Alternatives to Personna Reds

Hi B&B,

I'm after an alternative to Personna Reds. I previously had the old packaged Reds, which were fantastic. Having recently purchased a new packet, with new packaging and trying several blades, they seem very different.

I was hoping this difference was simply a bad blade. After trying multiple blades from the new pack I've come to the conclusion,they're just not the same, as I get bad razor burn, and the blade doesn't seem as smooth.

Can anyone recommend an alternate blade on the market which is similar to old Personna Reds (Israeli blades).

There are a couple sellers that still offer the old red wrapper version. 100 count here and 50 count here.

Also, these Viking Sword blades are supposedly from the same factory in Israel. I've never tried them myself so I can't say how they compare to reds.

Crystal, probably.

xillion said:

There are a couple sellers that still offer the old red wrapper version. 100 count here and 50 count here.

Also, these Viking Sword blades are supposedly from the same factory in Israel. I've never tried them myself so I can't say how they compare to reds.

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The Viking Sword blades are very good, I'm using them. There is only one razor factory in Israel, the Personna factory.

Thanks guys, I might give the Crystals & Vikings a go.

I love Reds, and I find Labs to give me a very similar shave. YMMV, of course.

Labs are significantly cheaper than Reds, too.

crystals are not like the reds.. Crystals are not smooth IMO. Reds are very smooth.

I would try the Gillette 7oclock blacks if I were you. Also, check on some Voskhods or even better Sputnik Teflon.

Thought I would provide an update based on the recommendations provided.

I ordered two differing brands, namely the Crystals and Gillette 7o'clock black blades. When the Crystals arrived yesterday, they were in plain white packaging with no branding on the blade itself. I thought they were meant to arrive in blue & white packaging, and after checking the B&B 'Official Personna blade' thread written by John, I discovered they are the Tesco blades manufactured in Israel, and not Crystals per se.

Despite that, the shave this morning was great. The blade is sharp and smooth, very similar to the 'old reds' I previously had. The differences I found between the Tesco and 'old red Personna's' were minor. The actual sound of the blade while shaving is different (seems tinny with the Tesco), and the while the Tesco was smooth, it wasn't quite as smooth as the old red's.

I'm looking forward to receiving and trying the Gillette 7o'clock blacks once they arrive. I'll provide an update once I've shaved with them too.

I still can't fathom why the newly packaged Personna reds have given me so much trouble. Forum feedback suggests its the same blade, but after trying several I beg to differ. The performance between the old and new is chalk and cheese. Perhaps I just got a bad batch??

Anyway, thanks for the feedback guys, and I'll update you once the Gillette's arrive.

I don't have a problem with the new package Reds.

Labs definitely feel much sharper then reds, at least in my book. However, I find reds just as comfortable as labs, probably the smoothness compensates for it.

I guess its more YMMV, but I can tell no difference between the new and old Personna Reds, but if you want something similar and your beard isn't coarse, you could try Gillette Silver Blues. Another blade that isn't quite as sharp but forgiving is Timor. Gillette Blacks are as smooth for me as Reds, but significantly sharper and longer lasting.

It's very true, like many products, its YMMV, and I appreciate all the great feedback.

I must admit I've tried various blades, Derby, Feather, Astra, Merkur etc when first starting, however the winner by far were the Personna Reds. I don't know if I've gotten a bad batch, but since purchasing the re branded reds and getting disappointing results, I'm searching for an alternate/s.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Get the Original Blade! Personna Lab Blue!

As I promised, here's an update on finding an alternate blade. It has taken a while to get my hands on some Gillette 7o'clock blacks, and I can see why!

This blade is superb. Super sharp, feather like, and smoooooooth! Provided a wonderful BBS shave this morning, with no irritation, nicks or razor burn.

I'm very happy to have alternates, with both the Crystals/Personna Blue's and Gillette's providing great shaves.

Thank you gentlemen for the suggestions, its been greatly appreciated.