The BEST of Blades… and the Worst of Blades… (Polsilvers)

[SharpieB]

Interesting shave today…

I had some of the unbranded “Polsilvers” a couple of years back and they weren’t bad at all. Looked identical to the top blade below. I thought they may be real Polsilvers.

A friend recently send me 50 of the below “whatever they are’s” to try (sorry, I threw out the wrapper but I can likely dig up another if anyone is interested).

The bottom blade is a Polish Polsilver. Not really vintage, but maybe 15-20 years old?

In any case, I am weird with my blade rotation… I rotate 6-7 razors and generally don’t remember which blade is loaded into each razor. I highly recommend this BTW as it is basically shaving blind. Fun and no preconceived bias.

Anyhoo… today I grabbed my Wolfman WR2 1.45 and it happened to be loaded with this fake Polsilver. Good god, what an awful blade. Worst ever. Think dollar store blade after 20 uses. Just terrible. Two swipes with this brand new blade and it was binned.

Replaced quickly with a REAL Polsilver and wow. What a difference. The Polish Polsilvers are the best blade I have ever used, so it made the difference even more striking.

In any case, my point is that there may be “Extra Stainless” blades in Polsilver or plain wrappers that are real, but I would be VERY VERY weary about buying them. I honestly would rather use a Derby that was used a dozen times over this disaster of a blade.

P.S. No, I shall not be doing a PIF for my remaining 200 Polish Polsilvers.

 

[silverlifter]

Your experience mirrors mine, exactly

Review: Fake Polsilver SI vs The Real Thing Badger & Blade https://www.badgerandblade.com › forum › threads

 

[SharpieB]

Your experience mirrors mine, exactly

Review: Fake Polsilver SI vs The Real Thing Badger & Blade https://www.badgerandblade.com › forum › threads

100%.

I was going to reply to your post, but I had nothing better to do, so started a new thread.

 

[BigJ]

+1! ’Genuine’ Polsilvers are absolutely wonderful blades IME!!

(And I don’t want to encounter the fakes.)

 

[ivan_101]

The Polish Polsilvers are the best blade I have ever used, so it made the difference even more striking.


View attachment 1749528

They are the 2000s iteration of the model, made in Lodz but under Gillette ownership. They stopped making them somewhere around 2007-2008.

This is the same model Polsilver Stainless, but manufactured in the 80s (My 3 pillars are September 1986). I consider them better than the dark brown pack from the 2000s.

 

[dmshaver]

Quote of the month:
“I honestly would rather use a Derby that was used a dozen times over this disaster of a blade.”

That’s calling it like you see it!

 

[phdezra]

would rather use a Derby that was used a dozen times over this disaster of a blade.”

As a newbie+++ (not brand new, but not nearly as experienced as many here), the "hunt" for the BEST or PERFECT or FOREVER blade seems elusive, confusing, and inundating as there are hundreds of blades/variations (e.g., Derby Professional and Derby Extra), plus the many iterations of different countries some blades have traveled (eg, Wilkinson Sword (at least 4 countries: England, Germany, China and I think I am missing one).

The point is that *I* am looking for a great blade for me. Naturally, the popular reply is "try out several and see what works for you; move up as you get more experienced" and so on. On the surface (more puns), this all makes sense. BUT BUT BUT, the # of blade permutations to tryout are overwhelming, and while some peopelk will steer you clear of, for example, Derby (see quote above), I find that is untrue (and unfair) to the blade and the new shaver/gentlman.

I DID try a Derby Extra in Merkur 34c and the shave was VERY good. I did 3 passes, nice and slowly, carefully for a beginner (actually used FACE lather method, which I much prefer) and then I used my Vikings Emperor Meiji (adjusted to 3--OMG!!--using the "comb" side of that DE razor) using a Derby Extra (not same blade as in the Merkur--a fresh one in each). While some people may truly be horrified, the shave was incredibly close. So it took 4 passes? Meh. No biggie, I *assume* many of us here ENJOY (that is the point (more puns)) the time shaving often for aficionados and "hobbyists" such as us on here. (There are 260M Americans (I know we have International people here, too! ) but only a sliver (more puns) are on here.

ANYWAY, The Derby Extra gets short shrift. It is an excellent blade when, perhaps, paired with the right razor. (And, of course, we know the basics:

Platinum in/on a blade helps maintain a sharp edge; Tungsten reduces corrosion; Chromium helps maintain sharpness and so on.

So while the Derby Extra that I used yesterday is not an Astra Superior Platihum (Green), Feather or Personna Platinum Chrome (just to name a few very popular brands/specs), it is a fantastic blde (very forgiving, great for sensitive skin/beginners; not great on coarse, so on), it is still a GREAT blade. (Sounds like I am defending it a bit!)

In any event, I AM curious to know that if you could only take THREE different blades to use for the rest of your life, what would it be? The more people that answer, the more informed and %%%s do make a difference in my book. I assume Feather will be on the list.

Cheers; Happy New Year.

 

[dmshaver]

As a newbie+++ (not brand new, but not nearly as experienced as many here), the "hunt" for the BEST or PERFECT or FOREVER blade seems elusive, confusing, and inundating as there are hundreds of blades/variations (e.g., Derby Professional and Derby Extra), plus the many iterations of different countries some blades have traveled (eg, Wilkinson Sword (at least 4 countries: England, Germany, China and I think I am missing one).

The point is that *I* am looking for a great blade for me. Naturally, the popular reply is "try out several and see what works for you; move up as you get more experienced" and so on. On the surface (more puns), this all makes sense. BUT BUT BUT, the # of blade permutations to tryout are overwhelming, and while some peopelk will steer you clear of, for example, Derby (see quote above), I find that is untrue (and unfair) to the blade and the new shaver/gentlman.

I DID try a Derby Extra in Merkur 34c and the shave was VERY good. I did 3 passes, nice and slowly, carefully for a beginner (actually used FACE lather method, which I much prefer) and then I used my Vikings Emperor Meiji (adjusted to 3--OMG!!--using the "comb" side of that DE razor) using a Derby Extra (not same blade as in the Merkur--a fresh one in each). While some people may truly be horrified, the shave was incredibly close. So it took 4 passes? Meh. No biggie, I *assume* many of us here ENJOY (that is the point (more puns)) the time shaving often for aficionados and "hobbyists" such as us on here. (There are 260M Americans (I know we have International people here, too! ) but only a sliver (more puns) are on here.

ANYWAY, The Derby Extra gets short shrift. It is an excellent blade when, perhaps, paired with the right razor. (And, of course, we know the basics:

Platinum in/on a blade helps maintain a sharp edge; Tungsten reduces corrosion; Chromium helps maintain sharpness and so on.

So while the Derby Extra that I used yesterday is not an Astra Superior Platihum (Green), Feather or Personna Platinum Chrome (just to name a few very popular brands/specs), it is a fantastic blde (very forgiving, great for sensitive skin/beginners; not great on coarse, so on), it is still a GREAT blade. (Sounds like I am defending it a bit!)

In any event, I AM curious to know that if you could only take THREE different blades to use for the rest of your life, what would it be? The more people that answer, the more informed and %%%s do make a difference in my book. I assume Feather will be on the list.

Cheers; Happy New Year.

You are quite correct in your statement that the Detby Extra gets mistreated by many, including myself. And yet it provides superb shaves to many! It seems over time the Derby Extra has become the poster child for bad blades when there really shouldn't be any blade that is considered a bad blade for everyone. Well except for those really bad blades that no one likes!!!

To answer your question as to what are my top 3 blades:
1. Feather
2. Nacet
3. Could be one of so many - Personna Med Prep, Crystal, Lord Platinum, just to name a few.

And here's a link to a thread I wrote for most of 2023 writing brief thoughts on almost 200 different blades I tried for one shave each. The last page of the thread has a list I compiled of all the blades that delivered a smooth sharp shave.

 

[geneaut]

As a newbie+++ (not brand new, but not nearly as experienced as many here), the "hunt" for the BEST or PERFECT or FOREVER blade seems elusive, confusing, and inundating as there are hundreds of blades/variations (e.g., Derby Professional and Derby Extra), plus the many iterations of different countries some blades have traveled (eg, Wilkinson Sword (at least 4 countries: England, Germany, China and I think I am missing one).

The point is that *I* am looking for a great blade for me. Naturally, the popular reply is "try out several and see what works for you; move up as you get more experienced" and so on. On the surface (more puns), this all makes sense. BUT BUT BUT, the # of blade permutations to tryout are overwhelming, and while some peopelk will steer you clear of, for example, Derby (see quote above), I find that is untrue (and unfair) to the blade and the new shaver/gentlman.

I DID try a Derby Extra in Merkur 34c and the shave was VERY good. I did 3 passes, nice and slowly, carefully for a beginner (actually used FACE lather method, which I much prefer) and then I used my Vikings Emperor Meiji (adjusted to 3--OMG!!--using the "comb" side of that DE razor) using a Derby Extra (not same blade as in the Merkur--a fresh one in each). While some people may truly be horrified, the shave was incredibly close. So it took 4 passes? Meh. No biggie, I *assume* many of us here ENJOY (that is the point (more puns)) the time shaving often for aficionados and "hobbyists" such as us on here. (There are 260M Americans (I know we have International people here, too! ) but only a sliver (more puns) are on here.

ANYWAY, The Derby Extra gets short shrift. It is an excellent blade when, perhaps, paired with the right razor. (And, of course, we know the basics:

Platinum in/on a blade helps maintain a sharp edge; Tungsten reduces corrosion; Chromium helps maintain sharpness and so on.

So while the Derby Extra that I used yesterday is not an Astra Superior Platihum (Green), Feather or Personna Platinum Chrome (just to name a few very popular brands/specs), it is a fantastic blde (very forgiving, great for sensitive skin/beginners; not great on coarse, so on), it is still a GREAT blade. (Sounds like I am defending it a bit!)

In any event, I AM curious to know that if you could only take THREE different blades to use for the rest of your life, what would it be? The more people that answer, the more informed and %%%s do make a difference in my book. I assume Feather will be on the list.

Cheers; Happy New Year.

Part of the Derby reputation in this forum is that the Derby Extra today is not the same as the Derby Extra many of us started shaving with. I think they changed at some point around 2016/2017. Before that, they were considered lower to mid-tier by many people, and newer ones tend to be considered 'better'. I still consider them mid-tier, but at least to me usable, blades. I don't reach for them often, but I'm not afraid to use them if I do.

 

[SharpieB]

Part of the Derby reputation in this forum is that the Derby Extra today is not the same as the Derby Extra many of us started shaving with. I think they changed at some point around 2016/2017. Before that, they were considered lower to mid-tier by many people, and newer ones tend to be considered 'better'. I still consider them mid-tier, but at least to me usable, blades. I don't reach for them often, but I'm not afraid to use them if I do.

Same. If all I had was new Derby Extras, I would use them.

They are ok but there are dozens of other blades I prefer… Nacet, Perma-Sharp, Dorco Prime, Feather, BIC, Lord, KAI, Astra, Personna, Super-Max, Polsilver, etc, etc.

 

[JAHE]

I had a stellar shave with this gem of a blade today...

I got these excellent blades to know thanks to one of these brilliant PIF events organized by @Grundi and generouly sponsored by @Space_Cadet this time.

I couldn't be more grateful to the two of them for drawing my attention to this blade. #tippingmyhat

Even though this wasn't a bargain, I'm glad I bought more of this blades back in 2021 when an Irish vendor was able to offer them for the very last time - before they finally dissapeared from shelves...

 

[silverlifter]

I'm glad I bought more of this blades back in 2021 when an Irish vendor was able to offer them for the very last time - before they finally dissapeared from shelves...

Same. I stocked up when I saw they were offering tucks a while back. These are easily my favourite DE blade. Now, I just have to start shaving with a DE again...

 

[JAHE]

Same. I stocked up when I saw they were offering tucks a while back. These are easily my favourite DE blade. Now, I just have to start shaving with a DE again...

Smart call. IIRC, the majority of the participants of the event mentioned loved this blade.Thus it didn't take long until they disappeared again.

Speaking of your routine, there's good news: they won't go bad soon

 

[lancre]

To answer OP's question as to what are my top 3 blades currently in production:
1. Personna Lab Blues - apparently AKA AccuForge
2. German Wilkinson Sword - the UK Wilkies are as good, but no longer being produced.
3. Could be one of many - Derby, Bluebird, Shark SS, Feather, Kai, etc.

 

[euro]

You are quite correct in your statement that the Detby Extra gets mistreated by many, including myself. And yet it provides superb shaves to many! It seems over time the Derby Extra has become the poster child for bad blades when there really shouldn't be any blade that is considered a bad blade for everyone. Well except for those really bad blades that no one likes!!!

To answer your question as to what are my top 3 blades:
1. Feather
2. Nacet
3. Could be one of so many - Personna Med Prep, Crystal, Lord Platinum, just to name a few.

And here's a link to a thread I wrote for most of 2023 writing brief thoughts on almost 200 different blades I tried for one shave each. The last page of the thread has a list I compiled of all the blades that delivered a smooth sharp shave.

I heard that the new Derby Extra's are better than the older ones? It was the blade that I used in my first DE shave. Comparing it to a Fusion shave, it was much better but the Derby Extra blades are crap. Astra SP made a huge difference.

 

[Stikeyoda]

To answer OP's question as to what are my top 3 blades currently in production:
1. Personna Lab Blues - apparently AKA AccuForge
2. German Wilkinson Sword - the UK Wilkies are as good, but no longer being produced.
3. Could be one of many - Derby, Bluebird, Shark SS, Feather, Kai, etc.

FYI you'll sometimes see them listed as AccuTec.

• AccuTec: The parent company, a major blade manufacturer for various industries.
• AccuForge: A brand owned by AccuTec, specializing in high-quality razor blades for specific markets.

They've confused things even more with some transitioning branding (AccuThrive).

• If the blades were made before late 2022, they might be labeled "Personna Med Prep" or "Personna Lab Blue."
• If the blades are newer, they are likely called "AccuThrive Double Edge Prep Blade" or "AccuThrive Single Edge Prep Blade."
• Some older Med Prep blades might still be labeled "Personna Super."

They are also making GEM blades under the AccuTec Pro Premium brand, which is sort of a problem as there is a whole range of them and I think only the Premium stainless steel, aluminum backed, PTFE coated with the same specs as the Personna GEM blades (3 facet/23mm) are shaving ready. However you only see them in Industrial Blade categories, Scientific categories, and I picked up some at a music store (I guess reed cutting?). The problem is they have included real industrial (2 facet) blades in the AccuTec Pro Brand. I know the specs are the same but I have been hesitant to try them...

Even more confusing, the same blades are in the AccuForge Barnd, and some of those also show up in the Industrial supply chain.

The sins of Personna's branding continues. AccuTec, AccuForge, AccuThrive... With Personna it was different blades and manufacturers with the same name, now its the same blades with different names.

 

[lancre]

FYI you'll sometimes see them listed as AccuTec.

• AccuTec: The parent company, a major blade manufacturer for various industries.
• AccuForge: A brand owned by AccuTec, specializing in high-quality razor blades for specific markets.

They've confused things even more with some transitioning branding (AccuThrive).

• If the blades were made before late 2022, they might be labeled "Personna Med Prep" or "Personna Lab Blue."
• If the blades are newer, they are likely called "AccuThrive Double Edge Prep Blade" or "AccuThrive Single Edge Prep Blade."
• Some older Med Prep blades might still be labeled "Personna Super."

They are also making GEM blades under the AccuTec Pro Premium brand, which is sort of a problem as there is a whole range of them and I think only the Premium stainless steel, aluminum backed, PTFE coated with the same specs as the Personna GEM blades (3 facet/23mm) are shaving ready. However you only see them in Industrial Blade categories, Scientific categories, and I picked up some at a music store (I guess reed cutting?). The problem is they have included real industrial (2 facet) blades in the AccuTec Pro Brand. I know the specs are the same but I have been hesitant to try them...

Even more confusing, the same blades are in the AccuForge Barnd, and some of those also show up in the Industrial supply chain.

The sins of Personna's branding continues. AccuTec, AccuForge, AccuThrive... With Personna it was different blades and manufacturers with the same name, now its the same blades with different names.

Sometimes I get the feeling that they just don't want us to know what we're getting .