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My razor blade outlook has been turned upside down!!

Last week I received a razor I bought on eBay. The seller included 20 blades from the Dollar General Store. I almost tossed them immediately. But when I tried it, I have to say it was as good as many of my favs-at $1/5 pack!! I've only had 2 shaves with them, but they were smooth, painless, no irritation -even ATG on my neck. Now, I'm so confused-I've got probably five years worth of blades that make up 90% or more of the popular blades that BBers coo about, and these cheapos are just as good as many of them.

The blades look identical to those discussed on earlier threads concerning Personnas from Walmart and Walgreens and the like. The cardboard packaging says super stainless platinum chrome as did the others. The blades have no marking except for those two black arrows present on the Personnas. Also, the blade ejector is the same-plane white with these clumsy plastic strips that must be depressed to release the blade. What is really confusing is the cardboard that the blades come attached to say they are made by Gillette; says nothing about Personna. Does not say what country. Did Gillette buy Personna? A link is provided below for those who are curious. The last link to Walmart has them labeled as Personna.


http://www.dollargeneral.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11895936

compare with http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-double-edge-razor-blades/ID=prod6002640-product and

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Double-Edge-Blades-Platinum-Chrome-1-ct-3pk/12560444
 
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They are probably Dorcos from South Korea: that is what DG has sold in the past. If you look carefully at the blade dispenser, the shape is subtly different than the Personna dispenser.
 
They are probably Dorcos from South Korea: that is what DG has sold in the past. If you look carefully at the blade dispenser, the shape is subtly different than the Personna dispenser.

+1 And you can buy Dorcos elsewhere for much less than 20 cents/blade
 
I made a mistake. The packaging says they are NOT manufactured by Gillette. These blades read Platinum Chrome, just like the Personnas. I just saw the Korean ones in Pathmark and they were labeled made in Korea. I think the ones that say Stainless Steel are the Dorcos. Compare the blades from the Walgreen link (?Dorcos) with the Walmart link (Personna). My blades seem closer to the Personna.

The blade dispenser is probably the same in both cases; it is stamped with a US Patent number that expired decades ago.
 
Teddyboy,

Take a look at the back of the package (the cardboard, not the holder). I ordered the package from Dollar General about two or three weeks ago and it clearly says “BLADES MADE IN KOREA” on the back of the cardboard, which is generally assumed to be Dorco.

I have never seen but understand that some Dollar General blades are made in Israel, and that the blade detectives are pretty sure they’re American Safety Razor (Personna). But my guess is that DG is now exclusively Dorco, that the Israeli blades are a thing of the past. But yours might be old stock.

[FONT=&amp]So let us know if there’s any info on the back.[/FONT]
 
Rick,
The packaging must be pretty old because there is no indication at all as to where they were made. Same for the dispenser and the blade itself. I will simply look for the "platinum chrome" description, which is out there, branded as Personna.
 
I've never used them, but at $.20 a blade I wouldn't call them cheapos. They're locally available, but I can get 100 Sharks or Astras, as well as several others for less than $.10 a blade.
 
I've never used them, but at $.20 a blade I wouldn't call them cheapos. They're locally available, but I can get 100 Sharks or Astras, as well as several others for less than $.10 a blade.

I agree they are not the cheapest blade, but I found them to perform as well as, eg, Sharks or Astra, as well as others. I figured a re-branded blade would be a first degree nightmare...but they're excellent.
 
I agree they are not the cheapest blade, but I found them to perform as well as, eg, Sharks or Astra, as well as others. I figured a re-branded blade would be a first degree nightmare...but they're excellent.

But their price-performance is not nearly as good as something like the Astra, which (as bvance says) you can get for <$0.10.

Yes, it's interesting that you can go into DG and get a good blade, but why bother when it costs twice what a comparable blade like the Astra costs?

This wouldn't really change my outlook on blades at all. Rather, it would make me think that here's another overpriced razor blade. The blade would only interest me if I were in a pinch to find a good local blade, which I never really will be considering how easy it is to stock up on comparable, cheaper blades online.

- Mark
 
Yes, it's interesting that you can go into DG and get a good blade, but why bother when it costs twice what a comparable blade like the Astra costs?


- Mark

Your point is correct. But consider for example if you fly somewhere and don't want to wait for your checked bags, you're out of luck on taking razor blades. And these seem to be considerably better (at least from a value proposition) than what you'll find at your destination at CVS, Walgreens, or a supermarket.
 
And these seem to be considerably better (at least from a value proposition) than what you'll find at your destination at CVS, Walgreens, or a supermarket.

The better be- I bought a box of blades from the local CVS, and despite the fact that cost as much or more than any of the other blades I have used, they were terrible. I mean, really, really bad. Just like you I have been hoping to find a good source of blades for when I am traveling, so I can use a DE without having to check my bags...
 
Your point is correct. But consider for example if you fly somewhere and don't want to wait for your checked bags, you're out of luck on taking razor blades.

That's true, but you also might be out of luck in finding a Dollar General at your immediate destination.

And these seem to be considerably better (at least from a value proposition) than what you'll find at your destination at CVS, Walgreens, or a supermarket.

Probably also true. This is why, when I travel and don't check bags, I either (a) mail DE blades ahead if I can or (b) take an SE razor with me and count on finding good SE blades at CVS/Walgreens/etc.... As you suggest, I don't ever count on being able to find good DE blades in the stores, but finding good SE's usually isn't too hard.

More often than not though, I'm checking a bag, so it's a moot point.

- Mark
 
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