Astra Superior Stainless PPI vs India

[ivan_101]

5 days ago I received 2 packs of Indian made Astra Superior Stainless. So here is another comparison.

The pack on the left is Russian, manufactured 21/01/2022. The one on the right is Indian made. Has 3054 on the pack which means 23/02/2023.

As usual only the blade has been changed with all other variables kept the same. Cream, razor, brush and aftershave. The razor used was The Shave Factory adjustable.

I have to say here we are talking small differences. Again the Russian blade is just a tiny bit sharper than the Indian. With the Indian blade I had some resistance on my moustache and goatee area ATG and on my neck XTG, that definitely was not present with the Russian blade. Level of irritation during the shave and during afterhsave application was equal. Also closeness of shave was equal even late in the day.

 

[Alex Jr]

I was waiting for this! Thank you sir!

 

[zoidberg]

Thanks for the review Ivan.

So it seems the PPI 'replacement' blades are all pretty good it seems.

 

[ivan_101]

Thanks for the review Ivan.

So it seems the PPI 'replacement' blades are all pretty good it seems.

Well, I didn't expect them to be bad.
Still, did you buy enough PPI blades?

 

[zoidberg]

Well, I didn't expect them to be bad.
Still, did you buy enough PPI blades?

I've got some good stocks, but I will be getting a few more. There seems to be a chance the postal services in the UK may stop shipping blades at some point.

 

[BigJ]

Thanks for the comparison!!

 

[spacemonkey42]

Thanks @ivan_101! Would you put up pictures of any other sides of the box that have different markings, please? The last pack I bought said Rusku

 

[ivan_101]

Thanks @ivan_101! Would you put up pictures of any other sides of the box that have different markings, please? The last pack I bought said Rusku

Sorry. I'm afraid not.
You have to read the flap. It says in very fine print India instead of Russia.
This picture has been taken with a magnifying glass program a few days ago.

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

View attachment 1792103

5 days ago I received 2 packs of Indian made Astra Superior Stainless. So here is another comparison.

The pack on the left is Russian, manufactured 21/01/2022. The one on the right is Indian made. Has 3054 on the pack which means 23/02/2023.

As usual only the blade has been changed with all other variables kept the same. Cream, razor, brush and aftershave. The razor used was The Shave Factory adjustable.

I have to say here we are talking small differences. Again the Russian blade is just a tiny bit sharper than the Indian. With the Indian blade I had some resistance on my moustache and goatee area ATG and on my neck XTG, that definitely was not present with the Russian blade. Level of irritation during the shave and during afterhsave application was equal. Also closeness of shave was equal even late in the day.

As I imagined, thank you for the review... always precise
I'm thinking of making a load of the Russian ones

 

[Babou]

@ivan_101 Thank you for this review

 

[mmaggi]

Used one (Russian) for the 1st time in a Merkur 33c with 2 shims. Waaaaay too aggressive. Got a BBS shave but plenty of nicks (very minor) and neck irritation (where some Proraso balm easily took care of it). I'll shave with it again in 3 days but this time minus the shims to see if it helps.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Used one (Russian) for the 1st time in a Merkur 33c with 2 shims. Waaaaay too aggressive. Got a BBS shave but plenty of nicks (very minor) and neck irritation (where some Proraso balm easily took care of it). I'll shave with it again in 3 days but this time minus the shims to see if it helps.

I always get irritation from Astra SS. None from the SP or sharper Feathers or Bics. I wonder if this or somehow related to the coatings.

 

[mfury]

Any SS have always felt too aggressive on my skin. Platinum coated do me better.

 

[ivan_101]

I always get irritation from Astra SS. None from the SP or sharper Feathers or Bics. I wonder if this or somehow related to the coatings.

Both the coating and the grinding angles matter.
With the Russian Astras, I get more irritation from the Platinum than with the Stainless.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Both the coating and the grinding angles matter.
With the Russian Astras, I get more irritation from the Platinum than with the Stainless.

Interesting. For me it's the other way around. Astra SP is my favorite blade.

 

[Babou]

Both the coating and the grinding angles matter.
With the Russian Astras, I get more irritation from the Platinum than with the Stainless.

Me too.

 

[mmaggi]

2nd shave today with the Russian Astra SS in a Merkur 33c with one shim. Much, much much better. BBS and maybe 2 very minor, barely noticeable nicks. No irritation anywhere. It's a keeper.

 

[tanabata]

View attachment 1792103

5 days ago I received 2 packs of Indian made Astra Superior Stainless. So here is another comparison.

The pack on the left is Russian, manufactured 21/01/2022. The one on the right is Indian made. Has 3054 on the pack which means 23/02/2023.

As usual only the blade has been changed with all other variables kept the same. Cream, razor, brush and aftershave. The razor used was The Shave Factory adjustable.

I have to say here we are talking small differences. Again the Russian blade is just a tiny bit sharper than the Indian. With the Indian blade I had some resistance on my moustache and goatee area ATG and on my neck XTG, that definitely was not present with the Russian blade. Level of irritation during the shave and during afterhsave application was equal. Also closeness of shave was equal even late in the day.

Hi,

Thank you for your post in first place.
I am a very recent user of Astra SS. I bought a pack of 5 last month on a local store to try them out (made in Russia). I was astonished by the performance and smootheness on my skin. Then I saw a video from GeoFatboy saying they are now made in India and by his comparison with the SP's India vs Russia he did not see any difference.
And because I loved these blades over the sharpest's Feather (too aggressive for me sometimes) I decided to go for a pack of 100 Astra SS. I got the made in India ones on mail. So, the first use I was psychologic influenced about being the same product and performance I must confess . I didn´t have enough sleep that night and so my skin was not in the most favourable conditions, and they left me a bit of irritation after the shave. The test was with the same razor, soap, brush and aftershave (Feather AS-D2, Cella, Semogue 610, Lidl splash Cien). Maybe I used more pressure than I normaly do...or I was in a hurry.
So today I put a new SS and using the same vector I did go minding every stroke without pressure. And man, I got the same feeling that I had with the Russian blades: smoothness, closeness and superb feeling after shaving.
I know that for some people Platinum coating is a must go for confort but I am realising with time that stainless is better for me, and maybe that's the reason Feather blades, besides their super sharpness, are somehow lefting some burning on my face afterwards.
Just for the record I usually make 3 passes plus some retouching on tough zones, and shave on a daily basis only resting on saturdays.
Anyhow, I would say that I am still in the testing period, which means I'll keep mindfulness about the technic and results and I will do an update in a couple of weeks or so.
Note: I still have two blades left from Russia and in the future I will get to them, in a sort of reverse test

Thank you all for your contributions.
Jose

 

[ivan_101]

I have used 2 Indian Astra SS for 3 shaves and I have something to add.

First of all you need to know I have very tough nasty black whiskers that are blade destroyers. Add to that a super sensitive skin. The worst combination. So you might not experince this phenomenon.

By shave 3 the Indian Astra SS becomes harsher. Somewhat struggling on my moustache ATG (more than on shave 1 and 2). And most importanly there is some irritation after the shave (again more than on shave 1 and 2).
With the Russian Astra SS all three shaves feel identical to me in both comfort and closeness (no resistance).

So I seriously doubt I will buy a 100 of the Indian Astra SS. I have 700-800 of the Russian ones. Not that Astras are among my favourites.

 

[Knobby8]

I find the Indian blades the same as the Russian for the first two shaves, and then there done. Whereas the Russian blades last me 3 or 4 shaves.