I just bought 20 Polsilvers. I remember using some a little while ago and thought they were pretty good so I'm anxious to try them again. If they are up to par with the GSBs I'll probably order 100 of them as well.
They're fine. Blades don't matter nearly as much as people like to pretend they do, and usually are catching blame for poor technique. Blade reviews are meaningless, generally, because they are normally written by new converts who have sentenced themselves to a never-ending rotation of mediocrity by not sticking to one setup until they master it.
I think they matter more than people give them credit for. I've been using GSBs for a while now but I'm always trying new blades just because. I had several tucks of Personna Platinum (Israeli Reds) that I bought out of curiosity. I tried a couple about a year or so ago and found them to leave me with lots of weepers with my then favorite razor, Gillette Old Type. Since then my preferred razor has changed to a Gillette New Deluxe. I get stupendously smooth and close shaves with it paired with a GSB. I stuck a Personna Red in there and had blood all over my face. Thinking it was my technique I gave it another go and the same result, if not worse. Wondering if it was my technique, I stuck a GSB in the same razor for my next shave and had a bloodless close and comfortable shave. I attribute it to the blades. And I just traded my remaining two tucks of Personna Reds to someone in return for some GSBs. I think I'll stick with Russian blades. GSBs and Voskhods have been good to me. We'll see how the Polsilver SIs compare.
still like my gsb and nacet the most..but they all work well and feel similar.. derby extra still are too dull..
Which makes sense, as that's where the blades are made. Large companies are not monolithic. They are usually made up of numerous divisions and departments, and typically span the globe. A given individual often won't know who to contact in other divisions or geographic locations. Why? That was rude. It is important to remember there is a human being on the other end of that email. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I hope you sent that person an apology. Regarding PPI, the folks there won't all speak English. Keeping in mind, if course, that they likely get lots of emails asking for product details. Even if they did respond, there will be some business details they are not allowed to discuss. Since other wetshavers have also reported a lack of response, PPI might not be allowed to respond at all, or might not have a customer-facing rep onsite. It is a manufacturing facility after all. Probably, for the reasons I stated above. You might want to give them a chance. If PPI did not respond in a week or two, just let the Gillette US person know. It might be a good idea to heap some well-deserved praise on their blades, and ask for a web page in English showing their various double-edge blades worldwide.
Yeah, I used to work for one of those monolithic corporations. JPMorgan Chase. For 19 years. But if I have a client who asks me a question about something outside of my area, I'll do what I can to find the answer for them. The last thing I'll do is tell them, call so and so and see if they can help you. That's just bad customer service. And I found it to be ridiculous for the reasons I've stated above. No, I'm not sending anyone an apology. They don't deserve one. It wasn't rude at all. And again, for the reasons I've stated above. I already had heaped praise on them for their GSBs when I wrote the first email posing my question. So the honey came right at the outset. And I highly doubt they would provide me with a web page showing their various double edge blades worldwide since there is no reference on the Gillette website in general that they are even in the business of making and selling double edge blades. I've finished my communications with them. If they wish to update their responses with information that would help to answer my very simple first question, that would be great. And if not, no big deal. I'll be extremely happy to keep GSBs and Voskhods in my blade stash and may be adding Polsilver SIs to the mix soon after I give them a thorough testing.
That depends on who you ask. I like Voskhods but I don't like Astras. YMMV. Your best bet is to buy a tuck of each. Give Tryablade a visit. http://tryablade.com/
The only Rapira blade i like was Rapira Platinum. I dont like the other Rapiras. Polsilver, GSB, 7 o'clock yellow pack are the greatest Russian blades for me. It is not easy to find Gillette blades in Turkey. And too pricy than the other blades. PermaSharp Super is also good. It was an old Turkish production. Now they are produced in Russia like many other blade brands.
I agree with the consensus on the Voskhod/Astra SP discussion. I tried the Astras and Voskhods early in my double edge days and to this day much prefer the Voskhods. Smoother and they seem to be sharper as well.
We absolutely agree on GSB and Voskhod. Those are my most often used. My experience was that as my technique got better over time, the range of acceptable blades increased. Blades do matter, but they do also catch unfair blame.
Sure. And it's one government. Try filing your taxes at the BMV next year, and let us know how it goes. At the risk of giving them bad information? I have no doubt that your intentions were sincere. But as a customer, I would argue that attempting to answer a question outside of your area of expertise is bad customer service. It has been the source of much frustration for me in the past. I would much rather you just refer me to someone qualified to answer the question. In the case of Gillette US, they can tell you anything you want to know about plastic handles and cartridges. But DE blades? They might have young employees that don't even know that the things ever existed. I would have no faith in any answer from them on the subject.
I believe the Gillette trademark was sold, along with the DE machine tools, to a Russian holding company--making them simply a namesake to the American company. (read about it long ago, dont quote me.)