Having tried a lot of different blades from the 60s-80s, I would characterize the arc of the different companies as follows:
Personna-
Early 60's blades from Scotland were ok. The first US made blades were a little better, then POW, the Personna 74 was one of the best blades ever (even Consumer Reports said so at the time). When profits did not materialize, Phillip Morris dumps ASR in a Leverged Buyout. The huge debt load causes an immediate decline in quality and innovation. The non-private label business really shrinks as management strives to pay off the debt. Starting in then 90s, after about 15 years of mediocrity, ASR manages to merge with the company that has the Israeli plant. Quality and profits start to improve.....
Schick-
Starts having DE blades in 1963 with the Krona edge. By the end of the year, they have brought out Stainless blades. They too are just OK at first. They have plants in both Sweden and the US making their blades. Quality improved faster, and by 1967, the Schick blades are awesome. Their quality continued throughout the 70's and 80's, but they lacked innovation in their DE line. The Krona, an excellent razor, continued to be sold and given away through the 90's. Their was a slight loss in quality in the late 90's that picked up around 2000, until production was transferred to Germany.
Wilkinson Sword-
They start having great success with their DE stainless blades in 1962 or so. Their quality is better than everyone else's at first and they keep up excellent blades throughout the 70's. In the 80's, they are a better selling brand than Personna in branded blades. They ended up being indirectly controlled or influenced by Gillette, until they were forced to divest as the condition of a merger. Market presence in the US shrinks. They end up with Schick. Quality was still pretty darn good until production transferred to Germany.
Gillette- The Silicone coated Super Blue Blades that came out in 1958 are still usable today. They increased their quality by changing to a teflon-like coating around 1964. Even the Blue Blades made in the late 60-s to mid-70s had this coating. Gillette thought this blade would take them far.
After stainless shook up the market in 1963, Gillette rushed to bring out its Super Stainless (Super Silver in UK). The first iteration is fine. The second is a little better. Then, the Spoiler came out. It was beloved and set the standard for Gillette Blades. The Platinum joined it in 1969-70. It was a slightly different blade that had adherents, but was not hoarded like the Stainless. It was discontinued in the US with a wimper.
Gillette made many of these blades in the US longer than reference sources indicate. The quality continued to be excellent. I personally have Blue Blades from 1974 (teflon coated), Super Blues from 1988, Thins from 1989, and Stainless from the mid 80's. The most unsolved question for me is when did the Platinum stop being produced in the US. It seemed to quietly disappear from Shelves. In 1990 or so, when production was switched to France, I have seen Super Blue, Super Stainless, and Thin Blades produced in France for the US market.
Quality continued to be very good for these blades until the end of US production. French production was slightly better. Then, there were blades from Brazil,Mexico, India, and Russia of varying quality.....
Personna-
Early 60's blades from Scotland were ok. The first US made blades were a little better, then POW, the Personna 74 was one of the best blades ever (even Consumer Reports said so at the time). When profits did not materialize, Phillip Morris dumps ASR in a Leverged Buyout. The huge debt load causes an immediate decline in quality and innovation. The non-private label business really shrinks as management strives to pay off the debt. Starting in then 90s, after about 15 years of mediocrity, ASR manages to merge with the company that has the Israeli plant. Quality and profits start to improve.....
Schick-
Starts having DE blades in 1963 with the Krona edge. By the end of the year, they have brought out Stainless blades. They too are just OK at first. They have plants in both Sweden and the US making their blades. Quality improved faster, and by 1967, the Schick blades are awesome. Their quality continued throughout the 70's and 80's, but they lacked innovation in their DE line. The Krona, an excellent razor, continued to be sold and given away through the 90's. Their was a slight loss in quality in the late 90's that picked up around 2000, until production was transferred to Germany.
Wilkinson Sword-
They start having great success with their DE stainless blades in 1962 or so. Their quality is better than everyone else's at first and they keep up excellent blades throughout the 70's. In the 80's, they are a better selling brand than Personna in branded blades. They ended up being indirectly controlled or influenced by Gillette, until they were forced to divest as the condition of a merger. Market presence in the US shrinks. They end up with Schick. Quality was still pretty darn good until production transferred to Germany.
Gillette- The Silicone coated Super Blue Blades that came out in 1958 are still usable today. They increased their quality by changing to a teflon-like coating around 1964. Even the Blue Blades made in the late 60-s to mid-70s had this coating. Gillette thought this blade would take them far.
After stainless shook up the market in 1963, Gillette rushed to bring out its Super Stainless (Super Silver in UK). The first iteration is fine. The second is a little better. Then, the Spoiler came out. It was beloved and set the standard for Gillette Blades. The Platinum joined it in 1969-70. It was a slightly different blade that had adherents, but was not hoarded like the Stainless. It was discontinued in the US with a wimper.
Gillette made many of these blades in the US longer than reference sources indicate. The quality continued to be excellent. I personally have Blue Blades from 1974 (teflon coated), Super Blues from 1988, Thins from 1989, and Stainless from the mid 80's. The most unsolved question for me is when did the Platinum stop being produced in the US. It seemed to quietly disappear from Shelves. In 1990 or so, when production was switched to France, I have seen Super Blue, Super Stainless, and Thin Blades produced in France for the US market.
Quality continued to be very good for these blades until the end of US production. French production was slightly better. Then, there were blades from Brazil,Mexico, India, and Russia of varying quality.....
