Blind Test #11 - Med vs Lab, round 2

Shave #1

OK, time to finally put the Med vs Lab question to bed. In the previous test I pretty much concluded that the two blades are the same, but that test was marred by one blade edge becoming unusable early in the test - I think it was chipped.

I've been off traveling again without my testing gear, but I'm back, I have some more Lab blades (now available in the UK - I got mine from Connaught), and it's time to rerun the test. Last time I used two EJ DE razors, so this time I'll use my two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish...



Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Left side of face
Gold = Right side of face

Brush = Semogue SOC 2012 SE, mixed-hair (discussion of it here)
Soap = Cella
AS = TOBS #74 Lime, plus Nivea Sensitive balm


Pass 1, WTG: You know the usual "This is sharp!" feel you get from Med/Lab blades, where it feels like the blade is almost sucked to the skin and sloughing off all those whiskers with ease? That's what I got, from both blades, and it's made more apparent by the aggressive nature of the Fatip OC razors - the Fatip really is one of my favourites. After one pass, most of my 3-day stubble was gone.

Pass 2, XTG: Again, clearly very sharp, and I was left with something approaching a DFS after just two passes. I could tell no difference between the blades.

Pass 3, ATG: I pressed on, I think a bit too aggressively. I did achieve a BBS, but at the expense of a small weeper on my upper lip from Gold - I blame me for that, not the blade. Again, the blades were indistinguishable.

Closeness: Just about as close a BBS as I've ever had, on both sides, with nothing to choose between the two.

Comfort: Not as comfortable as I would have liked, and I ended up with a bit of razor burn. There was nothing wrong with the soap - the Cella gave me lots of smooth creamy lather. And I don't think I can blame the blades either, as Meds have given me plenty of comfortable shaves in the past. I put it down to my own over-aggressiveness - I've just come from a few SE shaves, and I reckon I didn't adjust my technique properly.

AS: A fair bit of sting from the TOBS #74 Lime. After about 20 minutes I was still feeling some irritation on both sides, so I followed up with a dab of Nivea Sensitive balm, and that did the trick.

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
Blind test #11 - Med vs Lab, round 2

Here we go! Thanks Oscroft for retrying these blades. Subscribed!

Aaaand we're off!

Glad to see your re-testing my favorite blades.

Great great great!!
Thanks for doing this!!

Oscroft, when your done I'm hoping the B&B'r with the digital microscope will offer to take some pictures of your 2 blades to see if they appear to be the same. Previous images have shown them to be different but the overwhelming concensus is that they are the same blade. Just curious as I personally gave up on both varieties of this blade after experiencing very inconsistent results. Believe me, I really wanted to love that Lab blade available for $13 per 100.

cfender said:

Oscroft, when your done I'm hoping the B&B'r with the digital microscope will offer to take some pictures of your 2 blades to see if they appear to be the same. Previous images have shown them to be different but the overwhelming concensus is that they are the same blade. Just curious as I personally gave up on both varieties of this blade after experiencing very inconsistent results. Believe me, I really wanted to love that Lab blade available for $13 per 100.

Click to expand...

Yes, it would be interesting to see them under a microscope.

Shave #2

Two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish. Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Right side of face
Gold = Left side of face

Brush = Semogue SOC 2012 SE, mixed-hair (discussion of it here - I love it!)
Soap = Proraso Red tub (sandalwood)
AS = DR Harris Windsor

Pass 1, WTG, Pass 2, XTG: Very much the same as the previous shave. Blades indistinguishable and very sharp, got through nearly all of my whiskers in two passes.

Pass 3, ATG: I was more gentle today overall, and it made a difference. I got a small weeper from Silver on my upper lip, but it was exactly the same spot as the previous shave, so I presumably just reopened the old one. Again, no fault of the blade. Excellent third pass, with both blades seemingly identical.

Closeness: Another nice BBS on both sides.

Comfort: Considerably more comfortable this time - I just got my technique better, and was just a bit hamfisted last time. Both sides feeling glowingly clean.

AS: Mild sting from Windsor AS, but not much - nice tightened feel on both sides.

So, no differences showing up at all so far, which is no real surprise.

As an aside, this was my first use of the Proraso sandalwood soap in the red bowl, and it's really good. It lathers just as I've come to expect from Proraso soaps (in fact, Italian soft soaps in general) - creamy and slick. And I do like the scent - I feared it might be too strong, but it's really quite subtle.

cfender said:

Oscroft, when your done I'm hoping the B&B'r with the digital microscope will offer to take some pictures of your 2 blades to see if they appear to be the same. Previous images have shown them to be different but the overwhelming concensus is that they are the same blade. Just curious as I personally gave up on both varieties of this blade after experiencing very inconsistent results. Believe me, I really wanted to love that Lab blade available for $13 per 100.

Click to expand...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-Another-Personna-Med-vs-Lab-thread-With-pics

> I really wanted to love that Lab blade available for $13 per 100.

I certainly love mine, especially at that price.

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christhach said:

I have a box of labs (blue box with fancy logo and a claim they are now 25% sharper) and a very plain white box of Meds. I'm beginning to seriously wonder if the Labs I got are fake. They in no way, shape or form compare to the Meds I have. The Labs tug and pull at my whiskers somethin' fierce, like a Derby or a Merkur blade. Meds are smooth as silk. Anyone else have this experience?

Click to expand...

No idea if your box is fake, but you can see what the boxes are supposed to look like by the photos at Connaught - Lab and Med. (That's where I got my blades from).

Shave #3

Personna "Med Prep" and Personna "Lab" blades, in two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish. Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Left side of face
Gold = Right side of face

Brush = Vie-Long 13061B white horse
Soap = Tabac
AS = DR Harris Marlborough

Pass 1, WTG; Pass 2, XTG; Pass 3, ATG: Really just the same as the previous shaves - both blades very sharp, with no noticeable difference between them. On the ATG pass I got a small weeper on my upper lip from Gold and the same on my chin from Silver, but it felt fine. I suspect that for those with sensitive skin, this combination of very sharp blade and aggressive open comb razor might be a bit too much.

Closeness: Almost BBS, except for a patch under my chin (covering both sides) where I didn't quite get everything.

Comfort: Another comfortable shave.

AS: Mild sting from Marlborough AS, and a nice clean feel.

the suspense is killing me ...
subscribed.

Shave #4

Personna "Med Prep" and Personna "Lab" blades, in two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish. Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Right side of face
Gold = Left side of face

Brush = Frank Shaving silvertip
Soap = DR Harris Arlington soap/RSC cream superlather
AS = Floïd Blue

Pass 1, WTG; Pass 2, XTG; Pass 3, ATG: Still no discernible difference between the two blades, and both still extremely sharp. On all three passes I got a very smooth feel, with no weepers or nicks or anything unpleasant.

Closeness: Almost BBS after 3 passes, with the same slight "shadow area" under my chin extending across both sides, which I hadn't completely cleared. I had plenty of lather left, so I did a bit of ATG buffing on both sides (equally with each blade) and I got a nice BBS.

Comfort: Extremely comfortable shave with no hint of irritation at all. I assume the superlather had a lot to do with it, and I thank NCJack who gave me the idea here. I lathered in a bowl (I usually face lather), and the lather was beautifully creamy - and there was masses of it. Coupled with the softness of the brush, it was a luxurious application, and it certainly seems to have afforded great protection.

AS: No sting at all from the Floïd - just the usual nice cooling feel.

Oscroft said:

Shave #4

Personna "Med Prep" and Personna "Lab" blades, in two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish. Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Right side of face
Gold = Left side of face

Brush = Frank Shaving silvertip
Soap = DR Harris Arlington soap/RSC cream superlather
AS = Floïd Blue

Pass 1, WTG; Pass 2, XTG; Pass 3, ATG: Still no discernible difference between the two blades, and both still extremely sharp. On all three passes I got a very smooth feel, with no weepers or nicks or anything unpleasant.

Closeness: Almost BBS after 3 passes, with the same slight "shadow area" under my chin extending across both sides, which I hadn't completely cleared. I had plenty of lather left, so I did a bit of ATG buffing on both sides (equally with each blade) and I got a nice BBS.

Comfort: Extremely comfortable shave with no hint of irritation at all. I assume the superlather had a lot to do with it, and I thank NCJack who gave me the idea here. I lathered in a bowl (I usually face lather), and the lather was beautifully creamy - and there was masses of it. Coupled with the softness of the brush, it was a luxurious application, and it certainly seems to have afforded great protection.

AS: No sting at all from the Floïd - just the usual nice cooling feel.

Click to expand...

You are quite welcome. I got the superlathering idea here at B&B, and the Harris/RSC happened to be the first I tried: they do seem to mate rather nicely

Shave #5

Personna "Med Prep" and Personna "Lab" blades, in two Fatip Grande open comb razors - one silver finish, one gold finish. Test set up as described in the thread here.

Silver = Left side of face
Gold = Right side of face

Brush = Semogue SOC boar
Soap = Proraso sandalwood (red tub)
AS = Pashana

Pass 1, WTG; Pass 2, XTG; Pass 3, ATG: I know this is probably getting boring, but this really was just the same again - two indistinguishably sharp blades, with both feeling equally smooth. It does take a very light touch and care with the angle when using these blades in these aggressive Fatip razors, but they work very well when you have it right.

Closeness: Not quite BBS after 3 passes, but very close - certainly good enough to leave it like that.

Comfort: Comfort was fine - not quite as smooth overall as my previous superlather shave, but still very good.

AS: Mild sting from the Pashana, leaving my face feeling good. (This is the first time I've tried Pashana, which I got as a sample from Connaught, and I like it - musky, woody, powdery, spicy. I think I'll be getting myself a bottle!)

Next shave will be the equivalent of three full face shaves each, and this is a typical middle phase of a test with both blades consistent. If there is any difference to emerge, I wouldn't expect it to show for another few shaves yet - when I use Med Preps myself I easily get four or five shaves before they degrade.

Oscroft said:

Shave #5

... I know this is probably getting boring, but this really was just the same again - two indistinguishably sharp blades, with both feeling equally smooth. It does take a very light touch and care with the angle when using these blades in these aggressive Fatip razors, but they work very well when you have it right...

Click to expand...

Not at all, I am subscribed to this thread just for this test. I personally think the blades are the same but the med prep are sanitized before packaging.