Blade Sharpness Research Project

[pjgh]

Cheers! The 'New' follows the pattern of the Classic to my eyes, with similar quite dramatic drop-off.

Sure it's stainless? It doesn't say carbon anywhere on the packaging, which is usual but note that it does say the edge has been specially treated. We believe this blade saw a few packaging changes, one very similar to this but with "White Carbon Steel" on the face of the tuck/sleeve and finally, that self-same "Treet for your face" printed blade ended up in the New Steel packaging which is current on the Treet global website and shown as a chromium coated carbon steel blade with polymer coating.

 

[helicopter]

Cheers! The 'New' follows the pattern of the Classic to my eyes, with similar quite dramatic drop-off.

Sure it's stainless? It doesn't say carbon anywhere on the packaging, which is usual but note that it does say the edge has been specially treated. We believe this blade saw a few packaging changes, one very similar to this but with "White Carbon Steel" on the face of the tuck/sleeve and finally, that self-same "Treet for your face" printed blade ended up in the New Steel packaging which is current on the Treet global website and shown as a chromium coated carbon steel blade with polymer coating.

I was going by a description on The Razor Company website on the material. I do not consider the site's blade descriptions to be a reliable source, but it was easy to find.

 

[helicopter]

This is the Croma Diamant Stainless blade. It was made by Feintechnik GmbH in Eisfeld, Germany. I think this was made before Harry's acquired the facility in 2014, but there isn't a date code. Maybe one of you can tell me when it was produced. I put my guess of 2010 in the data.

This blade is solidly mild with excellent durability and consistency. It seems like it might have some unique coating on it that persists and makes the edge very durable, if a bit mild, but it may just be a wide apex and excellent steel with a normal metallic coating. It is not something I have researched, but obviously, the print and branding want you to associate it with chrome and diamonds.

It comes in a cardboard tuck with a cellophane wrapper and a small plastic hanger.

The hanger is attached with cellophane tape.

It has four wax dots, and the printing has grind number dashes, and some sparkles.

The primary grind is coarse, the secondary grind is fine and even, and the distal part of the blade has a thick and dark metallic coating.

The edge is in nearly perfect condition after the test. The coating has worn a bit, but a lot of the metallic coating persists. It is excellent steel with a tough edge, undoubtedly. I am not sure if it is a special coating, but most metallic coatings do not look like this after testing.

It is the most mild of all German blades tested, and the only German blade tested that has been mild, durable, and consistent. I was hoping it would match something else, and we could say "hey, such and such must also me made by Feintechnik," but this one doesn't reveal any positive associations. I suppose the negative association tells us something, but of course, Feintechnik may have produced blades to a multitude of specifications over time.

Date	4-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.100
Blade	Feintechnik GmbH	Feintechnik	Croma Diamant	Germany	1-Jan-2010
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	6	7	7	6	5
Median F (g)	62.5	62	64	62.5	62
Mean F (g) Top	65	67	66	62	64
Mean F (g) Bottom	60	61	63	64	62
Mean F (g)	62	64	64	63	63
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	79	81	80	75	79
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	73	75	77	78	76
Median Adj. F (g)	76	76	78	76	76
Mean Adj. F (g)	76	78	79	76	77

It is very mild, but never becomes dull.

I suspect this blade is scarce, but they do have it at Pasteur for $2.5/5. It might be worth trying out if you like very mild blades. It is an example of an excellent blade that is way too dull to cut my beard comfortably. I won't be rushing to clear out the remaining stock.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is the Treet Silver Carbon Steel Double Edge Blade. It is made from 95 micron white steel, and performance matches some of the other Treet blades fairly closely. It was generously provided for testing by @WVShaver

It is the standard Treet packaging with good graphic design.

It has a date code, which I like to see.

This is a crude grind if there ever was one. The primary bevel looks like a seismograph.

The edge is in good condition after the test. The failure mode of the steel is denting. It might feel comfortable and smooth as a result of its resilience, but it isn't very durable.

Performance is very similar to the Classic, as well as the Stainless Tjax, and King. It also looks how I would expect the stainless Platinum to perform if the Platinum didn't have the Platinum based metallic coating. It is probably the same steel and grind as the Classic, with a similar coating or the same coating. Maybe this one has a Silver coating. I suspect the geometry is also the same as these stainless blades.

The two edges have similar performance, so this one is somewhat more likely to represent the specification well than some of the others.

Date	4-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.095
Blade	Treet	Treet Silver	Carbon Steel White	Pakistan	4-Jul-2019
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	6	5	5	17	21
Median F (g)	58	65	68.5	71.5	70.5
Mean F (g) Top	57	65	69	76	73
Mean F (g) Bottom	60	66	68	76	82
Mean F (g)	59	65	69	76	77
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	70	79	84	93	89
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	73	80	83	93	100
Median Adj. F (g)	71	79	84	87	86
Mean Adj. F (g)	71	79	84	93	95

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is Treet's Trig Silver Edge Stainless Blade. It was provided for testing by @WVShaver

It is made from thin 90 micron stock. It is beginning to look like Treet has three grinds, a moderate one, a mild one, and a dull one. This is the moderate one. I also suspect four coating options, including platinum, chrome, silver, and plain, with this one having the Silver coating. The materials include at least white carbon steel, blued carbon steel, and stainless steel, in three thicknesses. The Trig is reasonably durable and consistent for a thin blade, but definitely nothing special.

The Trig comes in the standard Treet tuck and wrapper, with a classic but somewhat boring design.

It has a date code, which I like to see.

The grind is fairly typical of Treet.

The failure mode of the steel is denting.

I think these blades were made to a multitude of specifications, and the new lineup of four blades means there were several real discontinuations.

Date	4-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Treet	Trig Silver Edge	Stainless	Pakistan	26-Jul-2021
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	6	10	11	16	11
Median F (g)	56.5	59	57.5	71.5	68
Mean F (g) Top	53	60	64	74	72
Mean F (g) Bottom	58	58	60	70	66
Mean F (g)	56	59	62	72	69
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	65	73	77	91	88
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	71	71	73	85	81
Median Adj. F (g)	69	72	70	87	83
Mean Adj. F (g)	68	72	75	88	84

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is Treet's Trim DE High Grade Stainless Steel Blade. It is thin 90 micron steel with Treet's dull and blunt grind setup. Due to the thin stock and dull edge, it isn't durable or consistent. These blades are quite dull, and the pattern of data suggests it is designed to be like this.

It comes in the standard Treet packaging, with classic but boring graphic design again.

The grind looks a little better than most Treet blades, but the coatings are sloppy.

The thin dull steel failed by lots of medium denting.

It matches the Black Beauty and Falcon well, especially the Black Beauty. It must be the same grind, and this must be close to nominal sharpness within the tolerance for the grind. I can see why they decided it wasn't necessary to keep all of these products in production.

There isn't much variance in sharpness from the top edge to the bottom edge. I think it is designed to be dull like this.

Date	4-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Treet	Trim DE	Stainless	Pakistan	18-Apr-2022
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	25	18	17	12	17
Median F (g)	75.5	102	113	124	125
Mean F (g) Top	77	107	122	118	118
Mean F (g) Bottom	83	92	100	117	117
Mean F (g)	80	100	111	118	117
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	94	131	149	144	144
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	102	113	122	143	143
Median Adj. F (g)	92	124	138	151	153
Mean Adj. F (g)	98	122	135	143	143

It is very dull.

Only seven duller blades have been measured so far.

I suppose there is a small minority of wet shavers who like very dull blades, and this is one of the options for them to try, at least until supplies dry up. It isn't a piece of kit I would personally consider outside of its entertainment value. There is no way I would ever want this blade, or any blade this dull, in regular rotation.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[pjgh]

It is beginning to look like Treet has three grinds, a moderate one, a mild one, and a dull one. This is the moderate one. I also suspect four coating options, including platinum, chrome, silver, and plain, with this one having the Silver coating. The materials include at least white carbon steel, blued carbon steel, and stainless steel, in three thicknesses. The Trig is reasonably durable and consistent for a thin blade, but definitely nothing special.

It is fascinating to see these unpicked.

There are a number of us who have used the whole range and formed a reasonable opinion - likewise, mine was that there were three classes in each blade material category which I put as premium, regular and legacy in my wording. I got some of the blades in the wrong class! Seeing the Power (Super) and the New Edge with similar qualities with which I relate to the Durasharp has been a surprise and likewise, seeing the Falcon with what appears to be the legacy Black Beauty grind makes sense now.

I think I said it above somewhere, but I rather formed the opinion that aside from the Durasharp and the Black Beauty, all the carbon blades were the same as the Classic which all of this rather looked like a market experiement to choose its successor, given that now the Classic has been dropped from the global line-up and just the New Steel remains < again, can't wait to see the results for the New Steel. I'm also very interested to see how the Tez (Extra) performs.

On the Trig result, that is very surprising! Trig is my least favourite of the Treet line-up (even the Black Beauty is a nicer shave to my face) which I found both scratchy, dull and uncomfortable the very characteristics of the King, yet we can clearly see here that those two blades are at opposite ends of the table. Curious indeed! Either way, Treet landed on the Platinum only and appear to have dropped the non-platinum stanless. I'm going by the four remaining blades offered on their global website which changed quite recently from this spectrum of blades offered a short number of years ago.

So, broad bracketing here but 60-80 is Premium, 80-100 Regular and 100+ Legacy.

 

[pjgh]

Actually, thinking through my surprise at the Trig clearly standing in the premium category, I was reminded of this packaging:

... which clearly shows the blade we also know as the Trig Silver Edge but under the premium Durasharp branding and this sleeve should not be confused with the carbon Durasharp since the words "stainless steel" are right there on the face.

This makes a lot of sense now!

 

[helicopter]

I think it is around 65 BESS initial sharpness and 80.

I would put New Stainless in the New Premium Moderate bucket and 7 Days in the Mild Classic bucket. You can see it pretty clearly under the microscope, too.

Of course the Dull Legacy bucket is quite clear.

It sort of makes sense to settle on platinum. The silver and chrome don't have a lot of impact on durability and consistency, and platinum is always going to work better for 7 days on a regular beard. The other coatings and raw are more like 1-3 days of performance. It also simplifies the production line a lot. A lot of factories will just do platinum and raw, which is also super simple and gives you an option with high initial sharpness for one and done shavers. Chrome can be a nice option for a smoother blade, and silver sits between raw and chrome. But platinum gives the biggest boost and J-curve by far. Of course most stuttered coatings actually contain several metals including chrome and platinum, so it depends on specification.

My initial impression that Treet processes were not in control, was an oversimplified characterization. The fact is I put their blades in buckets by the measured cutting force, and then could confirm them with the photos. If the processes were out of control, it wouldn't work. There would be exceptions.

Most companies use better steel and better abrasives, and make sharper blades, but Treet is making blades to their own specifications within the constraints of their cheap steel and abrasives. They are doing a decent job with what they have, but the materials limit performance to milder blades that aren't super durable and consistent.

There is variance between batches and between edges, but I think they are just running the belts as long as they possibly can within fairly wide specification windows.

They deserve credit for controlling things, but we also need to be realistic that they are never going to be consistent like Accutec, Edgewell, and Proctor and Gamble unless they spend significantly more money on steel and abrasives, and work with suppliers to improve these materials.

That probably doesn't make sense though. They sort of have a good thing going with their niche so long as they can retain domestic market share without having any sharp blades in the lineup.

I still need to get the new steel, so it will come after the November sales, but I have Tez here.

 

[pjgh]

I think it is around 65 BESS initial sharpness and 80.

I would put New Stainless in the New Premium Moderate bucket and 7 Days in the Mild Classic bucket. You can see it pretty clearly under the microscope, too.

I agree. Prior to seeing some actual facts like these, I'd put the Platinum and 7 Days up there as "the best" (of the non-carbon) and so had blocked my own thinking from accepting a regular stainless as "better". In actual fact (and something I knew, regardless) the Platinum and 7 Days are really very middling blades.

The Treet Platinum is (I've said already above) my absolute favourite blade of all! It's that perfect balance of sharpness and smoothness, and across hundreds over years I have a very real sense of consistency, not just across batches and so on ... but during the working life of the blade. Each shave is quite consistent with the last and I find four "like day one" shaves are possible for me. Consistently.

Curious that I love the Treet Platinum when pretty much all my other blade choices are down at the sharp end: BIC Chrome Platinum, Personna Comfort Coated, Wilkinson Sword (Germany), Permasharp Super, Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge ... I suppose it's my "easy shave" where many might cite the Derby Extra as that sort of blade.

My initial impression that Treet processes were not in control, was an oversimplified characterization. The fact is I put their blades in buckets by the measured cutting force, and then could confirm them with the photos. If the processes were out of control, it wouldn't work. There would be exceptions.

...

They deserve credit for controlling things, but we also need to be realistic that they are never going to be consistent like Accutec, Edgewell, and Proctor and Gamble unless they spend significantly more money on steel and abrasives, and work with suppliers to improve these materials.

That probably doesn't make sense though. They sort of have a good thing going with their niche so long as they can retain domestic market share without having any sharp blades in the lineup.

I get entirely what you're saying. Good enough ... with what they have, and happy to produce a comfortable standard. Yes, quite a picture of their processes has emerged from what was perhaps a little chaotic in appearance.

I still need to get the new steel, so it will come after the November sales, but I have Tez here.

... with bated breath!

 

[Doc Dan]

I just discovered this thread. Thanks @helicopter . Looking forward to more.

 

[helicopter]

This is the Treet Tez Extra Sharp Edge Super Carbon Steel blade. It is made from 95 micron white steel with Treet's sharpest New Premium moderate grind. It has a polymer coating, and does not have a platinum coating. I am not certain if there is a silver, chrome, or no metallic coating, but I suspect a light chrome coating. It is moderately sharp with fairly good durability and consistency. Like a lot of Treet blades, it might feel smooth because it has a failure mode of denting, rather than the more typical chipping of other razor blade steels.

It comes in the standard Treet packaging. Graphic design is classic, if a bit boring.

It has a date code, which I like to see.

It is the sharp grind. There is a polymer coating. My guess is there is a chrome metallic sputtered coating, but it is hard to say from the pictures. The grind scratches seem to be a bit easier to see after the test, but it isn't enough to say for sure. It could also be silver coating or raw.

The steel has a failure mode of medium denting, with a typical level of damage form the testing procedure.

It has Treet's moderately sharp New Premium grind, and does not have a platinum coating. Performance is interchangeable with the New Edge, and it could be the same, or there might be a difference in chrome, silver, or raw metal coating.

The edge-to-edge sharpness variance is too small to notice in use.

Date	5-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.095
Blade	Treet	Treet Tez Extra	Carbon Steel	Pakistan	12-Mar-2022
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	6	4	5	10	14
Median F (g)	51.5	54	53.5	57	59.5
Mean F (g) Top	49	55	57	62	67
Mean F (g) Bottom	52	52	53	55	56
Mean F (g)	50	53	55	59	62
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	59	67	69	76	82
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	64	63	64	68	69
Median Adj. F (g)	63	65	65	70	73
Mean Adj. F (g)	61	65	67	72	75

It is still fairly moderate overall.

This takes up a lot of space in full size. Click on it if you want to zoom in.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[Barberbite]

This is the Durablade Clifton Classic blue blade from Samah blades of Dhaka Bangladesh. It did poorly in testing. I tried three of them, looking for a good one, but there wan't a good one to be found. Possibly this is a bad batch. I don't think the blade I got were damaged. They were packed very well, with glue and wax on heavy waxed paper, and they started off reasonably sharp, though the edges were crude and uneven.

View attachment 1915228


View attachment 1915229


View attachment 1915230

You can see that it is ground with cheap abrasives, probably natural, as the scratches at each stage vary a good amount in size.

View attachment 1915231

Coating and Grind
Coating Thickness	Heavy
Coating Evenness	Even
Bevel Coating Coverage	69%
Entire Bevel to Edge, mm	0.316
Primary Bevel Scratch Size	0.003
Primary Bevel Scratch Consistency	Uneven
Primary Bevel Proximal Transition	Uneven
Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Secondary Bevel Transition to Edge, mm	0.130
Secondary Bevel Scratch Size	0.002
Secondary Bevel Scratch Consistency	Uneven
Secondary Bevel Transition Line	Typical
Tertiary Bevel Transition to Edge, mm	0.033
Tertiary Bevel Scratch Size	Polish
Tertiary Bevel Scratch Consistency	Even
Tertiary Bevel Scratch Transition Line	Typical

Some people say these blades are smooth. After testing, we see that the steel's failure mode is denting and deformation, with almost no chipping. Perhaps the people that like them prefer a duller blade that doesn't chip along the apex. I can see how the soft steel, being less durable and long-lasting, might help encourage consumers to replace blades more often.

View attachment 1915232

View attachment 1915234

Date	21-Sep-2024
Blade	Samah	Durablade	Clifton Classic	Bengladesh	1-Jun-2014
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	21	28	23	19	0
Median F (g)	56	74	98.5	125	125
Mean F (g) Top	76	88	93	115	125
Mean F (g) Bottom	52	70	102	124	125
Mean F (g)	64	79	98	119	125
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	93	107	113	140	153
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	64	86	124	151	153
Median Adj. F (g)	68	90	120	153	153
Mean Adj. F (g)	79	96	119	146	153

It is one of the dullest blades tested. I would describe it as defective, and perhaps this batch is not made to specifications.

View attachment 1915233

In the US, these blades are not even inexpensive at $9/100. Obviously I can't recommend trying it unless it happens to be part of a pre-made sample pack or something like that.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

From the same company Samah blades of Dhaka Bangladesh could you try and give your opinion on this Sharp Stainless blade?

 

[Sweeney_]

It is fascinating to see these unpicked.

There are a number of us who have used the whole range and formed a reasonable opinion...

A reasonable opinion indeed Sir, based merely on tactile feel and shave experience. Along with House of Lords and Six Weeks in SuperMax (bookmarked of course)... great stuff.

It's interesting to see so much of Dan's empirical results line up with a lot of subjective testing done elsewhere. The results make for a valuable guideline with the caveat that it still comes down to what best suits each individual.

 

[helicopter]

This is the short Gutche A77 blue blade, which is made in Shanghai, China. It is a mild blade with good durability and consistency. It is made from 90 micron stainless steel with a platinum coating.

It comes in a typical A77 tuck. The typeface looks very stylish and distinctively Chinese. I understand these blades are primarily made for the domestic Chinese market where they are fairly popular. It has a date code, which is fairly uncommon with Chinese blades, and something I like to see. It also has an expiration date five years later, but I think it should be fine after that.

It is a fairly typical three stage grind of good quality. They used fine but inconsistent abrasives, which produces a good result, but probably takes longer to grind than something done with more consistent abrasives of similar maximum scratch size. There is some wax on the bevel.

The failure mode of the steel is medium chipping, and the edge looks typical of thin stock blades after testing.

Performance is very similar to the 1.0cm Cloud A77 blade.

There is a significant variance in sharpness from the top edge to the bottom edge, which is a sign that processes may not be well controlled, or tolerances may not require much consistency. The edges will definitely feel different. At least you won't be using both edges at the same time.

Date	5-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Gutche	Gutche	A77 1.0 Blue	China	1-Sep-2023
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	10	11	15	8	8
Median F (g)	61.5	60	62	62.5	64.5
Mean F (g) Top	55	52	57	59	61
Mean F (g) Bottom	69	68	77	69	72
Mean F (g)	62	60	67	64	66
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	67	63	69	72	74
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	84	82	93	84	87
Median Adj. F (g)	75	73	76	76	79
Mean Adj. F (g)	75	73	81	78	81

Considering the variance in sharpness between the two edges, this isn't the first A77 blade I would recommend you go out and buy.

Click on the big chart to expand it.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is Procter and Gamble Thailand's Gillette New Super Stainless with Platinum blade, which is made by Shanghai Gillette. It is mild, with decent initial consistency, but unimpressive durability. There is a significant variance in sharpness between the two edges, which is a sign of a lower quality blade, and isn't what I expect from Shanghai Gillette Company. Procter and Gamble blades are usually better than this.

It has the typical Shanghai Gillette wrapper informing users of more modern and expensive alternatives to double edge blades.

It has a thick and fine grind with a dark metallic coating and a thick polymer coating. It should be smooth until is starts to wear.

The failure mode is small chipping.

It is fairly similar to the Chinese Gillette Platinum and Chinese Gillette Wilkinson Sword I measured. It is somewhat similar to the Super Nacet. There is probably something else of the same specification for another market, but the variance on this blade makes it a difficult example of the specification to sort out. I am going to measure some more Shanghai Gillette blades before I put more effort to sort them out.

There is a significant variance in cutting force from one edge to the other. Originally I though the edge might be damaged, but I switched out the blade and re-started the testing of the top edge and inspected the second blade, which didn't have visible damage.

Date	5-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.100
Blade	Procter & Gamble	Gillette Thailand	Super Stainless	China	1-Jan-2024
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	22	23	21	31	22
Median F (g)	60.5	60	63	70.5	84
Mean F (g) Top	76	80	81	94	96
Mean F (g) Bottom	58	52	52	54	66
Mean F (g)	67	66	67	74	81
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	93	98	99	114	117
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	71	63	64	65	81
Median Adj. F (g)	74	73	77	86	103
Mean Adj. F (g)	82	80	81	90	99

It is very mild.

Click on this if you want to read it:

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

Since I recently measured their A77 blade, I thought this was a good time to try Lanli's ungaurded Gutche High Quality Steel Double Edge Blade. This blade is made from thick 104 micron stock. I am not sure if it is stainless or white carbon steel. It has a blunt grind, and it is the dullest blade I have tested.

I was excited the white wrappers and unprinted blades might mean it is related to some private label blades, but we don't get anything here.

At least there is a date code.

It looks like a crude and blunt two stage grind with metallic and polymer coating.

The failure mode is chipping, so it must have been heat treated. It is not in terrible condition, despite being very dull. With the coating gone, we see grind marks to the apex, which makes sense after running a brand new one over the pad of my finger at a 90 degree angle.

I went through the whole test with the first one and then tried a second one, which was just as bad. nearly the entire edges of both blades can support 125g force on my 6 pound test monofilament. The second one, which I just spot tested, couldn't even shave my wrist with pressure.

These blade may have been damaged in shipping, and they may be made for some purpose other than shaving. I am not really sure what is going on here. It is hard to imagine they are not damaged or defective. My best guess is that they are defective. Maybe there is supposed to be a honing stage that didn't actually happen.

Anyway, the Daylogic blade lost its wooden spoon award to this even more broken product.

Date	5-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.104
Blade	Lanli Blade Co	Gutche	High Quality Steel	China	1-May-2022
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	3	2	0	3	0
Median F (g)	125	125	125	125	125
Mean F (g) Top	124	125	125	125	125
Mean F (g) Bottom	125	124	125	123	125
Mean F (g)	124	125	125	124	125
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	151	153	153	153	153
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	153	152	153	150	153
Median Adj. F (g)	153	153	153	153	153
Mean Adj. F (g)	152	152	153	151	153

I think we can skip the big chart this time. It is dead last with solid bars.


Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is the Thailand Gillette Super Thin New Improved Stainless blade from Procter and Gamble's Shanghai Gillette plant. It is made from 90 micron steel, with a platinum coating. It is quite mild, with poor durability and consistency. Performance is fairly typical of thin Shanghai Gillette blades.

It comes in typical packaging, similar to the 100 micron Thailand Shanghai Gillette Super Stainless blade.

The grind is even and the coatings are fairly thick.

The failure mode is medium chipping.

Performance is similar to the Goal and London Bridge.

Date	5-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Procter & Gamble	Gillette Thailand	Super Thin	China	5-Aug-2020
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	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
Dulling Substrate	New	Paper	Paper	Paper	Paper
Measurements	20	20	20	20	20
Adj. Std. Dev.	12	24	23	19	20
Median F (g)	56	69	84	101	114
Mean F (g) Top	58	81	96	108	112
Mean F (g) Bottom	56	65	82	97	106
Mean F (g)	57	73	89	102	109
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	71	98	117	132	137
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	68	79	100	118	129
Median Adj. F (g)	68	84	103	123	139
Mean Adj. F (g)	69	89	109	125	133

Click on this to make it bigger.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[pjgh]

Gosh! That's a turn-up for the Thai Super Thin ... a blade which I thought was superbly sharp. I suppose it is from the get-go but tails off considerably thereafter ... and guess that's the crux of it, how we form our opinion from the character out of the box and maybe ignore the tail-off in subsequent shaves.

Very interesting!

 

[Barberbite]

I was going by a description on The Razor Company website on the material. I do not consider the site's blade descriptions to be a reliable source, but it was easy to find.

Cheers. Kindly read here in the discussion I had started a few months ago, if you have not already done so.

New Treet: Another carbon blade? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/new-treet-another-carbon-blade.652012/

They must have changed material from 'carbon steel to stainless steel?

I'm sure my blade stocks were New Treet from 2014, yours are from 2018, visually they look different however it seems strange to me that they switched from using carbon steel to stainless steel four years later.