The Lowly Gillette 365

I'm definitely a Treet (Pakistan) man and get on well with much from India, including a general preference for Gillette from India (like these 365s, to keep it on topic). That said, I do like VOSKHOD, Sputnik, Rapira and PermaSharp (Russian) but not a whole heap else Russian including their hallowed Silver Blue and Platinum blades. I particularly like Lord, but oddly not Wilkinson Sword who were the expertise (and equipment?) behind Lord.

That said, around 2015 I packed it all in and went with a 1912 and GEM Stainless almost exclusively until this last year when something or other (which I can't actually remember) brought me back to double edge.

Mysterious things, blades.

I guess when folks just had a Gillette Tech and were limited to a small selection of soaps, the variable factors were indeed much less. Now we're using any given blade with a myriad of prep/soap/razor combinations and almost never the same shave twice, it's no surprise that opinions of blades vary so wildly.
 
I love Treet Blades too and a Voskhod as well as some of the Rapiras I have tried. Platinums I like, Silver Blues and Permasharps I find a little rough. Very impressed by the Supermax Blades I have tried , Love the Gillette Blacks out of India too , but didn't enjoy the Gillette Wilkinson Swords.
 
Jester said:
I'm loving Vokshod at the moment, so I've just bought Rapiras etc.to trial on the off chance that Russia does it for me. Certainly Russian Gillette 7 o'clock greens suit me far better than Indian yellows. Worst case? It's a nick/weeper and two quid of blades. Best - you've got a keeper or a least a regular. Seriously, Vokshod was ordered as a "cool" addition to a multipack noob order, and I'm really impressed. But some other recommendations haven't worked for me at all. And I'm enjoying getting little packs of tucks to experiment with alongside the burgeoning selection of paraphernalia :giggle:
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I think you meant Russian Yellows. ;)

The problem with Vokshod is universally known: awful QC. One batch is fine and the next duller than a temperance speech.
 
Bogeyman said:
Of all Gillette DE blades currently in production I would say this is the least known as well as least respected. I have tinkered with a few tucks in the past few years and will be frank in stating that these are a surprisingly good blade, believe it or not. I used one ages ago and hated it, but the "wand" was not at fault so much as the magician. With time and honing of technique some blades that were once viewed as wretched are now doted upon, e.g., this one and the Bic Chrome Platinum.

I am guessing in saying that this 365 blade doesn't have the quality of coating and hardened edge as their more expensive blades and read that Indian barbers use these as "one & done". I can get at least three superb shaves from this blade and as a bonus it thrives in my favorite razor: the Tech.

As an interesting side note, on another forum a keen observer (and user of this blade) noticed that it was made in both Indian manufactories, Bhiwadi and Baddi, or that production had shifted from one to the other and that in his opinion the quality had improved. Well, I had tuck of the older 5 +1 blades and ordered a few new ones from razorblades.com just out of curiosity and boredom. The newer ones did indeed seem smoother or perhaps I was imagining things. :unsure:

Oh well, the next time you order blades try a tuck. You may be surprised. ;)
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I've been reading a few more mentions for this blade, I should pick some up at some point.

I made a trip to India last year and most DE blades aside are destined for barbershop shaves, with the blade snapped into a shavette be it to shave one's face or to tidy up the hairline at the back/sideburns; as few barbers have electricity. From what I saw, the majority of the population's shaving habits are to not shave at home but to have the weekly/fortnightly barbershop shave, for example a single disposable razor cost about 20 INR (from what I recall), and one can have a barbershop shave for about the same price.

The only blade I saw for sure to be a consumer blade is MIC Gillette Wilkinson Sword, and the 7 Black seems to be there for consumers and barbers.
 
Bogeyman said:
I think you meant Russian Yellows. ;)

The problem with Vokshod is universally known: awful QC. One batch is fine and the next duller than a temperance speech.
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@Bogeyman , my bad. I had in my head that yellows were Indian. I can't see a country of manufacture on my pack - Arabic writing for the market there but that's it. That blows my Russia theory out of the water then!
 
pjgh said:
...I guess when folks just had a Gillette Tech and were limited to a small selection of soaps, the variable factors were indeed much less. Now we're using any given blade with a myriad of prep/soap/razor combinations and almost never the same shave twice, it's no surprise that opinions of blades vary so wildly.
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That's true, but sometimes for giggles & grins I pull out the ol' Arko or Palmolive stick to bring me back to reality and although they don't have Nancy Boy scents nor the touted PSF that many desire they still "carry the water" for the actual shave. We weren't so much "handicapped" in years past as we sometimes believe. Today we are simply overwhelmed by a tsunami of products.

As for the Tech (all rise, please), try as I have I simply cannot find a DE razor that gives me a better all 'round shave. There are some damn close, e.g., Gamechanger .68, but in my arsenal it has not been bested. I feel fortunate that I took the time to learn its subtleties as despite popular belief, a BBS shave can be had if you know the "sweet spot" and take the fool's pass.
 
I recently ordered one new tuck of what appears to be current production of the 365 and used one today. Now in the past I had mainly used the older production (double wrapped), but this newest one is in the single wrap just like that used on the Indian GWS blades.

Now NASA engineer I ain't, but someone over there has upped their game! This new one shaved like a top tier blade! Granted, it's just one shave, but for this performance at this economical price.......

Someone said on another forum that Gillette has two production plants in India and that these newer 365 blades were being made at the other one now. I'll see if I can find that post.

Update: one plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh and the other in Bhiwadi Rajasthan. It appears that they recently started (circa 2016) 365 production in Baddi in addition to having always made them in Bhiwadi now & before. My newest tuck is 2016 Baddi production.
 
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www.badgerandblade.com

Winner blades by Gillette India

Thanks for the picture @ivan_101 good to know the update. I know this address and it was first ever Gillette owned and operated plant in India. But since the launch of first generation Mach3 they were using it to make only Mach3s, stock and distribution center for all the imported products. It...
www.badgerandblade.com www.badgerandblade.com

@Bogeyman

Sounds like Baddi's are the goodies!

The tuck I have in is from Baddi. Same plant that makes the Winners.
 
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