Look at the sharpness testing thread results on this blade. It might very well be the same blade now as the Indian Astra SP. Or spec'ed very close to it.
Gillette blades
- Thread starter Anthony88
- Start date
Hmm, having used both I’d say no. Never had a chance to try a MIR Black Ninja though. Anyone have those?
I think the Personna blades overall are just as good as Gillette's. However, I prefer the "Red Israeli" Platinums. Cheers...
It’s been a while since I tried all of those. With the Rockwell 6S the GSB works best for me. I use the Nacet as well, I might go up one plate to get the same results with the same effort…. So I’d say the GSB is a bit smoother, and more efficient.
The Nacet and Astra SP I’d say are the same efficiency in a given plate in the Rockwell 6 series… the Astra SP always tug a little, so the actual shaving experience isn’t as smooth feeling, but, no irritation. The Nacet might give an extra shave or two before dropping off… on eBay you can pick up Nacets for the same price as the bulk pricing on amazon for the Astra SP. $8-$9 per 100.
I sold off all the Astra SP blades I had - the Nacet do the same thing, but a little better, and I have too many blades as it is.
The GSB gets a little sharper when the coating wears off - like shave 3. I just have to watch the pressure I’m using on Thursday/Friday… I swap the blades out on Mondays currently. So, today’s shave gave a little sting with the alum block. I really like the GSB blades.
I’d like to try perma-sharp. I may pick some up. I’ve tried those others - the 7’oclock series - can’t remember what the results were, and I’ve somehow deleted that spreadsheet. I may put together another sampler pack with all of those to try them out again.
Someone mentioned Personna - I’ve used the Personna from the amazons - the current ones in the 100 pack box. They are $2 more a box than the GSB blades. Those shave good in the Rockwell, but might be a bit sharper - I can get a little more feedback from the alum with those blades. They’re good too.
Right now, I’m a fan of the GSB.
The Nacet and Astra SP I’d say are the same efficiency in a given plate in the Rockwell 6 series… the Astra SP always tug a little, so the actual shaving experience isn’t as smooth feeling, but, no irritation. The Nacet might give an extra shave or two before dropping off… on eBay you can pick up Nacets for the same price as the bulk pricing on amazon for the Astra SP. $8-$9 per 100.
I sold off all the Astra SP blades I had - the Nacet do the same thing, but a little better, and I have too many blades as it is.
The GSB gets a little sharper when the coating wears off - like shave 3. I just have to watch the pressure I’m using on Thursday/Friday… I swap the blades out on Mondays currently. So, today’s shave gave a little sting with the alum block. I really like the GSB blades.
I’d like to try perma-sharp. I may pick some up. I’ve tried those others - the 7’oclock series - can’t remember what the results were, and I’ve somehow deleted that spreadsheet. I may put together another sampler pack with all of those to try them out again.
Someone mentioned Personna - I’ve used the Personna from the amazons - the current ones in the 100 pack box. They are $2 more a box than the GSB blades. Those shave good in the Rockwell, but might be a bit sharper - I can get a little more feedback from the alum with those blades. They’re good too.
Right now, I’m a fan of the GSB.
I would say that the 7-O'clock Yellow is the closest to the Nacet is sharpness. It is also smooth like the Nacet.
The 7-O'clock Black is my favorite blade. It is sharp but incredibly smooth. For a Made In India product, they are on the expensive side. Perhaps similar to the GSB?
Your reply is appreciated. I will be finding some of both of those Yellow and Black.
I currently have four razors in rotation and this week have used Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless (green box) in each and have had perfect shave every single time, no irritation, no nicks or cuts, no redness. Keep in mind I head shave as well, every day.
I am a daily shaver. so in these four razors -- Merkur 37c slant, Gillette Super Speed 1975, Merkur Progress, Fatip Retro -- the Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless is my perfect blade.
I am a daily shaver. so in these four razors -- Merkur 37c slant, Gillette Super Speed 1975, Merkur Progress, Fatip Retro -- the Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless is my perfect blade.
"Tuck" is a key word here...Some sample packs offer a full tuck, while others only include one or two blades of a particular brand.
Yes, in some cases, you can use just one blade of a given brand, and determine that it's not for you (Derby for me)...In most cases, you need to go through a few blades before you can make a firm determination of where that blade fits with you...If you are making your way through a sampler pack, if a blade that you have tried more than once agrees with you, I recommend that you take one of the blades out of the tuck and set it aside...Do the same with the other blades in the sampler pack that agrees with you...After working your way through the sampler pack, you now have a group of blades that you have "swiped right" (like)...Although you are not focusing on an all out shootout to determine a "winner", you now have a single blade remaining that can be used to make a comparison between them to let you rank them, re-evaluate them, and determine which should ultimately make their way into your rotation.
Just to complicate matters, as most of us have learned, some blades work better in some razors than others...I have experience where I have done this blade showdown using one razor, and determined that some were not for me...Later, I acquired a different razor, re-visited a "rejected" blade and determined that it performed well in the new razor...It just goes to show that EVERYTHING is subjective...And, to complicate matters even more, things like technique and lathering play into the equation...You have to drill down into a rabbit hole of varying combinations to determine what recipe(s) works best...The blade is just one of the variables in that recipe.
Most will say Silver Blue and the Blacks and they are right. Unfortunately prices have gone through the roof and personly I don’t think they are worth the price. You can still get Nacets and Astras at good prices and they wont let you down.
I like nacets, and perma sharps the most. I need to re test silver blues. I havent had a chance to try platinums unfortunately. 7 ocklock yellows get the job done but have lots of blade feel for me. gillette wilkinson sword china is bad. The indian ones are okay. I am going to try 7oclock blacks soon.
I recently did a deep dive into my blade stash that I have acquired over the years...I carefully came to the conclusion that I really was only using FOUR different blades out of the bunch...All four are from PPI (Gillette)...In no particular order, they are Gillette NACET, Gillette 7 O'clock Super Stainless (Russian Greens), Gillette Silver Blue (GSB), and Astra Superior Platinum (SP - greens)...All of these blades performed well in all of my razors...Although other blades that I had on hand performed "well", they couldn't stand up to these four...Admittedly, there are other blades (Gillette included) that I haven't tried, but nothing ever sparked me to try them after trying the ones that I have tried...On occasion, I find myself wanting to shave with a Feather every now and then, but the other blades just don't find a place in my stash...It sparks the idea or, "if you only have $100 to spend on blades right now, what are you going to buy with that $100?"...You are not going to buy anything that never made the list before.
In theory, the quest for utopia is to find a razor, then find a blade that produces the perfect shave...In reality, we all want to develop a rotation of razors and blades that adds variety, while still providing desired results...
In theory, the quest for utopia is to find a razor, then find a blade that produces the perfect shave...In reality, we all want to develop a rotation of razors and blades that adds variety, while still providing desired results...
I think a lot of members, me included, would agree the PPI blades offer performance and consistency at generally reasonable prices. As a family they are a cut above the competition, just like the Corleones edge out Taglia.
