Gillette Platinum blade review

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by feeltheburn, May 4, 2013.

  1. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    gillette_platinum_5pack.jpg
    I got this pack of blades from Art of Shaving when I bought my Futur. They're made by PPI in St. Petersburg Russia. While it appears that they are out of production and not readily available for a decent price, it seems PPI has brought blades back after not producing them for a while. The Super Iridiums and Silver Blues appeared to dry up for a while but then came back so it's possible these blades may become readily available again.

    The first razor I tried these in was my Futur. Before trying these, I used an Astra SP in the Futur for a few days so I'd have a baseline to compare with. The sharpness felt very similar to the Astra for me but smoothness of the Gillette was amazing. This Gillette blade also beat the Astra's longevity. I got 4 shaves from the Gillette and probably could have got a 5th but didn't want to risk irritation. Although the Gillette was losing some sharpness, it still felt smooth. The Astra started to feel a bit rough on the 3rd shave.

    The second razor I tried the Gillettes in was my Muhle R89. While the blade seemed to work ok in the Muhle, it felt less sharp than an Astra. Still nice and smooth but I had to go over some spots several times to get a close shave. It seems this blade works better for me in a more aggressive razor.

    After 2 shaves, I moved the blade over to my Weber Bulldog. The Weber feels downright aggressive to me with an Astra SP loaded but with the Gillette Platinums, it had a beautiful smooth feel to it. The blade on its 3rd and 4th shaves felt sharp enough. No tugging on my chin yet and way, way more smooth than the Astra. The Gillette blade and the Weber Bulldog are a great match. Best blade I've used in that razor so far. A few hours after the 4th shave my face felt a very tiny bit irritated so I banked the blade and didn't try for a 5th shave.

    The next razor I tried was a Gillette Slim Adjustable on 5. The blade worked well. Not quite as well an in the Weber but pretty acceptable. The next morning I went to turn the razor up to 6 and found the blade covered in rust. These blades may require a little more care than most. It was a bit disappointing to only get 1 shave out of it but I'll be more careful with the next 2 blades.

    Next up was the Merkur 39c slant. The Gillette Platinum's "sharp enough and ultra-smooth" feel is really pretty amazing so I hoped the slant would give the blade just a little boost. Also, since most blades seem to last longer in my slant, I was hoping for a nice long run on the last couple blades I had. Unfortunately, the blades didn't feel any sharper in the slant and I think they performed better in the Slim and much better in the Weber. So, I'll just use up the last 2 blades in the Weber and move on.

    A little bit of searching and I've found some of these blades available at ridiculously high prices. I don't think they're worth that. In fact, if they come back at $25/100, I may still not buy them. They're probably better for a person who has an average beard. If you're like me and have a thick, coarse beard they feel like they need to be a little sharper.
     
  2. Bobcat

    Bobcat Well-Known Member

    I just finished my 6th shave with a Gillette Platinum in my Super Speed Red Tip. Combined with the Maggard Fougere Sauvage, my 6th shave with it was excellent: close, still smooth, and nick free.

    As always, YMMV.

    They are still available for $30-$45/100.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2014
    brit, Terry Williams, Demidog and 5 others like this.
  3. ObiDon

    ObiDon member in questionable standing

    I was thinking, I'll order some, but wait, I see what you are doing. Dangle these fine Gillette blades in front of me and in a haze of want I will be on Amazon placing an order. Ha ha it won't work. I dragged myself away from the keyboard just in time. No buy July is safe,once more. Your plot has been foiled.:duel:
     
  4. angrygio698

    angrygio698 Member

    How does the platinum compare to the silver blues?
     
  5. Bobcat

    Bobcat Well-Known Member

    I think they are one notch above the GSB's, but not by much. The GSB's are one of my "Top 5" blades. I really like the Platinum's, but am not sure they are that much better when you compare the cost: $20/100 vs. $35-$40/100. The Platinum's are in the Pol-Silver SI cost range. If I were going to keep just one, I would get the GSB........but then why can't I have some of both? I have 100 GSB's and 50 Platinum's (see, I am being frugal).

    Clear as mud???? :D
     
  6. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    To me they feel a little less sharp than GSBs and maybe a little smoother.
     
  7. angrygio698

    angrygio698 Member

    Thanks guys gotcha
     
  8. Slow Joe

    Slow Joe Relishing his obsession

    I agree with everything you just said. Big fan of these and GSB.:)
     
    Bobcat likes this.
  9. J_Man

    J_Man right on the Mass border

    I know that I tried the 7 0'clock sharps in several razors and they seemed very dull, but I'll have to give some of their other blades a try.
     
  10. tuxxdk

    tuxxdk International Penguin of Mystery

    The Platinums make my Fatboy sing a very addictive tune

    They are around 26 USD pr 100 here.
     
    ObiDon likes this.
  11. Slow Joe

    Slow Joe Relishing his obsession

    Where do you buy them from, as I am paying way more than that, about 50 DKr for 5, dont know exactly what that is in USD.
     
  12. tuxxdk

    tuxxdk International Penguin of Mystery

    I get them on ebay from Romania. Last buy was 160 dkr for 100 pcs.
     
  13. Slow Joe

    Slow Joe Relishing his obsession

    That is a great price I will have to check e bay, never thought of buying blades from there before.The only thing from making Gillette platinums may daily goto blade has been price, but that might change now..... In August.
     
  14. Bobcat

    Bobcat Well-Known Member

    $32.58 with Shipping from Romania to U.S. currently.
    $32.78 with Shipping from Israel.
     
  15. tuxxdk

    tuxxdk International Penguin of Mystery

    $29 shipped to Denmark. They are a bit up in price, from my last buy.
     
    Bobcat likes this.
  16. Bobcat

    Bobcat Well-Known Member

    I just did another 6 shave run with the Red Tip. As before, all six shaves were smooth, close, and nick free. The blade was still going strong. Who knows how many more shaves it would have allowed?

    [​IMG]
     
    tuxxdk and KLF like this.
  17. KLF

    KLF Doctorin

    I really like these blades, usually I get 6-7 shaves from it, definitely worth the price
     
    Bobcat likes this.
  18. tuxxdk

    tuxxdk International Penguin of Mystery

    It's a great blade. The only I use in my Gillette Adjustables
     
    Bobcat and Omelmad like this.
  19. LaSalle82

    LaSalle82 Well-Known Member

    I enjoy the Gillette Silver Blues. I get close comfortable shaves from the SB's. Did the Gillette Platinum's replace the 7 o'clock super platinum's (blue box) which are no longer available?
     
    Terry Williams likes this.
  20. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I don't think so. They were both being made at the same time. Just a different blade.
     
    LaSalle82 likes this.

Share This Page