*DONE* PIF For Reviewers Only

Very generous Sarge! Great PIF. Hope all works out for you.

 

Got my blades today Sarge. Might be awhile before I can do a review on the blades I got. Something came up and we have to move. But once we are settle into our new house I can start using these blades.

 

Got my blades; the Baili review should be up within a week, after I try it in both my Merkur and my FaTip.

 

If you got open boxes make sure you check the contents because I placed a mixture of blades in them.

 

hey sarge I was following your trip around the world. last I saw you were headed to Egypt, good reads what happened

 

So this PIF is officially closed.
Those who did not send me their addresses as of today, sorry you had your chance; Those who did should have got their blades, except for one, which I am sending out tomorrow.
Cheers

 

I received some blades in the mail today. Thank you Sarge! I will be trying and posting reviews for the following:

Lord Super Stainless - (have never tried this one)
Treet Platinum - (have tried before but it's been a while)
Dorco ST300 - (I've tried a Dorco blade a while back but I think it was the 301)
Baili Super Blue Blades - (I've never even heard of this one before now)
Feather - (I've already tried these and they are one of my favorite blades)

Thank you again for your generosity. I'm looking forward to adding some blade reviews.

 

I promised blade reviews for this PIF so here goes.

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade: Treet Platinum
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN HMW knot
Soap: Razorock Fine
Aftershave: Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion
Preshave: hot shower

I was attracted to this PIF because I've tried a lot of blades and there were many here that I haven't tried.
Even though I didn't win the PIF Sarge made us all winners and was nice enough to send me some blades for review the first of which will be the Treet Platinum blade. I have tried this blade once before as well as the Treet DuraSharp blade and both provided me with similar results.

I started the shave by putting some of the new RazoRock Fine soap in a bowl and swirling my previously soaked Rubberset brush to lather the soap. I didn't swirl the brush on the soap as this was the first time trying this soap and if I don't like it then I can pass it along in a cleaner state. The soap was a bit stubborn at first but then came around and provided a nice protective lather. The performance is that of the new RazoRock soaps which is excellent but the scent on this one I fear isn't for me. It's nice but the only barbershop scent that really like is the one that Mike's and Strop Shoppe both use for their soaps. This one was more of a softer Pinaud. Nice but likely not for me. Aside it goes.

So back to the blade. I put my ATT Kronos H2 razor to my face and started the first pass. I absolutely love this razor and use it every day. It was expensive but about the best money I've spend on anything shaving related. I wasn't really paying attention to what blade I was using until after the first pass and didn't really notice a major difference from my normal blades. I loaded the blade at the end of my previous shave the day before.

Anyway, the first pass was great, no tugging or pulling and the blade performed quite well. The second pass was quite the same as the blade was excellent and cleared the stubble effortlessly. This blade was performing quite well and was in good company with the PolSilver, Feather, Gillette Yellow, Gillette Black and Gillette Silver Blue blades that I normally use. On to the third pass and it went well. I can feel the blade becoming a little rougher by the end of the third pass and remember why I didn't purchase a lot of these back when I enjoyed them the first time I tried them.

For me the longevity just wasn't there. I usually go about four shaves on a blade but have even gone six on a Feather blade without issue at times. With the Treet blades I got about two shaves and that was it. This was the only reason I didn't purchase 100 of them was the longevity just wasn't there. I got one great shave and one ok shave from each blade. They were fairly inexpensive if I remember correctly as well. I'll likely go one more shave on this blade and than call it.

I rinsed my face and applied some Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion to finish the shave. I really like this aftershave lotion but haven't been able to find it in the stores anymore. I think they got rid of it to make way for some more cans of foam.

So the verdict on this blade is... great shaves but the blade just doesn't last.

 

I've shortened these reviews up a bit as I don't think anyone is actually reading them except myself. Since I promised to review the PIF blades, and I'm a man of my word, I'll continue with these reviews until I leave my thoughts on all of them.

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade Treet Platinum, Baili Super Blue
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN HMW knot
Soap: Martin de Candre
AfterShave: Osage Rub w/ extra menthol followed by AOS Ocean Kelp
Preshave: Hot shower

So I still has the Treet blade in the razor from the previous day's shave. I remove the blade and dry it off and put the razor back together after each shave. It just keeps things neat and clean this way. I started the first pass with the Treet blade and it was tugging and pulling a bit. I could tell that the blade was done. So this one was one and out. I finished the first pass with it but then binned it. On to the Baili blade I went. I'd never used or even heard of a Baili blade so I was definitely interested in trying this one out. I put it in the razor and started the second pass with it. The blade felt nice and was doing a nice job of clearing the stubble the Treet blade left behind. This pass went well and I was enjoying the blade. I was very comfortable with the razor and the pass was effortless. The third pass was more of the same and the shave ended quite well. The blade had done all that I'd asked of it and I'd gotten an nice smooth irritation free shave.

Final verdict on the Treet blade - Great shave but no longevity. For me it's a one and done blade.

Next day...
Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade: Baili Super Blue
Brush: Rooney Heritage Emilion 1
Soap: Martin de Candre
AfterShave: Nancy Boy Signature
Preshave: Hot shower

I started day two on the Baili blade and this was the first time that it would see a first pass. For the first pass it tugged and pulled a bit but cleared the majority of the stubble. This blade definitely wasn't really sharp. I started the second pass and it was much more comfortable than the first. It's not doing bad but I already know that this blade is getting binned after the shave. Pass three was more of the same. A bit of tugging and pulling that resulted in a nice smooth shave. Overall the blade gave me a nice shave despite the bit of discomfort that it provided. I wouldn't purchase this blade as while it got the job done I seem to be fond of the sharper blades. It kind of reminded me of a Derby blade.

Final Verdict on the Baili Super Blue blade - Not sharp enough for me. Another one and done blade.

I've got the Lord, Dorco and Feather blades left. Tomorrow's blade will be the Lord and it's already in the razor. I'm not looking forward to this one because while I've never tried one myself, I do recall reading some poor reviews. We'll have to see how it works for me tomorrow. The Dorco will follow and then the Feather will be last.

Thank you,
David

 

Today's review...

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade Lord Super Stainless
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN HMW knot
Soap: Petal Pusher Fancies Coconut
AfterShave: Osage Rub w/ extra menthol followed by Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion
Preshave: Hot shower

To today's shave was with the Lord blade. I used some Petal Pusher Fancies Coconut soap that I purchased a while back. It was only the second time I have used the soap but I can say with certainty that it is excellent and falls somewhere in my top ten of the 200 plus soaps I've tried. Well, enough about the soap and on to the blade. The first pass went well with only a slight bit of tugging and pulling. The blade isn't as sharp as the ones I normally use but got the job done none the less. The second pass was comfortable and went well. No nicks or cuts and a nice shave going so far. Third pass was a slight bit more tugging but I think there's still another shave or two left in the blade. This blade wasn't quite as sharp as the Treet blade but much sharper than the Baili blade I binned after the previous shave. I may go for another shave with it tomorrow but I doubt I'll discover anything new that'll make me want to purchase a bunch of these. Then again I might just bin it and go right to the Dorco blade. The Feather will be last and it's a blade I'm quite familiar with and quite fond of. I finished the shave with some Osage Rub that I added a bit too much menthol crystals to then followed it with some Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion. My face feel great from the lanolin in the soap and the after shave lotion. Overall the final result of the shave was almost perfect with one small spot I missed the very last bit of stubble under my lower right jawline. The result of the rest of my shave is a face that's as smooth as can be.

Overall the Lord Super Stainless was a very serviceable blade that got the job done but didn't impress. If I had them I'd use them but I'd seek out others before purchasing these.

I've tried a lot of blades and I'm pretty particular about which ones make it into my normal blade rotation. All of the blades so far were highly usable for at least one shave or more. I'll likely use a couple more of each and maybe pass some on to a friend to try out as well.

Despite not finding my next blade purchase I am enjoying trying some blades I haven't tried before and some that I'm not too familiar with. Thanks again to Sarge for this opportunity.

 

Today's review day two on the Lord blade.

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade Lord Super Stainless
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN HMW knot
Soap: PannaCrama Lavandatto
AfterShave: Shaveworks The Cool Fix
Preshave: Hot shower

Ok, so shave two on the Lord blade started out bad and went downhill from there. I was thinking that I should be able to get two nice shaves form the Lord blade. As I started the first pass I felt lot of tugging and pulling. This blade was done and I knew it but i was too stubborn to give up on it. I felt the dull blade as I went through the first pass. It was far from sharp and far from smooth. It felt like the time my wife used my cart razor to shave her legs and didn't tell me. It felt like I was shaving with an old rusted knife. Still my stubbornness forced me to carry on. I was telling myself that once I mowed down the high stuff that the second and third passes would be better. I finished the first pass and started the second. The second pass felt a little better than the first but I knew that this blade was tearing up my face. I finished the pass and gave up on the blade. Into the can it goes with all of the other used blades. I put the Dorco in the razor for the last pass which was better than the first two but my face isn't feeling good at this point. I finished the pass with the Dorco doing an adequate job with the remaining clean up.
Once finished I put the aftershave aside that I had intended to use and pulled out a bottle of Shaveworks The Cool Fix. I keep it on hand for situations just like this. I knew it would sting like hell and I was certainly right about that as I applied a pea sized amount to each of my cheeks and rubbed in into my cheeks and on my neck. Wow this stuff stings like hell, way worse than an alum block, but I haven't found anything better for razorburn. This stuff has me good as new in no time at all and shaving the next morning no matter how badly I tore myself up. I used it a lot when I first started but haven't used it in quite some time. I'd consider my technique to be very good now, I use a very aggressive razor and I can get a perfect shave with zero irritation just about every day. Now I guess I have to work on my stubbornness. Using that blade after I knew it was done was a bad idea.

Final Verdict - I guess I found another one and done blade. Overall it was a serviceable blade that gave me a good shave. However these cheap blades aren't really cheap when you only get one shave out of them. I'd buy something else before purchasing this Lord blade. I may use some more of the ones I have but only for one shave before tossing them.

 

Do you do any palm stropping of the blades? I started doing it a few months ago and it seems to make a difference in initial sharpness and longevity of most blades. 5 strops on each side of each edge before I put it in the razor and then 5 more after each shave. I think it has added about 25% to the blade life, if not more. Got 9 shaves off a 7 a.m. Plus blade last month. I have some Lord blades I'll be trying in the future. I'll chime back in about how my experience is.

And you though no one was reading these reviews!

 

Hey, somebody is actually reading this. No, I don't do any palm stropping. I can usually get quite a few shaves out of a blade but these ones not so much. I usually go three or 4 shaves on a blade and bin it when it still has some life left in it because blades are so cheap, why bother taking the risk of a bad shave by trying to stretch it anyway.

However, I was experimenting a while back just to see what I could get out of a blade and went about 8 shaves on a Feather blade. Granted the last couple shaves weren't great but they were better than shave two on the Lord blade. It might be a cool experiment to strop a couple though just to see if it makes a difference.

My normal go to blades are as follow:
Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow
Feather
PolSilver Super Iridium
Gillette 7 O'Clock Black
Gillette Silver Blue
Astra SP

Thanks for reading this,
David

 

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate, CJB, Henckels Platinum Straight
Blade Dorco ST300
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN Finest Fan
Soap: Calani Malabar
Post Shave: Alum block
AfterShave: Gillette Intense Cooling Lotion
Preshave: Hot shower

Ok so I bought a few straight razors to try my hand at that. I currently have some sharpening stones from 400 grit through 8000 grit for my kitchen knives. I sharpen my kitchen knives so I thought I'd give a straight razor a try. i know that I'll have to pick up another stone but the Snow White 8000 grit stone should give me a shavable edge until I figure out if this is for me. So I soaked the razor in a barbicide solution then I put the straight to the stones the other day and I knew that is wasn't shave ready when I finished with it. I've never shaved with an actual straight razor before but I do have a CJB razor that takes the Feather Professional blades that I use on occasion. So I figured what the hell lets try the dull straight. I was surprised that my edge would actually shave as I started the right side of my face. I was actually able to reduce some hair and finished the right side. Went I went to the left side of my face it wasn't happening. Apparently each side of the blade makes a difference and I have one side sharper than the other. Oh well, enough with that experiment. So I went to the CJB and did a pass with that. It was much sharper and the first pass went well. However on the second pass I caught myself on my jawbone just in front of my right ear. I felt it but no blood, wait for it, still waiting and no blood, maybe I didn't actually cut myself after all. And there it is, I'm bleeding. Not a bad cut at all, more of an inconvenience so I carry on and finish the pass. I'm still full of stubble so I say the hell with the CJB for now and pick up the ATT razor with the Dorko blade. I usually only use the one ATT razor per shave but I guess I felt adventurous today. Back to the Dorco blade. After using the CJB with a fresh Kai blade the Dorco felt like shaving with a butterknife. It pulled a little her and there but did clear all of the stubble effectively. I did two passes with the Dorco blade and it's a decent cheap average to slightly below average blade. These are not the most comfortable blades and kind of remind me why I got away from carts. i have in the past gotten a few shaves from one of these blades. They weren't the most comfortable shaves but it gave me three shaves none the less. If these were the only blades I could get then I'd use them over carts but I wouldn't seek them out and buy a lot of them. I've used a few of these before then passed the rest of what I had on to a friend that likes them for the price. Not his favorite blade but they are actually pretty inexpensive and better than some of the other cheaper blades. I'll likely pass these on to someone else to try in addition to some of the other blades that were PIF'd to me. I feel bad that I didn't find my next favorite blade in the batch but I really didn't expect to. It's been fun doing the reviews and I truly appreciate Sarge's generosity. The Feather blade is next and that one I already know is excellent. So tomorrow's review will be the Feather blade.

Final verdict on the Dorco blade - average to below average, sharper than the Baili but not as sharp as the Treet. Longer longevity than both of the other two.

Thanks for reading this,
David

 

Ok, now the Feather blade

Razor: ATT Kronos H2 plate
Blade: Feather
Brush: restored Rubberset 400 w/ TGN HMW knot
Soap: Tiki The Captain
AfterShave: Paul Mitchel Tea Tree Lotion
Preshave: Hot shower

Ok, this shave started out with the Tiki soap that I've only used one time before today. I can tell you that this soap definitely likes water. I kept adding water and it just kept taking it and wanting more. After taking the brush to the soap then going to the bowl to add water and work it, I ended up with a really nice lather and quite a bit of it. I really like the scent of The Captain. It's supposed to be a cherry tobacco type scent. I'm not a smoker and never have been but I do like the scent of this soap.

So I start the first pass with the Feather blade and I know exactly what I'm getting into here. I use these blades often and they cut effortlessly. When first starting wet shaving I did get some Feather blades in a blade sampler that I purchased. I didn't care for the blade at all as it gave me some of the worst razor burn I've had in my life. Seriously two to three days of discomfort. Somehow magically by leaving these blades sit (while my technique improved) for six months they got much smoother and much more comfortable to use. I was surprised by how good they were the second time I used them.

Well back to the shave. The first pass was effortless. I could certainly hear and feel the blade cutting but I didn't get the pulling sensation I did with the other blades. I continued and finished the first pass. I rinsed and re-lathered with the Tiki soap. I'm liking the Tiki soap so far. It's not as good for me as RazoRock XXX, Strop Shoppe SE w/tallow, or Petal Pusher Fancies but it certainly holds it's own with the Mike's, Barrister & Mann, and Stirling soap companies. Amanda at Tiki is excellent and also throws in something for free with every order. The sample set I ordered was very generous as well. Every bit as generous as Stirling if you can believe that.
I finished the second pass which was quite uneventful and felt my face. I could have stopped here and had an excellent shave. I continued with the third pass which was mostly just some touch up of the small amount of stubble that was left and the shave was complete. I rinsed and dried my face and added some Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lotion that I received from a member of another forum as a PIF. I really enjoy this lotion as it's quite a nice peppermint type scent that leaves my face feeling great.

I'll continue to use this Feather blade for the next two or three shaves before pitching it likely before it's last good shave has been given.
Feather blades are excellent and some of the best I've ever tried. With very good technique they're really tough to beat. With poor technique you may not like them at all.

Final Verdict - If you have good technique Feather blades are absolutely excellent, with bad technique you should choose something else. Certainly not a good choice for beginners.

Thank you to Sarge for sharing the blades. Your generosity is appreciated. From the description of your PIF I only expected a few blades and received a few 10 packs and a 5 pack of blades. So, thank you for that. All of the blades were quite acceptable for at least one shave and the Feather's for much more so I could likely shave for at least a month and a half on what you sent. I'll likely share the blades with other members in a PIF so that others can try them as well. I really appreciate the opportunity to try new things and definitely enjoyed doing these reviews.

Thanks again,
David