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Personna Lab Blue vs. Personna Med Prep (a direct comparison)

I

Inverted555

I'm comparing two acclaimed blades from the same company. The Lab Blue can be bought on Amazon for $12/100 while the Med Prep can be bought on Amazon for $31/100. The Med Preps are 2.5x the price but are they of much better quality? In my opinion, yes.

I compared the two side by side. PLB on left side, PMP on right. I used Razorock XXX soap and Omega 10098 boar brush. I did several passes WTG and ATG.

Slickness - Lab Blue is good on that. Med Prep cuts the hairs like soft butter and you barely feel it.

Time - You can get a great shave from Lab Blue if you're meticulous. But, for those occasions where you don't have much time before work, I think Med Prep is much better at delivering a really quick high-quality shave.

Cuts - I did get a cut with Lab Blue when going ATG on my upper lip. It's not uncommon to get a cut from that razor. Med Prep hasn't given any cuts.

Irritation - Lab Blue had some, but not a lot. Med Prep has almost none.

Smoothness - Both left my skin very smooth. Med Prep left it smoother.

Lab Blue is a very good blade, don't get me wrong. But I think the Med Prep is better in every way, but is it worth the money?

To me, yes. $31 does seem expensive, but it's a whole year worth of shaving. That's only 10-15 cents per shave, or $2.50 a month. It's the best quality blades I've ever used (tied with Super Iridium) and it's better than the most expensive Gillette cartridges. As a collector who emphasizes a good shave, I'd definitely always have these in my collection.

I can definitely understand those who are on a tight budget or those who don't care enough about shaving to invest too much money. I understand that we have a lot of things we need to spend our money on and between two similar products, it's logical to go with the cheaper option. For me, I may sell my Lab Blue's, but I'm always keeping my Med Preps.
 
razorhead63

razorhead63

Med preps are great blades..... really high quality.

I have some other brands in my stash but the Meds are my favorite.

Perfect balance of sharp and smooth.

Great longevity in my experience.

Check out Robbins Instruments online.

They have the best deal on these blades.
 
Jsouthard825

Jsouthard825

Inverted555 said:
I'm comparing two acclaimed blades from the same company. The Lab Blue can be bought on Amazon for $12/100 while the Med Prep can be bought on Amazon for $31/100. The Med Preps are 2.5x the price but are they of much better quality? In my opinion, yes.

I compared the two side by side. PLB on left side, PMP on right. I used Razorock XXX soap and Omega 10098 boar brush. I did several passes WTG and ATG.

Slickness - Lab Blue is good on that. Med Prep cuts the hairs like soft butter and you barely feel it.

Time - You can get a great shave from Lab Blue if you're meticulous. But, for those occasions where you don't have much time before work, I think Med Prep is much better at delivering a really quick high-quality shave.

Cuts - I did get a cut with Lab Blue when going ATG on my upper lip. It's not uncommon to get a cut from that razor. Med Prep hasn't given any cuts.

Irritation - Lab Blue had some, but not a lot. Med Prep has almost none.

Smoothness - Both left my skin very smooth. Med Prep left it smoother.

Lab Blue is a very good blade, don't get me wrong. But I think the Med Prep is better in every way, but is it worth the money?

To me, yes. $31 does seem expensive, but it's a whole year worth of shaving. That's only 10-15 cents per shave, or $2.50 a month. It's the best quality blades I've ever used (tied with Super Iridium) and it's better than the most expensive Gillette cartridges. As a collector who emphasizes a good shave, I'd definitely always have these in my collection.

I can definitely understand those who are on a tight budget or those who don't care enough about shaving to invest too much money. I understand that we have a lot of things we need to spend our money on and between two similar products, it's logical to go with the cheaper option. For me, I may sell my Lab Blue's, but I'm always keeping my Med Preps.
Click to expand...

Good review can't wait to try them. Anything you wanting to try?
 
musicman1951

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
There is a very small difference between these blades. For some shavers it is actually imperceptible. You should definitely try both as you might be one of those lucky shavers and save a ton of money.

The Meds are honed at a different angle and for some this makes a difference. After using a couple hundred I find the Meds have a slightly better record for quality control (in a box of 100: no bad edges as opposed to 3 or 4 with the Labs). Both have the best longevity I've found in a modern blade.
 
BigJ

BigJ

Interesting review! Thanks!

For me, labs and med preps are very comparable in performance. Both are top notch IMO!
 
I

Inverted555

If you find the Lab Blues to be almost as good or equally as good, then definitely go with them because they are cheaper.

Me personally, the Med Preps are the best I ever tried. I'm probably not going to try any other blades. I think I'll just keep those and some Super Iridiums. Maybe some GSB's and Feathers too.
 
High Life

High Life

I've tried both in my Feather ASD2 and, to me, there is a noticeable difference. The Preps are smoother and give me a closer shave in that very mild razor.
 
chris.hale

chris.hale

I vascillate between being able to tell the difference and not, but they're both great blades. The times I can tell the difference, I prefer the med preps.
 
HiPowerRon

HiPowerRon

All Personnas are very good blades, but if I were ever limited to one blade it would be the lab blue for me. Sharp and very smooth!
 
NewYorkBuck

NewYorkBuck

I recall some years ago when these first started gained popularity someone posted that they reached out to the manufacturer and they were told there was zero difference in the manufacturing process save an additional sterilization for the med preps. They even both came off the same exact production line until that step.

Don't know if that's been confirmed or debunked since then, but it was definitely said ...
 
mata_66

mata_66

I
NewYorkBuck said:
I recall some years ago when these first started gained popularity someone posted that they reached out to the manufacturer and they were told there was zero difference in the manufacturing process save an additional sterilization for the med preps. They even both came off the same exact production line until that step.

Don't know if that's been confirmed or debunked since then, but it was definitely said ...
Click to expand...

I've also read the same. Being intended for hospital use, the blades need to be sterilized just like needles and such.

Still, for my own curiosity, I visited the Accutec corporate site. They make a clear distinction between "medical", "double edge" and "other specialty blades" when it comes to "edges and angles".

"Beauty and barber" and "medical" (as Accutec calls them) share the same "rigorous three-part process that creates a more durable cutting surface and friction-reducing lubricity: After a thorough cleaning, a hard coating is applied (Chrome? Platinum? both? Accutec doesn't specify). To complete the process, a low-friction polymer top layer is vapor-sprayed (PFTE)".

When it comes to honing this is what they affirm: "The ideal edge design varies with the task at hand." This leads me to think they hone the blades at different angles.

Finally, medical blades (Med Preps) are "washed and degreased. Foreign material transfer, including oil, is minimized for cleanroom operations such as any environment where cleanliness is critical. The final stages of blade processing are performed for a controlled cleanroom-compliant environment."
 
R

RayClem

I have never tried the Med Preps and I do not need to do so as I have enough blades to last for over ten years.

I have quite a few Lab Blues, but they are far from my favorite blade. The "Comfort Coating" makes them very smooth on the first shave, but it also makes the blade too dull for my coarse beard. Once I get past the first shave, the coating starts to wear off and the blades get much sharper, similar in sharpness to the Personna Israeli Platinum (reds). Thus, I would rather use the Israeli Reds and avoid the painful tugging of the Lab Blues on the first shave.

So my question for the OP is whether the comparison between the Lab Blues and the Med Preps was made during the first shave with each or over the course of several shaves. For me, most blades are better than the Lab Blue on the first shave. However, after that first shave, the Lab Blues rank among the best.

The Med Preps might work fine for me, but I see no need to spend $25 for 100 blades. Fortunately, I picked up a 100 Israeli Reds before their price went up to $25. The Personna Platinums from Germany are selling at a more reasonable price. I have tried them and consider them to be "essentially the same" as the Israeli Reds, but I still have several dozen of the Israeli blades, so I see no need to purchase the German ones in bulk.
 
snowman

snowman

I could never tell a difference between them. Based on my experience with both blades I tend to believe that they are exactly the same except the med preps go though an additional cleaning process.

I used blues for a number of years, mostly because they were produced in USA, but other superior blades eventually replaced them in my den.
 
X

xiletero

Inverted555 said:
I'm comparing two acclaimed blades from the same company. The Lab Blue can be bought on Amazon for $12/100 while the Med Prep can be bought on Amazon for $31/100. The Med Preps are 2.5x the price but are they of much better quality? In my opinion, yes.

I compared the two side by side. PLB on left side, PMP on right. I used Razorock XXX soap and Omega 10098 boar brush. I did several passes WTG and ATG.

Slickness - Lab Blue is good on that. Med Prep cuts the hairs like soft butter and you barely feel it.

Time - You can get a great shave from Lab Blue if you're meticulous. But, for those occasions where you don't have much time before work, I think Med Prep is much better at delivering a really quick high-quality shave.

Cuts - I did get a cut with Lab Blue when going ATG on my upper lip. It's not uncommon to get a cut from that razor. Med Prep hasn't given any cuts.

Irritation - Lab Blue had some, but not a lot. Med Prep has almost none.

Smoothness - Both left my skin very smooth. Med Prep left it smoother.

Lab Blue is a very good blade, don't get me wrong. But I think the Med Prep is better in every way, but is it worth the money?

To me, yes. $31 does seem expensive, but it's a whole year worth of shaving. That's only 10-15 cents per shave, or $2.50 a month. It's the best quality blades I've ever used (tied with Super Iridium) and it's better than the most expensive Gillette cartridges. As a collector who emphasizes a good shave, I'd definitely always have these in my collection.

I can definitely understand those who are on a tight budget or those who don't care enough about shaving to invest too much money. I understand that we have a lot of things we need to spend our money on and between two similar products, it's logical to go with the cheaper option. For me, I may sell my Lab Blue's, but I'm always keeping my Med Preps.
Click to expand...
Nice, how about switching sides for a couple of more shaves...... see how the blades perform with more uses and also used on different sides of the face.... good info.....
 
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