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- #521
I tested the Rapira Swedish Supersteel blade from Mostochlegmash in Moscow, Russia, the producer of Rapira, Ladas, and Voskhod blades. I have been interested in testing this, because I really like its sharper cousin, the Voskhod.
It comes in a cellophane wrapped cardboard tuck.
The blades are double wrapped with some small weak glue dots, and printed outer paper.
Chat GPT says there probably isn't a date code in there.
There is a thick and heavy distal coating.
After testing, we see some small chipping along the bottom edge, which is typical for razor steels. The secondary bevel has a smooth polish, and the scratches on the primary bevel are medium and fairly even. It is the same grind as the Rapira Platinum Lux, which was tested previously.
I shaved with one of these today. The blade I shaved with is from a different tuck and probably a different batch from the one I used for the paper cut sharpness test. I imagine the ones used for the cut test are a slightly sharper batch. Subjectively, I would say it felt moderate to mild, but comfortable, and perhaps slightly sharper than measured. I attribute this to the smooth polish on the secondary bevel. I could feel the blade in my Blackbird Ti, but it didn't tug; I could just tell it was there and feel it on the hairs and skin.
The top edge of this one started to fail catastrophically after the second set of paper cutting, skewing the green and orange bars upward a bit. If this hadn't happened, it would look much more similar to the Rapira Platinum Lux. The sharpness is very similar. The coatings are obviously different, this one is much heavier than the Platinum, but I think the grind is the same. It wouldn't surprise me if the steel were also the same.
I find sharper blades to be more comfortable than this one, but this one more comfortable than other blades close to it in sharpness like PearlMax, JiFuli and Vikings.
I enjoy shaving with these blades. It is a shame they are becoming scarce in global markets. They are fairly expensive now, and I think there are better options in the price range. It is a nice blade to have if you want something mild and already bought it a few months or years ago, but I don't recommend buying it at the current prices.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
It comes in a cellophane wrapped cardboard tuck.
The blades are double wrapped with some small weak glue dots, and printed outer paper.
Chat GPT says there probably isn't a date code in there.
There is a thick and heavy distal coating.
| Coating and Grind | |
| Coating Thickness | Thick |
| Coating Evenness | Typical |
| Bevel Coating Coverage | 43% |
| Entire Bevel to Edge, mm | 0.546 |
| Primary Bevel Scratch Size | 0.004 |
| Primary Bevel Scratch Consistency | Typical |
| Primary Bevel Proximal Transition | Even |
| Blade Thickness, mm | 0.100 |
| Secondary Bevel Transition to Edge, mm | 0.170 |
| Secondary Bevel Scratch Size | 0.002 |
| Secondary Bevel Scratch Consistency | Even |
| Secondary Bevel Transition Line | Typical |
| Tertiary Bevel Transition to Edge, mm | 0.000 |
| Tertiary Bevel Scratch Size | NA |
| Tertiary Bevel Scratch Consistency | NA |
| Tertiary Bevel Scratch Transition Line | NA |
After testing, we see some small chipping along the bottom edge, which is typical for razor steels. The secondary bevel has a smooth polish, and the scratches on the primary bevel are medium and fairly even. It is the same grind as the Rapira Platinum Lux, which was tested previously.
I shaved with one of these today. The blade I shaved with is from a different tuck and probably a different batch from the one I used for the paper cut sharpness test. I imagine the ones used for the cut test are a slightly sharper batch. Subjectively, I would say it felt moderate to mild, but comfortable, and perhaps slightly sharper than measured. I attribute this to the smooth polish on the secondary bevel. I could feel the blade in my Blackbird Ti, but it didn't tug; I could just tell it was there and feel it on the hairs and skin.
| Date | 28-8-2024 | |||||
| Blade | Mostochlegmash | Rapira | Swedish Supersteel | Russia | 01-01-2022 | |
| Wear on Edge | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
| Edges Measured | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top | Bottom / Top |
| Measurement Medium | Stren 6 .22 | Stren 6 .22 | Stren 6 .22 | Stren 6 .22 | Stren 6 .22 | Stren 6 .22 |
| Dulling Substrate | New | Paper | Paper | Paper | Paper | Face |
| Measurements | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Adj. Std. Dev. | 9 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 38 | 8 |
| Median F (g) | 54.5 | 54 | 63.5 | 67 | 81 | 71.5 |
| Mean F (g) Top | 50 | 55 | 69 | 102 | 112 | 72 |
| Mean F (g) Bottom | 54 | 57 | 63 | 61 | 62 | 68 |
| Mean F (g) | 52 | 56 | 66 | 81 | 87 | 70 |
| BESS Adj. Factor | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Top | 60 | 67 | 84 | 124 | 137 | 88 |
| Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom | 65 | 69 | 76 | 75 | 76 | 83 |
| Median Adj. F (g) | 67 | 66 | 77 | 82 | 99 | 87 |
| Mean Adj. F (g) | 63 | 68 | 80 | 99 | 107 | 85 |
The top edge of this one started to fail catastrophically after the second set of paper cutting, skewing the green and orange bars upward a bit. If this hadn't happened, it would look much more similar to the Rapira Platinum Lux. The sharpness is very similar. The coatings are obviously different, this one is much heavier than the Platinum, but I think the grind is the same. It wouldn't surprise me if the steel were also the same.
I find sharper blades to be more comfortable than this one, but this one more comfortable than other blades close to it in sharpness like PearlMax, JiFuli and Vikings.
I enjoy shaving with these blades. It is a shame they are becoming scarce in global markets. They are fairly expensive now, and I think there are better options in the price range. It is a nice blade to have if you want something mild and already bought it a few months or years ago, but I don't recommend buying it at the current prices.
Blade Sharpness Test Index
