- Joined
- Tuesday February 16, 2021
Thanks for the reply, another industry lost to the UK !!
I honestly believe that once a shaver gets their technique & prep down pat as well as settles on a few select DE razors then there is relatively very little noticeable difference among the top tier blades. It becomes more of a case of "magician over the wand".
Never a truer word said.I honestly believe that once a shaver gets their technique & prep down pat as well as settles on a few select DE razors then there is relatively very little noticeable difference among the top tier blades. It becomes more of a case of "magician over the wand".
No, there aren’t any English made blades now. The Wilkinson Sword factory in Cramlington in Northumberland was the last one. I think they kept going until the 1990s then they shifted manufacturing to Germany.
You could still buy English made Wilkinson Swords in corner shop Chemists until maybe ten years ago? Then they were replaced with German made ones. There was a tiny difference in packaging but a massive difference in quality.
It’s a mystery why the the countries who always made the best blades - England, USA, France, for instance - don’t make them any more while some of the countries who made the very worst - Germany for instance - still make them.
Please forgive me for my geeky interest in our lost razor blade factories (also if it's irrelevant to this thread, though for me NOS blades are my favourites) and especially as I'm a newbie, but from the LA Times:Even the French couldn’t hang on to their razor blade factories. Although when Gillette closed the factory in Annecy and moved production to Russia there were big protests and a diplomatic row. I think Gillette made a promise they would maintain branding, quality and prices. Which is why until recently you could still buy Bleue Extras and Super Silvers in any French supermarket. Whereas when the market for DE razor blades began to pick up in the UK Gillette actually stopped selling Gillette Platinums (Swedes) here.
That is fascinating, and what a brilliant way to do your r and d!Testing at the Wilkinson Sword Factory at Cramlington:
View attachment 68906
Every day at the factory of the Wilkinson Sword Company in Cramlington, outside Newcastle, 270 men who make the razor blades shave on duty as part of the production. From the many used blades a number are taken for examination in the laboratory. This is not all. A study is made when someone complains about a poor shave. Here the physiological background is studied. Sometimes the man is not feeling well, other times he might have been having a few late nights, or even a row with his wife. All these things add up to skin condition and whether they get a good shave or not, our picture Shows: Nearest the camera George Moffatt, next Robert Martin, Gordon Watson and Frank McAlroy. 6th March 1967. (Photo by Freddie Reed/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
If other companies followed suit, say Harry's, they'd find out much earlier on that their product was utter crap!That is fascinating, and what a brilliant way to do your r and d!
That is fascinating, and what a brilliant way to do your r and d!
Awesome idea, nice to read through other people's lists as well.I know it varies for everyone and that's what I find interesting, that one person can find a blade to be the best thing since Sliced Bread and another think the same blade is truly Woeful.
Just for fun what are your 1,2 or 3 Worst ever blades and the 1,2 or 3 you love the most.
For Me
Worst:
Shark Super Chrome
Lord Platinum
Gillette Wilkinson Sword
Best:
Gillette Sharp Edge
Gillette Nacet
Kai Stainless