I often wonder if most of the Russian blades are all made in the same plant, just with different branding. I wouldnt be surprised if they were made by Gillette and just rebranded.
I believe they are all coming from the St. Petersburg plant. I don't think there's more than one plant per country, except _maybe_ China. The good plant making the Cloud razors, and the other plant making the counterfeit everything else. However, unlike many, I do not believe that they're on the same _line_. I think that each separate blade brand is made on its own line, with its own hardening section, grinding section, and coating section. That, more than anything else, defines the different brands. The reason for it being "Different Strokes for Different Folks" - people are different, and the blades are intended to reflect this. I think that the cheap Dorco and Derby, for example, are aimed specifically at the hair styling market, not the shaving market. Cutting the hair clean is what matters, and you don't have to worry about how the face feels afterwards. Nobody 'hairturbates' unless they want to mess up the 'do. Lord (Egypt) is aimed at the heavier Mediterranean/Arabic/Iranian beard. Russia/Nacet/Voskhod/Rapira are aimed at the Caucasoid. Cloud at the Asiatic. No clue how to define Israel/Personna. Germany.... At those who go for country/brand name over how well they work. I suspect that Merkur makes most of the blades like the VDH "Ice".
From what I understand, Russia puts out nice blades because of their really good quality steel. And also as @Bookworm mentioned, different brands use different lines, especially with Rapira with their Swedish Steel blades. Even though all Rapiras shave fine for me, they do have slight differences on smoothness and longevity. But getting back to German blades, I only tried one, the Merkur blades, didn't care for them.
I don't even think it's because of the steel. The only thing that better steel would produce is longevity. It's like my pocket knives. The crappy ones hone up to the same sharpness as the good ones. The difference is that the good ones don't bend as easily (or at all), and they keep the edge longer. I don't have to hone them as often. So, for a straight, steel is important. For a disposable, not so much, other than for marketing. (Mind you, if it's absolute crap, then it won't hone, but there's a huge range between 'crap' and 'the finest turd-polished swedish steel!' )
True, but they sent a lot of smoking hot Russkie chicks to the US, so that makes up for any transgressions. And Laser, Topaz and Super-Max are made for Indians? I think notions that blades are best suited for the ethnic groups in their countries of origin are quite inaccurate. There are plenty of Americans who report that blades from geographically diverse nations work well for them.
Where they were originally aimed for is simply an extreme generalisation. Every person is a bit different. I will also note that "American" covers a lot of different phenotypes.
True, there are some very beautiful Russian women out there. To be fair though, theres beautiful women from all over the world, so Im not sure thats exactly a valid argument.
Very true. There is no one true definition of what an, "American" is from an ethnic standpoint. We are a nation of immigrants.
It is about as valid as trying to inject politics into traditional wetshaving. Are the Russians also to boycott blades made by Petersburg Products International (PPI) because it is owned by Gillette? You can find plenty to bitch about for any country where double edge blades are produced, which would mean we would have to boycott everything shaving. Besides, Gillette and Mostochlegmach are not the Russian government. Boycotting their blades would be punishing those two companies for nothing. You are right, there are beautiful women throughout the world. Russian, Ethiopian, Iranian and Brazilian women are particularly beautiful, however. Not sure why. Maybe it is because they shave their legs with a safety razor?
Have you ever seen that German blade before? I found it in a small shop at Turkey. I cannot find information about it. I shaved three times with this blade and i really like it. Efficient and smooth.
For me it's Russian & Japanese except for the %$&# wax. I regularly use and like Israeli blades also. I find them sharp, long lasting and no wax. The only German blade I ever used that I liked were the Wilkinson's.
I'm not sure why no one has mentioned them.... Bolzano razor blades are hands down better than any of the previously mentioned blades from any country mentioned here so far. They are an Italian name, but now manufactured in Germany. You can get them for about $25 per 100 pack so they aren't to bad. They are regarded to be as sharp as Feathers, but much smoother. OH and they seem to last a few more shaves longer too (YMMV).
