I've pretty much settled on the Astra Platinums as my blade of choice but I still had a few others in my sample pack to try out. I tried a 7 O'Clock Platinum (blue box) in my Muhle R89 to see how it was. It shaved very well, smooth with no irritation just like my Astras. I remembered these are made in Russia as well so I compared the boxes and they have the same address. Are these run on the same assembly line and is there any reason the 7 O'Clocks are twice as much as the Astras? (Besides marketing.) They look & shave the same to me.
It looks like the Astras are made in a different location. I haven't tried the 7 O'C Blue, so I can't compare them with the Astra.
On the back side of the Astra box it says: Made by ZAO Petersburg Products Int. Pulkovskoye Shosse 54 St Petersburg, 196140 Russia On the side of the Astra box it says: Distributor: Procter & Gamble Czech Republic On the side of the 7 O'Clocks it says: Made by Petersburg Products Int. Pulkovskoye Shosse 54 St Petersburg, 196140 Russia under license from The Gillette Company, Boston, MA On the back it says: Correspondence: Gillette Middle East PO Box 1996, Dubai, UAE It's not a huge deal to me, they both shave the same. I was just wondering why the 7 O'Clocks were twice as much and if there is any real justification for it.
Well in that case, it is always possible. I could have sworn that when I picked up an astra box to check last night it was a different factory. Oh wait... I bet I flipped over a Rapira or Voskhod instead. Nevermind... So many Russian blades... so little opportunity to shave
It is highly possible and it is also possible the Gillette has a little extra prep per Gillette's specs. Happens in industry all the time. The Gillette brand would bring a higher premium than the Astra. That being said, I get a smoother shave with the 7 O'Clock Blue than I do the Astra. I've heard good things about the 7 O'Clock Green blades and I will try them next. I do not like the 7 O'Clock Yellow blades.
They are definitely made in the same establishment, though in different parts. I tried the 7 o'clock yellow, I do not know how to be the blue. The yellow is really good, like the astra ...
There's a few blades being made in that plant, I liken the shave with the Dark Blue's with the Astra's as well. However I found the Dark Blue's to be of a higher quality, they seem to hold the edge better and I do indeed get smoother shaves out of them. Its up to you to decide if the price is worth it or not.
I've got 3 shaves so far on the Astra and it still shaves fine. I only shave a couple times a week so it'll take me a while to see how they all do. I did take out the Astra twice to try different blades. I tried a Voskhod that did well and the 7 O'Clock Blue. I've got so many blades I'm trying out and it takes me so long between shaves that I started a "shave log" just to keep track of how they all do. I might have to post it here just for fun.
I'm not familiar with 7 OC blue. I know the yellows are great for me and I've tried one of the green variety that was almost as good for me. I haven't tried the black version. None of the 7 OC blades I've tried shave exactly like an Astra, but if they're making a blue version now, it's possible.
The Blue version is the "Platinum" version. I've got the Yellow and Green ones as well but haven't tried them yet. Since I only shave twice a week it takes a while to go through blades to see how they work for me. I really need a second face and a third hand. They would come in handy but I'm sure SWMBO would be upset at the mass deformities. I've got my shave log updated & will put it up shortly. Maybe it will help someone or just be fun to check out.
I don't believe I've tried the Astras yet. I've tried the Blues and the Yellows. The Yellows are in my top 2 blades that I stock for myself. The Blues are good for a few shaves, then for me go downhill, unlike the Yellows whichgive me a full week+ of great shaves (7+ shaves). OK, I checked. The Astras haven't been tested yet, but I'm up for a new blade in the AM. I just put an Astra in the Slim adj.. I'll test it at setting 9 in the AM. Or I'll stick to my test regimen and put it in the Tech, I haven't decided yet, but for now it's in the Slim.
I did the test this AM of the Astra. I don't think it's the same blade, but it's like the Blues after 3 days. I'll continue the test, it's in my Tech for tomorrow, and I'll see it through even though I really don't care for the blade. At least they aren't the disaster that the Dorcos were.
