Gillette blades

Bogeyman said:
No, they are not made in the same factory nor even by the same co. Rapira is made by Mostochlegmash and although the Platinum Lux blade is decent it's about as close to the Gillette Platinum as is Kylie Minogue's butt to that of Julia Gillard. :eek:

http://www.mostochlegmash.ru/razors1.html
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Of the Mostochlegmash blades, the Voskhod seems to be the most popular Russian non PPI blade. IMO, the Vosk isn't as sharp as any of the PPI blades but is one of the most forgiving blades out there.

I like all the PPI blades, I've been using the 7OC Yellow a lot recently which is excellent but on the unforgiving side of things. My favourite for smoothness and sharpness is the Permasharp Super Stainless.
 
Today, I revisited the Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge (yellow box) blade using an English post-war "heavy" ball end Tech and my first outing with a sample of Stirling Sandalwood shaving soap. I have never had the luck with this blade in the past such as I've had with other Gillette Russian blades, e.g., Rubie, Silver Blue, Super Stainless, etc. Today however was different in that the shave was utterly superb!! Perhaps I have never used this blade in this particular razor before. Can't recall. :confused: Regardless, it was spectacular.

There is a fella on another forum who is a fervent proponent that the post-war Tech provides a more rigid platform than the pre-war Tech thereby giving a smoother shave. I have often pondered this after reading it and wax & wane as to whether it is true. All the Techs do have the same blade gap per my measurements for that matter, but he may be onto something re this rigidity theory. ;)
 
Bogeyman said:
Today, I revisited the Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge (yellow box) blade using an English post-war "heavy" ball end Tech and my first outing with a sample of Stirling Sandalwood shaving soap. I have never had the luck with this blade in the past such as I've had with other Gillette Russian blades, e.g., Rubie, Silver Blue, Super Stainless, etc. Today however was different in that the shave was utterly superb!! Perhaps I have never used this blade in this particular razor before. Can't recall. :confused: Regardless, it was spectacular.

There is a fella on another forum who is a fervent proponent that the post-war Tech provides a more rigid platform than the pre-war Tech thereby giving a smoother shave. I have often pondered this after reading it and wax & wane as to whether it is true. All the Techs do have the same blade gap per my measurements for that matter, but he may be onto something re this rigidity theory. ;)
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The Book of Rabidus, which I have read but don't necessarily accept as gospel, postulates that the need for this rigidity makes itself known only in particular circumstances, eg going ATG in the mustache area or on the crown of the head. Did you notice the difference consistent with that postulate or more in the normal course of WTG/XTG business?

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jmudrick said:
The Book of Rabidus, which I have read but don't necessarily accept as gospel, postulates that the need for this rigidity makes itself known only in particular circumstances, eg going ATG in the mustache area or on the crown of the head. Did you notice the difference consistent with that postulate or more in the normal course of WTG/XTG business?...
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WTG & XTG. I only rarely shave ATG and then only on the lower part of my cheeks and never on the neck.

The problem is that it can be so damned hard to be objective when making the pre-war/post-war comparison and even then other factors are surely at play, e.g., length & quality of prep, soap used, time spent lathering, and so on. It is a fact however that certain blades work far better in certain razors, but that can only be determined by textbook prep and use of a top tier soap/cream. After all, what good is a Formula One car if used on a gravel road? ;)
 
JM, just as a test today I did everything exactly the same except for a new Super Gillette Blue Blade from China in the razor, which I like a lot. If pressed hard for an opinion I would rate this blade just as smooth and maybe, just maybe a tad less sharp. However, to be fair that slight difference may be just something within the stacking tolerances of day to day variations. I really like this latter blade and could use it daily if needed.

Perhaps as well the superb quality of the tallow Stirling soap allows a blade to really "shine". ;)
 
Bogeyman said:
JM, just as a test today I did everything exactly the same except for a new Super Gillette Blue Blade from China in the razor, which I like a lot. If pressed hard for an opinion I would rate this blade just as smooth and maybe, just maybe a tad less sharp. However, to be fair that slight difference may be just something within the stacking tolerances of day to day variations. I really like this latter blade and could use it daily if needed.

Perhaps as well the superb quality of the tallow Stirling soap allows a blade to really "shine". ;)
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I have not tried those blades. There were/are purported to be a lot of fakes floating around. They are said to resemble the Super Thin blades sold in Thailand and Vietnam which I have tried but too long ago to make a judgement. I'm now satisfied the Chinese Tian Li (the chrome platinum not the "blue") blades work with all my razors and am moving to SuperMax titanium and Nacets next though I could easily just use the Tian Li. The postwar Tech did not do as well with the SuperMax this morning as it did with the Chinese blade a couple weeks ago.

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I 've only tried the GSB and it's a fine blade, but honestly, i wasn't blown away. I think it feels very similar to Astra, but while with the Astra i have a near perfect record, with GSB i got 2 weepers in 3 shaves. And since i rarely get a weeper, there is something in the smoothness that doesn't agree with my face. As for the result, i 've put the same effort to get BBS as with my other blades, that cost 1/3 the price. Astra bang for buck remains unbeatable.
 
Obelix said:
...with GSB i got 2 weepers in 3 shaves. And since i rarely get a weeper, there is something in the smoothness that doesn't agree with my face. As for the result, i 've put the same effort to get BBS as with my other blades, that cost 1/3 the price. Astra bang for buck remains unbeatable.
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That is interesting. I found the GSB even smoother than the Astra SP and it is my favourite blade. Perhaps you should try the GSB in a few months time just to confirm your feedback.
Agree with you on the Astra SP though, it passes with flying colours all 4 elements for me; sharpness, smoothness, longevity and value for money.
 
invicta said:
That is interesting. I found the GSB even smoother than the Astra SP and it is my favourite blade. Perhaps you should try the GSB in a few months time just to confirm your feedback.
Agree with you on the Astra SP though, it passes with flying colours all 4 elements for me; sharpness, smoothness, longevity and value for money.
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The only certain thing about blades that i have understood until now, is that YMMV. I am sure, that if i were to shave very often with GSB or if i were to be more careful, i could make them work. But, i rotate 12 blades, so i never shave with the same blade twice in a row and so consistency of soap, brush is also a problem, since i rotate them too. Most of my blades are medium sharpness and i think i am more accustomed to them. The GSB did feel like a quality blade, but, i think, that with my usual pressure, it might be a bit too sharp. Because, i am used to applying a little pressure, because my razors are very mild and my skin can also take it usually. I don't get cut easily.

The thing is, while i noticed recently in Ebay that Gillettes are plentiful and cheap in UK, here, up until recently, the only Gillette source was one shop where 22 EUR for 100 was the best price, while Polsiver go for 34EUR i think. Only recently another shop brought GSB (20 EUR for 100). And i bought a tuck just out of curiocity, but alas, i already have about 5250 blades, so it's too late to buy Gillettes by the hundreds now. And frankly, the Astras SP went for 7,60 for 100 EUR and you can't beat that... Most expensive blades i bought were Personna Red (22 EUR for 200). All the rest were 10 EUR or less per 100 blades. And i can get bloodless BBS with any of them.
 
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