Saturday 26th February
Ganders Goat Soap w/Hop, Sage & Birch
Moon Soaps Amaretto Shaving Cream
Razorock 400 Butterscotch w/Plissoft Noir Synthetic 24mm
Yaqi SE DLC & Treet New Edge (1)
Pinaud Clubman Musk Aftershave Cologne
I'm not sure what to make of some of the product designation going on at Treet. Along with their well known blades, there's a slew of lesser know (certainly in Western markets) like the King, Falcon, New Steel and (tonight) the New Edge. I think some of these are for domestic market and are aimed at, say, older folks who might enjoy the legacy look of the Falcon and King and then there's what I think are aimed at a younger market, with sharper packaging in the New Steel and the New Edge.
The New Steel (a stainless blade) is most certainly the same blade as packaged into the New Double Edge tucks that we see here in the West and so I wonder if the New Edge (a carbon blade) is just the Classic under a different badge. You'd be forgiven for the packaging maybe putting you in mind of the Treet Platinum and I think that is intended. Reading around, folks are suggesting that actually the New Edge is a thinner blade than, say, the Classic and putting together similarities with the old Gillette Thin in the red packs.
In use, I would say that it does feel a tad different to the Classic and if I was being really mean might say it performs just a tick below the Classic ... but we're talking 8/10 (Classic) and 7.9/10 (New Edge). I think the ever so slight difference in performance is perhaps down to the finishing, like one is double stropped and the other stropped the once or something like that. I think the difference is like the Vidyut Stainless in the burgundy pack versus the SuperMax/Vidyut Super Stainless in the V branded blue pack.
I have also read that folks think the New Steel and the New Edge are aimed at the Barbershop market - for professional barbers. That does make some sense and I must say that both the New Steel and this New Edge put me more in mind of other blades that I have used that I know are aimed at professional use. That, and blades like the Classic are clearly aimed at home shavers. So, yes, I'm sticking to my summary that this New Edge carbon steel blade is a tad thinner (it's more flexible) than the Classic and performs just a click below fresh out of the pack.
Enjoyed, largely for that ever so slight rawness compared to the Classic, yet with an equivalent sharpness and certainly a cut (if you like) above the Black Beauty, which is a really very dull blade but seems to shave so smoothly nevertheless. It has a place and I'd say the pecking order is the Black Beauty as the real pleb of the pack, workshop overalls; the New Edge has certainly put on a suit but it a little uncomfortable wearing it whereas the Classic wears the heck out of that suit! The Durasharp, naturally, has a hand stiched custom fit and a posh watch to match. You get what I'm saying ...
