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ZaZa, Dorco Prime or Silver Star????

Are any of these blades worth considering?? Great question!

METHODS. I used my ‘daily driver’ (Wolfman WR1/WRH2 handle) and no blinding because (unfortunately) I only have one Wolfman!

Each blade was compared to one of my ‘top-tier’ blades, the Personna lab. One week with the Personna lab, the next with a new blade, then back to the lab, etc. Since there can be blade to blade variability, I decided on two weeks with each new blade. Personnas are made in the US. ZaZa is from Turkey. Silver Star is from Egypt and Dorco Prime is from Vietnam.

Soaps were one week of Haslinger (either schafmilch or coconut) and one week of Italian ‘croap’ (either Cella or Vitos). Brushes were my Simpsons stable and AS was whatever struck my imagination on a given AM.

RESULTS. Average per week as that is the typical time I use my top blades.

Personna:
Shaves/blade: 7-plus
Sharpness: 8/10
Smoothness: 8/10*
Comfort: 9/10
DFS or better: 7

ZaZa
Shaves/blade: 2^
Sharpness: 4/10
Smoothness: 5/10
Comfort: 5/10
DFS or better: 1

Silver Star
Shaves/blade: 7
Sharpness: 7/10
Smoothness: 9/10
Comfort: 8/10
DFS or better: 6

Dorco Prime

Shaves/blade: 7-maximum
Sharpness: 7/10
Smoothness: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10
DFS or better: 6

* Personna labs often take a shave or two to smooth out (hence the lower score), then they are very smooth and comfortable.

^ Similar results each week: two blades went two shaves only while the third could be stretched to three shaves.

DISCUSSION. Two out of three is far better than I usually do! Silver Star is IMHO, the best Lord blade that I have ever tried. Dorco Primes are also fine blades. Both contenders were smooth and comfortable. They also proved reasonably sharp and long-lasting. This was compared to Personna labs, that I can often stretch to 10+ fine three-pass shaves.

Could I tell either the Dorco Primes or Silver Stars from the Personna labs in a blind test?? Why sure! Without thinking things through, I had picked as my control a top-tier blade with the peculiarity of often needing a shave or two to settle in. The labs also last longer for me.

ZaZa has wonderful red packaging that states, “Best in the world.” The plastic package has a slot for used blades and looks great! IMO the name and packaging are the best part about the ZaZas! I had trouble getting to three shaves per blade and most shaves were either, ‘socially acceptable,’ or, ‘clean and close,’ at best.

YMMV is the rule, especially with blades! You need to try things for yourself. I was surprised at how good the Silver Stars and Dorco Primes proved compared to a tough competior. They came in just a hair below my personal top tier. I could be very happy with either option. ZaZas look great in their packaging and provide C&C or SAS results. IMO they are closest to Derby’s. So if you like Derby blades, then ZaZa would be well worth a try.

Hope these observations prove helpful!
 
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Excellent comparison of these blades, @BigJ, and nice baseline blade to gauge results by.

I like both Personnas and Dorco Primes; with Silver Stars are on my to-try list. For me, Derby Premiums have also entered the picture and perform similar to the Dorco Primes (and are in the same price point range). Zazas get bonus points for packaging and being a fun name to say!!
 
Great analysis! I agree the Personnas are a bit sharper than the Primes, but I have sensitive skin (and shave at 3am for work), so I like the slightly less sharp edge on the Dorco. Both great blades. You have me intrigued by those Silver Stars, though....
 
Well done! The Labs are indeed great shavers, and I love that they're Made in USA. I also find them to increase in smoothness a couple shaves in. My "patriotic' shave is with my 56 Red Tip, Lab Blue, vintage Williams, and Aqua Velva. Can almost hear Lee Greenwood in the background.
 
I have tried them all, but my choices are the Silver star and Personna, with the Silver Star being more favorite and that's why I bought 200 of them for $14??? lol

Currently shaving with 3 different typed of Supermax Diamonds and so far I'm impressed with these as much the Silver Star impressed me
 
My experience with ZaZa similar. I wanted to love it, but it may very well be the dullest blade I have ever used. I get 60+ shaves out of Perma-Sharp Super's, and a dozen out of a Derby Extra, but I struggled to get 2 out of the ZaZa... :(

Some folks love them though, and the packaging is irresistible. Every blade is worth trying at least once!
 
ZaZa blades are the worse blades I have ever used.I couldn"t get even one shave from them.A nice package doesn't cut hair and thats all I seem to hear about them.The platinums are worse than the stainless go figure.
 
I have Persona Reds and Silver Stars and I have almost the exact experiences. I pretty much settled on SS as my one and only due to comfort and price point. Very similar feel to the Persona Reds not quite as much longevity but half the price.
 
I have never used ZaZa's, but the Silver Stars and the Dorco Primes are some of my favorite bargain non-Russian blades. I probably give the nod to the Silver Stars, but that is not a a knock on the Dorcos. The Stars are just really nice blades for me.

I haven't used a Dorco Prime in a while so it may be time to load one up soon.
 
Great review! I like your method of using the ZaZa, Silver Star and Dorco Prime for one week each. I like the Dorco Primes. I had never heard of the ZaZa or Silver Star. And your rating of the Dorcos is consistent with my experience.
 
I have only tried the Personna Lab Blues and the Dorco Prime Platinum. I do not like the Lab Blues because the shave with my beard is painful. They are too dull until the "comfort coating" wears off. After that first shave they are great. I prefer the Israeli Reds that start off sharp.

I am a fan of the Prime Platinums. A B&B member sent me a few blades to try. I liked them so much, I purchased a 100 pack. They work quite well with my coarse beard and sensitive skin.

Based on your ratings off sharpness and smoothness on the other blades, I might be able to use the Silver Star blades, but other than a slight monetary savings, there is no real advantage.

Since Silver Star is made by Lord in Egypt, I would be interested in seeing a comparison with either Lord Platinum or Shark Platinum blades.

The Sharp Super Chrome blades are too dull to shave my beard, but the Shark Platinum blades work reasonably well. However, I would probably give a slight preference to Dorco Prime Platinum. I wonder if the Shark Platinum blades are the same as Lord Platinum blades in a different package.
 
I have only tried the Dorco prime from your list. You are pretty much spot on your rating, thats how I felt about them, almost as good as Personna.

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