Amazon SE blade buyers!

[MrGuy]

I'm just downright confused at this point. Looks like Amazon has 3 different size packages of what is described as the same blade, but very different results are being reported. Could anyone who has purchased SE blades off Amazon please tell us what count you purchased, and a link to the sale would be nice as well. Also, any packaging information, or pics, would be appreciated, along with date of purchase.

 

[p.m.a.]

Hi MrGuy,
As stated in another post, I ordered a 25-pack (.009, supposedly PTFE coated). Here's the product link: RBSX-25
The blades arrived in a plastic baggie, each blade wrapped with cardboard, no descriptive packaging whatsoever. The blade spine says "GEM" on one side, and something else on the other side (maybe "Made in U.S.A."?). They rust on one side after only one shave. Otherwise, they do shave pretty well. Total cost with shipping was $10.94.
The Amazon sale confirmation says "Sold by: Small Parts, Inc."
Purchased 12/13/09

EDIT: "GEM" on one side, "STAINLESS" on the other

 

[MrGuy]

Thanks for re-posting your info, P.M.A.

 

[slantman]

These are the same blades I bought from the Small Parts Co. They are Gem stainless coated the same Ted Peller sells. TP sells only 200 in a box. I did notice recently Small Parts Co(located in Miramar,Fl) seems to be out of stock on most quantities. Maybe they are not going to sell them anymore?

I have no rust issues with these blades.

 

[garyg]

I recently ordered these from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018DMI6C/ref=oss_product.

What showed up were these. Blades are marked "GEM" on one side & "Stainless" on the other. They look exactly like Ted Pellas that I have obtained in small #s here on the BST. Despite the "Industrial Use Only" marking, the first one I tried is shaving pretty well - it went in over a week ago and has been used maybe 4 times without any signs of rust. The blades mic out at .009" as advertised. The box is marked on the side "RE ORDER CODE 62-0165" and on the bottom "62-164-3" over "Pat. No. 4,218,204". The Code 62-0165 is identified from another supplier as a SE Razor Blade "GEM Coated Extra Keen", and at Optics Plant as a Safety Razor blade, "American Safety Razor Razor Blades, American Safety Razor 62-0165 Stainless Steel Blades Single-Edge Blades, Aluminum Spine". Ted Pella Product#121-3, described as a "Single Edge, PTFE-Coated Blades" shows a picture that pretty much is the same as the one I received (second photo)

And that's all I know - remember this is the first blade I am on, but seems decent and I think it is a good deal at $17.51 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25..

 

[Yaniel]

Hi MrGuy,
As stated in another post, I ordered a 25-pack (.009, supposedly PTFE coated). Here's the product link: RBSX-25
The blades arrived in a plastic baggie, each blade wrapped with cardboard, no descriptive packaging whatsoever. The blade spine says "GEM" on one side, and something else on the other side (maybe "Made in U.S.A."?). They rust on one side after only one shave. Otherwise, they do shave pretty well. Total cost with shipping was $10.94.
The Amazon sale confirmation says "Sold by: Small Parts, Inc."
Purchased 12/13/09

thats exactly what i received when i ordered the 10 pack. i still haven't tried them out though.

 

[mblakele]

My 25-count Small Parts blades, via Amazon, look very much like garyg's - but in a bag instead of a box. The brown wrapper is the same, and "GEM" is stamped into the aluminum spine. I sent a few to Andy, and he tells me that they rusted quickly. I hadn't noticed myself, but I'm sure he's right.

Here's a possibility that hasn't been mentioned: perhaps Small Parts simply doesn't pay much attention to the source of their blades? One batch could be medical-grade, because the factory over-produced those, while another batch is industrial-grade. If Small Parts gets them for the same price, why would they bother to update their Amazon page or ASIN?

 

[redbike]

I recently ordered these from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018DMI6C/ref=oss_product.

What showed up were these. Blades are marked "GEM" on one side & "Stainless" on the other. They look exactly like Ted Pellas that I have obtained in small #s here on the BST. Despite the "Industrial Use Only" marking, the first one I tried is shaving pretty well - it went in over a week ago and has been used maybe 4 times without any signs of rust. The blades mic out at .009" as advertised. The box is marked on the side "RE ORDER CODE 62-0165" and on the bottom "62-164-3" over "Pat. No. 4,218,204". The Code 62-0165 is identified from another supplier as a SE Razor Blade "GEM Coated Extra Keen", and at Optics Plant as a Safety Razor blade, "American Safety Razor Razor Blades, American Safety Razor 62-0165 Stainless Steel Blades Single-Edge Blades, Aluminum Spine". Ted Pella Product#121-3, described as a "Single Edge, PTFE-Coated Blades" shows a picture that pretty much is the same as the one I received (second photo)

And that's all I know - remember this is the first blade I am on, but seems decent and I think it is a good deal at $17.51 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25..

This is what I have as well. I've used these blades in several GEM razors and have had no problems with them rusting. They look identical to Ted Pella blades that I received in a group purchase a while ago. I really like how they shave.

jim

 

[Slivovitz]

I recently ordered these from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018DMI6C/ref=oss_product.

What showed up were these. Blades are marked "GEM" on one side & "Stainless" on the other. They look exactly like Ted Pellas that I have obtained in small #s here on the BST. Despite the "Industrial Use Only" marking, the first one I tried is shaving pretty well - it went in over a week ago and has been used maybe 4 times without any signs of rust. The blades mic out at .009" as advertised. The box is marked on the side "RE ORDER CODE 62-0165" and on the bottom "62-164-3" over "Pat. No. 4,218,204". The Code 62-0165 is identified from another supplier as a SE Razor Blade "GEM Coated Extra Keen", and at Optics Plant as a Safety Razor blade, "American Safety Razor Razor Blades, American Safety Razor 62-0165 Stainless Steel Blades Single-Edge Blades, Aluminum Spine". Ted Pella Product#121-3, described as a "Single Edge, PTFE-Coated Blades" shows a picture that pretty much is the same as the one I received (second photo)

And that's all I know - remember this is the first blade I am on, but seems decent and I think it is a good deal at $17.51 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25..

I got the blades pictured as well. When they arrived, I couldn't tell from the packaging if they were the quality specified in the ad, so I wrote to Amazon to let them know that the blades sent did not match the picture on their web page. They offered me the choice of returning them for a full refund, or keeping them, and getting a 10% refund. I took the 10%, figuring that if they didn't work for shaving, then I would have a reasonably priced stock of scraper blades.

I now feel better about the likelihood of these working for shaving, but I still haven't tried them, as I want to finish off my Walgreens Gems first. If they do work, then I'm set for a long time.

 

[MrGuy]

I got the blades pictured as well. When they arrived, I couldn't tell from the packaging if they were the quality specified in the ad, so I wrote to Amazon to let them know that the blades sent did not match the picture on their web page. They offered me the choice of returning them for a full refund, or keeping them, and getting a 10% refund. I took the 10%, figuring that if they didn't work for shaving, then I would have a reasonably priced stock of scraper blades.

I now feel better about the likelihood of these working for shaving, but I still haven't tried them, as I want to finish off my Walgreens Gems first. If they do work, then I'm set for a long time.

Could you please do a quick compare of the Walgreens blades and the ones from Amazon. Specifically, the area where the actual edge of the blade is ground. I'm interested if the ground areas go the same distance from the edge in. (I hope some of that made some sense. Reading it back, I don't think I even know what I'm talking about)

As for the rusting blades, looks like there might have been some misrepresentation of the actual items at some point.

 

[Slivovitz]

Could you please do a quick compare of the Walgreens blades and the ones from Amazon. Specifically, the area where the actual edge of the blade is ground. I'm interested if the ground areas go the same distance from the edge in. (I hope some of that made some sense. Reading it back, I don't think I even know what I'm talking about). . .

Oddly enough, I think I do know what you mean, you'd like to compare the way in which the edges are ground. I don't know what I'll be able to tell by eye, but I've been meaning to try out another Gem 1912 that I picked up cheap, and that would be a good time to try out the Amazon blades. That will be this weekend though.

 

[MrGuy]

Oddly enough, I think I do know what you mean, you'd like to compare the way in which the edges are ground. I don't know what I'll be able to tell by eye, but I've been meaning to try out another Gem 1912 that I picked up cheap, and that would be a good time to try out the Amazon blades. That will be this weekend though.

Cool, just let us know when you get around to it. I'm not too worried about exact grind, just if the edge looks nearly identical or quite different.

 

[c0ry]

I was about to make a post like this because I just shaved with a GEM using a Walgreens blade and was very happy with the results. Of course, at 55 cents a blade, this is rather costly. I wanted to know about the Amazon blades as well (after reading all the conflicting information about rusting or not rusting). I hope this will lead to some clarifications so I can figure out what to order.

 

[norton]

The consensus seems to be that the ones from Amazon that are sold in packs of 100, and sold by Amazon are indeed the same as the PTFE GEMS sold on Ted Pella's website.

Single Edge blades that are sold in quantities of less than 100, and through Amazon on behalf of another vendor do not appear to be the same as the ones Ted Pella Carries. This was my experience and I reported on it in another thread.

The vendor in this case seems is 'Small Parts" - but neither they nor Amazon probably realize the fanatical following the 'proper' blades have.

The link that garyg posted above is the one that yields the desired blades - even though the red and black packaging in the listing looks nothing like the actual packaging people here receive.

 

[MrGuy]

The consensus seems to be that the ones from Amazon that are sold in packs of 100, and sold by Amazon are indeed the same as the PTFE GEMS sold on Ted Pella's website.

It does appear that the 100 packs are turning out to be the same, I might have some words to eat before long!

 

[Slivovitz]

Cool, just let us know when you get around to it. I'm not too worried about exact grind, just if the edge looks nearly identical or quite different.

I actually got around to it this morning. I have some untried 1912 style razors, Gem, Ever Ready, and Star, and I plan to swap the blade between them over the next few days.

The packaging is identical to what garyg showed above. The Amazon blade is indistinguishable from the Walgreen's Personnas to my eyes. The writing on the blade is exactly the same, and the edge looks the same, but more important, feels the same. I got a DFS with it today. The only remaining question is whether it will rust any faster. I should know by Monday, although I'm taking it out of the razor and letting it dry between shaves. If it does rust, I'll mention it, but I'm optimistic. I've put a desiccant pack in with the unused blades, so hopefully the 100 pack will last.

A big thumbs up for Gem 1912 by the way, the only SE razor so far that I've really made friends with.

 

[MrGuy]

I actually got around to it this morning. I have some untried 1912 style razors, Gem, Ever Ready, and Star, and I plan to swap the blade between them over the next few days.

The packaging is identical to what garyg showed above. The Amazon blade is indistinguishable from the Walgreen's Personnas to my eyes. The writing on the blade is exactly the same, and the edge looks the same, but more important, feels the same. I got a DFS with it today. The only remaining question is whether it will rust any faster. I should know by Monday, although I'm taking it out of the razor and letting it dry between shaves. If it does rust, I'll mention it, but I'm optimistic. I've put a desiccant pack in with the unused blades, so hopefully the 100 pack will last.

A big thumbs up for Gem 1912 by the way, the only SE razor so far that I've really made friends with.

Interesting. Does this include the grind? Have a look at the photo below and you'll see the area I'm interested in comparing.

I think you can see how the two blades have a different grind, from the top down. Both blades have two ground "faces", but on the blade on the left the faces are about 50/50, the blade on the right is more like 15/85.

 

[Slivovitz]

Interesting. Does this include the grind? Have a look at the photo below and you'll see the area I'm interested in comparing.
I think you can see how the two blades have a different grind, from the top down. Both blades have two ground "faces", but on the blade on the left the faces are about 50/50, the blade on the right is more like 15/85.

Well, I'll take another look when I'm home, but yes, that was what I assumed you meant, and to the naked eye (mine at least) they looked identical. I didn't use magnification, though.

 

[MrGuy]

Well, I'll take another look when I'm home, but yes, that was what I assumed you meant, and to the naked eye (mine at least) they looked identical. I didn't use magnification, though.

OK, if you didn't notice any difference then I'm sure they are the same. You won't need any additional magnification to see if they are different, but I'll let you get a second peek before I call this one.

 

[Bertilak]

Interesting. Does this include the grind? Have a look at the photo below and you'll see the area I'm interested in comparing.

I think you can see how the two blades have a different grind, from the top down. Both blades have two ground "faces", but on the blade on the left the faces are about 50/50, the blade on the right is more like 15/85.

Is that the same picture that was posted here about a year (maybe a bit less) ago? I've seen either that or a similar picture before where one blade was the "Pella" blade and the other was the "Walgreen" blade.

The one on the left looks like it might be a bit sharper but perhaps more delicate. It also looks like the one on the right may have three bevels instead of just two and that may provide a smoother shave if that last bevel uses a finer grind.

Do you know what the two blades are?