Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp Stainless

[know1special]

Absolutely! FWIW, my beard is not that challenging so that probably contributes.

At this point on my shaving journey I have largely settled on Feather and Bic CP as my weapons of choice.

However, I've got great heaping piles of different blades in the hopper and do like to mix it up every so often. Maybe one shave out of 50 let's say.

 

[GBerry]

I just stumbled on this thread and am thankful to the community for bringing it alive.

I use the PPI made Perma-Sharp in the Blackbird Lite with excellent results. I take the shaves to DFS+ without nicks or irritation. They are smooth in use and a very good post shave feel.

I may check out the Nacet blades too.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

I may check out the Nacet blades too.

Let us know if you see much of a difference?

 

[GBerry]

@ShavingPrimate This did not take long. I will do a Gillette PermaSharp (Gold & Red box) tomorrow.

20230320
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite (71)
Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Lather: Stirling Soap Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: Cold water rinse; Stirling Soap Co Unscented Post Shave Balm

No nicks; No irritation; Very close; smooth; DFS+ shave. The Nacet appears to be less sharp than the Perma-Sharp Super on the first shave. The Nacet was almost tugging ATG on the first shave. A little buffing was needed on the upper lip. I would prefer the Perma-Sharp based on first shave results. Next up will be a new Gillette PermaSharp Super (Gold & Red box) shave number 1.

Shave log summary 20230311

Cheers!!!

 

[Goblin]

I finally got around to trying the 7OC Permasharp Stainless today and I wanted to post my thoughts. This interesting thread seemed like the best place to do it, rather than starting a new one.

When I sampled the 7OC Blacks I was hoping to find another blade that really clicked for me, but I was actually a bit disappointed in their sharpness, and didn't really find them anywhere close to being "Indian Feathers" (except in price).

Accordingly, I didn't expect much of these significantly cheaper Indian 7OC blades, and it's true that they do seem cheaper than the Blacks in terms of manufacturing precision. On my Gamechanger, these blades have to be worked down over the nubs on the baseplate because the gaps in the blade are very small and seem to be positioned fractionally too far apart, which causes the blade to warp until the cap is cinched down. Once the razor is assembled, sighting through the lather channels shows that the exposure on each side isn't 100% uniform. I checked with a couple of blades and it was the same story, but neither of these were serious issues and didn't affect my usage.

The actual shave was good. Really good in fact. I have done a lot of blade sampling over the past 18 months and pretty much decided that my favourites were the ones I already knew before I started - Feather and PPI Permasharps. These 7OCs worked well enough for me that I could see them becoming another favourite. I really wanted to find a true "budget" blade that worked for me as an alternative to costly Feathers and these are the best candidate so far.

To continue the Nacet comparisons of this thread, I would say these 7OCs are similar in sharpness. Maybe a bit sharper. Almost zero pulling sensation when using sliding strokes on the tough stuff, but not so screaming sharp or scratchy that a bit of ATG buffing seemed reckless! They passed the GC 0.84 test with flying colours, as I find that blades of lesser sharpness can get chattery in that razor. No such problems today.

For me, Nacets always feel a bit ragged even when fresh out of the wrapper, and often become downright rough on the second shave. These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

Oh, Sharp Edge! How the mighty have fallen!

 

[cranewarrior]

These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

These are a great deal if one likes the sharper range of blades. eBay has the best prices if you buy from an Indian seller in bulk. I bought a lot not too long ago and only had to wait < 3 weeks for it to arrive in the USA and I saved 50% from what the AMZ price was.

I too found it a good alternative to Nacets. I like sharp blades in my mild razors.

 

[Theodore]

I finally got around to trying the 7OC Permasharp Stainless today and I wanted to post my thoughts. This interesting thread seemed like the best place to do it, rather than starting a new one.

When I sampled the 7OC Blacks I was hoping to find another blade that really clicked for me, but I was actually a bit disappointed in their sharpness, and didn't really find them anywhere close to being "Indian Feathers" (except in price).

Accordingly, I didn't expect much of these significantly cheaper Indian 7OC blades, and it's true that they do seem cheaper than the Blacks in terms of manufacturing precision. On my Gamechanger, these blades have to be worked down over the nubs on the baseplate because the gaps in the blade are very small and seem to be positioned fractionally too far apart, which causes the blade to warp until the cap is cinched down. Once the razor is assembled, sighting through the lather channels shows that the exposure on each side isn't 100% uniform. I checked with a couple of blades and it was the same story, but neither of these were serious issues and didn't affect my usage.

The actual shave was good. Really good in fact. I have done a lot of blade sampling over the past 18 months and pretty much decided that my favourites were the ones I already knew before I started - Feather and PPI Permasharps. These 7OCs worked well enough for me that I could see them becoming another favourite. I really wanted to find a true "budget" blade that worked for me as an alternative to costly Feathers and these are the best candidate so far.

To continue the Nacet comparisons of this thread, I would say these 7OCs are similar in sharpness. Maybe a bit sharper. Almost zero pulling sensation when using sliding strokes on the tough stuff, but not so screaming sharp or scratchy that a bit of ATG buffing seemed reckless! They passed the GC 0.84 test with flying colours, as I find that blades of lesser sharpness can get chattery in that razor. No such problems today.

For me, Nacets always feel a bit ragged even when fresh out of the wrapper, and often become downright rough on the second shave. These seemed significantly smoother - more like a PPI Permasharp - and whilst I suspect longevity may not be great based on what others have reported, the blade was performing well enough at the end of shave 1 for me to be happy about attempting shave 2. I like a fresh edge so I never push blades very far - if I can get two comfortable shaves from one of these then that's good enough for me.

I already declared myself out of GRUYERE in order to increase my blade stocks before the impending UK blade-pocalypse (real or imagined). If I am still as happy with these after a few more shaves I will pick up a couple 100 before April. I think my current ranking of 7OC blades would look like this (top to bottom):

View attachment 1795247

Oh, Sharp Edge! How the mighty have fallen!

Yes, I was quite surprised to find I also preferred the green permasharp to the black 7'oclock. Everything I had read lead me to expect the super platinum to be the top of the heap.

Had my second green permasharp shave today and still quietly impressed with it.

 

[Bobovata]

Another vote for the Permasharp Green.

Nice shaves, and excellent value at the price (in bulk, from India, via eBay).

 

[Goblin]

No eBay blade purchases for us Brits - that was phase one of the Blade-pocalypse! Even so, £11 for 100 via RBC is still pretty good, given that the likes of Lords and Treets are around £8.80 per 100.

These are one of those blades I have known about and been curious about for years. I should have gotten around to them much sooner. As it is, I am discovering them just in time!

 

[Goblin]

Had a second shave with the green Permasharp Stainless today, still in the GC 0.84.

It was good. Struggling a little bit by the end perhaps, but it never felt too ragged or prickly. I had to do a hard ATG stroke to clean up my jawline. I dread that stroke. Those flat-growing whiskers can be stubborn, and hitting them ATG can cause chatter that leaves me with irritation, or I end up unconsciously applying pressure to force the blade through, and then that pressure causes the irritation! No problems today - the Indian 7OC Green still had enough left in the tank to take down the whiskers without any fuss. BBS bar a couple of stragglers.

Me likey.

I have ordered 300.

 

[BurnFree]

This thread convinced me to try 7OC Green Permasharps. It took this slow fellow a while to figure out they were different from Russian Green Super Stainless. I do not remember liking those as much. Ivan and others say they are less sharp, so that might explain why.

Only 2 blades in on these green Permasharps, but they have been enjoyable so far! They are very smooth for the sharpness level in my opinion, so basically what everyone else says.

I want to also note that they become politely-tuggy (in a well-clamped razor) instead of scratchy like an end of life Feather or Dorco Prime, for example. They DO seem to reach a point of dullness pretty suddenly, but there is enough in the tank to finish a shave without ripping out hair. Honest feedback, so to speak. I have been finding that their supposedly more premium 7 OC Black Super Platinum siblings start sliding over hair on shave 3 and trick me into excessive buffing, whereas a passable 3rd shave from the greens can be squeaked out with less irritation in the end. Neither one has been setting longevity records in my hands, but that seems to be the way things mostly are now, barring the Excalibur folks.

So, Indian blacks and greens have slightly different characteristics that one individual might prefer over the other, but my overall happiness factor with the Greens has been about the about the same, so far. There is no contest when current pricing is considered.

It would be interesting to compare Indian Green Permasharps with Indian Astra SS, which I have not used. I always thought Russian SS blades were "sharp enough" budget blades that were more more effective than their Chrome Platinum counterparts and offered 2-3 decent shaves, but these Indian greens are sharper & smoother (based on memory). If the indian SS are indeed sharper than their Russian counterparts and of slightly softer steel, I could see how Astra SS and Indian green Permasharp might be the same blade in a different box. So choose based on price or box color? Please set me straight if wrong.

Detour: I also bought a 100 pack of Lord Silver Stars on blind faith, thanks to everyone on B&B. Your Collective Wisdom was correct! The first shave was sharp & crisp, but comfortable...perfect. Silver Stars might kick the Gillettes out if the first shave wasn't a unicorn, although I do like green and keeping options open. They can probably play nice on the shelf together.

 

[cranewarrior]

It would be interesting to compare Indian Green Permasharps with Indian Astra SS, which I have not used. I always thought Russian SS blades were "sharp enough" budget blades that were more more effective than their Chrome Platinum counterparts and offered 2-3 decent shaves, but these Indian greens are sharper & smoother (based on memory). If the indian SS are indeed sharper than their Russian counterparts and of slightly softer steel, I could see how Astra SS and Indian green Permasharp might be the same blade in a different box. So choose based on price or box color? Please set me straight if wrong.

Detour: I also bought a 100 pack of Lord Silver Stars on blind faith, thanks to everyone on B&B. Your Collective Wisdom was correct! The first shave was sharp & crisp, but comfortable...perfect. Silver Stars might kick the Gillettes out if the first shave wasn't a unicorn, although I do like green and keeping options open. They can probably play nice on the shelf together.

So I do not think the Indian Astra SP and 7 o'clock Permasharp are the same blade. I still give the edge to the Permasharp on cutting power. That said, I've been able to procure them off eBay from Indian sellers for 7.5 cents a piece so they are slightly cheaper than buying Astras from Amazon if one can wait the 2-3 weeks for arrival in the USA (where I am).

You might try the Lord Cool also for a slightly less plush, but sharper feel than the Silver Star in my opinion.

 

[ivan_101]

If the indian SS are indeed sharper than their Russian counterparts and of slightly softer steel, I could see how Astra SS and Indian green Permasharp might be the same blade in a different box. So choose based on price or box color? Please set me straight if wrong.

They are not the same blade. The 7 o'clock Permasharp Stainless is much sharper than the Indian made Astra SS.

 

[BurnFree]

It would be interesting to compare Indian Green Permasharps with Indian Astra SS...

They are not the same blade. The 7 o'clock Permasharp Stainless is much sharper than the Indian made Astra SS.

Great to know, thanks.

 

[BurnFree]

I've been able to procure them off eBay from Indian sellers for 7.5 cents a piece

Ooohhh...I see a stockpile coming!

You might try the Lord Cool also

Thank you. Yeah, it was only a matter of time before a Lord rabbit hole opened up.

 

[WVShaver]

These are the last 7 o’clock blades I haven’t tried. Bought a tuck a couple years ago and forgot about them. I tried all the Russian ones and Blacks but didn’t expect much from these and put them off. I’ll be testing them out in my 84p in the next week or two. Mine are at least 2-4 years old so hopefully the new ones are the same if I like them.

I just recently tried the 7 Green stainless from Russia and thought it was a good blade. Felt similar to the yellow but a tad sharper. Might have just been my batches. It’s been awhile since I tried the blacks but I remember they were better then average but didn’t amaze me. If they were $10 per 100 they’d be a great blade.

Also recently tested the India Astra SP and SS side by side and liked both of those. I think the SS was just barely sharper but both were great blades. The Wilkinson Sword I tried was also in the same league. So far I’m impressed with India blades.

I’ve also tried the Supermax blue diamond and didn’t think it was as sharp as most but was a very smooth blade. I then tested the Diamond Edge and Euromax 800 which looked almost identical in the packaging and felt almost identical to me - a little rough. I plan on retesting those blades to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.