Sharpest SE blades?

[beengone]

A kind fellow here sent me a couple Gem SE blades to use in a Micromatic I found at an antique store. I tried the blades and they just aren't sharp enough; they pull even WTG. Are there sharper SE blades? In case it's helpful, the only blades I can comfortably shave ATG in my DE89 are 7 O'Clock Blacks (amazingly awesome blades), Bic Chrome Platinums (awesome blades), and Feathers (good blades). So, anything really sharp out there in an SE?

As always, thank you very much.

 

[man00ver]

Welcome back! When it comes to SE blades, your options are pretty limited. The GEM Stainless blades are what I normally prefer to use, but you should be able to find some carbon steel SE blades at CVS and Rite-Aid drugstores. These are favored by some folks, so you might like 'em too; if so, you'll want to spend a little extra effort to keep them dry between uses.

P.S. Shaving with SE razors works best with a very shallow angle. Start with the head flat against the face, and pull the back off just a tiny bit. Also, there's a little trick to loading the blade properly in a Micromatic. You should be able to find a video in the Single-Edge Razors forum.

 

[beengone]

Watched and read up. Tried varying the angle. I'll hunt down other blades and see. Thanks.

 

[kcb5150]

A fresh Treet is extremely sharp but they are one and done for me. Carbon steel. I love blue stars, but a lot of people talk them down. Never tried Pal, but the reputation is dodgy. The gem stainless need a shave to smooth out in my experience and will deliver 4-7 shaves.

 

[kcb5150]

I like stretching my skin on the wtg pass with my ocmm.

 

[facetime]

I believe a number of folks on here have sung the praises of Ted Pella PTFE-coated, but seems smallest lot available for sale is 200. I was similarly underwhelmed by the GEM in an OCMM and absence of finding a blade i like has reduced my SE shaves to near zero.

 

[JeffBr]

http://shavetools.com/10ct-gem-ptfe-single-edge-blades.html

 

[facetime]

Hey that's great Jeff. thanks for link.