Blade Sharpness Research Project

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Zaza Gold blades are no longer produced is an inference for something that leads you to think this?

If Zaza made them in Turkey, they would have had to do it before Procter and Gamble took over their factory. The one I tested looked like it could easily have been 30 years old, but it could have been current, too. Just one possibility.

In your assessment and opinion after testing it, could The Zaza Lord blade also be made in Israel?

It could be. The tuck doesn't match the Personna Israeli red the way the Platinum is so close to the Nazareth tucks from around its 2018 production date.

 

[helicopter]

This is the RK New Improved Chromium Coated blade, which is produced by Tigaksha Metallics in India. It is a thin blade, quite mild, with typical durability and consistency.

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

It is a three stage grind with a crude and uneven scratch pattern.

The failure mode of the steel is lots of medium chipping.

The short J-hook in the curve is consistent with a chrome coating. This is the mildest RK blade measured so far.

Date	18-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	RK	RK	New Chromium	India	1-Jun-2022
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom
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	8	12
Median F (g)	69.5	69	71.5	77	77
Mean F (g) Top	68	70	70	75	76
Mean F (g) Bottom	72	69	75	77	81
Mean F (g)	70	69	73	76	79
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	82	85	86	92	93
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	88	84	92	93	99
Median Adj. F (g)	85	84	87	94	94
Mean Adj. F (g)	85	84	89	92	96

It is quite mild, with typical durability and consistency.

I am sure someone will like this blade because it is thin, quite mild and a chrome coating can give a subjective feeling of smoothness. I prefer sharper blades with more durable steel.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[pjgh]

This is the Super-Max New Rise Classic Super Sharp Stainless blade, which is made in Bangladesh, presumably by Samah as a private label product for the UK and Indian Super-Max, which closed its manufacturing down. Google Maps still indicates a Super-Max office at the Tigaksha plant in India's Western Himalayan foothills, but I put more stake in what is written on a package than I do on Google Maps. For now, I will continue to assume that RK and Vidyut blades are made at Tigaksha, and that possibly Super-Max blades were made there for a time as well. It also seems like reasonable possibility that this Samah blade came between the Super-Max made Super-Max and a Tigaksha Super-Max. Too bad this one doesn't have a date code.

View attachment 1945830
View attachment 1945831View attachment 1945833

It looks like a Samah blade, with big and uneven scratches near the apex. It remained in good condition after testing, second picture.
View attachment 1945834 View attachment 1945836

It is mild-moderate with good durability and consistency. Performance doesn't closely resemble any of the Durablade-branded Bengali blades.

View attachment 1945838

Date	18-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Super-Max	New Rise Classic	Super Sharp Stainless	Bangladesh	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.	5	6	8	10	19
Median F (g)	59	53	58.5	62.5	59.5
Mean F (g) Top	61	57	64	66	64
Mean F (g) Bottom	56	51	53	52	62
Mean F (g)	59	54	59	59	63
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	75	70	78	80	77
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	69	62	65	63	75
Median Adj. F (g)	72	65	71	76	73
Mean Adj. F (g)	72	66	71	71	76

View attachment 1945839 View attachment 1945840

Blade Sharpness Test Index

I rated this blade quite lowly (my personal 6.9 which falls a tick short of my acceptable 7/10) and was somewhat disappointed as I found a slush of them and hoped they'd be as good as this Rise Stainless that I absolutely adored but only had one tuck of ...

... another "Marketed by" but no indication on the pack as to its origins. I rated this one a 9/10 finding it in Permasharp Super or (old) Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge kinda territory and completely unalike any of the SuperMax range and nothing like anything I could find from, say, Malhotra or Lancet. I suppose in hindsight it could have been an early Vertice.

Only a year or so ago, a stash of these (and other goodies) came up on eBay so I bagged 'em! Yoink!

There's also a Platinum out there somewhere.

 

[pjgh]

There is some Arabic writing on there package.

View attachment 1945764

... which says (according to Google): "Made in Turkey"

 

[helicopter]

I tried that and got nonsense, but if I translate the phrase back to Arabic, I do get:

 

[helicopter]

either:

Translation is slightly off,
It is old,
They are lying,
It is a Derby,
Derby is lying.

I am guessing Derby is telling the truth, it isn't old, and it isn't a Derby.

 

[helicopter]

This is the Perma-Sharp blade that was produced for commercial markets in Nazareth, Israel during the 1980s. It is very durable and consistent like the current Russian Procter and Gamble Perma-Sharp, but unlike that blade, this one is quite mild in sharpness.

The cellophane wrapper is sealed along the long ends, in the same way as the Zaza Gold blade, but the Zaza gold didn't have a gold tear strip. There isn't a date code.

The printing looks just like my 2010s Nazareth blades, and the wrapper also matches them.

They used fine abrasives, but the particles are uneven in size, so the scratch transition from primary to secondary grind is uneven. Proximal to the grind are some brush or roller marks that run parallel to the apex. After the test, second photo, we see the edge is almost perfect except for a few medium chips.

It is like a mild version of Russian Perma-Sharp, with the same high durability and consistency. It might be related to the Personna X-Series, which was distributed by Fromm in 100- blade packs like Personna Comfort Coated until the Nazareth plant closure.

It is possible that it is related to the Zaza Lord blade, but only in the sense that this does not reject that possibility. The abrasives and thicknesses are different, so we know it isn't the same.

Date	18-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.100
Blade	UFI	Perma-Sharp	Super Stainless	Istael	1-Jan-1980
Wear on Edge	0	3	6	9	12
Edges Measured	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom	Top / Bottom
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	5	13	15	14
Median F (g)	72	65	66	67	66
Mean F (g) Top	68	64	71	72	71
Mean F (g) Bottom	78	67	67	68	71
Mean F (g)	73	65	69	70	71
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	83	78	87	88	86
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	95	81	81	83	86
Median Adj. F (g)	88	79	81	82	81
Mean Adj. F (g)	89	80	84	86	86

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[Flanders]

View attachment 1946014

I tried that and got nonsense, but if I translate the phrase back to Arabic, I do get:

View attachment 1946015

His translation is correct, he beat me to posting. It says "Suna fi Türkiye." Manufactured is a derivative of the same verb: "Al musana." The bad transliterations are my own doing, not from the internet. I don't think the correct pronunciation matters to most people. As a side note, the only US seller of these has had the same story on his website for years(that these are made in Türkiye, along with some other nonsense). I actually liked these in the past so I appreciate seeing them tested, but I am reevaluating my past experiences this year. Either way, they are unobtainable in quantity.

Edit to add: those Perma-Sharps are shockingly dull, I would have never guessed. I have some to try here though...

 

[pjgh]

View attachment 1946014

I tried that and got nonsense, but if I translate the phrase back to Arabic, I do get:

View attachment 1946015

... unsure what "Turkish Rose" blades are, but guessing (given the high status of the Taifi Rose) that they mean premium/top-notch.

Fun, also that we've seen "USA Technology" on the front of these Zaza Lord tucks yet on the blade it states "Turkish Technology". I do think that there's an Indian subcontinent feel to these things.

either:

Translation is slightly off,
It is old,
They are lying,
It is a Derby,
Derby is lying.

I am guessing Derby is telling the truth, it isn't old, and it isn't a Derby.

Yep! It might be a figure of speech as I don't know just how strict Türkiye are on goods assembled/packed/distributed. EU law is quite clear on the matter, hence we see Made in Germany/Packed in Czechia on some Personna packs coming out of Germany. My googling has drawn a blank as I'm swamped with articles about "Made in Türkiye" being the correct form now and none going into what exactly that can mean.

 

[helicopter]

This is the My-Blades Silver blade, which is made in Pakistan by Treet. It is a standard 100 micron blade in Treet's standard mild grind. It has poor durability and consistency, and the two individuals I put to the measurement fixture both had bad bottom edges.

This is one of those private label blades from one of those companies that just puts a label and brand on something and targets consumers who aren't very knowledgeable and don't know they can do better with the OEM blade, similar to Viking's Blade, Battle Brothers, Filoso, and others. In this case, it is a German company. They promote the product as recycled and environmentally friendly. I don't doubt that Treet uses recycled steel, as Pakistan is well known for recycling steel, and it is also well known that double edge blades are more environmentally friendly than plastic cartridges.

The grind is crude and uneven, three stages, with a dark metallic coating at the edge.

The bottom edge is severely damaged from the testing procedure, with large chipping and denting.

It is Treet's standard mild grind, not their "new" moderate grind or their "classic" dull grind. To illustrate this more clearly, I also include a set for the good top edge on its own. There is a coating impact, but edge failure in the bottom edge hides it in the overall set.

Date	19-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.100
Blade	Treet	My-Blades	Silver	Pakistan	24-Jul-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.	24	24	29	31	30
Median F (g)	60	66	79	80.5	96
Mean F (g) Top	61	55	73	66	79
Mean F (g) Bottom	75	85	90	101	110
Mean F (g)	68	70	82	83	94
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	74	67	89	80	96
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	91	104	110	123	134
Median Adj. F (g)	73	80	96	98	117
Mean Adj. F (g)	83	86	100	102	115

Of course I don't recommend this blade. I don't think the marketing company adds any value to Treet's great existing OEM graphic designs, and my example has poor performance.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[helicopter]

This is the My-Blades Platinum blade, which is made in Pakistan by Treet. It is a thin 90 micron blade in Treet's standard mild grind. It has poor durability and consistency. In the previous test, I measured the My-Blades Silver. This one was produced a few months earlier and costs twice as much. I think the only differences are the material thickness and packaging.

It is a private label blade from a German company that just puts a label and brand on something. It is supposed to be environmentally friendly, which it likely is, but not in any special way that distinguishes it from other DE blades in paper packaging.

The outer box is little different from the Silver one. Treet doesn't offer their OEM blades in these Chinese-style flat packs. I wonder if My-Blades puts them in a Chinese box. Also unlike the Silver one, this one has little affirmations on the wrapper. There were nine tucks with one date code and a tenth tuck with a different date code. I measured the one with nine. I wonder if they mix them up a bit on purpose so you can get more inspirational quotes. I hope my wife doesn't see these because she will make a joke about my masculinity if she does.

The primary-secondary grind transition is lower on the bevel and the secondary abrasives are finer than the other one, but the rest of it looks similar. Of course this is thinner material so the same angles would mean shorter triangle sides.

The failure mode of the steel is lots of medium chipping, which is much better than what we saw with the Silver version.

You can see the top is sharper again, and that it is in the mild range, not the dull range, but I didn't... know what, here:

It is supposed to be the mild grind. They probably beat them up with extra transportation to put it in a Chinese box. Ironic since it is supposed to be the environmental one.

Date	19-Nov-2024			Blade Thickness, mm	0.090
Blade	Treet	My-Blades	Platinum	Pakistan	23-Feb-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.	12	8	9	13	12
Median F (g)	72	78	83	88.5	92.5
Mean F (g) Top	62	76	83	83	87
Mean F (g) Bottom	77	81	85	94	98
Mean F (g)	69	79	84	88	92
BESS Adj. Factor	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22	1.22
Avg. Adj. F (g) Top	76	93	101	101	106
Avg. Adj. F (g) Bottom	93	99	104	114	120
Median Adj. F (g)	88	95	101	108	113
Mean Adj. F (g)	84	96	102	108	113

Blade Sharpness Test Index

 

[Pinto90]

If Zaza made them in Turkey, they would have had to do it before Procter and Gamble took over their factory. The one I tested looked like it could easily have been 30 years old, but it could have been current, too. Just one possibility.

I didn't understand. The Zaza company no longer makes blades and there is only the Derby plant in Turkey but you also wrote that they are not made by Derby.

Maybe the package in your packet must have been an old edition, I don't understand why you would think they are no longer produced in other plants outside of Turkey.
I hope they continue to produce them because I really liked the Zaza's, now I don't have any more I have to order them from Turkey.

 

[Pinto90]

... which says (according to Google): "Made in Turkey"

View attachment 1945977

Eh yeah the "Made in Turkey" label had misled me too, I thought they were still made in Turkey.

Now we also know that they are not made by Derby and therefore outside of Turkey, likely in China as well.

 

[Pinto90]

Of course I don't recommend this blade. I don't think the marketing company adds any value to Treet's great existing OEM graphic designs, and my example has poor performance.

Blade Sharpness Test Index

Sorry, due to too much work commitment lately I have little time and always read in a hurry in the forum, I couldn't check well.

Since you are testing some Treet OEM production blades I suggest if you can test the Muster black package blade with the image of a tiger, if you haven't already.

The Muster package white color if I remember exactly you had already tested it.
Apparently these blades are also made in Pakistan by Treet.

 

[pjgh]

I found a couple of videos on Youtube, one from a year ago ...

... and one from a month ago:

... which appears to show "New" Treet Platinum in blue packaging.

 

[pjgh]

The outer box is little different from the Silver one. Treet doesn't offer their OEM blades in these Chinese-style flat packs.

Here's the Platinum in a space-saving flat box:

 

[helicopter]

Here's the Platinum in a space-saving flat box:

View attachment 1946454

I know. It is different from the Chinese ones, though.

 

[pjgh]

I know. It is different from the Chinese ones, though.

Yeah, more like BIC Chrome Platinum type.

 

[helicopter]

Yeah, more like BIC Chrome Platinum type.

Mi-Blades looks like the cardboard they use for small consumer electronics and such. And no tear open flap.

 

[helicopter]

I found a couple of videos on Youtube, one from a year ago ...

... and one from a month ago:

... which appears to show "New" Treet Platinum in blue packaging.

This is even better than the How It's Made video. It seems to be made for investors, overseas Pakistani investors particularly. Pakistan seems to have some restrictions on who can own stocks traded on their exchanges, which is probably why it isn't in English or Chinese.

I noticed several things. They are using Swedish Sandvik steel, and German and Japanese produced steels. I had guessed they were using Pakistani steel. They didn't say they don't use it, but if they are using steels from three countries already, that doesn't leave a lot of room for additional steels.

In discussion of quality, they mention 'balance' a few times, defined as a low variance in sharpness from one edge to the other on individual blades. Of course, and blade with consistently good balance is likely also to have consistent sharpness from batch to batch. I am going to call this balance from now on. What a smart use of the word.

They mention that exports peaked at 45% of production before Covid and that China was an important export market. There seems to be a lot of concern over balance of trade with China and such. It makes sense, if you import without exporting then you are probably selling your future to your trade partner, and they probably have a lot of your money that they can spend. They also mention Europe and the "big three." That has to include China, but I don't know if the others are US, Germany, UK, Europe, UAE... I think a lot of Indian trade is informal and routed through third countries due to protectionism and such.

The grind and coating must be key processes, that is, the secret sauce. They don't show any pictures or videos whatsoever. I think cameras are strictly off limits. They must be concerned about Chinese industrial spying.

They don't show any quantitative sharpness testing. They show some whittling of human hair, but that's really it. That part of the inspection process is probably proprietary as well.

Visual inspection and grind measurement shown is basically the same as my setup, but with better optics. I wonder if they have a scanning electron microscope that they are hiding.

All of that rolling and unrolling to accommodate a multi-floor setup in a crowded neighborhood is so inefficient. A long and skinny building or a U-shaped building that starts with raw steel, plastic beads and paper on one end and ends on the other end with packaged goods would be so much better. The bins are a funny way to handle the sealed tucks, but those blades are packed pretty tightly, so its probably fine. As a factory efficiency guy, I do like some bins when you can't make rollers and belts do the work.