Which blades in Timeless SB .68 for sensitive skin.

[TheKman]

Hi All,

I received my Timeless a couple of days ago and had experienced a revelation in smoothness on first use... awesome.

Now, I'm attempting to find the blades that best suit it, and me. My face has lots of mild acne scarring and some sizeable moles which has made choices quite difficult. Suffice to say the only two I've bothered to buy in packs of 100 are Feather and Polsilver SI.

Feather I've traditionally tracked very carefully to achieve a fine shave, but wasn't able to do much clean up without irritation. However, in the Timeless it's become less of a problem. Polsilver on the other hand I can polish a bit without irritation, but not being as sharp has meant that the shave quality wasn't really any better, they just didn't require as much care or attention. Better in a rush, if you will, but presently untested in the Timeless.

I'm hoping there may be some experience with similar products I can draw on which may quicken the search. Having found the *right* razor, I'm hoping that the search for the *right* blade or blades should be considerably easier.

On the list to try: GSB, Kai, Nacet, Polsilver, Gillette Ruby, Gillette Green Stainless, Voskhod.

Any suggestions?

 

[cw62803]

I can't see how you could ever go wrong with a Gillette Silver Blue. They are plenty sharp and as smooth as they come. My bet is that they will be the perfect blade for your razor and challenges. Good luck with your search.

 

[TheKman]

There you go! I've never liked them, but they all perform differently in different razors, right?

 

[BigJ]

Blades are very much YMMV! But you have two of my top 5 on your list (GSB and Nacet)!

 

[TheKman]

Tried GSB in them all now. Never again.

 

[TheKman]

OK, so after a couple of days recovery from the GSB experiment I'm happy with the Nacet for a quick and easy 1/2 pass shave just to keep the worst at bay. These seem to perform much like the Polsilver SI, not particularly sharp, but pretty handy for a quick and carefree shave.

Went back to the Feather as a baseline this morning, hadn't quite recovered completely from Saturday, but the result is very nice. Being only the second attempt with a Feather and the Timeless it's clear these two work very well together for me. Excellent smooth shave, low irritation and one very minor nick. So I can start the experiment again tomorrow.

Next up is the Kai.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I like GSBs, but not in the Timeless. I very much like the Feathers in my Timeless.

 

[TheKman]

Great! Are there any others that have worked well for you? It seems to me that the very sharp blades work better... could be psychological?

 

[Floyd Eye]

Great! Are there any others that have worked well for you? It seems to me that the very sharp blades work better... could be psychological?

Gillette Platinums are nice.

 

[frstplce]

I have a stash of Polsilver and Feathers. But an even larger stash of Rapira Platinum Lux. Great sharp, smooth blade. Haven't found a razor yet it hasn't worked well for me.

 

[TheKman]

A mate gave me a tuck of RPL on the weekend. There's another member here somewhere who's trying to find a blade that works better and hasn't really found one yet. Added.

The Gillette Platinum isn't easy to come by in Aus, may have to order from the U.S.

Had quite a rushed shave this morning and even with little care or patience the Feather wasn't too damaging. Surprised.

 

[SGWB]

Gillette Sharpedge. They feel as sharp as Feathers to me, but smoother.

 

[ackvil]

I've had good results in mine with GSB and Personna Med Prep blades.

 

[TheKman]

it turns out the Rapira tuck was stainless, not Platinum Lux... but I've heard lots of good things, so I will chase some down.

Have some Gillette yellows. Added.
Completely given up on the GSB, I have no rational reason why they perform badly for me, but irritation is far too great to keep trying. Will look into the Personna though.

So, I tried the Kai blades and found them to be sub-par. With a careful two-pass (WTG XTG) it's ok, but offers up the same level of irritation as a Feather three-pass shave. Meh.
Nacet's are an interesting one. This got it's first real go this morning and like the Polsilver it's a less sharp blade that requires more pressure/passes to get the job done. For my mottled skin this adds up to a couple of weepers and a less-than-smooth shave. On the plus side, relatively low irritation and mild sting from the Alum. A couple of hours later and the soreness is gone, as is the redness. Definitely a keeper, but reserved for those quick one or two pass shaves when your running late, I think.

So far Feather is still king.

 

[Lukehalee]

I don't think I have particularly sensitive skin, but feathers don't work for me. In my 68, Nacet, yellow 7's, perma sharp are outstanding. Close, no irritation.

 

[TheKman]

I'm going to have to re-boot this experiment now as I've discovered an inconsistency in prep that was screwing up the results and may have been responsible for the irritation I encountered with some blades.

Some of the results I'm gonna' have to scrap, but Feather is still the leader, followed by Polsilver SI and Nacet. The rest I'll have to retest. I do finally have 100 Rapira Platinum Lux on the way though, so if they perform similarly to the Polsilver and Nacet they certainly won't go to waste.

 

[TheKman]

The king is dead! Long live the king!

Tried a rapira platinum lux tonight and I'm blown away! It makes me work hard for a BBS shave, some bits up to 5 passes, but the alum went almost without sting at all. It's certainly not the keenest edge of the bunch, not a shadow on a Feather, but at this comfort level who cares!

So, Feather are still the sharpest and closest shave, but now the Nacet and Polsilver seem entirely redundant as the RPL can simply perform better than both. This the only blade I feel comfortable using against the grain down my jaw line.

All hail RPL!

 

[Esox]

The king is dead! Long live the king!

Tried a rapira platinum lux tonight and I'm blown away! It makes me work hard for a BBS shave, some bits up to 5 passes, but the alum went almost without sting at all. It's certainly not the keenest edge of the bunch, not a shadow on a Feather, but at this comfort level who cares!

So, Feather are still the sharpest and closest shave, but now the Nacet and Polsilver seem entirely redundant as the RPL can simply perform better than both. This the only blade I feel comfortable using against the grain down my jaw line.

All hail RPL!

Both of these blades are incredibly smooth. Easily the smoothest blades I've used, and as you note, not as sharp as some others. The Perma-Sharp Super is sharper than the Gillette green and as smooth. Both are very impressive blades and both smoother than my go to Polsilver.