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Personna red vs personna blue

I am only three months into wet shaving and I am experimenting with different blades. I have read in a few posts that Personna Reds are good. My question is are these the same blades or some kind of knock off? I found them on the shelf at a local store and they seem ok. I have seen these in both a red and blue package. Are these the same blades that are getting the good reviews on B&B? Also are the Personna reds = crystal blades?

Thanks for all the help.

http://www.amazon.com/Personna-Plat...BQVS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335051937&sr=8-2
 
I don't think they are. The ones in your link look like the ones they used to sell at wal-mart. The Personna reds that a lot of people like are made in Israel (Isrealli Reds).
 
Nope, nope and nope.....

what are called "Reds" are made in Israel. Personna super blues are made in Verona Virgina and come in 2 flavors, hospital prep, and commercial (both 100 pack bulk). The ones in the store are also from the Verona plant but not the same as the medical or commercial blades.

A few pics for you:

"Reds" 5 pack carton and 10 pack dispenser

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Super Blues: Meds and Labs:

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Below is some more info on the various US made Personna blades:

Original thread: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/262737-Personna-Confusion-59353

Hopefully this clears up everything with regard to the American Personnas:


ASR Makes their Personna blades in 4 different "grades".

1) Stainless Steel
Packaged as: CVS house brand

2) Stainless Steel w/Comfort Coating* A.K.A. Super Stainless Steel**
Packaged as: Personna 5 pack (from Sally Beauty or WCS), Walgreens house brand, Blue wrapped Super AKA ”Lab Blue”, Med Preps “Hospital Use”***

3) Platinum Chrome****
Packaged as: Personna 10 Pack (from Personna.com, Walmart.com), Exchange Select house brand (Military BX/PX)

4) Platinum Chrome w/Comfort Coating A.K.A. Super Platinum Chrome**
Packaged as: Personna 5 pack from Sally Beauty.com, Barber Personna (White wrapper)

* Comfort Coating means PTFE “Teflon” coated, and provides a smoother edge.

**”Super” on a blade just means that it has the comfort coating.

*** Med Preps “Hospital Use” are the same blade as the Labs/Lab Blue, however they go through an extra cleansing/sterilization process prior to wrapping, making them safe for hospital operating rooms.

**** Platinum Chrome blade is more durable and keeps its edge longer than Stainless Steel.




Example Packaging:
1) Stainless Steel
full


2) Stainless Steel w/Comfort Coating
full


3) Platinum Chrome
full


4) Platinum Chrome w/Comfort Coating
full
 
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If you are referring to Red IPs (red wrapper) vs. Crystals (blue wrapper), they are both from Israel, and both excellent, smooth blades perfect for new shavers. I personally found the Crystals more forgiving, but that's just me.
$4-21-2012 10-23-02 PM.jpg $4-21-2012 10-27-22 PM.jpg
 
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In the UK there's another strand to this. Tesco and Boots sell plain blades that are made in Isreal, with a black and silver cardboard insert. Morrisins sell "Persona" branded blades with the same insert in the box. No doubt there are others. The blades are unmarked when unwrapped.
 
Another great post to understand Personna blade. Thank you to collect and share the information!
Before I read it I couldn't understand because I bought a package of 10 blades that is mainly light blue coloured so I didn't understand it's defined red israeli personna. It's strange that the customer need to organize themselves to understand the products. In some countries there is a developed discipline called marketing that could help in these cases.
 
It's strange that the customer need to organize themselves to understand the products. In some countries there is a developed discipline called marketing that could help in these cases.

The confusion probably has to do with Personna "Red" being meaningless in a large part of the world, since they always were packed in white wrappers there.

"Personna Red" is also an American unofficial product name, I believe, and not a name that Personna Israel use themselves.
 
For some reason Personna makes a ton of blades under different labels and has never explained the differences.
 

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
They certainly are not the same. Although I've not found a bad one, the Israeli "Reds" are far and away my favorite. In fact, that's my favorite blade of all I've tried and the first that I ordered 100 of. The med preps and lab blues are nice blades, but I've not found a more comfortable blade than my beloved Reds.
 
For some reason Personna makes a ton of blades under different labels and has never explained the differences.

Probably because many of those were already made before Personna (and later ASR) acquired the Israel company.

Edit: when I started shaving, the "Made in Israel" blades were already sold at MIRO, a Dutch supermarket.
 
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Chiming in with my two cents - I think your result depends on a great many factors not least of which is your equipment. Reds work well for me with a Merkur 34 and OK with a Muhle R41 but they are a disaster in my Progress, however, the Med Preps are phenomenal in the Progress.
 
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