has mailed Treet about this topic and got back the answer, that all Treet blades are Teflon/PTFE coated.

One case of many, for I wish we would have reliable sources of information.

 

[dullhead]

Metal coatings like Chrome and Platinum are - relative to PTFE - harmless. They are chemical elements (and no compounds), which are
relative inert. Platinum is a even a noble metal ("Edelmetall" in german...my selfmade translation look really weird to me) and Chrome is
used for the prevention of rust. Recycling by melting and separation from the iron (stainless steel) shouldn't be impossible and - without
takeing the needed energy into account - harmless to the environment.
What other coatings exist?
Ceramic: This can be easily melted and because its much lesser density will separate itsself from the molten iron/stainless steel. I see
no problem here either.
What other coatings exist?

 

[APBinNCA]

One case of many, for I wish we would have reliable sources of information instead of opinions and experiences (no offense intended!!!)

We all wish we had reliable information, but there is a good reason that we don't. These products are largely grey market and not intended for sale in western countries! I have to assume, like any other disposable product, that a person in the intended market would walk into their local shop, look at what they have, pick something and leave. Even in second tier countries, DE blades are marketed as the budget option. They have no reason to waist money providing information because they would prefer you buy cartridges.

 

[APBinNCA]

What other coatings exist?

Feather claims their Artist Club blades contain a Platinum and resin coating. The term resin is very vague and may be due to translation from Japanese. A resin could be made from various materials, not all suitable for microscopic coatings. Kai clearly states Ptfe on the packaging that I have.

 

[dullhead]

As long the coatings are elements, which are not poisonous (on the other hand cadmium for example is an element, which is highly dangerous) or elements, which are inert, I see no problem.
Compounds which disintegrate into elements and/or harmless compounds at the temperature of molten iron should also be harmless.
Since the amount of coating per blade is small, a reaction product from disintegration like CO2 could be rated as "harmless" within this context.
Which leads to the bad boy: PTFE. If it does not disintegrate at the temperature of molten iron, it will be there for thousands of years.
If it will disintegrate, I hope that the amount of reaction results, which are known for causing cancer, are too small.

The real victims of this kind of coating are the workers in the factories, because they are exposed to a high concentration of this
chemical.
They are the "radium girls" of today.

 

[luvmysuper]

Chrome and chromium are not benign. Exposure to hexavalent chromium is very toxic to humans.
Chrome electro-plating, and cutting, melting or welding of stainless steel releases hexavalent chromium.

 

[Paulford]

Even polymer coatings that aren’t PTFE are likely to be PFAS/PFOA compounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if the paper wrappers are PFAS/PFOA treated. Numerous times I’ve had the tongues on the cardboard displays show signs of absorbing oil off the blades, but the paper wrappers are impervious to this.

Teflon is an unmitigated environmental disaster. I don’t mean to sound hopeless but sometimes it’s better to stick with the devil you know. When the ban weenies went after pressure treated lumber and the scary arsenic in CCA, the industry simply switched to a different toxic compound, quaternary ammonia’s, that no health research existed. BPA was replaced with its chemical facsimiles BPF and BPS. Next generation fluoridated compounds will be marketed under the same guise, it’s the same thing but it’s safe until someone proves otherwise.