Personna Comfort Coated/Lab Blues observation

[helicopter]

Interesting -- the saga/mystery continues to unfold.... Are those still being packaged in the usual Personna CC packaging we are familiar with? (100ct in the white sleeves)

To be fair, the vendor that passed me the above info had heard it second hand.... even their distributor couldn't really figure out what was actually going on.

Whatever they are called, the Verona VA plant makes great blades and has stellar QC

Yeah these came in the same 2019 copyright Personna Comfort Coated 100 pack. The barber supply stores still have them, though I did buy the last of the stock of these ones from Beauty Ways.

They could be gone, or it could be that the blade distributor isn't getting them, but Fromm is still sending them to barber supply shops directly.

Sally's also stopped carrying Personna branded products, and Fromm and Edgewell sites don't list Personna as a portfolio brand now.

Maybe Edgewell dropped Personna. That could explain why Accutec stepped into the UK market with an Edgewell Germany made AccuForge MicroCoat blade. I can't find any manufacturer web info on Personna Platinum now either.

On the bright side, it isn't too late to stock up on Personna Comfort Coated at $13-14/100.

 

[walpan]

I found the old Comfort Coated blades at Walmart. Under $18.00

 

[helicopter]

I found the old Comfort Coated blades at Walmart. Under $18.00

In the store or online?

 

[walpan]

In the store or online?

Online but maybe in certain stores.

 

[helicopter]

Online but maybe in certain stores.

I think those are third party sellers, at least the ones I see there are. The online barber supply stores are cheaper, mostly $12-14/100

 

[AceyMan]

Maybe Edgewell dropped Personna.

Facts.

On the last PCC I ordered, the stateside supply store actually called me a day or so later to say they couldn't fill the order right away, because Fromm no longer owned the Personna brand (maybe that's fleshed out as , "No longer had exclusive rights for North American distribution of the Personna brand"?)

He explained they'll have to wait to get their account setup from the new channel (he didn't say who) before he can fill his open orders (like mine) for the Comfort Coated 100 pack cartons.

/Acey

It wasn't until *catching up today* on threads that I realized Fromm was an Edgewell property.

This is truly the stuff soap operas are made from ... but at industrial scale .

 

[purecro]

I am wondering has anyone ordered from The Razor Company the Personna Comfort Coated they have in stock now and what they look like ie if the blades are laser etched with "Personna Super" and "Personna Made in USA". Curious to know before I decide to place an order. Or the Walmart ones as well. I just like the laser etched version better, prefer a box as well.

 

[pjgh]

Maybe Edgewell dropped Personna. That could explain why Accutec stepped into the UK market with an Edgewell Germany made AccuForge MicroCoat blade. I can't find any manufacturer web info on Personna Platinum now either.

... or the other way around, with Edgewell now filling that void but with Accutec branding via their "Custom Brands" outfit. Perhaps these will become the new Comfort Coated.

Likewise, I wondered whether Fromm would have to drop their Personna distributor status - no doubt Edgewell will continue to make blades for Fromm to distribute. I had also suspected the Personna Platinum Chrome was going to become a thing of the past as well. Wilkinson Sword, it is ... and a bunch of blank label blades for any, all and sundry. Meanwhile, Accutec (Verona) concentrate on the medical market.

 

[purecro]

This is interesting stuff. I am just glad I was able to get my hands on some blades as I wouldn't have known about all of this.

 

[Odinarcade00]

Several years ago AccuTec assumed operations at the Verona VA factory and had been making Comfort Coated (aka Lab Blue's) and Med Prep under the Personna moniker ... late 2023/24 they finally decided to re-brand ... clearly it has been slow and confusing for everyone including vendors.

Comfort Coated are now AccuForge
Med Prep's are now AccuThrive

Both are also available as a 'White Label' (different part number, and not sure if the build spec is different) and in cases of 5000

Same blades, different name and packaging. There was also a transition period where there was a lack of laser etching on the blade creating even more confusion.

Both AccuForge and AccuThrive can be had from medical supply vendors for a reasonable (though high end) price. .... prices from wet-shave vendors were roughly double the last time I looked into this in early 2024.
The main difference is the medical supply places sell in bulk 250/pc sleeves and not in consumer packaging.

you can get accuforge at RE in different quantities and they will sell you the whole cardboard sleeve with 250 blades but they push the price up even further.

 

[threshyper]

This is a box of the Personna Comfort Coated blades I purchased recently. However, the blade inside is white blank paper wrapped ans laser-marked as “Accuthrive for hospital use.” Is this a Med Prep blade? How does it compare in performance to the so-called Lab Blues?

 

[shave/brush]

Here is a box of Personna blades I recently purchased, and the blades have no markings on them at all.

 

[walpan]

This is a box of the Personna Comfort Coated blades I purchased recently. However, the blade inside is white blank paper wrapped ans laser-marked as “Accuthrive for hospital use.” Is this a Med Prep blade? How does it compare in performance to the so-called Lab Blues?
View attachment 2023202

This is not the Med Prep. The rebranded Med Prep is now called Accuthrive.
The Accuthrive is the old Med Prep and the Accuforge is the bold Lab Blue.

 

[purecro]

This is a box of the Personna Comfort Coated blades I purchased recently. However, the blade inside is white blank paper wrapped ans laser-marked as “Accuthrive for hospital use.” Is this a Med Prep blade? How does it compare in performance to the so-called Lab Blues?
View attachment 2023202

Where did you get yours, if you don't mind me asking? Curious to know as how AccuTec is doing this I don't know.

 

[threshyper]

This is not the Med Prep. The rebranded Med Prep is now called Accuthrive.
The Accuthrive is the old Med Prep and the Accuforge is the bold Lab Blue.
View attachment 2023219

I know that what you are talking about is the new Med Prep blade after Personna stopped using its original packaging and switched to the new Accuthrive packaging. The blades inside the Personna Comfort Coated packaging have always been a bit confusing, with some having ink markings and others having no markings at all. If the product I purchased is counterfeit, the counterfeiter would not need to go through the trouble of laser marking it; they could just use unmarked blades. That's what puzzles me

 

[purecro]

Here is a box of Personna blades I recently purchased, and the blades have no markings on them at all.

View attachment 2023212

When I asked a couple of reputable online dealers they said their latest batches of Personna Comfort Coated aka Lab Blues that they got were unmarked, I have two boxes unmarked myself.

I shaved with one recently and it felt like well a Personna Lab Blue/Accuforge as they are the same blade so I hope that helps.

 

[threshyper]

Where did you get yours, if you don't mind me asking? Curious to know as how AccuTec is doing this I don't know.

I can't remember where I bought it, but it was probably a B2B e-commerce platform specifically for the hairdressing salon supply chain.

 

[purecro]

I had been on getting some with the laser etching on the, which I ordered thru Razor Blades Club, even though I have plenty of Personna Lab Blues (blue wrappers) and Accuforge (black wrappers and say well Accuforge on them lol).

I always wanted a box, just never thought about getting it.

As far as shave goes, I have Personna Lab Blues vs Med Prep (blue wrappers for both) shave very similar, the Med Prep were a touch smoother for me, I looked at my notes but have not shaved with them in quite a while. Both are great blades, I think you got lucky getting that package, also dated with when they were made, very interesting.

 

[threshyper]

The photo on top is the new Accuthrive packaging for New Med Prep that my friend bought. The one below is the Med Prep from the old Personna CC packaging that I purchased this time. I can't see the difference between the two.

 

[purecro]

They look the same to me as well honestly, just your friends has the date etched on it. Only difference would be in how they shave. AccuTech has some of their stuff out there (from the Personna Comfort Coated) still laser etched, others not. You probably have got lucky and got a Med Prep for much cheaper than they sell for. How, why? I can't say.

When you shave with it, you'll know, its a very good blade imho.