Blade Sharpness Research Project

[helicopter]

Thanks for making these! I as well can’t wait for the testing to be done and all blades in one big sheet with the basics.

On the Bic Platinums you mentioned a rougher secondary grind that likely couldn’t be felt but I believe it’s possible I felt it to some degree. The Bics felt like the sharpest blade to me but they had a rough feel on the face. I have heard they are very inconsistent from batch to batch so I plan to retest them with a new batch.

Speaking of batches - it may be worth mentioning the dates or taking a photo of the date on the tuck for future reference and perhaps comparing the same blades with multiple dates.

Most blades are fairly consistent across batches/dates but to my face I can feel a difference with some date variations. I’d especially be interested in another Nacet date just to see if they really aren’t that sharp. To me the Nacet feels sharper then the Perma-Sharp. But I do have one bad batch and I believe the date on them was 02-28-20.

Edited to add - looking at the post on the BIC I doubt I did feel the higher bevel since it’s too far up the blade. But they still have a scratchy feeling to me. I do like how sharp they are and I don’t get any weepers with the Bics or Feathers. The problem is they just don’t feel as smooth to me as my favorite Russian blades.

Looks like your observations were correct. Here you go:

Information Summary:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Gillette Nacet	Stainless	4/10/2018	Batch B
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	8	13	15	12
Median F (g)	71.5	68.5	76	75	83
Mean F (g)	71	69	77	80	86
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	59	57	63	62	69
Mean adj. F (g)	59	57	64	66	71

Complete Data:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Gillette Nacet	Stainless	4/10/2018	Batch B
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	8	13	15	12
Median F (g)	71.5	68.5	76	75	83
Mean F (g)	71	69	77	80	86
F (g) 1	84	74	65	75	104
F (g) 2	82	60	75	95	65
F (g) 3	82	62	72	69	80
F (g) 4	76	78	63	67	74
F (g) 5	76	68	92	75	75
F (g) 6	84	76	72	65	82
F (g) 7	76	74	60	93	89
F (g) 8	69	65	75	72	113
F (g) 9	80	55	75	99	85
F (g) 10	75	59	76	75	83
F (g) 11	90	60	78	57	82
F (g) 12	65	72	94	68	91
F (g) 13	68	73	72	63	91
F (g) 14	66	58	86	110	108
F (g) 15	76	83	86	79	83
F (g) 16	76	70	80	75	82
F (g) 17	62	71	58	78	91
F (g) 18	79	68	51	64	74
F (g) 19	69	66	77	88	77
F (g) 20	66	70	98	67	78
F (g) 21	67	80	51	90	91
F (g) 22	73	67	76	71	96
F (g) 23	74	69	83	89	78
F (g) 24	57	80	97	91	102
F (g) 25	70	63	97	71	70
F (g) 26	67	65	72	63	78
F (g) 27	60	79	74	98	96
F (g) 28	51	67	79	73	102
F (g) 29	58	54	93	102	75
F (g) 30	58	75	88	110	86

 

[T Bone]

I'm just catching up here, this is an interesting read. Sharpness is one thing that can be objectively measured, so it's great to have some measure. There used to be another one on another web site, but that site doesn't seem to exist anymore (or maybe my google fu is failing me). It's not surprising that your results more or less reflect people's real world observations, it would be concerning if they didn't. There are a few head-scratchers in there, but you seem to have a pretty good signal to noise ratio as to generally which blades are relatively sharp, which aren't, and how long they stay sharp.

I'm sure I missed this somewhere, but how do your P measurements translate to shaves? Is P3 approximately 3 shaves worth of paper, or is that 3 sheets/strips/whatever of paper and approximately 1 shave? Or is there some other conversion rate?

 

[Jay21]

Looks like your observations were correct. Here you go:

Information Summary:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Gillette Nacet	Stainless	4/10/2018	Batch B
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	8	13	15	12
Median F (g)	71.5	68.5	76	75	83
Mean F (g)	71	69	77	80	86
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	59	57	63	62	69
Mean adj. F (g)	59	57	64	66	71

View attachment 1875866


View attachment 1875867
Complete Data:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Gillette Nacet	Stainless	4/10/2018	Batch B
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	8	13	15	12
Median F (g)	71.5	68.5	76	75	83
Mean F (g)	71	69	77	80	86
F (g) 1	84	74	65	75	104
F (g) 2	82	60	75	95	65
F (g) 3	82	62	72	69	80
F (g) 4	76	78	63	67	74
F (g) 5	76	68	92	75	75
F (g) 6	84	76	72	65	82
F (g) 7	76	74	60	93	89
F (g) 8	69	65	75	72	113
F (g) 9	80	55	75	99	85
F (g) 10	75	59	76	75	83
F (g) 11	90	60	78	57	82
F (g) 12	65	72	94	68	91
F (g) 13	68	73	72	63	91
F (g) 14	66	58	86	110	108
F (g) 15	76	83	86	79	83
F (g) 16	76	70	80	75	82
F (g) 17	62	71	58	78	91
F (g) 18	79	68	51	64	74
F (g) 19	69	66	77	88	77
F (g) 20	66	70	98	67	78
F (g) 21	67	80	51	90	91
F (g) 22	73	67	76	71	96
F (g) 23	74	69	83	89	78
F (g) 24	57	80	97	91	102
F (g) 25	70	63	97	71	70
F (g) 26	67	65	72	63	78
F (g) 27	60	79	74	98	96
F (g) 28	51	67	79	73	102
F (g) 29	58	54	93	102	75
F (g) 30	58	75	88	110	86

This is more in line with what my face tells me. Nacets are very sharp and get sharper on their second shave.

 

[helicopter]

I'm just catching up here, this is an interesting read. Sharpness is one thing that can be objectively measured, so it's great to have some measure. There used to be another one on another web site, but that site doesn't seem to exist anymore (or maybe my google fu is failing me). It's not surprising that your results more or less reflect people's real world observations, it would be concerning if they didn't. There are a few head-scratchers in there, but you seem to have a pretty good signal to noise ratio as to generally which blades are relatively sharp, which aren't, and how long they stay sharp.

I'm sure I missed this somewhere, but how do your P measurements translate to shaves? Is P3 approximately 3 shaves worth of paper, or is that 3 sheets/strips/whatever of paper and approximately 1 shave? Or is there some other conversion rate?

The other site gave me a lot of ideas. It disappeared earlier this year. Refinedshave.com. it is on the internet archive.

P is a strip of regular office paper on a rubber board. It translates to one shave on someone's fairly heavy beard. Maybe 85th percentile. Like a typical 30 year old Italian. It is a bit more than one shaven on my fairly typical full Irish American beard. Maybe 1.15 conversion ratio. I didn't add a conversation factor because we are all different and someone is definitely aligned with the paper anyway.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Looks like your observations were correct. Here you go:

I’m also wondering why data for BiC and Nacet known to be notoriously sharp for many is way beyond others. Even fresh blade out of its wrapper. Hence, why I was asking earlier for Feather’s data.

Thanks for re-testing Nacet. I was very concerned when your test came out showing this blade was dull and worse compared to others. I was starting to think if something went wrong during your test.

Nacet is highly regarded and preferred by many for a good reason. Earlier data of blade sharpness test from other site shows that it was very close and good alternative to Feather and Bic CP. Personally these are my top 3 blades as of this date.

What was the date code of the 1st Nacet in your test?

 

[helicopter]

Thanks for re-testing Nacet. I was very concerned when your test came out showing this blade was dull and worse compared to others. I was starting to think if something went wrong during your test.

Nacet is highly regarded and preferred by many for a good reason. Earlier data of blade sharpness test from other site shows that it was very close and good alternative to Feather and Bic CP. Personally these are my top 3 blades as of this date.

What was the date code of the 1st Nacet in your test?

The first Nacet Stainless Russia blade was manufactured September 28, 2021; the second one, the one I did today, April 10, 2018.

 

[helicopter]

This evening, I measured a Wilkinson Sword German blade manufactured December 11, 2021. This blade is the most consistent one I have measured, and it is also quite sharp. No doubt it is a combination of good steel, unique geometry (so far) and a good process for grinding, honing, and coating that get us here.

It comes in a plastic tuck:

As soon as I saw it under a microscope, with that high secondary bevel and fine honing along the edge, I expected it to be very durable. It has a moderate and even coating.

After testing, we see the coating is gone, the bevels have smoothed out a bit, and there is some fine shipping at the apex.

Information Summary:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Wilkinson Sword	Germany		Manufactured	12/11/2021
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	11	10	13	11	19
Median F (g)	70.5	67	64.5	69.5	76
Mean F (g)	71	67	67	72	80
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	59	56	54	58	63
Mean adj. F (g)	59	56	56	60	66

It is quite durable and exceptionally consistent.

Complete Data:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Wilkinson Sword	Germany		Manufactured	12/11/2021
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	11	10	13	11	19
Median F (g)	70.5	67	64.5	69.5	76
Mean F (g)	71	67	67	72	80
F (g) 1	85	71	75	66	71
F (g) 2	72	66	78	60	81
F (g) 3	84	72	76	56	77
F (g) 4	90	80	95	86	75
F (g) 5	82	72	64	72	104
F (g) 6	79	71	57	65	105
F (g) 7	78	61	80	84	104
F (g) 8	72	80	95	91	79
F (g) 9	69	77	71	69	84
F (g) 10	80	63	71	89	119
F (g) 11	81	79	62	69	88
F (g) 12	64	67	80	64	74
F (g) 13	83	84	64	76	89
F (g) 14	91	75	80	74	97
F (g) 15	62	82	59	80	100
F (g) 16	67	64	57	59	54
F (g) 17	65	82	62	54	114
F (g) 18	77	73	45	96	61
F (g) 19	59	62	52	64	94
F (g) 20	60	55	60	77	69
F (g) 21	57	77	62	63	67
F (g) 22	67	53	44	70	47
F (g) 23	59	67	55	66	69
F (g) 24	56	47	66	72	51
F (g) 25	58	63	50	73	66
F (g) 26	59	56	70	63	60
F (g) 27	68	50	65	88	66
F (g) 28	60	64	82	65	93
F (g) 29	74	52	70	80	56
F (g) 30	77	58	61	69	71

If you want a sharp blade that feels similar for a dozen or more shaves, this is the one to get. The deep secondary bevel and tough steel, along with thick and durable coating and finely honed edge make it incredibly consistent for such a sharp blade; but it would still be impressive, even it weren't so sharp.

 

[WhiskerLess]

The first Nacet Stainless Russia blade was manufactured September 28, 2021; the second one, the one I did today, April 10, 2018.

NOOOOOOO, I have 700 ct of these date code. !!!

These are recent orders.

 

[helicopter]

If it makes you feel any better, my giant supply is the good one:

 

[WhiskerLess]

To me the Nacet feels sharper then the Perma-Sharp. But I do have one bad batch and I believe the date on them was 02-28-20.

@WVShaver can you kindly help re-confirm date code of that bad batch you were referring to?

I read somewhere could not recall where. 2020 was the bad batch too, peak of Covid times.

 

[helicopter]

Anyone know if that is a date code? I think 2024 is safe for the year.

 

[helicopter]

I have been wanting to get into the Chinese blades, because they represent an important segment of the market and many of them don't have any published sharpness measurements. Tonight, we have the Suneko My Way Amorphous Diamond Super Stainless New Platinum blade. It is priced as a premium blade by Chinese retailers, and it certainly has some fancy descriptions of its coating. Measurement and microscopic inspection of the blade indicate that it is sharp, of good quality, and reasonably durable, but not exceptional, especially at its price point of around $11/100pcs with shipping to the US. I believe my sample was manufactured in 2024, but I am not certain how to interpret the code on the package.

It comes in a very nice cardboard tuck with wax paper and glossy printed paper on each individual blade. The printing on the blade looks nice as well.

Under the microscope, the new blade shows a fine to moderate bevel, with some fine honing near the apex and thick coating along the bottom 40% of the bevel.

After the blade has been worn and tested, the coating is worn, the bevel has smoothed a bit, and there is some very fine chipping at the apex. This appears to be a relatively tough steel visually, but the exponential trend in cutting force indicates it may not be exceptionally resilient.

Information Summary:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Suneko	Amorphous Diamond	Super Stainless	New Platinum	2024
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	7	7	9	11	11
Median F (g)	74.5	72.5	76	83.5	89
Mean F (g)	74	73	77	84	91
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	62	60	63	69	74
Mean adj. F (g)	61	61	64	70	75

Complete Data:

Date	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24	7/10/24
Blade	Suneko	Amorphous Diamond	Super Stainless	New Platinum	2024
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	7	7	9	11	11
Median F (g)	74.5	72.5	76	83.5	89
Mean F (g)	74	73	77	84	91
F (g) 1	73	82	85	99	109
F (g) 2	71	69	69	77	78
F (g) 3	76	76	85	71	89
F (g) 4	72	82	76	76	87
F (g) 5	71	90	75	100	88
F (g) 6	76	65	71	73	106
F (g) 7	74	72	66	79	94
F (g) 8	80	68	64	75	81
F (g) 9	65	67	92	81	79
F (g) 10	74	73	71	82	112
F (g) 11	76	69	85	96	84
F (g) 12	70	67	85	89	85
F (g) 13	65	82	100	103	91
F (g) 14	76	66	69	85	83
F (g) 15	79	73	82	87	82
F (g) 16	83	86	72	87	89
F (g) 17	89	64	68	101	115
F (g) 18	63	81	89	75	99
F (g) 19	66	69	65	90	79
F (g) 20	75	72	79	85	94
F (g) 21	77	64	92	94	101
F (g) 22	85	58	76	90	93
F (g) 23	78	83	67	78	79
F (g) 24	76	75	78	70	92
F (g) 25	83	77	79	84	97
F (g) 26	72	74	71	70	107
F (g) 27	69	79	73	62	88
F (g) 28	75	74	85	109	64
F (g) 29	54	70	79	77	85
F (g) 30	67	68	76	83	91

Is Suneko better than Flydear? A little bit, but not enough to justify the price difference. Is Suneko an amazing blade? No, but it is a blade of good quality. I can't recommend it at it's current price.

 

[Sweeney_]

NOOOOOOO, I have 700 ct of these date code. !!!

These are recent orders.

View attachment 1875943

I wouldn't get too bent outta shape over it. @ivan_101 did a comparison of of some Nacet, 2012-15 vs 2021 and concluded they shave the same.

Nacet, Old vs New

@helicopter Thank you for testing the German Wilkinsons. They have become one of my favorite blades and my suspicions are now confirmed.

 

[Flanders]

I wouldn't get too bent outta shape over it. @ivan_101 did a comparison of of some Nacet, 2012-15 vs 2021 and concluded they shave the same.

Nacet, Old vs New

@helicopter Thank you for testing the German Wilkinsons. They have become one of my favorite blades and my suspicions are now confirmed.

That's a good point and may tell us that a difference of less than 10%, with the same grind and coating, doesn't make a difference.

 

[Sweeney_]

That's a good point and may tell us that a difference of less than 10%, with the same grind and coating, doesn't make a difference.

For myself, I might never notice. Ivan is one of those blokes who seems to have an uncanny ability to pick up on subtle differences of sharpness during a shave. @pjgh also shares that trait. I was blown away by some blind testing he did years ago.

I went back and revisited those Wizamets he(Ivan) claimed were different and sure enough, I could just barely notice it in a second blind test.

My perceptions aren't totally blunted though. Yesterday I shaved with a 7am Plus Hi Platinum and then today, a vintage Wilkinson Super Sword Edge and whoa... night and day difference. I should've bought a ton of those Wilkies back in the 70s or whenever they made them. I'd be having great shaves every day and could probably retire from selling them on auction sites.

My apologies to helicopter for hijacking one of the best threads in the blade sub-forum.

 

[WVShaver]

@WVShaver can you kindly help re-confirm date code of that bad batch you were referring to?

I read somewhere could not recall where. 2020 was the bad batch too, peak of Covid times.

I just checked and the ones that felt rough to me were 02-28-20. That is probably during the first week or two of the pandemic right before it went big time so I imagine it was a QC issue. I only tried 2-3 blades out of my 100 and they all felt rough and I didn’t get into the shave very far with them. It’s possible other tucks from the same batch would be fine and maybe they’d smooth up with some use. Either way they didn’t compare to the other half dozen dates I’ve tried.

I also recently tested my oldest Nacets 04-10-18 against newest 09/10/23 and they were very similar. Since I only do one shave before moving on to test more blades my findings aren’t perfect because after 3-4 shaves the real differences may become apparent. I would possibly give the edge to the older 2018 blade if I had to choose but they were both great. I have about 4-5 batches I haven’t tested yet so hopefully they’re also all good ones.

 

[WhiskerLess]

I just checked and the ones that felt rough to me were 02-28-20. That is probably during the first week or two of the pandemic right before it went big time so I imagine it was a QC issue. I only tried 2-3 blades out of my 100 and they all felt rough and I didn’t get into the shave very far with them. It’s possible other tucks from the same batch would be fine and maybe they’d smooth up with some use. Either way they didn’t compare to the other half dozen dates I’ve tried.

I also recently tested my oldest Nacets 04-10-18 against newest 09/10/23 and they were very similar. Since I only do one shave before moving on to test more blades my findings aren’t perfect because after 3-4 shaves the real differences may become apparent. I would possibly give the edge to the older 2018 blade if I had to choose but they were both great. I have about 4-5 batches I haven’t tested yet so hopefully they’re also all good ones.

Thanks appreciate it.

 

[WVShaver]

I want to make a note about the German Wilkies. These were my favorite blade for awhile when I first got into DE and bought some locally. When I purchased them in bulk online they didn’t feel as sharp to me. I bought a few batches before giving up on them and moving on to my other favorites.

Just recently I found some older 2013 ones and bought a bunch and had an excellent shave with the single blade I tried. It’s possible my newer German Wilkies are just as sharp and it was issues from my early shaving days but I don’t believe that is the case. I can’t remember what dates started feeling duller but believe it was in 2021 or 2022. I’ve read many other people have the same issue with the newer ones. The ones you tested may have been the older ones (assuming they did change).

I think I prefer smoother blades that are still sharp. My favorites so far are Rubie, GSB, Nacet, old German Wilkies.

The Feathers and Bics I can use but they just don’t feel as smooth to me. If they felt as smooth as a GSB I’d be all over them.

 

[helicopter]

I want to make a note about the German Wilkies. These were my favorite blade for awhile when I first got into DE and bought some locally. When I purchased them in bulk online they didn’t feel as sharp to me. I bought a few batches before giving up on them and moving on to my other favorites.

Just recently I found some older 2013 ones and bought a bunch and had an excellent shave with the single blade I tried. It’s possible my newer German Wilkies are just as sharp and it was issues from my early shaving days but I don’t believe that is the case. I can’t remember what dates started feeling duller but believe it was in 2021 or 2022. I’ve read many other people have the same issue with the newer ones. The ones you tested may have been the older ones (assuming they did change).

I think I prefer smoother blades that are still sharp. My favorites so far are Rubie, GSB, Nacet, old German Wilkies.

The Feathers and Bics I can use but they just don’t feel as smooth to me. If they felt as smooth as a GSB I’d be all over them.

The German blade I did yesterday had a manufacturing date of December 11, 2021.

 

[helicopter]

Today we have the Matgicol Super Platinum Swedish Stainless blade from China. There isn't a manufacturing date code anywhere I could find, but I would guess it was produced in 2023, since I got it a few months ago.

It comes in a nice glossy cardboard tuck with wax paper and glossy printed paper on the individual blade, just like FlyDear:

The new blade has a coarse scratch pattern on the primary bevel, and smooth honing across the secondary bevel, with a very thick coating that may be hiding something beneath.

After destructive testing, we see that the used blade is chipped and jagged along its worn edge, which is typical for razor blades in general. Nothing special about this steel, but it isn't terrible either. We also see some grind scratches on the secondary bevel since the coating is gone now.

Here's the chart:

If you tried it, you might think "I know it is way sharper than that," or if you haven't tried it, "That looks like the most ordinary and average blade on the chart. It is probably good for a week or so." Well, neither of these is the case for the one I tested. Rather, it had one exceptionally sharp edge and one edge that was well below average, with slightly worse durability than top tier blades overall. I broke down the edges in the summary to illustrate.

Information Summary:

Date	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24
Blade	Matgicol	Super Platinum	Swedish Stainless
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	28
Std. Dev.	14	14	19	31	32
Median F (g)	72.5	69.5	81	78	81.5
Mean F (g) Btm	84	77	90	98	102
Meanf F (g) Top	61	69	84	80	82
Mean F (g)	72	73	87	89	93
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Av. Adj. F (g) Bt	69	64	75	82	85
Av. Adj. F (g) Top	51	57	70	66	68
Median adj. F (g)	60	58	67	65	68
Mean adj. F (g)	60	60	72	74	77

The top edge is one of the sharpest edges I have measured, but not in the league of Feather. The bottom edge would only be suitable for someone who doesn't like sharp blades, and only for a few shaves. I am guessing there are batches of good blades that have exceptional sharpness on both edges, but I am not going to try to find them, because the one I got shouldn't have left the factory with their brand on it. Maybe I will use halved of the three I have left in a single edge and throw the other halves away. That should offer a reasonably good experience.

Complete Data:

Date	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24	7/12/24
Blade	Matgicol	Super Platinum	Swedish Stainless
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	28
Std. Dev.	14	14	19	31	32
Median F (g)	72.5	69.5	81	78	81.5
Mean F (g) Btm	84	77	90	98	102
Mean F (g) Top	61	69	84	80	82
Mean F (g)	72	73	87	89	93
F (g) 1	86	91	109	72	72
F (g) 2	75	63	81	71	157
F (g) 3	87	65	93	117	67
F (g) 4	76	59	80	157	164
F (g) 5	92	75	105	104	109
F (g) 6	90	94	85	78	60
F (g) 7	92	67	101	182	132
F (g) 8	80	96	94	68	69
F (g) 9	83	98	67	74	75
F (g) 10	90	90	100	108	64
F (g) 11	77	80	110	116	74
F (g) 12	89	63	95	61	185
F (g) 13	92	87	66	78	112
F (g) 14	74	66	63	88	96
F (g) 15	71	58	102	102	100
F (g) 16	74	56	73	82	71
F (g) 17	65	79	118	92	113
F (g) 18	71	44	73	53	68
F (g) 19	49	55	62	64	84
F (g) 20	62	70	73	55	73
F (g) 21	56	70	64	55	88
F (g) 22	68	57	122	66	76
F (g) 23	68	62	68	70	89
F (g) 24	49	90	76	117	70
F (g) 25	67	95	81	74	92
F (g) 26	55	71	122	68	71
F (g) 27	57	63	77	95	79
F (g) 28	59	69	77	143	87
F (g) 29	66	68	102	97
F (g) 30	54	80	68	70

I don't know why I didn't take and record the last 2, but I don't really think it matters at this point in the test for a blade that is so far gone.

Good luck buying this blade. I think it is a bit too expensive for something with such poor quality control, but you could get lucky and have a blade that is exceptionally sharp at a good price, depending on the batch you get.

It doesn't really take any extra effort to include the averages from the individual edges in the complete data, so I will probably leave it there. Most blades have some variance that is measurable but unimportant, and a few, like this one, have edges with significant differences in performance.