Who's our resident SuperMax specialist?

I'm going to stick my neck out a little on what I think is going on with the SuperMax house ...

The range is very confusing and I think that's because we're seeing the market flooded with a very big blade producer and we're seeing lines that are discontinued still in abundance and we're seeing lines that are for domestic market (India) that are available worldwide.

What I think I'm seeing is that SuperMax have discontinued a good deal of their lines and upgraded their equipment. With that, they've revamped their line-up and I think the Zorrik brand has become the brand of choice as I think I'm seeing more choice in that line than with other lines. I've read that the new EuroMax blades made in the UAE are made on old SuperMax equipment and I'm seeing the new blades with from SuperMax with "new sputtered technology ..." and "new robotised technology ..." emblazoned upon them. Yeah! They've had a big revamp.

... and so, I think the current line-up is centered around their top-flight Super Platinum blade, closely followed by their Titanium blade. We're seeing those two across all lines: SuperMax, Vidyut & Zorrik. Vidyut, I think is both the legacy brand and a newfangled (popular?) brand with new packaging clearly riding on the legacy name. Their old Super Stainless (blue pack V) and Stainless Economy are still widely available and still clearly in production.

This new technology is clearly intended to make a better blade and while I've yet to try a new-type Titanium for comparison against their old Blue Diamond Titanium, these new-type Super Platinums do put me VERY much in mind of the old-style SuperMax Super Platinum (which was always considered a good blade and a cut above the rest of the SuperMax house) but just a bit more defined, somehow.

I said I was sticking my neck out ...

I'll be running through pretty much all the SuperMax stable that I have in, trying to make comparisons between what I think is the old-style and the new-style. I've also got some more coming and so hope to be able to give you a pictoral diagram of what I think is discontinued, legacy and new-style, and perhaps which ones I think have gone where in the range.

Yeah! I've got an idle curiosity here, which I must get to the bottom of ...
 
What a delicious tangle these blades are ...

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I began my re-acquantance with SuperMax down at the bottom right, with the (now discontinued) Super Platinum, a blade I very much like and rated at 8.5/10. I have since tried what I believe is the current line-up Super Platinum from SuperMax, Zorrik and Vidyut, all of which I also very much enjoyed and rated at 8.5/10 ... or maybe 8.6/10 as the "new sputtered technology ..." is clearly making an ever so slightly finer blade.

Over on the left, blade which I consider the legacy branding, I began a little way up with the Economy Stainless which I enjoyed a lot and thought it much like the carbon blades from Treet. I rate 8/10. Next, the blue pack above it which I again gave 8/10 but thought it just a smidge better than the Economy Stainless and so downgraded the Economy Stainless to 7.9/10. I have not placed a blade against the blue pack (on the left) as it is exactly the same blade with the same markings, most notably omitting the word "super" on the blade making me think it is, yes, exactly the same blade but somehow felt a tad smooth - maybe it's double stropped, or something?

I tried the legacy line Platinum at the bottom right and it was horrible! I will try it again in the future, but for now I'm leaving that one aside ...

Next, over on the right we've got the current global market offering of the Super Stainless in the green pack. I found that really nice and thoroughly enjoyed the shave. It put me very much in mind of the blue pack V(idyut) SuperMax over on the left and I think they are most likely the same blade - say, double stropped, or whatever makes that blue pack "super".

Tonight, I'll be trying the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue over on the right, which upon unsleeving I immediately noticed the legacy typology cursive SuperMax logo but the more modern Super Stainless Blue marking on the blade. I've not tried the blade yet and I'm trying not to form opinions before doing so ... but, should this very blade not be in the blue pack over on the left? EDIT: Having had the shave, albeit just the one, I do think that this is the same blade as the SuperMax Super Stainless (in the green pack) and the V(idyut)/SuperMax Super Stainless (in the blue pack). It feels the same.

It's probably all intellectual now as all bar the green pack are discontiued and I think we can only so readily get the red and blue pack from the left because there is such a huge volume produced ... or perhaps they're still produced for the domestic market (India) and modern logistics means we enjoy it globally.

Other thoughts not directly related to this sub-collection ...

... for fun, I bought in the tuck at the top left, opened to find that it also bears the branding of the legacy Economy Stainless but the stampings are off. Poor quality control is certainly a phrase that is awarded to that blade and just looking at the first one unpacked, I'm inclined to agree. Personally, I think that blade [along with the blue/white SuperMax Platinum Plus not pictured] we a kind of interim branding between the line we see on the left and the (now largely discontinued) line on the right. Maybe that tuck ought to be placed over on the right.

Again, it's probably all intellectual now as there's a whole new set of blades with zappy graphics and hot buzzwords lauding their "new sputtered technology ..." and the Wow! of Titanium ("Feel the power ..." and "I like the way it feels ...") kind of phrases. These blades would certainly appear to be a top flight Platinum blade akin to the bottom right (older) Super Platinum and a Titanium blade next down, certainly based on the (older) Blue Diamond TItanium, but very much improved. That's most likely the same blade across the Vidyut, Zorrik and SuperMax brandings for each class. There's also (if you can find them) a Super Chromium and Super Stainless in this new style of packaging, but I'm still tracking those down as well as Talvar and Supreme under the Zorrik brand, both Chromium ... the same? Talvar for the Indian market and Supreme for global?

I'll do a post on the new style we're seeing available in India in due course ...
 
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pjgh said:
...Next, over on the right we've got the current global market offering of the Super Stainless in the green pack. I found that really nice and thoroughly enjoyed the shave...
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I used one of those today and as I have stated in the past it gave me the best shave of all their blades I have tried including their various Platinum & Titanium types. I just want to know if all their blades marked Super-Stainless are indeed the same. Awaiting your comparison.
 
Bogeyman said:
I used one of those today and as I have stated in the past it gave me the best shave of all their blades I have tried including their various Platinum & Titanium types. I just want to know if all their blades marked Super-Stainless are indeed the same. Awaiting your comparison.
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To answer this directly, I'd say "no" ... no, the SuperMax Super Stainless Blue is not the same blade as the SuperMax Super Stainless (in the green and yellow packaging) and not the same blade as that marketed as V(idyut) SuperMax Super Stainless (in the blue packaging that merely says "Stainless" on the actual blade, the same as the burgundy/yellow packed Economy Stainless).

While I initially liked it on the first shave, by the third it had a rather irritable character and put me much in mind of the Blue Diamond Titanium.
 
Who's our resident SuperMax specialist?

Well, I guess it's me now ...

I am nearing the end of a run through all the blades I could readily source. I have identified 28 distinct blades from the SuperMax house. 28! I have used 19 and can make an very educated guess about a couple more, and still have those Ninja blades coming ... but firmly believe that they will be the regular Super Stainless blade.

Now, how the heck am I going to present my findings?

I'll put up a new thread, something along the lines of 'Six Weeks in SuperMax' ... and section out as follows:

First section will be legacy branding, the Vidyut/SuperMax Stainless Economy, blue pack Super Stainless and old pack Platinum; the current global market green pack Super Stainless and the discontinued Super Platinum of the same style of branding; the current global market Blue Diamond Platinum and reference to the discontinued Blue Diamond Titanium. These are the blades you're most likely to encounter if you went now onto eBay and looked for SuperMax blades. Given that stainless does not need anything sputtering to their edges, these stainless blades have largely remained unchanged ... certainly while I've been traditional shaving. Also I believe they've been made in such quantities that even if they have been discontinued, there's still millions available.

Second section will springboard off the discontinued Super Platinum, the current global market Blue Diamond Platinum and the discontinued Blue Diamond Titanium to discuss the current epoch blades that we can find for the Indian sub-continent market. We'll look at the Zorrik & Vidyut Super Platinum "with new sputtered technology ..." and "new robotised technology ..." as well as the SuperMax Diamond Edge (which I'd still love to try ... anyone?). These represent the natural successors of the legacy line. From there we drop down through the coatings to the current epoch Titanium blades - the SuperMax and Zorrik Titanium "feel the power ..." blades, again, natural descendants of the old Blue Diamond Titanium. Keep on going into the chrome coated: the Zorrick Supreme and Talvar, the SuperMax Chromium and Vidyut Super Chromium.

Third section will be the remainder of the old and discontinued lines: the SuperMax Super Stainless in the blue/coral packaging and the Super Stainless Plus in red/yellow packaging; the SuperMax Platinum Plus that was arguably a little better than the legacy line Platinum. Those kind of blades ... really just for the sake of completeness and to answer that, "what about the xyz blade?" questions.

Final section will be the off-brands, the Rise Stainless, Classic & Platinum; the Ninja Stainless ... which will hopefully arrive shortly.

I'll number each blade as I go so we can relate back and forth through the lines, and try to show you both pack and blade. There's a twist in the tail, but you'll need to hold tight and wait for the write-up ... very soon.
 
pjgh said:
Who's our resident SuperMax specialist?

Well, I guess it's me now ...

I am nearing the end of a run through all the blades I could readily source. I have identified 28 distinct blades from the SuperMax house. 28! I have used 19 and can make an very educated guess about a couple more, and still have those Ninja blades coming ... but firmly believe that they will be the regular Super Stainless blade.

Now, how the heck am I going to present my findings?

I'll put up a new thread, something along the lines of 'Six Weeks in SuperMax' ... and section out as follows:

First section will be legacy branding, the Vidyut/SuperMax Stainless Economy, blue pack Super Stainless and old pack Platinum; the current global market green pack Super Stainless and the discontinued Super Platinum of the same style of branding; the current global market Blue Diamond Platinum and reference to the discontinued Blue Diamond Titanium. These are the blades you're most likely to encounter if you went now onto eBay and looked for SuperMax blades. Given that stainless does not need anything sputtering to their edges, these stainless blades have largely remained unchanged ... certainly while I've been traditional shaving. Also I believe they've been made in such quantities that even if they have been discontinued, there's still millions available.

Second section will springboard off the discontinued Super Platinum, the current global market Blue Diamond Platinum and the discontinued Blue Diamond Titanium to discuss the current epoch blades that we can find for the Indian sub-continent market. We'll look at the Zorrik & Vidyut Super Platinum "with new sputtered technology ..." and "new robotised technology ..." as well as the SuperMax Diamond Edge (which I'd still love to try ... anyone?). These represent the natural successors of the legacy line. From there we drop down through the coatings to the current epoch Titanium blades - the SuperMax and Zorrik Titanium "feel the power ..." blades, again, natural descendants of the old Blue Diamond Titanium. Keep on going into the chrome coated: the Zorrick Supreme and Talvar, the SuperMax Chromium and Vidyut Super Chromium.

Third section will be the remainder of the old and discontinued lines: the SuperMax Super Stainless in the blue/coral packaging and the Super Stainless Plus in red/yellow packaging; the SuperMax Platinum Plus that was arguably a little better than the legacy line Platinum. Those kind of blades ... really just for the sake of completeness and to answer that, "what about the xyz blade?" questions.

Final section will be the off-brands, the Rise Stainless, Classic & Platinum; the Ninja Stainless ... which will hopefully arrive shortly.

I'll number each blade as I go so we can relate back and forth through the lines, and try to show you both pack and blade. There's a twist in the tail, but you'll need to hold tight and wait for the write-up ... very soon.
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All hail the Supermax specialist!

Good to see order forming in the chaos!

Look forward to seeing the thread on all the various Supermax blades.
 
Bogeyman said:
Fakes. Rash of those going around imitating Bic, etc. Avoid like the clap.
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Gotcha! Cheers! Well I have a pack of the genuine article and they are pretty bad. One shave was enough for me as it just wasn't cutting it ... literally! I thought I'd seen a thread on B&B about this "brand" but blowed if I can find it. Anyway, I have a pack coming (not a huge cost) and guess it will be fun to try a bad fake of an already bad blade. It might still be better than a Merkur :ROFLMAO:
 
pjgh said:
Gotcha! Cheers! Well I have a pack of the genuine article and they are pretty bad. One shave was enough for me as it just wasn't cutting it ... literally! I thought I'd seen a thread on B&B about this "brand" but blowed if I can find it. Anyway, I have a pack coming (not a huge cost) and guess it will be fun to try a bad fake of an already bad blade. It might still be better than a Merkur :ROFLMAO:
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watch this fake being actually better than the blade they're supposed to imitate... wouldn't that be an irony :D
 
Scorpio93 said:
watch this fake being actually better than the blade they're supposed to imitate... wouldn't that be an irony :D
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It could well be ... I will try it.

I have to wonder about bootleg blades, though. I mean, what actually happens? Does a gang just find a razor blade machine in a bush and start faking blades? Or, is it more like fake jeans where it's the self-same factory that makes the genuine article that runs the production line on by a few hundred and tacks a look-alike leather patch to the belt line.
 
Phew! I need a stiff drink!!!

Six Weeks in SuperMax

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...
www.theshavingroom.co.uk www.theshavingroom.co.uk
 
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