- Messages
- 16,526
- Location
- Halifax, Republic of Yorkshire
Website
https://www.lordshave.net/
I've used Lord blades for a good number of years, but within the last few months I have run the entire Lord house back-to-back in the same razor ... and then revisited a number in the same razor and alternative razors. I've been over and over how the heck to write this up. I've been back and forth over style and format ... and in the end, I think I'll just figuratively dump my notes here and put some explanations around them.
First, some history ... and a statement as a starting point:
https://www.lordshave.net/history.php
History
In 1930 the first blades mechanized factory in the Middle East region was established in Alexandria, under the name of Alexandria Metal Products Company.
In 1978 a joint venture was formed with the former Wilkinson Sword (UK), the matter that boosted the improvement and the modernization of the manufacturing systems, procedures and quality controls.
In 1981 and due to the Wilkinson's restructure for its global functional areas of existence, the company was fully sold, which resulted in changing the company's name to Lord Precision Industries.
To my mind, Lord are the spiritual successor to the vintage Wilkinson Sword, which finally left the UK in 2000 with the closure of the Cramlington plant.
Statement
Lord have three classes of blade: Stainless, Chrome & Platinum and a very black and white statement might be that all branding within any given class is the same as the rest.
I'm inclined to agree ...
I'm inclined to agree because I think there is a generation thing going on here and the blades that I have may well be of very different ages and that itself is the sole difference. Presumably Lord is running every day of the week and stock will flow through steadily, but the distributors and the vendors will have different levels of throughput.
Back to back, the renowned Silver Star Super Stainless isn't actually all that. Back to back, the Lord Classic Super Stainless isn't necessarily smoother than any other Super Stainless. Back to back, the Lord Platinum Class might feel a tad brighter because it is newer than, say, the Lord Superior Platinum. Everything else is imagination.
I'm inclined to agree, but ...
Even run back to back with the same razor throughout I am finding what I'd say are noticeable differences between blades of the same class. That, and Squire over on SMF has macro-photography showing difference in grinds with some branding. However, in the final analysis the entire range does fit within a fairly tight bracket in terms of sharpness and smoothness.
Platinum/Chrome (Ranking) < possible bracket of finishes within blade class? Nah! Imaginary ... or a case of old stock versus new
Lord Superior Platinum 7.5 = Lord Tajam (same sleeve) & Blue Sword Platinum 7.3/7.5 < older packaging with a nicer feel, but probably all in the mind
Lord/Shark Platinum Class 8.9/7.4 = Racer/ASCO/Crown Platinum Class 7.7/7.6/7.2 < probably a generation thing … Platinum Class is the new nomenclature
Lord/Shark Super Chrome 7.4/7.25 < Significantly smoother than the Platinum Class
Super Stainless (Ranking) < almost certainly a bracket of finishes ... not of sharpness, but comfort (notice: Rainbow Super Class ... and what's extra about the Extra?)
Silver Star Super Stainless 9 < Standout for sharpness
Lord Classic Super Stainless 8.5 < Standout for smoothness
Lord Extra 8 = Lord Cool Super Stainless & Blue Sword Extra 8.3/8? = Racer/ASCO/Crown Super Stainless 8.2/8/7.8
Lord/Shark Super Stainless 7/6.9 = OK Super Stainless/Rainbow Super Class 6/6.9
Big Ben Super Stainless 6 & Big Ben Classic 6.5 < Legacy/Economy?
I’ve put in my ratings (in bold) but please don’t necessarily read these as the platinum or chrome class being not as good as the stainless class, just that my preference is for simple stainless while I find the platinum perhaps too sharp for my liking (or rather, technique … I’m heavy-handed). What you can take from my ratings is a comparative look at blades of the same class to spot what I think are the standout branding.
Shortcut? It’s Racer and ASCO, for me. I’d buy these blades under either of those names … both Platinum and Super Stainless. Meanwhile, it’s the Lord Classic and the Silver Star Super Stainless that really stand out for smoothness and sharpness, respectively and the Lord Platinum Class that is the finest of them all.
Conspiracy
What if I was to tell you that the Platinum is not actually a platinum edged blade?
Might this account for the shift towards "Platinum Class" as the new nomenclature and the very clear marking of "Super Stainless" on every Platinum/Class blade?
Might this account for why the Crown appears to be a slip of the mask by stating only "Super Stainless" on their actual Platinum Class blade? Yes, the blades within the Platinum Class pack are stamped exactly the same as the Super Stainless pack!
Might this account for why we have what feels like a standout blade for sharpness in the Silver Star Super Stainless, because it is actually finished to the Platinum Class standard (and has a face-feel suspiciously like the above mentioned Crown Platinum Class); or why we have what feels like a standout blade for smoothness in the Lord Classic Super Stainless because the blades are indeed finished differently, some more so than others?
... that indeed the bracket within which the Super Stainless sit could logically be extended up through the Super Stainless and the Super Chrome blades into the Platinum Class (Super Stainless) and actually that bracket is a bracket across all blades, top to bottom with the Platinum Class being the sharpest, the Super Chrome the smoothest and the Super Stainless the base blade. Everything else is a finishing variant within that bracket - grind and coating.
Maybe.
Fun trying them all out and I do still maintain the following takeout ...
Final Analysis
What's the standard shave? (2/3) Lord/Shark Super Stainless = OK/Rainbow Super Stainless & Big Ben < you'll get shaved but they're nowt to write home about (except perhaps for the Shark Super Stainless which has an almost carbon steel face feel)
Something more comfortable? (3) Lord Extra/Blue Sword Extra = Racer/ASCO/Crown Super Stainless < these are perhaps double coated?
Something sharper? (3/4) Platinum Class is the latest generation and very sharp indeed
Something smoother? (3/4) Super Chrome is the smoothest ... and most akin to vintage Wilkinson Sword (there, I said it)
Silver Star Super Stainless (3) is the standout blade for sharpness (maybe Platinum Class grind?)
Lord Classic (3) is the standout blade for smoothness ... with the Lord Cool just a whisker behind
Big Ben */** is sub-everything ... perhaps a legacy finish from an older branding < different grind
Key:
* Squire on SMF confirms the Big Ben to have a different grind to the Super Stainless
** Big Ben are often cited as being Chrome which can refer to LESS chrome in the stainless (sub 11%) … maybe a sub-stainless variant?
(x/y) Number of shaves before out of the sleeve performance drops _underscore denoting preference
All provide a characterful (if not retro-feeling) shave and all seem to produce highly personal experiences given variations in preparation, lather and razor hardware. You either like 'em or you don't ... but if you don't then do try again with a different combination and you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised.
Key:
?Chrome (taken from RBC … and all manner of sellers on the Internet) makes some sense given the apparently smooth (yet less sharp?) shave
*PTFE (taken from RBC) seems to equate to the Lord Extra ... and personal experience
Tajam/Cool < for Thailand/Indonesian/Malaysian/Philippines market (Tajam = “Sharp”)
All marked as Medium Thickness except Big Ben Super Stainless (thicker?), Rainbow Super Stainless (?) & Racer Super Class Platinum (?)
What would I buy again?
Putting my your money where my mouth is ... in order of preference:
Lord Classic Super Stainless (or Lord Cool Super Stainless) < Super-smooth ... best all rounder
Silver Star Super Stainless < PermarSharp Super-like performance
Shark Super Stainless < almost carbon steel feel
Lord Platinum Class < seethingly sharp but not vampiric ... very classy!
Racer Super Stainless/Platinum combo < best of the alt brands
ASCO Super Stainless/Platinum combo < second, only by a smidge ... perhaps sharper?
I do have a plea!
Does anyone have a Big Ben Platinum or a Blue Sword Extra that they could send me?
Not only but also ...
Lord also make the following alternative brands:
Bolzano SuperInox < Titanium
Elios < Platinum
Captain < Carbon Steel
... and some fun with Look & Feel?
Wizamet?
Astra Platinum?
... going after the Treet Platinum, which is (fun fact) also a "Platinum Class" blade found to have no platinum when tested.
... and one last thing
https://lordshave.net/private_labels.php
Notice some of the brand names? Tesco? Aldi? Boots?
https://www.lordshave.net/
I've used Lord blades for a good number of years, but within the last few months I have run the entire Lord house back-to-back in the same razor ... and then revisited a number in the same razor and alternative razors. I've been over and over how the heck to write this up. I've been back and forth over style and format ... and in the end, I think I'll just figuratively dump my notes here and put some explanations around them.
First, some history ... and a statement as a starting point:
https://www.lordshave.net/history.php
History
In 1930 the first blades mechanized factory in the Middle East region was established in Alexandria, under the name of Alexandria Metal Products Company.
In 1978 a joint venture was formed with the former Wilkinson Sword (UK), the matter that boosted the improvement and the modernization of the manufacturing systems, procedures and quality controls.
In 1981 and due to the Wilkinson's restructure for its global functional areas of existence, the company was fully sold, which resulted in changing the company's name to Lord Precision Industries.
To my mind, Lord are the spiritual successor to the vintage Wilkinson Sword, which finally left the UK in 2000 with the closure of the Cramlington plant.
Statement
Lord have three classes of blade: Stainless, Chrome & Platinum and a very black and white statement might be that all branding within any given class is the same as the rest.
I'm inclined to agree ...
I'm inclined to agree because I think there is a generation thing going on here and the blades that I have may well be of very different ages and that itself is the sole difference. Presumably Lord is running every day of the week and stock will flow through steadily, but the distributors and the vendors will have different levels of throughput.
Back to back, the renowned Silver Star Super Stainless isn't actually all that. Back to back, the Lord Classic Super Stainless isn't necessarily smoother than any other Super Stainless. Back to back, the Lord Platinum Class might feel a tad brighter because it is newer than, say, the Lord Superior Platinum. Everything else is imagination.
I'm inclined to agree, but ...
Even run back to back with the same razor throughout I am finding what I'd say are noticeable differences between blades of the same class. That, and Squire over on SMF has macro-photography showing difference in grinds with some branding. However, in the final analysis the entire range does fit within a fairly tight bracket in terms of sharpness and smoothness.
Platinum/Chrome (Ranking) < possible bracket of finishes within blade class? Nah! Imaginary ... or a case of old stock versus new
Lord Superior Platinum 7.5 = Lord Tajam (same sleeve) & Blue Sword Platinum 7.3/7.5 < older packaging with a nicer feel, but probably all in the mind
Lord/Shark Platinum Class 8.9/7.4 = Racer/ASCO/Crown Platinum Class 7.7/7.6/7.2 < probably a generation thing … Platinum Class is the new nomenclature
Lord/Shark Super Chrome 7.4/7.25 < Significantly smoother than the Platinum Class
Super Stainless (Ranking) < almost certainly a bracket of finishes ... not of sharpness, but comfort (notice: Rainbow Super Class ... and what's extra about the Extra?)
Silver Star Super Stainless 9 < Standout for sharpness
Lord Classic Super Stainless 8.5 < Standout for smoothness
Lord Extra 8 = Lord Cool Super Stainless & Blue Sword Extra 8.3/8? = Racer/ASCO/Crown Super Stainless 8.2/8/7.8
Lord/Shark Super Stainless 7/6.9 = OK Super Stainless/Rainbow Super Class 6/6.9
Big Ben Super Stainless 6 & Big Ben Classic 6.5 < Legacy/Economy?
I’ve put in my ratings (in bold) but please don’t necessarily read these as the platinum or chrome class being not as good as the stainless class, just that my preference is for simple stainless while I find the platinum perhaps too sharp for my liking (or rather, technique … I’m heavy-handed). What you can take from my ratings is a comparative look at blades of the same class to spot what I think are the standout branding.
Shortcut? It’s Racer and ASCO, for me. I’d buy these blades under either of those names … both Platinum and Super Stainless. Meanwhile, it’s the Lord Classic and the Silver Star Super Stainless that really stand out for smoothness and sharpness, respectively and the Lord Platinum Class that is the finest of them all.
Conspiracy
What if I was to tell you that the Platinum is not actually a platinum edged blade?
Might this account for the shift towards "Platinum Class" as the new nomenclature and the very clear marking of "Super Stainless" on every Platinum/Class blade?
Might this account for why the Crown appears to be a slip of the mask by stating only "Super Stainless" on their actual Platinum Class blade? Yes, the blades within the Platinum Class pack are stamped exactly the same as the Super Stainless pack!
Might this account for why we have what feels like a standout blade for sharpness in the Silver Star Super Stainless, because it is actually finished to the Platinum Class standard (and has a face-feel suspiciously like the above mentioned Crown Platinum Class); or why we have what feels like a standout blade for smoothness in the Lord Classic Super Stainless because the blades are indeed finished differently, some more so than others?
... that indeed the bracket within which the Super Stainless sit could logically be extended up through the Super Stainless and the Super Chrome blades into the Platinum Class (Super Stainless) and actually that bracket is a bracket across all blades, top to bottom with the Platinum Class being the sharpest, the Super Chrome the smoothest and the Super Stainless the base blade. Everything else is a finishing variant within that bracket - grind and coating.
Maybe.
Fun trying them all out and I do still maintain the following takeout ...
Final Analysis
What's the standard shave? (2/3) Lord/Shark Super Stainless = OK/Rainbow Super Stainless & Big Ben < you'll get shaved but they're nowt to write home about (except perhaps for the Shark Super Stainless which has an almost carbon steel face feel)
Something more comfortable? (3) Lord Extra/Blue Sword Extra = Racer/ASCO/Crown Super Stainless < these are perhaps double coated?
Something sharper? (3/4) Platinum Class is the latest generation and very sharp indeed
Something smoother? (3/4) Super Chrome is the smoothest ... and most akin to vintage Wilkinson Sword (there, I said it)
Silver Star Super Stainless (3) is the standout blade for sharpness (maybe Platinum Class grind?)
Lord Classic (3) is the standout blade for smoothness ... with the Lord Cool just a whisker behind
Big Ben */** is sub-everything ... perhaps a legacy finish from an older branding < different grind
Key:
* Squire on SMF confirms the Big Ben to have a different grind to the Super Stainless
** Big Ben are often cited as being Chrome which can refer to LESS chrome in the stainless (sub 11%) … maybe a sub-stainless variant?
(x/y) Number of shaves before out of the sleeve performance drops _underscore denoting preference
All provide a characterful (if not retro-feeling) shave and all seem to produce highly personal experiences given variations in preparation, lather and razor hardware. You either like 'em or you don't ... but if you don't then do try again with a different combination and you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised.
| Brand | Platinum/Class | Super Stainless | Super Chrome | |
| Lord | Platinum Class (labelled Class on the greaseproof wrapper) 8.9 < Latest White & Blue Superior Platinum (curiously labelled New on the greaseproof wrapper) 7.5 < Legacy? Premium Platinum (also labelled New on the greaseproof wrapper) 7.5 Black w/Plastic Case | Super Stainless 7 Extra (*PTFE) 8 ^ Standard & Superior finishes Classic 8.5 ^ Lord Extra+ | < << | Chrome 7.4 White & Blue (10) Blue & Blue (5) |
| Shark | Platinum (Class) 7.4 ^Lord Platinum Class | Super Stainless 6.9 ^Lord Super Stainless | Chrome 7.25 | |
| Racer Stainless - *PTFE | Super Class Platinum 7.7 ^Lord Platinum Class | Super Stainless 8.2 ^Lord Extra? | < | |
| ASCO Stainless - *PTFE | Platinum/Class (Latest labelling) 7.6 ^Lord Platinum Class | Super Stainless 8 ^Lord Extra? Orange/Red/Blue | < | |
| Crown Stainless - *PTFE | Platinum Class 7.2 ^Lord Platinum Class | Super Stainless 7.8 ^Lord Extra? | < | |
| Lord Tajam - Platinum Cool - PTFE* | Tajam Platinum (also labelled New on the greaseproof wrapper) 7.3 ^Lord Superior Platinum | Cool Super Stainless 8.3 ^Lord Extra? | < | |
| Blue Sword | Platinum 7.5 ^Lord Superior Platinum | Extra 8? ^Lord Extra | < | |
| OK | Super Stainless 6 ^Economy Super Stainless? Blue/Green | |||
| Rainbow | Super Class Blades 6.9 ^Shark Super Stainless? Green/Violet | |||
| Silver Star Super Stainless ++ | Super Stainless Blades 9 ^Lord Super Stainless++ Red & Silver/Red & Blue Green < Indian Market? | << | ||
| Big Ben (Legacy?) | Super Stainless 6 ^sub-Super Stainless? Blue/Violet Classic 6.5 ^sub-Super Stainless? | X X | ? |
Key:
?Chrome (taken from RBC … and all manner of sellers on the Internet) makes some sense given the apparently smooth (yet less sharp?) shave
*PTFE (taken from RBC) seems to equate to the Lord Extra ... and personal experience
Tajam/Cool < for Thailand/Indonesian/Malaysian/Philippines market (Tajam = “Sharp”)
All marked as Medium Thickness except Big Ben Super Stainless (thicker?), Rainbow Super Stainless (?) & Racer Super Class Platinum (?)
What would I buy again?
Putting my your money where my mouth is ... in order of preference:
Lord Classic Super Stainless (or Lord Cool Super Stainless) < Super-smooth ... best all rounder
Silver Star Super Stainless < PermarSharp Super-like performance
Shark Super Stainless < almost carbon steel feel
Lord Platinum Class < seethingly sharp but not vampiric ... very classy!
Racer Super Stainless/Platinum combo < best of the alt brands
ASCO Super Stainless/Platinum combo < second, only by a smidge ... perhaps sharper?
I do have a plea!
Does anyone have a Big Ben Platinum or a Blue Sword Extra that they could send me?
Not only but also ...
Lord also make the following alternative brands:
Bolzano SuperInox < Titanium
Elios < Platinum
Captain < Carbon Steel
... and some fun with Look & Feel?
Wizamet?
Astra Platinum?
... going after the Treet Platinum, which is (fun fact) also a "Platinum Class" blade found to have no platinum when tested.
... and one last thing
https://lordshave.net/private_labels.php
Notice some of the brand names? Tesco? Aldi? Boots?
