Injector Blades Identification?

Jcan88 · Jan 11, 2016

Outside of modern Schick blades I am somewhat confused about injector blades and what I should be looking for. I hear a lot about Chicks, Personna, Dutch blades, etc... however I am not sure I could visually identify any of them in order to purchase them.

1. What blades should I be looking for (and if you have a visual reference that would be even better).
2. If you know about an awesome razor/blade combination or a terrible matchup please list it.

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Jeff

P.S. I could not find it, but if this information already exists some where, please link as there is no use in re-inventing the wheel.

gearchow · Jan 12, 2016

Chicks:

-jim

Scooby Doo · Jan 12, 2016

I cant get my phone to down load at the moment..I have an array of Various NOS Personna, USA made Schick, Dutch made Schick & Twin Injector blades an all...The bottom line for Dutch blades is an EU EBAY search..You wont get them in the USA..The sellers always state what they are...If not you can see where they were made in the pics...Its nor rocket Science.. :w00t:

On USA EBAY NOS blades are clearly marked as well by the sellers cause they demand high prices..You have to be patient and constantly search for them..Its a lot of work in the EU because a lot of sellers don't advertise international so they don't always show up in mainstream searches ...You have to go into German & French EBAY and use google translation and then ask the seller to send them to you..Moreover..When you go into EBAY France for example you need to click on the wider EU search whilst you are in there..Its a lot of work...Most Schick blades that are sold in the EU are Dutch made & occasionally Swedish...You cant go wrong.. :thumbup1:

You will reap the rewards because the Dutch made injector blades are simply the best of the best.. :lol:

Billy

Jcan88 · Jan 12, 2016

Scooby Doo said:
I have an array of Various NOS Personna, USA made Schick, Dutch made Schick & Twin Injector blades an all...The bottom line for Dutch blades is an EU EBAY search..You wont get them in the USA..The sellers always state what they are...If not you can see where they were made in the pics...Its nor rocket Science..

[MENTION=101575]Scooby Doo[/MENTION], thanks for your assistance, I realize it does seem straightforward, especially to someone with your experience with injectors but for example, the pic [MENTION=26615]gearchow[/MENTION] uploaded in this thread looks just like the package I can get in my hometown. Honestly I was envisioning a package of injector blades with Chinese font on the side of the box.

The Dutch blade injector shown in your recent SOTD do not look much different than the ones I can find locally. I guess my original post was to ask about what I should be looking for if the source/manufacturer was not evident. For example are all Dutch Schick blade injectors printed in green font and all Chinese injectors printed in black font?

I was also hoping to spark general discussions on performance like, do Schick Super Chromiums shave better or worse than Schick Stainless Plus Platinums. Personna Precision vs Electro-Coated Personna? I have ran across Injector IIs (twins) made in Japan, how do these behave?

The differences aren't readily apparent to the new injector shaver like they are with DE blades and performance of injector blades are not discussed near as often in the forums.

Karl G · Jan 12, 2016

Jcan88 said:
@Scooby Doo, thanks for your assistance, I realize it does seem straightforward, especially to someone with your experience with injectors but for example, the pic @gearchow uploaded in this thread looks just like the package I can get in my hometown. Honestly I was envisioning a package of injector blades with Chinese font on the side of the box.

The Dutch blade injector shown in your recent SOTD do not look much different than the ones I can find locally. I guess my original post was to ask about what I should be looking for if the source/manufacturer was not evident. For example are all Dutch Schick blade injectors printed in green font and all Chinese injectors printed in black font?

I was also hoping to spark general discussions on performance like, do Schick Super Chromiums shave better or worse than Schick Stainless Plus Platinums. Personna Precision vs Electro-Coated Personna? I have ran across Injector IIs (twins) made in Japan, how do these behave?

The differences aren't readily apparent to the new injector shaver like they are with DE blades and performance of injector blades are not discussed near as often in the forums.

Take this with a grain of salt as it is strictly a YMMV thing but most people find the Chinese made Schicks (sold on Amazon and elsewhere) to be very good. There are some combos where they are exemplary. However, they are not always the best for a given razor. Starting with them, though, is not all bad. It's good to have some on hand - you might think of them as the everyday go-to blade. Close behind in the everyday go-to category would be the Personnas. These are sold by Ted Pella and Electron Microscopy Sciences and others. Some people, including me, find them to be the better choice for milder injectors such as the Type G and higher in the alphabet. You could spend a good bit of time getting familiar with just these two blades and be happy with the combos that you settle on.

Having said that, it would be hard to not suggest you get some twin blades for certain razors. They should not be used with any Schick that uses a rinsing lever - they are a no-no for Hydro-Magic heads. However, in a Schick Ajustable (but not a PAL adjustable), or a Personna Floating Head, or in the Type I or above Schicks they are transformative. They are worth experimenting with in those razors. The NOS ones come and go on eBay. However, the currently made Japanese ones are usually always available. I have not used the Japanese ones but have read good things about them.

Once you get comfortable with the above, you can branch out into seeing what you think about the NOS Plus Platinums or Super Chromiums, or Dutch blades, etc. Experimentation will be necessary and chances are you'll like some combos but not others. Given their higher cost, you might want to save this until you know more about how your razors behave with a Schick vs. a Personna. It can definitely be hit and miss. For example, for what it's worth, I have generally been disappointed with the Plus Platinums - they seem to wear out quickly and don't really offer a superior shave. However, they were the only blade I had on hand when I was able to try out my Type F and I found I liked them in that particular razor. And therein lies the rub. The NOS and Dutch blades may very well offer the numero uno combo for certain razors but you'll have to figure out which one those are... and you might not like them that much in others.

Scooby Doo · Jan 12, 2016

+ 1..The only thing to add is that Current injector blades do not look anywhere near the best of the NOS blades..Dutch blades are in a class of their own...These NOS & Twin blades will transform most injectors into something else..There is always the exception to the Rule of course..I only use a current Chinese blade in my PAL Injectors because there is no other blade that fits that particular razor for me personally quite as well..Current blades will offer a Darn Good Shave but some of those NOS & Twin blades will offer you something else.. :w00t:

Billy

Jcan88 · Jan 13, 2016

Karl G said:
Take this with a grain of salt as it is strictly a YMMV thing but most people find the Chinese made Schicks (sold on Amazon and elsewhere) to be very good. There are some combos where they are exemplary. However, they are not always the best for a given razor. Starting with them, though, is not all bad. It's good to have some on hand - you might think of them as the everyday go-to blade. Close behind in the everyday go-to category would be the Personnas. These are sold by Ted Pella and Electron Microscopy Sciences and others. Some people, including me, find them to be the better choice for milder injectors such as the Type G and higher in the alphabet. You could spend a good bit of time getting familiar with just these two blades and be happy with the combos that you settle on.

Having said that, it would be hard to not suggest you get some twin blades for certain razors. They should not be used with any Schick that uses a rinsing lever - they are a no-no for Hydro-Magic heads. However, in a Schick Ajustable (but not a PAL adjustable), or a Personna Floating Head, or in the Type I or above Schicks they are transformative. They are worth experimenting with in those razors. The NOS ones come and go on eBay. However, the currently made Japanese ones are usually always available. I have not used the Japanese ones but have read good things about them.

Once you get comfortable with the above, you can branch out into seeing what you think about the NOS Plus Platinums or Super Chromiums, or Dutch blades, etc. Experimentation will be necessary and chances are you'll like some combos but not others. Given their higher cost, you might want to save this until you know more about how your razors behave with a Schick vs. a Personna. It can definitely be hit and miss. For example, for what it's worth, I have generally been disappointed with the Plus Platinums - they seem to wear out quickly and don't really offer a superior shave. However, they were the only blade I had on hand when I was able to try out my Type F and I found I liked them in that particular razor. And therein lies the rub. The NOS and Dutch blades may very well offer the numero uno combo for certain razors but you'll have to figure out which one those are... and you might not like them that much in others.

Thank you [MENTION=103755]Karl G[/MENTION]

SciTX · Jan 15, 2016

If I was going to buy 100 blades......would Connaught or Ted Pella be the most economical choice?

Scooby Doo · Jan 15, 2016

SciTX said:
If I was going to buy 100 blades......would Connaught or Ted Pella be the most economical choice?

In the UK Connaughts is the cheapest vendor by a longshot..Folks living in the USA I woudnt know.. :w00t:

Billy

spidey9 · Jan 15, 2016

Right now the exchange rate is quite favorable and Connaught is cheaper for me, even though I live less than 100 miles from Ted Pella.

Of course, a shipment from Ted Pella takes two days, while Connaught is closer to two weeks.

--Bob

SciTX · Jan 16, 2016

Thanks guys.....with Connaught shipping at around $3...I'll probably go with them...I still have 19 blades, so waiting a couple of weeks won't be a big deal

gearchow · Jan 16, 2016

I don't like the Pellas and that is strictly because of the containers. There is something that is just a little off on them that makes injecting a blade more difficult then should be. And I've never been able to transfer them to a vintage brass or aluminum container. That is the usual response. Something usually goes wonky for me.

-jim

Scooby Doo · Jan 16, 2016

gearchow said:
I don't like the Pellas and that is strictly because of the containers. There is something that is just a little off on them that makes injecting a blade more difficult then should be. And I've never been able to transfer them to a vintage brass or aluminum container. That is the usual response. Something usually goes wonky for me.

-jim

I have seen this stuff getting repeated in Forums all the time..The Pella & Personna blades are one & the same & come in the self same plastic dispensers..I have never had any problems with them at all..A lot of the NOS ones were plastic as well including the Key part & I have never had any problems with them either... :w00t:

Billy

Prince of Darkness · Jan 17, 2016

To be honest I'm not a fan of the Personna dispensers either. No problem with the use of plastic, it's the metal slider I don't like. I find it has a tendency to slip off the blade. That said, they are still useable :001_smile

gearchow · Jan 17, 2016

Scooby Doo said:
I have seen this stuff getting repeated in Forums all the time..The Pella & Personna blades are one & the same & come in the self same plastic dispensers..I have never had any problems with them at all..A lot of the NOS ones were plastic as well including the Key part & I have never had any problems with them either...

Billy

Repeated reports of failure isn't something to be discounted, but to be considered. The problem that I noticed was the blade as it came out of the injector wasn't lined up (top/bottom) to insert properly. I don't attribute that to plastic, but to a product that isn't properly made. Doesn't matter to me as long as the Chicks are still being produced.

-jim

Warlocks · Jan 18, 2016

I love them Chicks! I tried the Plus Plat... not for me. I want to try some others sometime. I stocked up on the Chicks so I'm in no rush to try others, but I keep an eye out for deals.

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Injector Blades Identification?

Jcan88

gearchow

Scooby Doo

Jcan88

Karl G

Scooby Doo

Jcan88

SciTX

Scooby Doo

spidey9

SciTX

gearchow

Scooby Doo

Prince of Darkness

gearchow

Warlocks

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