What do you consider to be the sharpest and smoothest/most comfortable blades?
I will try to take a year off from blade comments. Try, yes.Looking at this can of worms. Walking to the kitchen, to throw away the can opener.
You are correct of course. I need to try LOI Titaniums and the Lord family.and for the oddball choice...LOI Titaniums
But, again, YMMV. For example, I have not liked any GSB or Astra that I have tried while many love these blades. But they didn't work for me. And many people have not tried the blades from Bangladesh that I like (LOIs). So...to each his own.
The whole Durablade family from Bangladesh seems to be pretty good, but the LOIs are my favorite.You are correct of course. I need to try LOI Titaniums and the Lord family.
This is very timely and interesting to me as I won 50 of these from a PIF a few months back. I used one for the first time yesterday and could not understand the hype. It was a horrible shave with lots of tugging. Mine are dated Nov 2017 tho.Super Iridiums would also previously make this list toward the smooth side, but my 2022 batch is disappointing. They are not "old Derby or Black Beauty dull," but there has been a sharpness decrease.
There was this discussion a few months ago:This is very timely and interesting to me as I won 50 of these from a PIF a few months back. I used one for the first time yesterday and could not understand the hype. It was a horrible shave with lots of tugging. Mine are dated Nov 2017 tho.
Haha, do as you like. My thoughts are that if this thread runs long enough I think every blade we know will be mentioned.I will try to take a year off from blade comments. Try, yes.
Thanks for the link to that thread. I can confirm my tucks are Nov 26 2017 - so in theory and along the lines of all that info, they should be the sharper blades. I didn't find that to be true but I am certainly going to try them again, and also in a different razor. I used the blade in my Overlander.There was this discussion a few months ago:
Iridium -Super (PPI) Old vs. NEW
This is supposed to be the last comparison of old vs new Russian PPI blades. On the left we have a pack or double wrapped Iridium -Super. Bought in January 2010, which means manufactured in 2009 or earlier. On the right a pack manufactured 09/2022. Single wrapped of course. Again same...www.badgerandblade.com
Wishing I still had the Iridiums purchased 3-5 years ago to confirm the production date and do a direct comparison. It might be the same batch you were pif'd, but there could be some confusion between the 2017 box copyright and actual production date (I have no idea).
However, for me, THAT batch was very much like Iridiums from 15-20 years ago that I was using before slipping back into cartridges for a long time. They felt like an old friend, despite developing a heavier beard & personality in the meantime and introducing variables like a new razor and soap. My original blades from "long ago" were definitely PPI production in a blue box - I would not recognize minor changes, but they were not Polsilver, Czech production, two-tone brown tucks, etc.
This more recent May 2022 batch is tuggy and rash-inducing. Apparently others seem to agree it is not a case of the Good old Days, but to be clear, Wizamet/Iridium/Polsilver were never the absolute sharpest. They were a smooth & durable daily workhorse or a bruiser for giving Sasquatch his summer haircut. There are other blades I'd rather use now.
St. Petersburg Nacets would be #1 if I were still buying them, but they almost fall off the balance toward the too-sharp side. Almost. Their consistent performance throughout the blade's life (3-4 shaves) mitigates this.
Very much agree on the consistency (blade to blade, tuck to tuck) and general packaging/quality in my limited experience with them.Owning a multiple lifetime supply of DE blades, and having tried many dozens of brands, I vote Feather the sharpest and most consistent.