Blind test #10 - Timor vs Sputnik

I'm back to my blade testing after a break. I've been in Thailand for a while without my testing gear, and since I've been back I've been using new acquisitions - I grabbed a couple of black-tip superspeeds recently, which I like a lot. And I've recently used my R41 on a week's growth with an Astra SP - it worked superbly, with it almost all gone on the first pass, but it wasn't as smooth and comfortable as the same razor with an Indian Gillette 7 o'clock black.

Anyway, onwards to the test, which pits a German Timor blade against a Russian Sputnik. I've only shaved once with each of these blades before - I liked the Sputnik, but I don't really remember anything about the Timor...

Shave #1

This test compares a German Timor blade with a Russian Sputnik blade, in Edwin Jagger EJ razors with different colour handles - one white, one black, and I don't know which blade is in which razor. More details of the test method here.

White = right side of face
Black = left side of face

Brush = Simpsons Duke 2 Best
Soap = Monsavon Bol à Raser
AS = Blue Stratos

Pass 1, WTG: On the first pass it was immediately clear that the Black blade is sharper. The White felt a bit smoother, and both were comfortable, but the Black cut my whiskers better.

Pass 2, XTG: Pretty much the same. After two passes, the left side of my face was more closely shaved, with noticeably more stubble left on the right.

Pass 3, ATG: At the end of it, the two achieved very close results, with the White blade taking longer to get there.

Closeness: Overall closeness was good, with both managing an easy DFS - but Black got considerably closer in the first two passes.

Comfort: Just fine. White felt milder and smoother, but Black is fine too - more sensitive skins than mine might find a bigger difference in comfort.

AS: No real sting, just a nice tightening of the skin - a good conclusion to the shave.

With test #10 underway, here are the links to all tests...

Blind test #1 - Feather vs 7 O'clock Yellow
Blind test #2 - Astra SP vs Derby
Blind test #3 - Shark SS vs Dorco ST301
Blind test #4 - Personna "Red" vs Astra SP
Blind test #5 - Feather vs Personna Med Prep
Blind test #6 - Gillette 7 O'clock, Yellow vs Black
Blind test #7 - Med Prep vs Iridium Super
Blind test #8 - 7 O'Clock, Black vs Blue
Blind test #9 - Personna, Med vs Lab
Blind test #10 - Timor vs Sputnik

should be a great test, two very underrated blades, thanks for this Oscroft

I've used, and like, Timors, but have never used Sputniks. What are they comparable to?

crfcom said:

I've used, and like, Timors, but have never used Sputniks. What are they comparable to?

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There made by Gillette at PPI Russia. I believe there very similar to 7 O'Clock Blue

Rattbones said:

There made by Gillette at PPI Russia. I believe there very similar to 7 O'Clock Blue

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Thanks. Makes it an interesting comparison.

Shave #2

This test compares a German Timor blade with a Russian Sputnik blade, in Edwin Jagger EJ razors with different colour handles - one white, one black, and I don't know which blade is in which razor. More details of the test method here.

White = left side of face
Black = right side of face

Brush = Rooney 3/1 Silvertip
Soap = Cella
AS = DR Harris Windsor

Pass 1, WTG, Pass 2, XTG, Pass 3, ATG: I'll describe all three passes together here, as this shave was pretty much the same as the previous one. Again, the Black blade appeared to be clearly sharper, and mowed down more of my whiskers in the first two passes. But the White blade felt exceptionally smooth - it took longer to get the whiskers down, but it was a smoother run.

Closeness: At the end, the White blade had caught up, and I got another nice close shave.

Comfort: The end result was equally comfortable on each side, even though White felt smoother during the shave. But I don't have sensitive skin at all, and the Black was still plenty smooth enough for me - those with more sensitive skin might appreciate the extra smoothness of the White.

AS: Same gentle sting on each side, and nicely soothed. My skin feels softer than usual after this shave - possibly the combination of Cella soap and DRH AS, both amongst the very best in class.

Alan, these blind testing threads you put together are awesome. I'm new and find your observations really helpful and interesting to read. I'm sure many of us here appreciate your efforts. Hopefully you keep them coming

saishoots said:

Alan, these blind testing threads you put together are awesome. I'm new and find your observations really helpful and interesting to read. I'm sure many of us here appreciate your efforts. Hopefully you keep them coming

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Thanks

I enjoy doing them, so I'll keep them going - with a few breaks from time to time.

Sweet! The blind tests are back!

Shave #3

This test compares a German Timor blade with a Russian Sputnik blade, in Edwin Jagger EJ razors with different colour handles - one white, one black, and I don't know which blade is in which razor. More details of the test method here.

White = right side of face
Black = left side of face

Brush = Grosvenor 404 mixed
Soap = Arlington
AS = GFT Limes

Pass 1, WTG, Pass 2, XTG, Pass 3, ATG: Pretty boring really - same as last time. Black still seemed sharper, and White still felt a bit smoother, though the difference may be getting less - but it's hard to be sure. After 2 passes, the Black side of my face was a bit closer, though not as pronounced as the previous two shaves.

Closeness: Nice and close again on both sides by the time the three passes were done.

Comfort: Nice comfortable shave again, with no sign of irritation of any kind.

AS: Gentle sting from the GFT Lime, and feeling fresh - but probably not the best choice of AS for this cold weather.

Shave #4

This test compares a German Timor blade with a Russian Sputnik blade, in Edwin Jagger EJ razors with different colour handles - one white, one black, and I don't know which blade is in which razor. More details of the test method here.

White = left side of face
Black = right side of face

Brush = New Forest 1901 2-band
Soap = Palmolive stick
AS = Floïd Blue

Pass 1, WTG: I'm getting a better feel for these blades now. The Black blade is definitely the sharper of the two, and it's feeling a bit smoother this time - which is something that I've noticed with a few of the sharper blades. The White blade is very smooth indeed - it really does feel very nice on the face. It's not as sharp as the Black, but here's what's interesting - I used a bit more pressure with the White, and it shaved me very well and still kept its smooth feel.

Pass 2, XTG: Pretty much the same again, and again the White blade needed a bit more pressure to work at its best, but without any detriment to its smoothness.

Pass 3, ATG: There wasn't much left for the ATG pass to remove, but it was effective and comfortable on both sides.

Closeness: This time the closeness was pretty much equal on each pass, now that I think I've identified the optimum pressure for each blade.

Comfort: Very comfortable, with no irritation.

AS: The usual soothing coolness from the Floïd Blue.

I've always tended to favour the sharpest blades, using as little pressure as possible, and I've been disappointed by some of the less sharp blades - even though others really like them. I can't say anything about any other blades yet, but I am starting to think that some of the less sharp blades probably work very well with a bit more pressure - that's probably one of those things that's obvious, but my "no pressure, no pressure!" approach has kept me from discovering it.

I definitely agree with your suspicion. Less sharp blades can deliver a dynamite shave with an aggressive razor and a more aggressive technique, including pressure. I often find that a harsh blade, combined with a harsh razor, makes my technique so careful, I actually end up with a less satisfying shave. Timors, for me, are in the same league with Personna Reds. Not as sharp as some, but sharp enough, and forgiving enough to allow aggressive shave technique without weepers and irritation. If Sputniks end up being smoother than Timors, I'll be buying some.

crfcom said:

I definitely agree with your suspicion. Less sharp blades can deliver a dynamite shave with an aggressive razor and a more aggressive technique, including pressure. I often find that a harsh blade, combined with a harsh razor, makes my technique so careful, I actually end up with a less satisfying shave. Timors, for me, are in the same league with Personna Reds. Not as sharp as some, but sharp enough, and forgiving enough to allow aggressive shave technique without weepers and irritation. If Sputniks end up being smoother than Timors, I'll be buying some.

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Totally agree!
Alan, thanks again for doing this tests

Great blind test Oscroft, as a shaver with more sensitive skin I appreciate the insight you are showing on this one.

Shave #5

This test compares a German Timor blade with a Russian Sputnik blade, in Edwin Jagger EJ razors with different colour handles - one white, one black, and I don't know which blade is in which razor. More details of the test method here.

I've been away over the weekend, so I had a few days' growth to deal with today.

White = right side of face
Black = left side of face

Brush = Frank Shaving silvertip
Soap = Ach Brito Lavanda cream
AS = Ach Brito Lavanda EdC

Pass 1, WTG, Pass 2, XTG, Pass 3, ATG: Following my previous thoughts, I applied a little more pressure with the White blade today (while keeping to minimum pressure with the Black), and it paid off - at each pass I got pretty equal results, and no damage (well, one tiny weeper from White on the WTG pass, but it was a zit so that wasn't the blade's fault). So, Black = sharp, no pressure, White = smoother, with a little pressure.

Closeness: Nice close shave on both sides.

Comfort: Just fine.

AS: No real sting from the Lavanda on either side, so the bit of extra pressure with the White blade certainly did me no harm - had I used that pressure with one of the sharpest blades, I'd have expected some pain.

This all fits in with my emerging theory that less sharp blades can work very well with a bit more pressure. Again, the Black blade was clearly that bit sharper - but the White, even with the extra pressure, was smoother, and I really can see how people with more sensitive skin would like it. Also, something I keep noticing, but I've forgotten to mention so far, is that there's much more audible feedback from Black - I can really hear it, while the White blade is silent.

I also strongly suspect I know which blade is which now (and I expect a few readers will have some idea too), but I won't say anything until the test is over. The next shave will be the equivalent of three full face shaves each, and both feel like they have a couple more in them.

Some interesting information coming out of this comparison. I'm really interested to see how they compare in terms of durability, how they behave as they lose sharpness.

crfcom said:

Some interesting information coming out of this comparison. I'm really interested to see how they compare in terms of durability, how they behave as they lose sharpness.

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same here, really want to see how they hold up. I suspect I know witch blade is witch. But so far this is very interesting....

I wish I knew what other products people use who talk about how long a blade will last. I read post after post on this forum from people who have no problem spend $100 to $200 for a brush, and sometimes more, and often buying several. And often owning several razors. And often owning 10 or 20, or more soaps and creams, and sometimes spending $30, or $40 or more for one tub of something. And then I often read comments from people wanting to know how long a blade lasts. I don't get that. If a blade lasts 6 shaves compared to one that lasts only 3 you'll need twice as many blades. At twenty to thirty cents each that's a few dollars a year - and probably those 5th and 6th shaves on the same blade, even if they're good, still probably aren't as optimum as the second and third shaves were. Honestly, for me, I just don't really care how long a blade lasts. I'd use a new one every shave if it meant getting a better shave. As it is I just almost never go beyond three shaves on a blade, and I've got a few hundred blades that I paid less than $10 per hundred for and happily throw those out after two shaves.

I can only speak for myself, and tell you that the durability of a good blade is important to me for the simple convenience of it. I'd rather not have to keep track of whether this is shave 2, or shave 3, so I can know when to throw my blade out and unwrap a new one. When I unwrap a 7 o'clock Black, I'm good for a week. I usually load a new blade on Sunday. I like not thinking about it until Sunday, next. Period. With a Black, or a Med Prep, or an SI, I don't have to think about it. If it's Sunday, I get a new blade. The older you get, the simpler you like things. It doesn't hurt one bit that with any of the above mentioned blades there is no difference in shave quality between shave number one, and shave number 5. I'm watching this comparison because for me, Timors have proven to be very smooth, which I really like, and very durable as well. They aren't as sharp as my top three, but I don't attached as much importance to sharpness as some folks around here do. As Oscroft is mentioning here, you don't have to have the sharpest blade to have just as close a shave.