Pretty Plain packaging! Who cares at the price!?







Nice metal dispenser complete with a used blade dump under the new blade storage. Nice touch.



Bottom Line on these Blades

A month or so ago I ran out of Merkur DE blades, so I ordered more from Charles at QED but in the meantime, I needed a blade. So I reluctantly drove up to Walmart to see what they had on the shelf and little to my liking, I see a pack of Personna DE Blades for $1.36. I rolled my eyes and thought, what the hell am I going to do to my face? But that was the only option so I bought them with the understanding that it would just be a few days until I got my Merkurs. Got back to my place, threw em' in the drawer in the bathroom until the next morning.



I loaded up the ol' Vision and the first pass felt MUCH different, almost like ZERO resistance. But that's not atypical of my regular shaves and it was just a passing thought as I shaved with the grain. But when I went against the grain, HOLY MOLY! It was like a hot knife going thru soft butter. Hands down the easiest shave I've ever gotten! I mean, it made my Merkur blade feel like I was scraping my face with a Swiss Army knife. I couldn't believe it. I kept feeling my face to see if I was dreaming this up and I was amazed at how smooth my face was with ONE against the grain pass.



I mean folks, maybe it's just me, but the shave was not even comparable. The Personna blades made my face feel as smooth as a freshly Zamboni'd hockey rink. At $1.36 a pack of 10 with a nice little container, I think everyone should at least give em' a shot.

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-Justin

I picked up a pack of these after reading this review, and hurried home to try them. What could be better, I thought--cheap, sharp blades, that could be had without internet help?



Well, I lathered up normally and started in--not good. . .nicks, skips, gashes, pain. The blade felt ragged and unevenly sharp--not a good combination--and scary.



I won't be buying these blades again.



Mitch

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Mitch

Go Green!

Wal Mart Personna blades were the first DE blades I used. Since then, I've used Israeli Personna blades, Feather, Merkur, "Euro" Gillettes and the SilverSteel Gillettes. No, these blades aren't the same caliber, but they do render a good shave. The price is right, the container is nice, and they are available locally. At .14 cents a blade, you can afford to use two a week if necessary. If they were just a bit smoother, they would be outstanding.



Randy

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"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J. B. Books
Shazam!
Another memorable quote!
Hall of Fame
Remember Alex Brown

I didn't find these to be as bad as some, they were in my experience the same as a Merkur blade, with perhaps a less longevity. If this was all I could get I could make due, but as long as I can find deals on Feathers or Derbys these will stay on the shelf at Wally World as far as I am concerned.



By the way, any packaging that looks like these, has the signature arrows, and is made in the USA are the same blades, so if you can't find Personnas, look for generics that look the same!

Originally Posted by Darkwolf

By the way, any packaging that looks like these, has the signature arrows, and is made in the USA are the same blades, so if you can't find Personnas, look for generics that look the same!

Aaah, cheers! I found some blades at my local Brooks Pharmacy and they look EXACTLY like these albeit in different packaging. I had wondered if they were one and the same thing, now I know! Believe it or not, they were fairly expensive in Brooks, I think I paid like $4 for 10 blades!



Overall impression...............meh! I could take 'em or leave 'em. A relatively good shave but I prefer the Derby's I used the following two weeks.



The weren't that smooth and seemed to dull after 3 or 4 shaves. Still, the packaging/dispenser is nice, I particularly like the fact you can drop used blades in the back of the dispenser, nice touch!



I think I'd best describe these as "they'll do the job if you happen (God forbid) to find you've run out blades and need to dash out to get something so you can have a shave" blades!

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Andy ~ Vermont

"Thaaart's bittar naaaw, Oi've gort mah soonglasses awwn!"

If you teach a poor young man to shave himself, and keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas - Benjamin Franklin, 1706 - 1790

These Blades are sold by Asda in the UK at almost 3 times the price you pay in the US!

Not my favourite....but not bad. I was able to get 4 good shaves using my Merkur HD. I don't think I would want to use them in my Slant Bar or Futur, as I don't think they are sharp enough. The packaging is excellent....but then .....you don't shave with the packaging!!!!



Not bad.....but for UK users.....if you want a Supermarket brand.......go for Tesco. £1.99 for 10.....and they are really good



Brian

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Brian

Oofah! These rip me up pretty badly. I find the el cheapo Wilkinsons to be at least their equal, and more forgiving. Never enjoyed a single good shave with these, so I'm going to just give up on them.

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Chief Weasel and Director of the B&B Stjynnkii Membörd Dummpsjterd.

Baby Brain Smooth.

Life is too short to share that bacon with anyone.

I pretty much agree with Justso in his review of these blades ..., they're a good blade at an outstanding price in Walmart. I believe these blades get an unfair rap because they're U.S. made & therefore not as "exotic" as a foreign made blade to the average forum member, and also "they're cheap, easily available so they must be crap" thinking.



OK, they're no Feather or Swedish Gillette, but they compare very well with Merkur, Wilkinson Sword, Derby's etc. Personna have a long history for making fine blades, they were the first company to make a stainless steel blade - they are also the company that manufactured the blades for shaving history names such as GEM, Star & Ever-Ready.



So if you're using these blades & think they are alright - you stick with them, don't be put off because IMV you're right.



In the UK they're available through ASDA but unfortunately they cost £2 a pack, which makes them better than Wilkinson Sword IMO, but check out Tesco's superb blade for the same price.



Regards

John

These blades are very poor. They are not nearly as sharp or smooth as a blade needs to be. I used to find these acceptable as a travel blade but no longer do. There are two good things about these blades:

1. The blade holder is really cool.
2. I no longer own any of them.

I'm afraid that I have to strongly disagree with John's equation of these blades to Merkur or Derby blades. They are not even remotely close to existing in the same class. Certainly, if you are using and enjoying the Personna's, then keep using them. If you have not yet used them and are planning on it, set your expectations low.

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-Kyle
...the police often question him, just because they find him interesting...his blood smells like cologne...

As indicated in my previous post above, I'm strongly with Kyle on this one. I'm really glad that some folks find these blades acceptable, but they simply don't work for me. I find them scary and unpredictable--2 things I don't want to say about a sharp object that comes close to my neck and face.

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Mitch

Go Green!

American personna's are pretty polarizing. They're about as sharp as Merkur, but are a buck a pack at walmart or the local grocery store. I love them in my Gillette fatboy, but don't much care for them in my superspeed or Merkur Vision. Since Feathers were inferior in all my razors and I prefer the fatboy the Personnas are my blade of choice. I do occasionally find rough Personnas, but they get thrown out (I occasionally found subpar Feathers as well, though never had a problem with Merkurs).

I like these blades.

They shave me close, I get no nicks when I use them in my SlimBoy and they are quite consistent, IMHO. I get about 4 shaves of four passes for each blade. I could probably get a couple more, but it is not worth it.

I guess it could be my inexperience with blades since I have only tried these and Israelis, but these were not bad at all. I had really good shaves with these blades. In my Slim and Fat Boy I get very good shaves using these blades. Every now and then you might find one that is not up to par but I guess that can happen to any of the other name brands. The price is definetly right and the packages are very good and practical especially if you travel a lot like I do. I know that the Israeli is a better blade, nevertheless, I find these to be good blades if you are on a tight spot and no other blade is available.



Rafael

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"A well lathered face is half a good shave"

These don't work well for me at all. Nicks, weepers, and razor burn every time, and the second and third shaves are worse. I can't use them after the third time, so the low price is not so low in the long run. Anyway, I'm a Derby guy because I don't have those problems with the Derbys. I understand that different razors and different faces react in various ways to blades. These just don't agree with my face.



Orest

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Orest

Some minds remain open long enough for the truth not only to enter but to pass on through by way of a ready exit without pausing anywhere along the route.
Sr. Elizabeth Kenny

I am incurably convinced that the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.
G. K. Chesterton

Someone hooked me up with these blades. I decided to do a side by side comparison using my Merkur Classic Long Handle which is a pretty aggressive razor and my Gillette Tech which has to be one of the tamest razors you can get.



Using the Merkur with the Personna blade was a frightening experience. It felt as if it was trying to pull the hairs as opposed to cutting them. Around my chin it was really hard to feel comfortable.



Switching over to the Gillette Tech I was stunned at the difference. The Tech was making its typical sound of the hairs pinging as they were cut. No pulling at all. Around my chin it was business as usual for the Tech, smooth and clean. Another beautiful shave.



I'm still a newbie but this was another one of those eye opening experiences where you match two products together and you can get a nightmare or a dream. If you're going to put these blades in your Merkur you might not like the results. If you're going to put them in a Gillette you might be a happy shaver.



YMMV of course. Good luck.

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- Jim