Blade sample pack reviews

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Demidog, Oct 22, 2016.

  1. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    I like the Nacet - its been quite a few weeks since I tested it but I put it in the top category of my "best" blades so far. Will revisit it along with the other "best" blades when I get through this initial phase.
     
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  2. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Asco doesn't market the coating on their orange blades if there is one. It just felt remarkably similar to the Voskhod for me so my guess is that they share the same coating. Try A Blade also lists this as one of the few Teflon coated blades that they offer, but I have no idea where they get their information. I went into my shave with the yellow 7 O'Clock thinking that it was platinum coated due to the information on Try A Blade, but it doesn't state this anywhere on the packaging.

    The orange and red Ascos have identical packaging aside from the colors and they're both marketed as plain stainless blades. There must be a difference though because otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to distinguish between the two. I didn't buy any reds in my sample pack so it's up to you to figure it out.
     
  3. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    With this new batch of blades I'm going to shave a couple times per week more than usual. Probably try the reds tomorrow afternoon.
     
  4. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    There are a few sites that warn the user not to wipe the blade to dry it. Such action may "wipe the coating off". They also say the coating is "PFTE" - polytetrafluoroethylene (teflon being the commercial name). So I guess they are coated. You would think they would advertise that fact.
     
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  5. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    Dec 19: Since I tried the Asco orange yesterday I thought I would try the Asco red today for a side by side comparison. Merkur 34c, bowl, Royal Shave badger, Fine American Blend soap (good barber shop scent), and Nivea to rehydrate (been cold and dry here the last few days). At first I thought the red was feeling pretty much like the orange from yesterday. Wrong. The red Asco left a lot of whiskers after the first pass. Took all three passes and considerable clean up - still not happy with the results. Guess the Asco red will go onto the do not buy list. The Asco orange label actually gave a pretty good shave yesterday. Other than that I thought the Fine American Blend was a very nice soap. They have good products - I especially like their Platinum after shave.
    Dec 19 2016.jpg
     
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  6. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    I had a feeling that the red Asco wouldn't be very good. The main reason that I was able to get a great first shave from the orange Asco was because it was so smooth and comfortable that I was able to come close to going completely against the grain. I'm guessing that red Ascos are pretty much like Sharks. I know that you didn't mind Sharks but I think that they're one of the worst blades of all time, at least among the ones that I've tried so far.
     
  7. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Blade: Sputnik

    I tossed the Nacet since I have a backup and I'm eager to move on and try other blades. My face was still hurting from my shave two days ago so this wasn't the most fair review, but I think that I got a good feel for the blade anyway. This is another Teflon coated blade and at this point, it's very apparent to me that the "Teflon coated" print on these types of blades is not just a marketing gimmick. You can even see the coating on the blade, which appears as a matte film all over the surface. I noticed it on the orange Asco, I noticed it on the Sputnik, and I will probably notice it now when I go back and look at the Voskhod again.

    Thanks to the coating, the blade was a bit more comfortable than regular stainless or platinum coated blades, but I still noticed that it had a bit of a bite. The edges of the Asco felt like sharp jelly gum drops, whereas the edges on the Sputnik seemed to be a bit lacking in the coating. Perhaps it was because I was riding the cap like crazy or because my lather was really lousy today, but I'm not totally happy with how I ended up looking after shave, especially after using the Nacet, which gave me a closer shave after only one WTG pass. I also ended up with way too many weepers. I still need to wait until the evening to see if I get any major irritation but I'm sure that I will as usual, and I'll be feeling it for the next two or three days as expected.

    I'll be revisiting the SharpEdge and the Voskhod soon so that I can order a proper pack of blades because I'm a bit tired of my face feeling like minced meat every single day, especially with the cold, dry winter air.

    [​IMG]

    Sharpness: 8/10
    Comfort: 8/10
    Longevity: not testing
     
  8. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    The reds were far worse than the Sharks. In fact In my ranking I put the Asco red one above my worst blade the Merkur
     
  9. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    The Voskhod and Sharp Edge are both in my top category of "excellent" blades. No shave today - need to recover from yesterday. Tomorrow I will probably try one of the three different Rapira blades I have. Friday I plan on trying the Polsilver Iridium. Interesting that West Coast Shaving is saying that the Polsilver has not been discontinued - just getting a repackaging. Here's their statement: "The Super Iridium double edge blades were a popular blade before they were discontinued. Or at least that's what we thought happened to them. Turns out there was a distribution change and the blades are still being made in St. Petersburg, Russia. They are packaged slightly different, but they are the same great blade. Sharp and smooth."
     
  10. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Wow, that's really excellent news. Now I wish that I had ordered a Pol-Silver in my sample pack. As for the multiple Rapiras and the Ladas, I'm still debating whether or not to try them before investing in my next pack of blades. They are made by the same people who make Voskhods so even if they aren't Teflon coated, I think that they might be really good especially after all of the positive comments that I've read about them. The problem is that it apparently takes 4-6 weeks to receive any of these blades from Russia, which is why I want to order soon. I'm looking forward to your reviews on the Rapiras and the Pol-Silver. You seem to have a much higher tolerance for blades compared to me, but we mostly seem to agree on the top category blades so if you really like any of them, then I'm sure that I will too.
     
  11. Christopher Powell

    Christopher Powell Well-Known Member

    I was under the impression that all DE blades were sprayed with a coating of Teflon.
     
  12. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    That's what I've read too but there is a marked difference between the blades that advertise it and the ones that don't, with the exception of the Asco orange since it doesn't mention Teflon anywhere. I don't know if you have used a Sputnik but the coating is clear as day and they also feel a lot different. I'm pretty sure that the Voskhod also had a very visible coating although I need to double check. Whatever the coating might be, it gives the blade a more rubberized appearance and it feels great against my face. It can make an otherwise lousy blade feel rather nice, as in the case of the Asco.
     
  13. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    Dec 21: Tried my first Rapira blade today. I went two days without shaving to recover from my last test blade the Asco red label. Today was the Rapira Platinum Lux. They are made at the same St Petersburg, Russia factory as Voskhod and Lada. Cost about $12 per 100. Same razor as always - Merkur 34c, my favorite brush - SOC boar, Captain's Choice bowl for lathering, and a great soap - Stirling Executive Man blooming (yes I'm a bloomer). What great lather even with my hard well water. Finally - since it has been cold and dry - a dose of Dove After Shave Balm to hydrate my face. I had a wonderful shave with the Rapira Platinum Lux. It seems to be in that zone where its sharp enough but still very smooth and comfortable. Very close shave with no irritation. This could easily be a daily blade. Another blade for my final top category. I have two more Rapira blades yet to test - the Swedish Steel and Stainless. We'll see how they do in upcoming days. Feel good right now.

    Dec 21,2016.jpg
     
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  14. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Glad to hear that this is a top category pick. I think that I skipped the Platinum Lux when I ordered my second sample pack because I haven't ruled out platinum as an irritant for me, but I have three other Rapiras. I can't wait to use them, as well as the Ladas.
     
  15. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    I have Ladas as well. They will be coming up. I still have 9 more blades to test. So it will be couple weeks yet to get through them all.
     
  16. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Blade: Ladas

    This blade was a complete enigma. It started out a little rough like the Sputnik but the second pass was perhaps one of the smoothest passes that I've ever made since I switched to safety razors. Now I'm realizing that I made a mistake when I ordered this second sample blade pack - I wish that I had picked only a few blades and ordered two of each instead of selecting a lot of blades and only one of each this time around. The experience that I had with this blade absolutely warrants two independent tests.

    I deviated from my routine today because I want to shave on both Christmas eve and on Christmas, so I shaved at night for a change and I also did two WTG passes instead of one WTG and one XTG pass. This way, I can skip tomorrow and hopefully my face will be in okay shape by Saturday. The packaging for this blade doesn't make any mention of Teflon but it definitely had a noticeable coating, although it was nowhere near as thick as on the orange Asco or even the Voskhod if I'm remembering correctly. No annoying wax dots either, but nicely double wrapped instead. I'm not even sure what to think right now because this blade was maybe a 7/10 on the first pass, but easily a 9/10 or more on the second pass. I need to test the Voskhod and the SharpEdge again but if all goes well, I'm thinking that I might order a 100 pack of all three of these blades if it fits my budget. That will also give me plenty of blades to trade with others in case anyone is interested.

    [​IMG]

    I almost feel like I should gave this blade two separate ratings for each pass but here is the consolidated rating:

    Sharpness: 8/10
    Comfort: 8.5/10
    Longevity: To be determined

    I wanted to give it a 9/10 in comfort but I took off half a point for that first pass. The sharpness rating is kind of arbitrary this time around since I didn't do an XTG pass.
     
  17. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    Dec 23: Another Friday - another afternoon shave to get ready for date night. New blade tested. Usual set up: Merkur 34c, Omega 20107 boar brush (breaking in very nicely), Captain's Choice North, and finished with Fine Platinum. The new blade is troublesome. It gave me an absolute wonderful shave - one of the best, if not the best, of the 22 blades tested so far. I had a two day growth - the blade went right though it. Sharp and very smooth - no irritation. Why is it troublesome? It is the Polsilver Super Iridium. Everyone is saying they have suspended production of this blade as of a few months ago. Its made in St Petersburg Russia by Proctor and Gamble. There are still ample inventories on hand but the price is up around $34 per 100 and will go up as inventories go down. There is also confusion - West Coast Shaving's web site says the the blade will continue to be produced but will be packaged and marketed differently. Who knows. This is one fine blade - I may just go ahead and buy a hundred even though I'm still in the middle of my blade testing. Next shave won't be until Christmas Day. Everyone have a happy and safe Christmas.
    Dec 23, 2016.jpg
     
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  18. smittywerbenmanjensen

    smittywerbenmanjensen Active Member

    Here's whats left of my sample pack. Vidyut (Idiot) Super-Max stainless, Super-Max platinum, Treet platinum super stainless, Astra platinum, Nacet platinum. They are now dust collectors. I have been alternating between Personna blues and Gillette 7 o'clock super stainless for some time now. I like those blades an awful lot. I also keep on hand a some Feathers, Lords, and Merkurs. On a recent trip to the Pasteur Pharmacy in NYC, I picked up a pack of the Voskhod. Tried it and liked it very much.
     
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  19. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    Nacet Platinums are discontinued so good thing you held onto it. Could be a collector's item some day.
     
  20. smittywerbenmanjensen

    smittywerbenmanjensen Active Member

    LOL. I never thought of razor blades as collectibles. BTW with so much online content regarding wet shaving, how come there is no magazine out there dedicated to it? Just sayin'
     
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