Looking for a new blade

[Space_Cadet]

Okay, so my favorite blade was Personna Red made in Israel. That's gone now. I loved it because it was both pretty efficient, and extremely forgiving and delicate. Now I'm looking for a new blade that's the closest to Israeli-made Personna Red as possible. Suggestions?

 

[lasta]

Those IPs are pretty special for being mild and smooth, I haven't found anything equal in modern blades yet.

@SP3CtRUM has a large supply of vintage Triton R3's and Israeli Perma-Sharps, both are vintage though so not a long term solution.

Dorco Titan's are also medium sharp and feel smoother than they are sharp, but I consider them a step down from Personnas.

If you are willing to try something sharper, but still very very smooth, GSBs, Rubies and Wizamets are readily available top shelf blades that will work with any razor.

Some other vintage relatives (mild+smooth) if you don't mind hunting:

Schick Plus Platinum
Brazilian (Gillette) Wilkinson Sword
Rotbart Rostfrei/Extra Dunn
English Nacet

 

[helicopter]

RBC has Tomy and Vikings Sword. Between them, Tomy is closer to Israeli red in my estimation. They are probably made in Germany after the Nazereth plant closure, but I can't say so with certainty.

The German Wilkinson Sword Classic is fairly similar, too. The Schicks seem to be the same blade as the Wilkinson Sword Classic.

The grinds on these and the Red are all similar, with 3 bevels, secondary at about 30% and tertiary 10%. The steel.is similar, too. I am sure the coating has changed since the chrome platinum They were using on Energizers ten years ago. So it goes.

My vote goes to the German Schick/Wilkinson. It is a great blade with lots of similarity. I would say it is better than the legacy Israeli branded blades RBC has, though possibly a bit more distant from the old Israeli red.

 

[GR5233]

Have you thought about trying the German made Personnas? I’ve used both and they feel exactly the same. It’s my understanding that the parent company (Edgewell) moved the equipment from Israel to Germany

 

[ivan_101]

Have you thought about trying the German made Personnas? I’ve used both and they feel exactly the same. It’s my understanding that the parent company (Edgewell) moved the equipment from Israel to Germany

Have used both. The German Personna Platinum is sharper than the red Israeli Personna.

@Space_Cadet

Not sure if you will find the exact same blade as the red Personna made in Israel.
Off the top of my head: try Lord Extra and Dorco Prime. If something else comes to my mind I will get back to you.
If Lord Extra feels too sharp to you, I will give other suggestions for Lord models.

 

[Frito Ray]

Crystals used to be my favorite, then Reds came into the picture as my technique improved. I really liked both but haven’t used them in a long time.

I typically don’t report on blades till I’ve put a few blades through a razor, but I’m trying Derby Premiums for the first time and they feel very familiar…in good way. I find them mid level in sharpness and very smooth.

It is too early for me to comment on longevity. I’ve also just run them through only one razor (Old clone) so can’t comment on their efficiency in razors of different aggressiveness.

Might be worth buying a tuck and see for yourself.

 

[TheBigL]

The other Personna Israel blades never seem to get much mention here. I had some of the Reds at one point, but I don't remember really liking them. Viking's Sword, Tomy, Super + Platinum, Q Ball, Eddison were other brands, as I recall.

If I can find a Red, I'll give it a go and think of a comparison.

 

[TheBigL]

I looked through all my collection, no Reds to be found. I did find some Royals, which I believe were also Israeli.

I went ahead and shaved with a Super + Platinum. It was "unpleasant." Cutting tuggy, no real irritation, the shave wasn't that close, no blood, but not enjoyable.

 

[JCinPA]

To be honest, I can't remember what the Izzie Personnas were like although I tried them a decade ago. But I just got a couple hundred Gillette Platinum "Swedes", Russian made, all blue package, from razor blades club. May be the best blade I've found so far.

Not cheap, but a lot of the good blades are getting more expensive. I love the Nacets and buying on eBay through Jordan they are pretty economical. But the Swede is very forgiving, and you can probably go a week per blade easy, which makes them more reasonably priced. My Gillette Blacks and Nacets I use two blades per week, so if I use a Swede for a week, same cost, basically.

 

[TDKBeloushi]

Okay, so my favorite blade was Personna Red made in Israel. That's gone now. I loved it because it was both pretty efficient, and extremely forgiving and delicate. Now I'm looking for a new blade that's the closest to Israeli-made Personna Red as possible. Suggestions?

 

[BigJ]

The Israeli Reds are GREAT blades for me too!

My other ‘top tier’ blades (in no particular order):
Personna labs (or med preps)
GSB
Nacet
Wizamet SI (or Polsilver)
Astra SP