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Not six weeks in an actual SuperMax but for the last six weeks, or so, I’ve been shaving with anything and everything that I could find from the SuperMax house …
Whenever it comes to SuperMax, folks are easily confused. Any discussion will inevitably fall apart with any single blade being discussed being compared and confused with any number of different blades of essentially the same name - point in case, the SuperMax Platinum (1) from the legacy line is a truly horrible blade and so far found to be incapable of a single shave, yet the SuperMax Super Platinum (6) is a very fine blade indeed and absolutely comparable with the Gillette Platinum. Likewise, the Zorrik Super Platinum is either a pretty good shave, or a pretty bad shave depending upon which generation (see 12 or 14) you’re shaving with.
I have identified 29 distinct blades from the SuperMax house. 29! I have shaved with 19 of these …
We’re talking blades across the last decade, different markets and different generations of blades, across three distinct brands! No wonder folks get confused and end up talking at crossed-purposes.
I will break this down into four sections:
Current global market offerings and legacy lines
New technology Super Platinum, Titanium & Chromium
Assorted presumed discontinued
Off-brand
What I’m presenting here is, in order, the blades that you are most likely to be able to find from a cursory look around the usual places, followed by those that you would be able to get by digging a little deeper. What we’re left with is the dwindling stocks of old lines and the ones that you will have to take a long road to find.
There is a lot of YMMV when it comes to shaving and so I will try to steer towards what I think is the most identifiable characteristic of the blades. While words like sharp, keen and smooth will appear often, these are not necessarily value-laden. I intend to set out what I think is their purpose and only where a blade truly does not meet the basic standard of whether it actually cuts hair in an efficient and consistent manner will I state that it is not fit for purpose.
On with it, man!
Current Global Market
SuperMax have markets worldwide, with regional offices in India, the UK, the UAE, North America, South Africa and … erm, the rest of the world! Across all of those, just three blades are presented in the double edge section:
SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum
SuperMax Super Stainless
Zorrik Supreme
That is a very short list for a producer that you can readily find a whole heap more of without really scratching the surface, and so may I present what I think is the current global market and the legacy offerings that I think were produced in such abundance that even if they were discontinued, would still be available for many years to come:
On the left are what I would call the legacy line - the SuperMax Platinum (1), Vidyut/SuperMax Econony Stainless (2) & V(idyut)/SuperMax Super Stainless (3) accompanied by the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5) which bears similar styling on the blade itself and so included here for the sake of completion < more on that further down, as I believe it is related to the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (9) over on the right. I’ve also included a discontinued SuperMax Stainless (4) blade here as it’s another that you can still find with reasonable frequency and also bears a stylistic resemblance to the others on the blade itself.
On the right we’ve got the current global market SuperMax Super Stainless (7) accompanied by the discontinued SuperMax Super Platinum (6) which I have included as the styling is of the same epoch and this SuperMax Super Platinum stands as the foundation stone for the super platinum blades that we will look at in the next section. Current market Zorrik Supreme (8) and current market SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum(9). Finally, the discontinued SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) that I have included here for the simple purpose of placing it somewhere.
Understand, too, that SuperMax market under three distinct brands: SuperMax, Vidyut & Zorrik. In the West, we are very familiar with SuperMax which Vidyut & Zorrik appear to be much better known at home, in the Indian market, where I get the distinct feeling there is a market stratification going on with Vidyut as the more legacy, plebeian brand while Zorrik holds the newer, better, cooler brand.
So, what’s what?
It is worth saying at this point that I believe SuperMax have installed some new technology in recent years that have really upped their game in the sputtered blade market and we will look at these in the next section. Suffice to say, stainless steel blades do not require sputtering and so what I think we see on the stainless steel side of things is a largely uninterrupted line of blade over time and across markets. It might be a bold statement to start out with, but I think it is quite probably right to say: if you have a SuperMax stainless blade in your hand, whatever the markings, whatever the branding, whatever the market, you’re likely to have the same blade.
I think there is just one stainless blade. One … and it’s a simple, straight-up, good, honest workaday blade. It’s sharp enough to do the job and smooth enough to use happily. I am a single pass shaver and every time I have loaded one of these stainless blades in, I have thoroughly enjoyed the shave, gained a single-pass shave to my satisfaction and that has gone on for three shaves that I would say have been consistent. I know these blades are much maligned and you can point to any forum the world over to find folks nagging "not smooth enough" … "rough and tuggy" … "one shave is enough" and I did tread carefully with one of two of these that have bad reputations, such as the Vidyut/SuperMax Economy Stainless (reputed to be a one-shot shave), but found them all to be perfectly satisfactory. Satisfactory. One minor difference might be that those marked Super Stainless perhaps feel just a tad smoother from the off and might go through a second stropping process at the factory, otherwise, ostensibly the same as the regular stainless. That’s 2, 3, 4 & 6. Pressed to place a rating on these blades, I’d say 8/10.
The SuperMax Platinum (1) is a poor blade. Granted, I prefer simple stainless blades, but I think what is represented here is a budget platinum that is just not sharp enough to pull off a single, decent pass. I have tried two of these and both left me with this impression. Conversely, the SuperMax Super Platinum (5) is a fine blade indeed and one which I would rate as highly as the Gillette Platinum! Furthermore, it stands as the bedrock from which the new breed of Super Platinums have sprung and for comparisons of such to be made. Looking at my notes, I simply write: "Smooth and efficient!" … what more could you want from a blade? Again, pressed to place a rating on these, it’s 5.5/10 for the SuperMax Platinum (1) and a lofty 8.5/10 for the SuperMax Super Platinum (5)!
Moving around, we’re left with the two Blue Diamond blades, the SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) and the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10), and the discontinued SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5). I’ve grouped these together as I feel they’re related. When I first came to traditional shaving, I really clicked with the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium, a blade which I found comfortable to use in my (then) multi-pass routine. Used today, I found it utterly lacking and incapable of a good, single-pass shave. It is not sharp. Used in a multi-pass routine I think it might be given a pass but it would still be considered a poor blade. The SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5) advertises as using the same imported Swedish steel as the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) and from my notes, I’ve somehow related the two: "very much of the same ilk as the Blue Diamond Titanium" … I found it a smooth enough shaver, but lacking in bite. Ratings? It’s 5/10 for the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) and 6.9/10 for the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5), workable at best and just a tick below 7 which is my threshold for calling a blade "good enough".
I’ve included the SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) and the Zorrik Supreme (8) in this group as they’re part of the current global market offerings. I will talk more about the Zorrik Supreme (8) in the next section, along with the other chromium blades. The SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) represents the very best of the current group of Super Platinum blades and is indeed a good tick above the home market brandings that we will look at in the next section. My notes cite it as "a definite improvement over the remainder of the current crop of Super Platinum blades". I guess that’s why it’s the global offering. Rating? 8.5/10, again, up there with the Gillette Platinum and the discontinued SuperMax Super Platinum (5) but for different reasons - this blade is not only smooth but also very comfortable.
I should also say that there is an offering under the Vidyut and Vidyut/Zorrik brands for the Super Stainless, neither of which I’ve tried but have every confidence that I will find these to be the same as the rest of the Super/Stainless blades. I believe the Vidyut/Zorrik Super Stainless (11) is an older generation and one which had a matching first generation "new sputtered technology" Zorrik Super Platinum (12) blade. The new generation Zorrik Super Stainless (13) matches the branding and packaging of the new generation home market blades, largely found in the next section.
Vidyut/Zorrik Super Stainless (11)
… with matching era Zorrik Super Platinum (12) that I suspect is a first generation Super Platinum utilising the "new sputtered technology"
Current domestic market Zorrik Super Stainless (13)
… all of which segues neatly into the next section.
New Sputtered Technology
At some point in recent years, SuperMax have upgraded their machinery for producing Super Platinum, Titanium and Chromium blades. They have made a lot of noise about this on the wrappers of such blades with slogans such as "new sputtered technology" and (today) "new robotised technology".
I remember a few years ago (2014?) trying out such a blade, the Zorrik Super Platinum (12) pictured above and found it wanting when compared to, say, Gillette. I tried that blade again recently and still found it wanting. It was rough, tuggy and uncomfortable. Today, I'd rate this at 6.5/10 which definitely sub-par for me.
I did spot that the Zorrik Super Platinum (12) had undergone what I belive to be a facelift and so bought a pack in to compare. The new, new Zorrik Super Platinum (14) was considerably smoother, more capable and very much in line with its sibling under the Vidyut brand. Moreover, the facelifted pack came in branded greaseproof wrap for the blade rather than paper.
The latest generation of this type of blade is indeed immediately identifiable by the branded greaseproof blade wrapper in place of paper wrappers. The blades are secured with very light glue spots. I believe that these blades are intended for the domestic market. India. Perhaps also Sri Lanka. Finding these blades for sale tends to be either directly from these markets or connected with these markets.
Vidyut Super Platinum (15)
Vidyut Platinum Plus (16)
SuperMax Diamond Edge (17)
This time around, the Zorrik Super Platinum (14) pulled 7.7/10 as did the sibling Vidyut Super Platinum (15) and presumably the one under the SuperMax brand, the SuperMax Diamond Edge (17). Certainly workable but not quite what I would call a good/recommended blade - don't get me wrong here, anything in the 7/10 category is a blade I would happily use, just not one I'd consider buying in any quantity for myself. In my notes, I commented that: "the first shave is smooth over sharp, the second sharp over smooth and by the third shave those characteristics had caught each other up to deliver a very comfortable shave".
The shave is certainly smooth, but not especially sharp. From any given stroke that characteristic translates as a some uncertainly; uncertainly that it had shaved. Indeed, so smooth that it felt like it had not and not so sharp as to convince that it had cut. But it does and for that I think the character of these blades is best described as smooth and comfortable. I mentioned above that the original SuperMax Super Platinum (6) certainly felt like the template for these and they are by no means less smooth or less capable, perhaps more so, just that any uncertainty was certainly not felt in the old blade and that technical improvement in itself is the main difference and the reason that I prefer the old blade.
While the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) certainly feels like a tired blade nowadays, these latest technology offerings are a serious step up!
Zorrik Titanium (18)
SuperMax Titanium (19)
... not especially sharp (again, inducing a feeling of uncertainly), these blades are phenomenally comfortable and exceptionally forgiving! Phenomanal and exceptional! I said not especially sharp and it's a single-pass with touch-ups or a two-pass shave that it needed with these blades, but their phenomenal comfort and exceptional forgiveness is not doubt best enjoyed by folks with sensitive skin, especially those who chase super-smooth with multiple passes. For me, one of these blades came into its own as a recovery shave following two abandoned attempts with another blade [for reference, that was the Zorrik Talvar (22)]. I have a few of these leftover and will keep them in for this very reason, or if I'm feeling particularly rough regrowth after a bad shave. Rating? 7/10. Buy again? No.
And so, onto the Chromium blades ...
Zorrik Talvar (22)
I'll break in at this point and say that I found the Zorrik Talvar to be a very poor blade. I had two of these and used them both as the first one was found to be so blunt and rough that I thought it a bad blade and so switch out to the second to find exactly the same. I rescued that shave with the forgiving SuperMax Titanium (19) mentioned above. For the Zorrik Talvar (22) it's a lowly 4/10 which is a "nope!" in my ratings, below "nah!" but above "hell, no!".
Zorrik Supreme (8)
Vidyut Super Chromium (20)
SuperMax Chromium (21)
I think (despite the greaseproof blade packaging) that the Zorrik Talvar (22) is an older generation as I found the Zorrik Supreme (8) to be an infinitely better and absolutely distinct blade. Maybe it's like the first generation "new" Zorrik Super Platinum and then the "new, new ... and improved" Zorrik Super Platinum. Where the Vidyut Super Chromium (20) and the SuperMax Chromium (21) site, I don't know but suspect the Vidyut will be akin to the Zorrik Supreme (8) while the SuperMax which appears older, more like the Zorrik Talvar (22). Back to the Zorrik Supreme (8) though, which is part of the global market offering and rightly so as it delivers a straight down the line sharp and smooth blade with an absolutely neutral feeling - by that I mean, neither certain nor uncertain, neither too sharp nor not sharp enough, not overly smooth not underly so. Difficult to describe, other than absolutely vanilla. 7.5/10 which puts is alongside similar offerings from the Lord house under the Lord and Shark brands, which I also find very neutral.
For the sake of completion, here is a presentation of the blades and wrappers: Super Platinum on the left, with Titanium & Chromium on the right. There are also a couple of off-brands on the lower left which will be discussed in section 4.
Across all of these sputtered blades, the story is similar ...
The blades are all sharp enough, just not especially sharp. All are smooth, some more so like the Titanium blades which are stand-out comfortable and forgiving; the Chromium standing out as absolutely neutral blades, neither too sharp nor lacking in smoothness and delivering a shave where no specific character was easily identified.
Continued ...
Whenever it comes to SuperMax, folks are easily confused. Any discussion will inevitably fall apart with any single blade being discussed being compared and confused with any number of different blades of essentially the same name - point in case, the SuperMax Platinum (1) from the legacy line is a truly horrible blade and so far found to be incapable of a single shave, yet the SuperMax Super Platinum (6) is a very fine blade indeed and absolutely comparable with the Gillette Platinum. Likewise, the Zorrik Super Platinum is either a pretty good shave, or a pretty bad shave depending upon which generation (see 12 or 14) you’re shaving with.
I have identified 29 distinct blades from the SuperMax house. 29! I have shaved with 19 of these …
We’re talking blades across the last decade, different markets and different generations of blades, across three distinct brands! No wonder folks get confused and end up talking at crossed-purposes.
I will break this down into four sections:
Current global market offerings and legacy lines
New technology Super Platinum, Titanium & Chromium
Assorted presumed discontinued
Off-brand
What I’m presenting here is, in order, the blades that you are most likely to be able to find from a cursory look around the usual places, followed by those that you would be able to get by digging a little deeper. What we’re left with is the dwindling stocks of old lines and the ones that you will have to take a long road to find.
There is a lot of YMMV when it comes to shaving and so I will try to steer towards what I think is the most identifiable characteristic of the blades. While words like sharp, keen and smooth will appear often, these are not necessarily value-laden. I intend to set out what I think is their purpose and only where a blade truly does not meet the basic standard of whether it actually cuts hair in an efficient and consistent manner will I state that it is not fit for purpose.
On with it, man!
Current Global Market
SuperMax have markets worldwide, with regional offices in India, the UK, the UAE, North America, South Africa and … erm, the rest of the world! Across all of those, just three blades are presented in the double edge section:
SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum
SuperMax Super Stainless
Zorrik Supreme
That is a very short list for a producer that you can readily find a whole heap more of without really scratching the surface, and so may I present what I think is the current global market and the legacy offerings that I think were produced in such abundance that even if they were discontinued, would still be available for many years to come:
On the left are what I would call the legacy line - the SuperMax Platinum (1), Vidyut/SuperMax Econony Stainless (2) & V(idyut)/SuperMax Super Stainless (3) accompanied by the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5) which bears similar styling on the blade itself and so included here for the sake of completion < more on that further down, as I believe it is related to the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (9) over on the right. I’ve also included a discontinued SuperMax Stainless (4) blade here as it’s another that you can still find with reasonable frequency and also bears a stylistic resemblance to the others on the blade itself.
On the right we’ve got the current global market SuperMax Super Stainless (7) accompanied by the discontinued SuperMax Super Platinum (6) which I have included as the styling is of the same epoch and this SuperMax Super Platinum stands as the foundation stone for the super platinum blades that we will look at in the next section. Current market Zorrik Supreme (8) and current market SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum(9). Finally, the discontinued SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) that I have included here for the simple purpose of placing it somewhere.
Understand, too, that SuperMax market under three distinct brands: SuperMax, Vidyut & Zorrik. In the West, we are very familiar with SuperMax which Vidyut & Zorrik appear to be much better known at home, in the Indian market, where I get the distinct feeling there is a market stratification going on with Vidyut as the more legacy, plebeian brand while Zorrik holds the newer, better, cooler brand.
So, what’s what?
It is worth saying at this point that I believe SuperMax have installed some new technology in recent years that have really upped their game in the sputtered blade market and we will look at these in the next section. Suffice to say, stainless steel blades do not require sputtering and so what I think we see on the stainless steel side of things is a largely uninterrupted line of blade over time and across markets. It might be a bold statement to start out with, but I think it is quite probably right to say: if you have a SuperMax stainless blade in your hand, whatever the markings, whatever the branding, whatever the market, you’re likely to have the same blade.
I think there is just one stainless blade. One … and it’s a simple, straight-up, good, honest workaday blade. It’s sharp enough to do the job and smooth enough to use happily. I am a single pass shaver and every time I have loaded one of these stainless blades in, I have thoroughly enjoyed the shave, gained a single-pass shave to my satisfaction and that has gone on for three shaves that I would say have been consistent. I know these blades are much maligned and you can point to any forum the world over to find folks nagging "not smooth enough" … "rough and tuggy" … "one shave is enough" and I did tread carefully with one of two of these that have bad reputations, such as the Vidyut/SuperMax Economy Stainless (reputed to be a one-shot shave), but found them all to be perfectly satisfactory. Satisfactory. One minor difference might be that those marked Super Stainless perhaps feel just a tad smoother from the off and might go through a second stropping process at the factory, otherwise, ostensibly the same as the regular stainless. That’s 2, 3, 4 & 6. Pressed to place a rating on these blades, I’d say 8/10.
The SuperMax Platinum (1) is a poor blade. Granted, I prefer simple stainless blades, but I think what is represented here is a budget platinum that is just not sharp enough to pull off a single, decent pass. I have tried two of these and both left me with this impression. Conversely, the SuperMax Super Platinum (5) is a fine blade indeed and one which I would rate as highly as the Gillette Platinum! Furthermore, it stands as the bedrock from which the new breed of Super Platinums have sprung and for comparisons of such to be made. Looking at my notes, I simply write: "Smooth and efficient!" … what more could you want from a blade? Again, pressed to place a rating on these, it’s 5.5/10 for the SuperMax Platinum (1) and a lofty 8.5/10 for the SuperMax Super Platinum (5)!
Moving around, we’re left with the two Blue Diamond blades, the SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) and the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10), and the discontinued SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5). I’ve grouped these together as I feel they’re related. When I first came to traditional shaving, I really clicked with the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium, a blade which I found comfortable to use in my (then) multi-pass routine. Used today, I found it utterly lacking and incapable of a good, single-pass shave. It is not sharp. Used in a multi-pass routine I think it might be given a pass but it would still be considered a poor blade. The SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5) advertises as using the same imported Swedish steel as the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) and from my notes, I’ve somehow related the two: "very much of the same ilk as the Blue Diamond Titanium" … I found it a smooth enough shaver, but lacking in bite. Ratings? It’s 5/10 for the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) and 6.9/10 for the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue (5), workable at best and just a tick below 7 which is my threshold for calling a blade "good enough".
I’ve included the SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) and the Zorrik Supreme (8) in this group as they’re part of the current global market offerings. I will talk more about the Zorrik Supreme (8) in the next section, along with the other chromium blades. The SuperMax Blue Diamond Platinum (9) represents the very best of the current group of Super Platinum blades and is indeed a good tick above the home market brandings that we will look at in the next section. My notes cite it as "a definite improvement over the remainder of the current crop of Super Platinum blades". I guess that’s why it’s the global offering. Rating? 8.5/10, again, up there with the Gillette Platinum and the discontinued SuperMax Super Platinum (5) but for different reasons - this blade is not only smooth but also very comfortable.
I should also say that there is an offering under the Vidyut and Vidyut/Zorrik brands for the Super Stainless, neither of which I’ve tried but have every confidence that I will find these to be the same as the rest of the Super/Stainless blades. I believe the Vidyut/Zorrik Super Stainless (11) is an older generation and one which had a matching first generation "new sputtered technology" Zorrik Super Platinum (12) blade. The new generation Zorrik Super Stainless (13) matches the branding and packaging of the new generation home market blades, largely found in the next section.
Vidyut/Zorrik Super Stainless (11)
… with matching era Zorrik Super Platinum (12) that I suspect is a first generation Super Platinum utilising the "new sputtered technology"
Current domestic market Zorrik Super Stainless (13)
… all of which segues neatly into the next section.
New Sputtered Technology
At some point in recent years, SuperMax have upgraded their machinery for producing Super Platinum, Titanium and Chromium blades. They have made a lot of noise about this on the wrappers of such blades with slogans such as "new sputtered technology" and (today) "new robotised technology".
I remember a few years ago (2014?) trying out such a blade, the Zorrik Super Platinum (12) pictured above and found it wanting when compared to, say, Gillette. I tried that blade again recently and still found it wanting. It was rough, tuggy and uncomfortable. Today, I'd rate this at 6.5/10 which definitely sub-par for me.
I did spot that the Zorrik Super Platinum (12) had undergone what I belive to be a facelift and so bought a pack in to compare. The new, new Zorrik Super Platinum (14) was considerably smoother, more capable and very much in line with its sibling under the Vidyut brand. Moreover, the facelifted pack came in branded greaseproof wrap for the blade rather than paper.
The latest generation of this type of blade is indeed immediately identifiable by the branded greaseproof blade wrapper in place of paper wrappers. The blades are secured with very light glue spots. I believe that these blades are intended for the domestic market. India. Perhaps also Sri Lanka. Finding these blades for sale tends to be either directly from these markets or connected with these markets.
Vidyut Super Platinum (15)
Vidyut Platinum Plus (16)
SuperMax Diamond Edge (17)
This time around, the Zorrik Super Platinum (14) pulled 7.7/10 as did the sibling Vidyut Super Platinum (15) and presumably the one under the SuperMax brand, the SuperMax Diamond Edge (17). Certainly workable but not quite what I would call a good/recommended blade - don't get me wrong here, anything in the 7/10 category is a blade I would happily use, just not one I'd consider buying in any quantity for myself. In my notes, I commented that: "the first shave is smooth over sharp, the second sharp over smooth and by the third shave those characteristics had caught each other up to deliver a very comfortable shave".
The shave is certainly smooth, but not especially sharp. From any given stroke that characteristic translates as a some uncertainly; uncertainly that it had shaved. Indeed, so smooth that it felt like it had not and not so sharp as to convince that it had cut. But it does and for that I think the character of these blades is best described as smooth and comfortable. I mentioned above that the original SuperMax Super Platinum (6) certainly felt like the template for these and they are by no means less smooth or less capable, perhaps more so, just that any uncertainty was certainly not felt in the old blade and that technical improvement in itself is the main difference and the reason that I prefer the old blade.
While the SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium (10) certainly feels like a tired blade nowadays, these latest technology offerings are a serious step up!
Zorrik Titanium (18)
SuperMax Titanium (19)
... not especially sharp (again, inducing a feeling of uncertainly), these blades are phenomenally comfortable and exceptionally forgiving! Phenomanal and exceptional! I said not especially sharp and it's a single-pass with touch-ups or a two-pass shave that it needed with these blades, but their phenomenal comfort and exceptional forgiveness is not doubt best enjoyed by folks with sensitive skin, especially those who chase super-smooth with multiple passes. For me, one of these blades came into its own as a recovery shave following two abandoned attempts with another blade [for reference, that was the Zorrik Talvar (22)]. I have a few of these leftover and will keep them in for this very reason, or if I'm feeling particularly rough regrowth after a bad shave. Rating? 7/10. Buy again? No.
And so, onto the Chromium blades ...
Zorrik Talvar (22)
I'll break in at this point and say that I found the Zorrik Talvar to be a very poor blade. I had two of these and used them both as the first one was found to be so blunt and rough that I thought it a bad blade and so switch out to the second to find exactly the same. I rescued that shave with the forgiving SuperMax Titanium (19) mentioned above. For the Zorrik Talvar (22) it's a lowly 4/10 which is a "nope!" in my ratings, below "nah!" but above "hell, no!".
Zorrik Supreme (8)
Vidyut Super Chromium (20)
SuperMax Chromium (21)
I think (despite the greaseproof blade packaging) that the Zorrik Talvar (22) is an older generation as I found the Zorrik Supreme (8) to be an infinitely better and absolutely distinct blade. Maybe it's like the first generation "new" Zorrik Super Platinum and then the "new, new ... and improved" Zorrik Super Platinum. Where the Vidyut Super Chromium (20) and the SuperMax Chromium (21) site, I don't know but suspect the Vidyut will be akin to the Zorrik Supreme (8) while the SuperMax which appears older, more like the Zorrik Talvar (22). Back to the Zorrik Supreme (8) though, which is part of the global market offering and rightly so as it delivers a straight down the line sharp and smooth blade with an absolutely neutral feeling - by that I mean, neither certain nor uncertain, neither too sharp nor not sharp enough, not overly smooth not underly so. Difficult to describe, other than absolutely vanilla. 7.5/10 which puts is alongside similar offerings from the Lord house under the Lord and Shark brands, which I also find very neutral.
For the sake of completion, here is a presentation of the blades and wrappers: Super Platinum on the left, with Titanium & Chromium on the right. There are also a couple of off-brands on the lower left which will be discussed in section 4.
Across all of these sputtered blades, the story is similar ...
The blades are all sharp enough, just not especially sharp. All are smooth, some more so like the Titanium blades which are stand-out comfortable and forgiving; the Chromium standing out as absolutely neutral blades, neither too sharp nor lacking in smoothness and delivering a shave where no specific character was easily identified.
Continued ...
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