What's Our "Street Name" For These?

[Old Hippie]

So wandering through a little container of random tucks that I've had cluttering up the Lather Pit, I find these:



"Personna Platinum" I can read on the label, but is this the "lab blue" I hear about? I'm thinking about opening them up and trying them.

I know where I bought them because there's only one store in town that carries more than one brand of blade. When is a different question!

O.H.

 

[Seelector]

I believe those are “Israeli Reds” despite the blue box. Made in Israel, they were packed in red 5-blade tucks for the US (North American?) market and those plastic 10-packs for the European market.

At least that’s my understanding.

 

[Quaznoid]

Not a Lab Blue, but God only knows what blade it is. Welcome to the mystery of Personna.

 

[Beefdrippings]

Israeli Red

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Yep, those are what forumites call Israeli Reds. Sold in Europe in the tucks of 10 (as pictured) with ‘Personna’ in red script, or in the US in red cardboard boxes of 5.

By the way, I don’t think there is anything confusing about Personna blades. The confusion only starts when people on forums call these things ‘Israeli Reds’ when they were sold in blue packs outside the US, or we call other blades ‘Lab Blues’ when they aren’t in the blue tucks - the ‘Reds’ were and the German-made replacements are. If we just call them what Personna calls them it is nice and simple.

 

[rudygu]

I only started this entire safety razor endeavor 7-8 months ago, but that entire time I’ve failed to understand why Personna confounds so many people. Personally, I think people are mostly just upset they changed. I haven’t been blessed (or cursed) enough to try an Israeli red, but I really like the German ones - work well in every razor I own.

 

[Seelector]

I only started this entire safety razor endeavor 7-8 months ago, but that entire time I’ve failed to understand why Personna confounds so many people. Personally, I think people are mostly just upset they changed. I haven’t been blessed (or cursed) enough to try an Israeli red, but I really like the German ones - work well in every razor I own.

I’ve found the German Personna Platinums to be identical to the Israeli Reds. They’re both a top tier blade for me.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I only started this entire safety razor endeavor 7-8 months ago, but that entire time I’ve failed to understand why Personna confounds so many people. Personally, I think people are mostly just upset they changed. I haven’t been blessed (or cursed) enough to try an Israeli red, but I really like the German ones - work well in every razor I own.

You certainly wouldn't be 'cursed'.

I find the 'Israeli Reds', Nazareth made in the 10 plastic tucks, approx 2018 production, to be the best blade I have tried, along with a vintage Schick Super Stainless. By now I have tried quite a few.

Unparalled in my experience for that magic combination of extreme smoothness, very acceptable sharpness to almost any user, and a remarkable longevity.

I have a small stash of 100 IP's and 50 Crystals, another excellent offering.

A classic blade.

 

[rudygu]

You certainly wouldn't be 'cursed'.

I find the 'Israeli Reds', Nazareth made in the 10 plastic tucks, approx 2018 production, to be the best blade I have tried, along with a vintage Schick Super Stainless. By now I have tried quite a few.

Unparalled in my experience for that magic combination of extreme smoothness, very acceptable sharpness to almost any user, and a remarkable longevity.

I have a small stash of 100 IP's and 50 Crystals, another excellent offering.

A classic blade.

I meant cursed to have enjoyed them and know they’re no longer in production.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I meant cursed to have enjoyed them and know they’re no longer in production.

That's my curse. To know I can no longer get these lovely blades except at maybe insane prices. They were already going for £70 for 200, an example of a remaining stock I saw on an auction site. Now they are just out of stock. Gone forever.

I'm too scared to break into my little stash!

 

[JeffJ]

That's my curse. To know I can no longer get these lovely blades except at maybe insane prices. They were already going for £70 for 200, an example of a remaining stock I saw on an auction site. Now they are just out of stock. Gone forever.

I'm too scared to break into my little stash!

Life is short. I say use them and enjoy them. If you’re gone, they will likely be binned. Also your skin may change over time or the next razor may not pair as well.

Back in the day we called these Personna Reds, UK packaging. I have about 200 left from 2012 timeframe ($8/100 at west coast shaving at the time) and about 150 original Israeli Personnas that came in white cardboard boxes of 100 loose blades from a little earlier, from razor blades and more. My first blade purchase and still a favorite.

 

[Toothpick]

Personna Platinum. Says so right on the tuck

But seriously…that’s what I call them. I can’t keep up with the street names for Personna blades so whatever it says it what it is for me now.

These would be Israeli Reds. I believe they are wrapped in red wrappers. Of course you could have the Israeli there too. Blade companies change wrappers and tucks like new parents change diapers.

 

[JeffJ]

Personna Platinum. Says so right on the tuck

But seriously…that’s what I call them. I can’t keep up with the street names for Personna blades so whatever it says it what it is for me now.

These would be Israeli Reds. I believe they are wrapped in red wrappers. Of course you could have the Israeli there too. Blade companies change wrappers and tucks like new parents change diapers.

View attachment 1571873

Yup, my opinion is that this is the same blade as the UK packaged red IP except packaged in Mexico. That being said I have always thought these performed a little better than the UK “red IPs”. More consistent. Sharp and smooth. I only have 5 of these left and probably zero sometime soon.

 

[Toothpick]

I could swear that Crystal blades come in a tuck like that too. White wrapper with blue dots all over it. Which could be Crystal or something else. I think there was also a Personna “Barber” blade like that, but it was a plain white wrapper.

It’s always confused the hell out of me so I gave up a long time ago.

 

[Toothpick]

I think it was the Personna Super that was the “barber” blade in a tuck like that

 

[DeBladeRunner]

Quote from quaznoid ; You’re more likely to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls than to solve the Personna mystery..

 

[Alum Ladd]

I could swear that Crystal blades come in a tuck like that too. White wrapper with blue dots all over it. Which could be Crystal or something else. I think there was also a Personna “Barber” blade like that, but it was a plain white wrapper.

It’s always confused the hell out of me so I gave up a long time ago.

 

[LRod]

but is this the "lab blue" I hear about?

The ones that are referred to as Lab Blues are only the USA made ones. They say "comfort coated" on the pack:

 

[Alum Ladd]

I could swear that Crystal blades come in a tuck like that too. White wrapper with blue dots all over it. Which could be Crystal or something else. I think there was also a Personna “Barber” blade like that, but it was a plain white wrapper.

It’s always confused the hell out of me so I gave up a long time ago.

They do indeed. The Crystal is a very nice blade too, in my experience with them. Very IP like. A tiny bit less smooth but slightly sharper was my impression. They come in the plastic 10 pack, with very simple packaging. Same Nazareth factory production I believe.

The blue dots on the wrappers are this: Pic 2.

Very poor quality pics alert!


The simple labelling in a very IP (English) plastic 10 blade box

The 'blue dots' wrapper.

 

[JeffJ]

Here’s pics of my OG IPs. Same wrapper as the crystals and blade looks similar. The white box is further down on the page.

Israeli Personna

...

www.badgerandblade.com

Here’s a 2008 thread on the subject by the original owner of west coast shaving. The Official Guide to Israeli Made DE Blades - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/the-official-guide-to-israeli-made-de-blades.51858/