Blade Wars: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellow) vs. Super Platinum (black)

Blade Wars: Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellows vs. Blacks

This match-up features two premium blades. Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge (yellow) is made in St. Petersburg, Russia. Seven O’Clock Super Platinum (black) is made in India. I purchased both in bulk on Amazon for approximately 18 cents per blade.


(Sorry about the upside down image. I couldn't figure out how to rotate it.)


The razors will be two Razorock Proteges, which feature DE89 heads and stainless steel handles. They provide a mild shave, similar to Edwin Jagger razors. I do not believe they are made/selected with the same exacting standards that Edwin Jagger uses, as lining up the blades in these heads is challenging.


(If you know how to rotate images in threads, please let me know. I tried rotating the saved images and re-inserting, but that didn't work.)

I colored one handle with a Sharpie for differentiation, but I won’t know which blade is in which. I usually do two passes, but if my face is up to the task, I'll occasionally do three passes, as I think that aids the comparison.

I’ll shave half of my face with each razor and switch sides with each subsequent shave. I intend for the competition to last six shaves, but will let it go longer if there isn’t a clear winner and I’m not getting irritated. As we go, I’ll share what I experience and encourage you to comment.

Do you have a favorite? Seven O’clock Yellows or Blacks… which do you think will come out on top?

The 7 O'clock yellow works for me & my medium beard. They are more expensive than other blades that give me a fine shave such as Derby Extra.

fast shaver said:

The 7 O'clock yellow works for me & my medium beard. They are more expensive than other blades that give me a fine shave such as Derby Extra.

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I used to buy blades without regard for price. Since there are so many superb blades that are inexpensive, (and the Russian blades seem to be getting cheaper by the day), I have resolved not to pay more than 20 cents per blade in the future. Of course, if I could find Kais for a quarter, I'd forget what I just said and buy 100.

Looking forward to the results. I've tried both of these but not side by side with each other. I have tried them both side by side with my go-to Personna Labs though. The Yellows came out a tie and the Blacks were just slightly behind the Labs for me. So my prediction is Yellow will win but as always YMMV.

Enjoyed the yellows when I tried them, just ordered some blacks and hoping they work just as well!

I had my 4th shave with an Indian 7 O'Clock Black this morning before slinging it out, it's not bad, but I prefer the 7 O'Clock Green which costs less and feels much smoother, also from India.

I'll get around to trying 7 O'Clock Yellow blades one day when I've used up some of my existing blades

The yellows are ok, but once you go black ...

adamchur said:

I had my 4th shave with an Indian 7 O'Clock Black this morning before slinging it out, it's not bad, but I prefer the 7 O'Clock Green which costs less and feels much smoother, also from India.

I'll get around to trying 7 O'Clock Yellow blades one day when I've used up some of my existing blades

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I haven't tried the Indian greens yet. I've tried the Russian greens and love them.

7 o'clock yellows is one of mainstays. Looking forward to see how it compares to blacks. Have not tried the blacks yet.

Big fan of the blacks. They are plenty sharp and one of the smoothest blades for my heavy beard. I have used the yellows, and although they are sharp, weren't quite as smooth for me. FWIW, I use the blacks in a red tip superspeed.

Shave 1

blue=right side, silver=left side
bowl lather with Soap Commander Courage soap and Whipped Dog Silvertip badger brush
two days growth

Pass 1 - The blue razor felt slightly prickly at first. It mowed through the difficult area on the side of my chin with no problem. It provided nice audio feedback. The silver razor also provided pleasing audio feedback. It felt very similar to the blue, perhaps a little less prickly.

Pass 2 - Blue: still a little prickly, but cutting nicely. Silver: perhaps a tiny bit smoother than the blue.

I thought about doing a third pass, but changed my mind. It wouldn't be fair to call either blade harsh, but I could feel the beginning of irritation, particularly on the right (silver) side of my neck, and I didn't want to push it.

Followed with an alcohol splash (Pinaud Citrus Musk) because I was curious about what kind of sting I would get. The right side stung more than the left. The shave on the right side is ever so slightly closer than the left. Finished with some Olay Complete moisturizer.

I have one small weeper on the right side of my neck and one above the left corner of my mouth. I'm hoping both of these blades will smooth out a little with use.

Based on their reputations, I think I already know which blade is which, but I'm not ready to bet the farm on it.

cw62803 said:

Shave 1

blue=right side, silver=left side


Based on their reputations, I think I already know which blade is which, but I'm not ready to bet the farm on it.

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Haha, I am. I think the right side, less smooth but sharper is yellow. I imagine both will likely smooth out a bit during next few shaves, as you note.

Anyone familiar with this seller?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gillette-7-...767862?hash=item23649b8036:g:MSIAAOSwvgdW4sa-

Never tried the Yellows before but I found that my last Black did excellent when corked before the first use. They seem somewhat harsh to me otherwise. No comment on the longevity since I had to bin it after dropping it edge first on the ground before the third shave

macnutty said:

Anyone familiar with this seller?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gillette-7-...767862?hash=item23649b8036:g:MSIAAOSwvgdW4sa-

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I've bought a number of items from Beauty Cloud and have been satisfied every time.

cw62803 said:

I've bought a number of items from Beauty Cloud and have been satisfied every time.

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Thanks. Just ordered 100.

SHAVE 2

Yesterday's shave was a little harsh, which I may have contributed to with my lather. The lather in my bowl was a little watery. Today I go back to my preferred method, which is to face lather with Lemon AOS cream. Lovely stuff is you don't mind over-paying a little.

Pass 1
Silver (right side) - smooth, effective first pass. Could feel blade slicing off the whiskers.
Blue (left side) - also smooth. Very nice pass.

Pass 2
Silver: I could feel a little bite going across my face. Good cutting.
Blue: Smoother, more gentle than the silver.

Rinsed with Lemon Thayer's, as my face felt a little hot. The witch hazel helped. Applied a splash of Pinaud Citrus Musk, got more sting on the right side than left. Followed with Nivea Men Sensitive balm. Neck looked and felt particularly irritated on right side so I gently rubbed in a little Arko Classic Cream (Krem) for extra soothing/protection.

I'm a little thrown off now. After the first shave, it seemed the blue razor was a little sharper and the silver a little smoother. Today it seemed like the silver was a little sharper and the blue a little smoother. Goodness, I hope [MENTION=110175]kluber[/MENTION] doesn't loose his farm!

cw62803 said:

SHAVE 2

Goodness, I hope [MENTION=110175]kluber[/MENTION] doesn't loose his farm!

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Haha. It's a worthless farm anyway.

Shave #3

Blue=right side, silver=left side
pre-shave: Noxzema
face lather Tabac with Plisson synthetic brush
evening shave

Pass 1- Blue: aahh...the smoothest pass yet during this comparison. A small weeper on the chin line.
Silver: even smoother than the blue. This pass felt great. The blade feels very sharp, yet the pass was very smooth.

Pass 2 (across the grain) - Blue - a little prickly. One side of the blade feels smoother than the other.
Silver - very smooth

Pass 3 (against the grain) - Blue - again, a little prickly. Silver - Very nice.

Both sides are as smooth as a skating rink. Followed with Florida Water. Refreshing sting. There are two small marks on my neck, one near the left side of my Adam's apple and one on the lower right side of neck. Finished with Man Lotion, which despite the silly name is very good stuff. At this point, I'd have to say the silver is emerging as the leader as neither blade provided a closer shave (they are both amazing,) but the silver was smoother and more comfortable.

Shave #4

Wow. What a shave I had this evening! These blades hit their strides tonight. @energyloop corks his blacks before use, and I think he is onto something, as I got a hundred-dollar shave for a few pennies.

My only prep was to take my time, really take my time, face lathering with an Arko stick. I spent four or five minutes rubbing in the lather, adding water and more water as I went.

Pass 1 - Silver (right) - nice, smooth (but not exceptionally smooth) pass. Blade is cutting nicely. I nicked my upper cheek, where there was a small skin tag, certainly not the fault of the blade.
Blue - smooth and comfortable. Great pass.

Pass 2- silver- smooth, wonderful pass. All I can think is, "This is why I like wet shaving."
Blue - wonderful, smooth pass. Superb.

Pass 3 - silver: delicious audio feedback. This is what it is all about!
Blue: Satisfying audio feedback, just as good as silver.

These blades may have started out a little rough, but right now, I am in love with both. What a shave tonight. Followed with Aqua Velva, as I love going old school when I shave with Arko. Pleasant, refreshing tingle. (I add about 1/16 of a teaspoon of menthol crystals to AV to give it a small cooling boost.) Finished with Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm.

Both sides of my face are smooth, close, and feeling good.