I had heard that Polsilver were basically the same as the now discontinued Super Iridium. Fortunately I stocked up SIs when they were disappearing, even so, I noticed that Lee's Razors sells Polsilvers so when I was ordering from him, I added a pack of 10. Other than the name, the two blades seem to behave essentially the same. They both have the same kind of W logo on the packs so probably come out the same factory. If you missed out on Super Iridiums don't fret, Polsilvers will give you that same great smooth shave and they are available for about the same price as Feathers.
Polsilver/Super Iridium
- Thread starter blantyre
- Start date
According to this site, Polsilvers and SI blades are both out of Gillette's St. Petersburg, Russia plant.
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I have tried these and to be honest they're really not my cup of tea. I've been shaving with a Merkur 38c loaded with either Merkur or Astra Platinum blades for 6 months now, so bearing in mind that my shaving experience and blade sample pool is limited, here's my impressions (if anyone picks up on any mistakes I could be making please let me know I'm always looking to improve)
I got a free pack of ten Polsilvers after a trivial mix-up when I was first ordering my shaving kit and forgot about them until a week ago, as I was waiting for a new set of blades to arrive I figured I'd move out of my comfort zone and give them a shot. At this stage I had 3 days of growth, which never caused any bother to either the astras or merkurs. I followed my usual routine of face prepping and tried out the blade. When I first felt it on my skin I didn't know how to judge its sharpness, it felt unrefined compared to the Merkur (if that makes any sense) and it felt that it might be comparable to the astras but not as smooth. I took my first stroke and ragged is the only word to describe it, it tugged at my face like a cat clinging to something with it's claws. I did two passes one with the grain and one across it and while I got a close enough shave I was left with a lot of irritation.
I wasn't ready to give up just yet, I figured that maybe I'd gotten so used to the astras over the last 3 months and because they were so smooth maybe I let my technique slip and got sloppy. I skipped a day because, my skin needed to recover and because of my hair growth pattern is weird, it takes a day and a half for a five o'clock shadow to show up then is starts to grow rapidly. I did my face prep and took my time shaving slowly step by step as the various tutorials instructed, and I still got tug on what most would consider to be just a heavy morning stubble. I managed 2 passes on my face going with the grain getting some minor irritation, but I could only do a single pass with the grain on my neck it was already a little irritated and after 1 pass, raw doesn't begin to describe how it felt. I was left with plenty of weepers and visible stubble on my neck.
My neck was so sore I didn't shave for the rest of the week, and when I saw this thread last night and heard Polsilvers were basically the Super iridium's I hear people recommending all the time I decided to be fair and give them one last try. Last night I shaved with the cartridge razor I keep for traveling and had a go at shaving my 5 o'clock shadow with the Polsilver blade tonight. Instead of leaving my brush and razor to steep in hot water I used boiling water, which my Granddad always swore by although I think it's overkill. The blade performed much better it felt like an Astra only sharper, though I can't judge if the heat of the blade made a huge difference or if it was down to the fact it was cutting thinner stubble, I could try it again with thicker stubble but at this stage I think I'm done with these blades. I got an excellent shave on my face but was left with more stubble on my neck's trouble spots than the Merkures or Astras would have left behind, a second pass may have sorted that out but after the first pass my skin was taught and I wouldn't have gotten away with it. I have to say that once I got the blade working for me instead of against me I really enjoyed the experience but unfortunately these blades are not good for sensitive skin like mine I still got quite a bit of irritation.
I still have 9 which I'm probably not going to use so if anyone would like a free sample to judge for themselves drop me a pm
I got a free pack of ten Polsilvers after a trivial mix-up when I was first ordering my shaving kit and forgot about them until a week ago, as I was waiting for a new set of blades to arrive I figured I'd move out of my comfort zone and give them a shot. At this stage I had 3 days of growth, which never caused any bother to either the astras or merkurs. I followed my usual routine of face prepping and tried out the blade. When I first felt it on my skin I didn't know how to judge its sharpness, it felt unrefined compared to the Merkur (if that makes any sense) and it felt that it might be comparable to the astras but not as smooth. I took my first stroke and ragged is the only word to describe it, it tugged at my face like a cat clinging to something with it's claws. I did two passes one with the grain and one across it and while I got a close enough shave I was left with a lot of irritation.
I wasn't ready to give up just yet, I figured that maybe I'd gotten so used to the astras over the last 3 months and because they were so smooth maybe I let my technique slip and got sloppy. I skipped a day because, my skin needed to recover and because of my hair growth pattern is weird, it takes a day and a half for a five o'clock shadow to show up then is starts to grow rapidly. I did my face prep and took my time shaving slowly step by step as the various tutorials instructed, and I still got tug on what most would consider to be just a heavy morning stubble. I managed 2 passes on my face going with the grain getting some minor irritation, but I could only do a single pass with the grain on my neck it was already a little irritated and after 1 pass, raw doesn't begin to describe how it felt. I was left with plenty of weepers and visible stubble on my neck.
My neck was so sore I didn't shave for the rest of the week, and when I saw this thread last night and heard Polsilvers were basically the Super iridium's I hear people recommending all the time I decided to be fair and give them one last try. Last night I shaved with the cartridge razor I keep for traveling and had a go at shaving my 5 o'clock shadow with the Polsilver blade tonight. Instead of leaving my brush and razor to steep in hot water I used boiling water, which my Granddad always swore by although I think it's overkill. The blade performed much better it felt like an Astra only sharper, though I can't judge if the heat of the blade made a huge difference or if it was down to the fact it was cutting thinner stubble, I could try it again with thicker stubble but at this stage I think I'm done with these blades. I got an excellent shave on my face but was left with more stubble on my neck's trouble spots than the Merkures or Astras would have left behind, a second pass may have sorted that out but after the first pass my skin was taught and I wouldn't have gotten away with it. I have to say that once I got the blade working for me instead of against me I really enjoyed the experience but unfortunately these blades are not good for sensitive skin like mine I still got quite a bit of irritation.
I still have 9 which I'm probably not going to use so if anyone would like a free sample to judge for themselves drop me a pm
Polsilvers are my favorite blade. Which ones did you use, DMT? Number two or number four?
The regular stainless ones from Poland #4. Don't get me wrong when I got the blade working for me it was great, but my skin and possibly my type of hair just isn't suited to them.
Both brand were originally made by Wizamet (The W on the Box)
The newer Polsilvers rock. They make the Astra's feel like a Treet Classic.
http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/10-polsilver-super-stainless-blades
http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/10-polsilver-super-stainless-blades
For me, 'regular' Polsilvers (not the Polsilver SIs) are nothing like either NOS SIs or the Polsilver SIs. Polsilvers neither particularly sharp, or smooth and don't last more than 3 shaves.
How many shaves are you guys getting from the new Polsilver SI's? I'm using a NOS Iridium Super right now and am going for Shave #11 tonight. Do the Polsilver SI's have a similar lifespan?
Tried the Polsilver SI for the first time this morning. Very pleased I still have some of the Iriidium Supers and need to do a side by side comparison. But I have to say the first shave with the Polsilver SI was great -- three passes to a close, smooth, weeper-free shave.
Where are you able to find PolSilver SI's? I have checked most of the sites that carry PolSilver and have only seen the Stainless variety.
Yes, they were never discontinued. Repackaging for the Super Iridium has been common since it was introduced in Poland in 1973. The first Super Iridium double edge razor blades were produced on Wilkinson Sword machinery that was custom built for the state-owned Wizamet plant at Lodz. They are currently being produced, but next year the Super Iridium will be 40 years old, and that is a pretty good run for any brand. These blades appear to have very limited distribution, and they are now expensive even in Poland.
There are several double edge razor blades that are said to be out of production, but which probably are not. The Gillette Bleue Extra is a good example. It's widely available in France at very reasonable prices (between 1,85 Euro and 2,50 Euro for ten). Gillette Platinum appears to be available in Italy, and I am guessing that was not discontinued.
There are several double edge razor blades that are said to be out of production, but which probably are not. The Gillette Bleue Extra is a good example. It's widely available in France at very reasonable prices (between 1,85 Euro and 2,50 Euro for ten). Gillette Platinum appears to be available in Italy, and I am guessing that was not discontinued.
