Gillette Nacets are my current fave.
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.
http://www.mostochlegmash.ru/razors1.html
Try and find vintage Nacets back in the day these baby's used to cut two crocs!Any blade that chops alligators in half, is my favorite too.
...On a different note did anyone try these Indonesians? http://www.ebay.com/itm/222516917822
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?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. 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.
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?...
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.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".
PM coming [emoji12]I bought two tucks that are bonafide from this vendor on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-s...ual-razor-blades-Old-super-blue-/131869958715
I have read good things about the Tian blades but have none. If you are in the USA PM me and maybe we can work a trade.
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....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.
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.