Blade Sharpness Research Project
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I'd just get the laser etched Personna CC in the box of 100 if you can. They still seem to be around at barber supply stores for a reasonable price.
I like that I can pop in a Feather and not have to worry that it's going to be drastically different from the last one I used. I can be confident it will be a bad shave every time.
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- #1,145
Trusty old Flying Eagle for me.
If it's sharp enough to score lines into a sourdough loaf, it's sharp enough to shave with.
*nods*
I already got some other boxes of the 'normal' 100-ct. packaging Comfort Coateds from a barber supply.
Those blades are blank/unmarked, which is also fine by me as it's a normal variant of the blade, but I haven't tried one one yet.
It's next up for my next shave, this evening or in the morning.
I'd say, if you care about performance, the tl;dr is to avoid the promo "120-for-100" boxes.
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- #1,148
This is the Super-Mat Super Platinum Tiger blade with gold offer. It was made in Thane, India by Vidyut Metallics Private Limited. It is a 100 micron blade, quite mild in sharpness, with typical durability and consistency. It resembles the Dollar Platinum blade in design and performance.
It is a three stage grind, a bit crude on the primary stria, and you can see the metallic coating on the new blade, first picture. In the second picture we see that the failure mode of the steel was some fine chipping.
It is very similar in performance and grind to Vidyut Super-Max Platinum, Dollar Platinum, RK Stainless, and RK New Chromium. Among these, it shares 100 micron thickness with Dollar Platinum. It wouldn't surprise me if they are related, though I doubt the specification is identical since this blade is thirteen years older than the Dollar Platinum I tested. In any case, if this is a blade you like and miss or are interested in, try the Dollar Platinum.
I don't see this one for sale, and I am not sure where I got it from. Other than the fun artwork, I don't really see a point in looking for more of them.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
It is a three stage grind, a bit crude on the primary stria, and you can see the metallic coating on the new blade, first picture. In the second picture we see that the failure mode of the steel was some fine chipping.
It is very similar in performance and grind to Vidyut Super-Max Platinum, Dollar Platinum, RK Stainless, and RK New Chromium. Among these, it shares 100 micron thickness with Dollar Platinum. It wouldn't surprise me if they are related, though I doubt the specification is identical since this blade is thirteen years older than the Dollar Platinum I tested. In any case, if this is a blade you like and miss or are interested in, try the Dollar Platinum.
| Date | 6-Dec-2024 | Blade Thickness, mm | 0.100 | ||
| Blade | Vidyut MPL | Super-Max | SP Tiger | India | 1-Apr-2009 |
| Wear on Edge | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Edges Measured | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top |
| Measurement Medium | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 |
| Dulling Substrate | New | Paper | Paper | Paper | Paper |
| Measurements | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Adj. Std. Dev. | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 15 |
| Median F (g) | 62 | 60 | 62 | 62 | 65 |
| Mean F (g) Top | 66 | 62 | 63 | 68 | 71 |
| Mean F (g) Bottom | 59 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 65 |
| Mean F (g) | 62 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 68 |
| BESS Adj. Factor | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Top | 91 | 86 | 87 | 94 | 98 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom | 82 | 86 | 85 | 87 | 90 |
| Median Adj. F (g) | 86 | 83 | 86 | 86 | 90 |
| Mean Adj. F (g) | 87 | 86 | 86 | 91 | 94 |
I don't see this one for sale, and I am not sure where I got it from. Other than the fun artwork, I don't really see a point in looking for more of them.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
The Super Stainless might not be winning monofilament marathons, but they’re awesome in a Henson Mild used steep.
Thanks for all the amazing work you've done on this.
If buying Personna CC Lab Blue blades, how do you know which ones to buy, or is it luck of the draw? Are they all pretty good. It seems to be the most tested blade.
The other reason I wanted to post is about the AC blades. I find the Feather Professional Super to be the sharpest to me, but I assume that is because of the exposure? For me, it seems to go Feather Professional Super, Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink, Feather Professional. The rest don't seem to work too well for me.
I don't know if I am understanding all this correctly. The main thing I am stumped on in the Schick AC blades. For me, that was a shockingly bad blade. I got about 2 or 3 shaves out of it and it deteriorated badly. It was tugging and pulling it's way through my hair and for one of the rare times, I had to stop and change blades to a Kai Captain Titan Mild that has like 7 shaves on it and that did a much better job and cut through my hair easier.
A lot of people like the Schick AC Proline P-30 blades, and from this testing, it seems to be consistent with multiple shaves which is also what I have seen other people mention too, but I didn't find anything like that. I only had 3 blades that I got from a member on the AU shaving forum to try before I buy a cartridge, and he packaged them well taping them to a card that closes up, so IMO they were well protected. Is it possible I got some dud blades? Should I buy a new cartridge and give them another shot?
The razor I used was a Blackland Vector and I think other people have gotten good results with these blades in that razor, so I don't think it's the razor.
As for the DE blades, I also find the Shark blades to be terrible for me. No matter which type, they tug and pull their way through my hair (I have pretty coarse hair, not dense, but coarse) that I can't use them at all, but they Shark SC got a great score.
Edit : I forgot to ask, the German made Wilkinson Sword blades, are they similar/same as the Schick German DE blades? I was told they're made in the same factory. I can't seem to find the Schick German DE blades anywhere and I really liked them as I tried a 10-pack quite a while back and have been searching for them ever since. I was thinking of just buying the Wilkinson Sword German blades instead as I do have access to buy them in a 100 pack.
If buying Personna CC Lab Blue blades, how do you know which ones to buy, or is it luck of the draw? Are they all pretty good. It seems to be the most tested blade.
The other reason I wanted to post is about the AC blades. I find the Feather Professional Super to be the sharpest to me, but I assume that is because of the exposure? For me, it seems to go Feather Professional Super, Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink, Feather Professional. The rest don't seem to work too well for me.
I don't know if I am understanding all this correctly. The main thing I am stumped on in the Schick AC blades. For me, that was a shockingly bad blade. I got about 2 or 3 shaves out of it and it deteriorated badly. It was tugging and pulling it's way through my hair and for one of the rare times, I had to stop and change blades to a Kai Captain Titan Mild that has like 7 shaves on it and that did a much better job and cut through my hair easier.
A lot of people like the Schick AC Proline P-30 blades, and from this testing, it seems to be consistent with multiple shaves which is also what I have seen other people mention too, but I didn't find anything like that. I only had 3 blades that I got from a member on the AU shaving forum to try before I buy a cartridge, and he packaged them well taping them to a card that closes up, so IMO they were well protected. Is it possible I got some dud blades? Should I buy a new cartridge and give them another shot?
The razor I used was a Blackland Vector and I think other people have gotten good results with these blades in that razor, so I don't think it's the razor.
As for the DE blades, I also find the Shark blades to be terrible for me. No matter which type, they tug and pull their way through my hair (I have pretty coarse hair, not dense, but coarse) that I can't use them at all, but they Shark SC got a great score.
Edit : I forgot to ask, the German made Wilkinson Sword blades, are they similar/same as the Schick German DE blades? I was told they're made in the same factory. I can't seem to find the Schick German DE blades anywhere and I really liked them as I tried a 10-pack quite a while back and have been searching for them ever since. I was thinking of just buying the Wilkinson Sword German blades instead as I do have access to buy them in a 100 pack.
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- #1,151
I think American Personnas are generally quite good. It is basically luck of the draw. There is a good chance the bulk pack blades don't travel well, so see if you can get a 5 blade dispenser to try or get the 100 pack from a good specialty seller. Don't waste your money on the ones packaged for medical use or the Accuforge branded ones as they are all made to the same specification.
It does sound like you got dud Schick AC blades. I agree the exposure of AC blades makes more difference than sharpness, subjectively. I actually did some touch up with one of the wavy Chinese hair shaper blades today and even that felt sharp with so much exposure, but it actually has pretty high cutting force.
Shark blades take all the problems of Lord blades and add a very sharp edge to the equation. You might get a good batch, which is why there is so much disagreement in opinion. I have tested several Sotraco blades that had one edge with very good performance and one edge with poor performance. Balance isn't really their thing.
The China and South Africa market Schicks, Wilkinson Sword Classic, and the German Wilkinson Sword are all made in the same factory to the same specification. Just different packaging for different markets. Might as well get the one that is distributed directly at home unless you want something specific like all paper packaging or the plastic tucks.
Edit: you could get Personnas that have been tested, like the ones from Blackland, or Barber Salon, if you are worried about it, though neither of those batches was especially good. Most of them are fine, anyway. Just don't buy 120 packs from @AceyMan haha.
The First Rule of Blade Club: Do not buy your blades from Amazon. This is more or less a crap shoot.
If you have a Sally's Beauty Supply in your area, you can visually examine them before buying them. Otherwise, I have had good luck with companies such as Williamsport Bowman that sell to barber shops and beauty salons. They have the good stuff, as a general rule. $13.50 with coupon for a box of 100 last time I got them. You do pay shipping, but you can buy other things to spread out the cost (such as Gabel's aftershaves, etc.).
That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of the brand, though @helicopter.
Right now, I'd rather pay ~18¢/blade for something Russian (or less, for Greek products) that we know are made to a constant specification.
The whole Personna Comfort Coated drama is a (reverse) variation of the No True Scotsman fallacy, to wit,
"Well, it's made in USA and inside AccuTec/Personna packaging — so, by definition it's a genuine Comfort Coated (= retail 'Lab Blue'), is it not?"
Your tests have shewn the answer to be, "No, it is not, good sir."
Good riddance to the Personna brand, is my take, if this is how they were managing the retail product these past few years.
/Acey
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- #1,154
This is the Winner by Gillette Platinum Coated Special Shave black and gold blade, which is made by Procter and Gamble in their Himachal Pradesh factory, along with the Indian 7 O'Clock, Wilkinson, and 365 blades, among others. It is a thin 90 micron blade of moderate sharpness with typical durability and consistency. Visual inspection and measurements indicate it is has a smooth and even grind and edges.
It has the smooth grind like the Indian Gillette Wilkinson Sword Saloon Pack, Gillette 7 O'Clock Perma Sharp Green, and Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black, all made in the Baddi Gillette plant. It doesn't resemble the typical three stage grind of the Winner Stainless I tested, a Vertice blade. The failure mode of the steel is some small chipping typical of high quality razor blade steel.
This data isn't showing any strong similarities, but it could be related to other Baddi blades such as Astra SP and 7 O'Clock Black. Grind and performance together most closely resemble the 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black, but performance isn't close or far enough to form an opinion about matching or non-matching specifications. It is not really related to the Vertice-made Winner by Gillette Stainless blade in a white tuck.
The average of both edges and the overall median cutting force go up, then down, then back up in an N-shaped curve. That probably isn't repeatable, even though it happened twice.
Some people were saying these are trash blades made by a third party. They are not made by a third party. They are made by Gillette in their own Baddi plant. Maybe someone else got a bad batch, but the one I tested is a blade of very good quality. Fairly mild in sharpness, but a very good blade in terms of consistency, steel quality, abrasive quality, and coating quality. The best price I see on this blade is $25/200, which doesn't really seem like a good value unless you are looking to replace your 7 O'Clock Permasharp Black blades. They might be the same blade in a different package. Good luck.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
It has the smooth grind like the Indian Gillette Wilkinson Sword Saloon Pack, Gillette 7 O'Clock Perma Sharp Green, and Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black, all made in the Baddi Gillette plant. It doesn't resemble the typical three stage grind of the Winner Stainless I tested, a Vertice blade. The failure mode of the steel is some small chipping typical of high quality razor blade steel.
This data isn't showing any strong similarities, but it could be related to other Baddi blades such as Astra SP and 7 O'Clock Black. Grind and performance together most closely resemble the 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Black, but performance isn't close or far enough to form an opinion about matching or non-matching specifications. It is not really related to the Vertice-made Winner by Gillette Stainless blade in a white tuck.
The average of both edges and the overall median cutting force go up, then down, then back up in an N-shaped curve. That probably isn't repeatable, even though it happened twice.
| Date | 6-Dec-2024 | Blade Thickness, mm | 0.090 | ||
| Blade | Procter & Gamble | Gillette Winner | Platinum | India | 1-Jun-2020 |
| Wear on Edge | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Edges Measured | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top |
| Measurement Medium | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 | Stren 4 .21 |
| Dulling Substrate | New | Paper | Paper | Paper | Paper |
| Measurements | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Adj. Std. Dev. | 6 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| Median F (g) | 52 | 55 | 55 | 54.5 | 57.5 |
| Mean F (g) Top | 50 | 53 | 53 | 54 | 57 |
| Mean F (g) Bottom | 54 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 59 |
| Mean F (g) | 52 | 56 | 55 | 55 | 58 |
| BESS Adj. Factor | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.39 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Top | 70 | 74 | 73 | 76 | 79 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom | 75 | 81 | 80 | 78 | 82 |
| Median Adj. F (g) | 72 | 76 | 77 | 76 | 80 |
| Mean Adj. F (g) | 73 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 81 |
Some people were saying these are trash blades made by a third party. They are not made by a third party. They are made by Gillette in their own Baddi plant. Maybe someone else got a bad batch, but the one I tested is a blade of very good quality. Fairly mild in sharpness, but a very good blade in terms of consistency, steel quality, abrasive quality, and coating quality. The best price I see on this blade is $25/200, which doesn't really seem like a good value unless you are looking to replace your 7 O'Clock Permasharp Black blades. They might be the same blade in a different package. Good luck.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
Thankfully, Cloud sells alternatives with a slightly lower price and a martial arts actor on the tuck
Personna CC made in USA have been very good blades for me with above average longevity. I've had no drama, they have been more consistent than other blades, too.
If I can get them for 13.5 cents each why wouldn't I do that? I would be missing out. Personna CC, Feather, BIC CP and Perma-Sharp Super make up the bulk of my blades.
> I'd rather pay
... quoting myself. You do you, man.
/AC
But I think this whole investigation has show that "if I can get" is not as easy as it sounds.
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- #1,158
I think we can agree yours are not normal, though. You sent them specifically because something smelled fishy. I got normal ones in my 120-packs. I agree with you that it is best to avoid the 120 packs so you don't get the ones you have. I have thousands of them, and aside from the dispenser I got from a random junk seller on ebay and the ones you sent, they all range from very good to excellent.
I am not going to dismiss the fact that the best three individual blades tested have been a Feather, a German Wilkinson Sword, and an American Personna. Now that we have tested a bunch of them, I think we can say that the German Wilkinson/Schick is probably the winner in terms of consistently producing something excellent, but it and Feather are also 70% more expensive. I don't think you will go wrong if you stock up on Wilkinsons.
@thombrogan makes a good point in jest. We got some great individual blades that are not so widely tested, remembered, and discussed; like Ladas, Cloud Bruce Lee, Lord Cool, the plated Sharks, Voskhod, Timor, and Muehle.
Fine. Still, I would rather encourage other people to try the blades for themselves instead of accepting such a pessimistic take as you have.
That's a mighty big assumption. No, it's not a plurality, but the seller has sold something like 1700+ of them in 3-packs (that's a half-million blades). Maybe that's 4H production at Verona? But, it's not like a 1943 copper penny.
Other forum members have bought the same packaging off Amazon. They are out there in abundance.
Even so: removing these from the data, the others have poor precision in their adherance to "the specification", whatever that is.
It can't *all* be shipping and handling; if it is, that's a whole 'nother study we need someone to embark on.
My 2 cents.
/Acey
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