Polish Wizamet blades

FrankieG

FrankieG

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Having been very impressed with a discontinued Polish-made 'Iridium Super' blade that I just tried I have decided to keep my eyes open for any other Wizamet blades that may crop up. However, I'm confused with all the different packaging and labeling! Can anyone throw any light on what's what and whether any are more desirable than others?

These are the ones I have
$_35.JPG


there are also these Polsilver 'Iridium'
mnop1246767230m.jpg


and these two Polsilver 'Stainless Blades'
polsilver-black.jpg
images


These 'Iridium Super' have the Wizamet logo, but appear to be made in St. Petersburg...

mZp4Q6sJkJQ8YjGDS0H02CA.jpg
 
All I think I know is they were once made in Poland and i #think# were two separate products - Polsilver and Iridium Super, which merged at some point; possibly when bought by Procter and Gamble.
Probably the first three are package redesigns over the years.
I've tried only the last three in your photos plus the modern Polsilver Super Iridiums. All the SI have been roughly as good as each other (sharp and very smooth). I personally have found the Polsilver in the brown and gold packaging in your fourth picture to be a bit less smooth but just as sharp, although not sure I've read anyone else has found this to be so.
The modern Polsilver SI blades I've found to be close, if not identical, to the ones in your last image.
 
I have a couple of Wizamet Iridium Super (bottom one of your pictures) and it is my favourite blade.

I also have several hundred of the Wizamet Polsilver stanless blades (your third picture, RHS) and, whilst it is a very good blade, I don't find it just as smooth or as long-lasting as the Wizamet Iridium Super.

Suffice it to say, I would also be interested to find out more about all of these Wizamet blades...
 
I bought 100 of the Posilver Stainless a while back (3rd row, RH pack). They'll be my go to blade until all used. They were made in the Polish factory and didn't survive the "rationalisation" to the St Petersburg plant. Shame they're discontinued.
 
Shemen Zait said:
What is Iridium? Why use it for blade coating?
Click to expand...

Whilst I am not a metallurgy expert, IIRC (from 'A' level physics of many years ago) iridium is highly corrosion resistant, hence why it may be beneficial to use in razor blades.

It has never sat entirely comfortably with me about buying blades (for use, as opposed to collection) that are more than a year or two old given the potential for metal to degrade over time, especially if subjected to moisture. Granted, most modern blades are manufactured from stainless steel and hence should not rust at all but you can never be absolutely sure.

I certainly have never had any problems with the Wizamet Iridium Supers, however, even though they must be at least 10-20 years old.
 
FrankieG said:
Having been very impressed with a discontinued Polish-made 'Iridium Super' blade that I just tried I have decided to keep my eyes open for any other Wizamet blades that may crop up. However, I'm confused with all the different packaging and labeling! Can anyone throw any light on what's what and whether any are more desirable than others?

These are the ones I have
$_35.JPG


there are also these Polsilver 'Iridium'
mnop1246767230m.jpg


and these two Polsilver 'Stainless Blades'
polsilver-black.jpg
images


These 'Iridium Super' have the Wizamet logo, but appear to be made in St. Petersburg...

mZp4Q6sJkJQ8YjGDS0H02CA.jpg
Click to expand...

I have a very small supply of all these blades
the first 3 pictures, there was a lad selling these on bst a few months back

The last picture are one of my favourite blade,

all blades from this factory are decent.
 
I think that Polsilver SI are the same as Iridium Super. Tried both, can't tell the difference. Both made in St Petersburg. I have a couple of hundred if each...

There was a Spanish seller doing Polsilver SI and Iridium super for sale on the net...
 
Ok I can help here as I studied Polish blades in extend.

Picture 1

Blades made by Wizamet in Poland. Top of line of Wizamet blades. Made in Łodź, Poland

Picture 2

Iridium are predecessor or as prefer one model down of Iridium super. There were made before super and at time of Super(I think so)

Picture 3

Have to kind of Polsilver blade. there were most popular in Poland and were basic of each shaving(Cheapest)
Now yellow box was made in poland from around 50s/60s till 80s/90s
Brown one is 90s product and mostly made in St.Petersburg, Russia by P&G when they bought Wizamet.

Picture 4

Iridium Super made in St.Petersurg by P&G

10 Zyletek means 10 Blades in Polish.


Now bit history.

Wizamet was company who made many razors and blades. Mostly sold in communist countries before 1989.

They blades were named Polsilver.

First one released was Polsilver Blades then Iridium (Polsilver) as higher quality blades and the Iridium Super as top of line.
So we had 3 different blades in rotation at same time. Eastern European men were always having name Polsilver as quality product so when P&G bought Wizamet and moved production from Poland to St.Petersburg they decide to remove "Wizamet" name and logo from blades but to establish connection with people that this is same blades they kept Polsilver in name. They stopped manufacturing Polsilvers and Iridium Polsilver and focus on most popular by quality product Iridium Super blades so they called them Polsilver Iridium Super.

Any question or correction feel free to PM or ask here.
 
Celar36 said:
Ok I can help here as I studied Polish blades in extend.

Picture 1

Blades made by Wizamet in Poland. Top of line of Wizamet blades. Made in Łodź, Poland

Picture 2

Iridium are predecessor or as prefer one model down of Iridium super. There were made before super and at time of Super(I think so)

Picture 3

Have to kind of Polsilver blade. there were most popular in Poland and were basic of each shaving(Cheapest)
Now yellow box was made in poland from around 50s/60s till 80s/90s
Brown one is 90s product and mostly made in St.Petersburg, Russia by P&G when they bought Wizamet.

Picture 4

Iridium Super made in St.Petersurg by P&G

10 Zyletek means 10 Blades in Polish.


Now bit history.

Wizamet was company who made many razors and blades. Mostly sold in communist countries before 1989.

They blades were named Polsilver.

First one released was Polsilver Blades then Iridium (Polsilver) as higher quality blades and the Iridium Super as top of line.
So we had 3 different blades in rotation at same time. Eastern European men were always having name Polsilver as quality product so when P&G bought Wizamet and moved production from Poland to St.Petersburg they decide to remove "Wizamet" name and logo from blades but to establish connection with people that this is same blades they kept Polsilver in name. They stopped manufacturing Polsilvers and Iridium Polsilver and focus on most popular by quality product Iridium Super blades so they called them Polsilver Iridium Super.

Any question or correction feel free to PM or ask here.
Click to expand...
thanks for that, really interesting summary! never had the good fortune to try the wizamet blades but the modern polsilver is in my top 3
 
Goodnight everyone!
I´ve been a long time without writing in this great forum.
I just found this thread by chance, I want to ask you if anyone has tried single wrapped Wizamet Iridium Super blades, below some pics from my photobucket´s account:







Thanks so much in advance!!
Emilio
 
I spoke with a California vendor today who is selling what he says are newly manufd. Wizamet Super Iridium blades that are being made again (his words) by PPI in Russia. He said he bought 5K of them from a vendor in Spain who gets them straight out of Eastern Europe.

http://www.menessentials.com/shavin...uper-extra-stainless-razor-blades-10pack.html

I find that odd as many who have done a SxS test of this blade and the new Polsilver say they are the same blade. I have never tried the Wizamet Super Iridium, having only used the older Polsilver stainless (dark brown box) and the new PPI Polsilver. That said, I ordered two tucks to try.

Sometimes, I think there are people in P&G marketing who read these websites and say "Hey Boris, let's screw with these clowns again!". :eek: ;)
 
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