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REX Ambassador review and adjustables in general

Thanks. Yeah my hair got slightly coarser over the years especially my upper lip. I don't have the toughest or thickest facial hair but when it grows, it is pretty coarse and my skin is sensitive. That is why I have been shaving in the shower for 17 years straight. Only in the last year I decided to move to the sink since I don't want to absorb all those toxins in the water. Can't trust them shower filters either!

I have the Personna reds and they are not the same as the personnas from CVS. The ones from CVS with the arrows look like the lab blues with the same arrows (the arrows to pull them out of their case). The personna reds come in the regular packaging. Have a ton of them and absolutely hate them.
 
I really wanted the Lab Blues to work for me and really worked with them more than any other blade. The Northern Virginia plant is within driving distance of my house and thought that was pretty cool. Some people also swear by the the Hospitals but from what I understand, they are the same as the Lab Blue without the coating. I guess I’d have to give it a go to know for sure.
 
Interesting on that one. I do have a small pack of them I can try out but then I gotta keep with my other razor to be able to confirm. And since I only shave every 3 days, sometimes longer, it gets difficult to try things out that I want. Do you know what the address of the plant is in Israel that makes the Personnas? Because the red Israelis and the CVS are NOT the same blade but everyone says they are made there...
 
I learned about the company split accidentally while Googling their blades last year.

When I was still shopping for carts for my old Atra (Wife loved the Atra during her pregnancy), Personna carts that fit the Atra were clearly marked at both Walmart and Costco as Personnas. These may have been under Edgewell/Energizer (See below).

Ok, this is where it gets confusing but the Personna DE plants were owned by Energizer Holdings (Yep the battery) via their spinoff, Edgewell until 2015 when Energizer wanted to get out of DE and other blade manufacturing. All DE blade plants as well as other offerings were bought out by US based AccuTec.

To make things even more confusing, Energizer Holdings’ Edgewell still maintains the right to use the Personna name for personal care products and also makes carts of their own, but not DE.

If you buy a Personna DE blade anywhere in the world right now, it was produced in either Verona, Virginia or Israel. I was wrong above about the Israel plant remaining under Energizer.

To make things just a bit more confusing still, Accutec also owns the Personna plant in Mexico but they don’t produce DE specifically there. The Israel plant sends their DE blades to the Mexican plant only for packaging. AccuTec has their Personna website, Atblades.com, choose Personna. Energizer has theirs, under Personna.com.

If you want to purchase anything DE related, want box cutters or any other type of blade imaginable, just go to Atblades.com.

Pictured is the new Lab Blue box. I have no clue what the Red Box looks like.
 

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Only in the last year I decided to move to the sink since I don't want to absorb all those toxins in the water. Can't trust them shower filters either!
Do you use bottled purified water or something? Otherwise the sink water is the same as the shower water in most cases. Are you on 2 separate water systems?
 
When I lived in my last condo, I had to use arrowhead bottled water and I also used a scuttle. I couldn't even shave because the water was very hard and full of chlorine. I could smell it. I actually almost never showered there, going elsewhere or limiting my time to literally a minute or two for my body. I even had to wash my hair with bottled water!

I might have to give bottled water a shot again but the water where I live now is much better (however I'm going to be moving again soon). I don't smell any chlorine but yeah in California, especially SoCal, all the water is hard. I lived in the Bay Area 2-3 years ago and they soften their water almost too much, can't get rid of the soap off your hands. I don't own so until I do, I have to deal with the water or use bottled water. Huge pain! LOL
 
I learned about the company split accidentally while Googling their blades last year.

When I was still shopping for carts for my old Atra (Wife loved the Atra during her pregnancy), Personna carts that fit the Atra were clearly marked at both Walmart and Costco as Personnas. These may have been under Edgewell/Energizer (See below).

Ok, this is where it gets confusing but the Personna DE plants were owned by Energizer Holdings (Yep the battery) via their spinoff, Edgewell until 2015 when Energizer wanted to get out of DE and other blade manufacturing. All DE blade plants as well as other offerings were bought out by US based AccuTec.

To make things even more confusing, Energizer Holdings’ Edgewell still maintains the right to use the Personna name for personal care products and also makes carts of their own, but not DE.

If you buy a Personna DE blade anywhere in the world right now, it was produced in either Verona, Virginia or Israel. I was wrong above about the Israel plant remaining under Energizer.

To make things just a bit more confusing still, Accutec also owns the Personna plant in Mexico but they don’t produce DE specifically there. The Israel plant sends their DE blades to the Mexican plant only for packaging. AccuTec has their Personna website, Atblades.com, choose Personna. Energizer has theirs, under Personna.com.

If you want to purchase anything DE related, want box cutters or any other type of blade imaginable, just go to Atblades.com.

Pictured is the new Lab Blue box. I have no clue what the Red Box looks like.

Thanks for all this info. Quite confusing!
 
Thanks for all this info. Quite confusing!

Yep, very confusing. Also, the Hospital blades or Med Prep as people call them aren’t in the DE portion of the Accutec website but you will find them on the same website in the medical section. Someone needs to send AccuTec an e-mail to add just a shaving section for people who use their different blades so they know what they are buying and don’t get disappointed with online purchases. Accutec didn’t change the box of the Lab Blue again after Edgewell sold off DE, so some boxes like mine still have Edgewell printed on them.

Your struggles with water are very real indeed. I had no idea how much hard water could affect lather on a shave until I moved to a different house in the same town known for hard water. Before I moved to my current residence with a water softener, my lather seemed to dry up within just a few minutes on my face. My shaves since then are incredibly better. I remember watching shaving videos back then and thinking, How the heck to these guys talk about their razors for 10 minutes with lather on their face and have a good shave?
 
Wow. Ton of info on the blades. Thanks for all that. Would be nice if they made it easy but the DE world is very confusing. A lot of Russian factories make all the Gillettes and some get discontinued. Very strange. The CVS Personna are by far much smoother than the "Israeli Reds" that come individually packaged.

I know for a fact I have hard water where I live because I tried shaving in the shower and my razor ends up skipping on me. Thats how I am able to tell. What I used to do was heat up bottled water but not boil it, put that in a small bowl, then take a shower. By the time Im done, the water cools off a bit but still good, I warm up my whiskers with the water from the small bowl, then dip my brush in that to soak it. I don't think soaking a brush for 5 minutes does anything different than a good dip for 30 seconds straight.

For the scuttle, I would just use the hottest tap water since Im not using that water to shave with, just keep the brush warm. And I don't use anything hotter than tap because if its too hot, it can scald me or irritate my skin but more importantly, it dries out the lather. Guess it's back to this PITA routine again...
 
Proctor and Gamble/Gillette has a stake in the St. Petersburg factories. Gillette still wants a piece of that pie.

I’ve seen opinions on this forum and others that Gillette wants to buy all of these factories up so they can eventually shut down DE. I don’t agree and don’t think this makes business sense.

There are different versions of a lot of personal care products, not just razors, some traditional, some not so. If it sells, it is a good investment. Carts are the bread and butter now, but DE is no real threat to them and it is not worth investing millions internationally if you just want to shut it down. If DE somehow surged again or Harry’s dabbled with DE, Gillette is ready with their investments.

Gillette almost pulled the trigger a few years ago on a DE razor that by all accounts looked like a re-issue of the pre-war Tech. It was to be released in their Art of Shaving stores. Some posters has surfaced online. I think they have taken note of new interest in DE over the last several years and want to make a little extra cash.

Gillette doesn’t see DE as a threat, if they did, they could have easily shut it down long ago. It is obvious P&G only sees companies like Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club as threats and you can see this with their current lineup and advertising.

I think that if Gillette ever intended to bring back a DE model, it would now to wipe the floor with Harry’s or DSC. The only real threat to our DE blades are increases in price if they make that move.
 
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Well they can try to shut down DE all they want, other factories will pop up and still produce them. Hell I will! I do see an increase in price in these DE blades otherwise. Given that they are so cheap now, I should probably buy about 5000 blades so that I won't run out. But if I ever did, I'd rather learn to shave with a straight than ever put a cartridge AND pay their insane prices just to shave!
 
Also, Gillette sold off their DE equipment to international buyers way back, they chose not to simply destroy it. There are millions of DE razors out there, vintage and modern. DE is still primary in nations like India for example. Yes, they dabble with razors like the Gillette Guard in those countries for some extra income and see the potential for carts/disposables, but they aren’t stupid.
 
I use food-grade citric acid in my shaving water to help neutralize the dissolved limestone. It isn't the same as using a salt-based water-softening system, but it does seem to help. It is usually sold near home canning supplies.
 
Ok heres an update. I shaved with the REX again yesterday using bottled water for my face and brush. I rinse the razor off with the tap but then dip it back in the bowl I had initially used to prep my face with. And I keep that bowl clean. I also use that to add drops of water to my brush for my subsequent passes.

I did something strange but this was a 3 day growth. Actually 2 but I did not go ATG on Tuesday. On Monday I did. So Thursday which was yesterday I decided to do a full shave including ATG including my upper lip which I usually do not attempt unless 4 days has passed from any shave regardless. The strange thing I did was I wanted to try a feather in a tech. So I did a WTG on my upper lip only with that. I realize my moustache is thicker than anywhere else but I still do not have a full blown stache anyway. That felt pretty close but I knew I should put the feather down after that.

Then I took the REX loaded with the CVS personna blade and did XTG on my stache. Then I lowered the setting down to I believe a 1.25 or so. This felt like the tech. I then did ATG very carefully. No weepers or anything. I added some Musgo Real cream to my usual Catie's Bubbles for added slickness and protection. I was surprised actually. I then did WTG everywhere else.

For the last pass (I dont do XTG on cheeks and neck, only on stache before ATG), I did use my REX at first going ATG on half my neck and one side of the cheeks. But then I tried the Merkur 34c with a Gillette Platinum on the other half and the Merkur was much smoother and closer. I tried all kinds of settings on the REX. Couldn't get it as smooth, don't know why. Maybe my Merkur had a brand new AND different blade in it.

If you follow along, I don't shave like most. I start with my stache and do a full 3 pass on it. Then I move on to everywhere else WTG and ATG. So yeah I used 3 razors but in reality I only needed two. I have read accounts on people using 2 different razors. Maybe I should try using a Gillette Platinum in my REX to make an even comparison with the Merkur.

Overall I had a great shave, no cuts, no weepers, BBS completely as is my usual goal. I am content if I can get BBS every 3 days on upper lip (I know I can everywhere else). I believe the water helped greatly. The REX allowed me to complete my ATG on upper lip carefully. Could I have chosen to use my Rockwell 6S on plate 2 or 3? Yeah I guess I could have. So I am still experimenting here. I believe since my stache is in a league of its own and thicker, I will have to dedicate a razor and blade just for that.
 
This particular page is largely off-topic.

That said, setting 1.5 just about replicates my Gillette Tech and turns the shaving into quite a wiping-the-hars-off experience, especially when paired with a Turkish Concord blade. I suppose lubricating my head with Sunflower oil and soap before the shave does contribute a lot to the smoothness of the experience.
 
I learned about the company split accidentally while Googling their blades last year.

When I was still shopping for carts for my old Atra (Wife loved the Atra during her pregnancy), Personna carts that fit the Atra were clearly marked at both Walmart and Costco as Personnas. These may have been under Edgewell/Energizer (See below).

Ok, this is where it gets confusing but the Personna DE plants were owned by Energizer Holdings (Yep the battery) via their spinoff, Edgewell until 2015 when Energizer wanted to get out of DE and other blade manufacturing. All DE blade plants as well as other offerings were bought out by US based AccuTec.

To make things even more confusing, Energizer Holdings’ Edgewell still maintains the right to use the Personna name for personal care products and also makes carts of their own, but not DE.

If you buy a Personna DE blade anywhere in the world right now, it was produced in either Verona, Virginia or Israel. I was wrong above about the Israel plant remaining under Energizer.

To make things just a bit more confusing still, Accutec also owns the Personna plant in Mexico but they don’t produce DE specifically there. The Israel plant sends their DE blades to the Mexican plant only for packaging. AccuTec has their Personna website, Atblades.com, choose Personna. Energizer has theirs, under Personna.com.

If you want to purchase anything DE related, want box cutters or any other type of blade imaginable, just go to Atblades.com.

Pictured is the new Lab Blue box. I have no clue what the Red Box looks like.
Very good research, I really appreciate your vested interest . I too did a little research on Gillette and still love learning.
 
i have been using the REX exclusively and actually getting real good shaves from it. i did mention that it shaves good, but like i said, its a cost factor for most. i use setting 2 on the left-most part of 2, and dial it down to 1.5 for my upper lip ATG.

the other day i tried a 1971 NOS black beauty, yes i bought it brand new in the package on ebay for $200, and it also did shave very well but i had 6 days growth. anything would have worked. however, the dial using the click-mechanism to lock in place but upon close inspection, i realized i can turn the knob between the clicks. not sure how that would do but setting 2 seemed a tad mild and setting 3 a tad aggressive for me. 2.5 would be perfect on the black beauty. that being said i need a couple more shaves with it to compare to the REX but the REX is still my go-to now. I dont even use my 59 tech anymore.
 
After getting my Rex I decided to put it to the test against other DE razors: Gillette Fat Boy and Merkur Futur. I used Persona Israeli blue blades and Geo F. Tremper shaving creme. I used a new blade for each razor. I shaved exactly the same way, 3 passes. The Futur was very good. Close shave no irritation. Con: bulky and hard to get to tough spots. Gillette, well it still holds it's own with any DE. Not quite as smooth as the Futur but a good all around shave with good balance and works well in hard to get to spots. The Rex is exceptional. Great balance. After I experimented with the settings I found the all around shave to be excellent. I give the edge to the Rex. One thing I have a minor issue with is the dial settings. I prefer it to click or be tighter like the Gillette and Futur. Also it is hard to see the red marker without my glasses. All in all, the Rex has the best manufacturing of any of the razors. Stainless steel and top of the line quality makes this a keeper if you want to spend the money. If not I could easily use my Gillette and be very satisfied. Amazing how a great razor stands the test of time.
 
After getting my Rex I decided to put it to the test against other DE razors: Gillette Fat Boy and Merkur Futur. I used Persona Israeli blue blades and Geo F. Tremper shaving creme. I used a new blade for each razor. I shaved exactly the same way, 3 passes. The Futur was very good. Close shave no irritation. Con: bulky and hard to get to tough spots. Gillette, well it still holds it's own with any DE. Not quite as smooth as the Futur but a good all around shave with good balance and works well in hard to get to spots. The Rex is exceptional. Great balance. After I experimented with the settings I found the all around shave to be excellent. I give the edge to the Rex. One thing I have a minor issue with is the dial settings. I prefer it to click or be tighter like the Gillette and Futur. Also it is hard to see the red marker without my glasses. All in all, the Rex has the best manufacturing of any of the razors. Stainless steel and top of the line quality makes this a keeper if you want to spend the money. If not I could easily use my Gillette and be very satisfied. Amazing how a great razor stands the test of time.

Keep in mind your exact setting when you use the REX, then make a note. It doesn't click which is both good and bad at the same time. It is good that you can use in between settings for a very precise gap, but also bad because you often will not remember that exact precise setting unless you take a note of it. The click helps one remember their desired setting but also has limitations.
 
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