Just finished up a week with my Gem, Jr. loaded with a Ted Pella blade. This is a great blade and a fun razor. The first shave was just a bit rough but after that the shaves literally improved day by day. I think it'll be no problem to stretch the blade life through the weekend. This single edge is the first Pella I've tried. I'd like to get hold of some Pella injector blades.
I don't think they are the same, Stainless (coated) vs Carbon Steel. But I have not used either, just wondering.
This is the one at the link (at the top): Those are the ones that are $4.50 for 20. The layout is confusing: the price follows the description.
No, it really is a terrible layout. The price looks as though it belongs with the following blade, not the preceding blade. :sigh: Too many web sites, not enough web designers.
Rich what kind of lifespan did you get out of the Pella SEs? I think I got a week out of mine maybe a little more. The branded Gems are good blades too.
I got seven shaves out of the only one I've ever used and it was still doing the job but I decided to toss it rather than chance it.
There are 3 types of the Pella/Personna GEM blades: Carbon steel, Stainless Steele and Stainless Steele PTFE coated. The only blades worth talking about and its my opinion only that the best GEM I have ever tried is only the Pella/Personna GEM SS PTFE, the regular SS and Carbon ones are paint scrapers, the PTFE are industrial ones and looks like they might be used in some surgical procedures, extremely sharp, extremely smooth and extremely long lasting. I can go up to 12 shaves with a single GEM SS PTFE blade.
Not sure why this old thread was dug up, but I disagree with your statement that the only blades made by ASR "worth talking about" are the stainless blades. I MUCH prefer the carbon steel Treet and GEM Blue Star blades over the PTFE stainless blades. It's not even close for me, the carbon steel blades win hands down.
I never mentioned the Blue Star and Treets carbon blades in my post, I was speaking only of the different kind of Personna ones. Both are so similar I always thought they are made by the same factory and are just rebranded. They are good for me for up to 6 shaves, rough on the first shave and then they smooth up. My luck is that the rusting carbon steel gives me some sort of skin reaction and I end up getting those nasty pimple that I end up popping after a week.... so I have to say no to metals that rust, and yes I do clean the blades dry after every shave.... they just rust the moment they get in contact with water. I have tried also bunch of other vintage GEM blades and none came even close to the GEM PTFE Personna, actually no blade on the market DE and SE blades do even come close to it.