I have been looking into blades lately and I was wondering about the different styles or nomenclature. I have seen the following: Stainless Super Stainless Platinum Super Platinum Superior Platinum Super Iridium Super Chrome Platinum Chrome I'm think there are a few more, but not really sure. Now my question: Is there an actual difference say between Stainless / Super Stainless ect. or what is the difference? Just Marketing? Thanks
It's just marketing- some companies (ie. Lord) just put out different packaging for different markets. You'll go crazy trying to decipher what it all means. Just try a sampler and see what works for you.
I think just in general and within a given brand's lineup, the platinums/chromes/iridiums are the higher end blades. Whether they're better or not, only your face can decide.
Really? I was under the impression that it was the fine coating over the Stainless blade, ie Super Stainless wouldn't have any, iridium would have a fine coating, etc... Where did I get this idea. Do we have an engineer who could clarify this?
Well, in the Personna line, Super Stainless means PTFE coated (like the Blue Labs). But does a Shark Super Stainless have a PTFE coating? I have no idea. And since they make a Super Chrome, is that one a Chromium coated blade? Probably so, but does the "super" mean it also has a PTFE coating? Maybe. I think it does sort of boil down to marketing. A company can call their blades anything they want and the snazzier the name, the more likely you'll pay more for it, as long as it seems to work better than a cheaper blade.
It is more than just marketing sometimes. Platinum and iridium are used to make the edges of the blade harder and last longer. PTFE coatings (Teflon) are also used to make the blade glide more easily over the face. You are right in saying that trying to decipher it all can make you go crazy, though. KingChoss, you would do well to take fram773's advice and try a blade sampler or put together your own.
Thanks for the replies. I have sampler pack, but I was thinking about putting another one together. I was wanting to try Sharks, but didn't know difference between Super Chrome and (Super?) Stainless. Also I have been using Astra SP and wanted to know the difference between those and the Stainless. On that note, where would the best place to make a custom sampler be at? or just searching the net and buying individual 5-packs?
If you can find a vendor who has all the ones you want to try, buying a bunch of 5-packs works. I started with a sampler and since then, I've added 5 or 10-packs of new blades to my orders whenever I make one.
Try www.razorsdirect.com. Not always the cheapest, but they ship free with no minimum order. So for a small purchase, they are good.
This has always confused me because Platinum and Iridium are not as hard stainless steel. So it just doesn't make sense to me that they would make the blade harder. Maybe by filling in tiny hone scratches, they could make a blade smoother. But those metals are so expensive, it still doesn't make sense that they'd be used that way to me. Chromium on the other hand can be harder than stainless steel and is much cheaper so my money is on chromium being what's actually used in all the metallic coatings.
It's been suggested that there's no difference between them. Some good info on Sharks and other brands made by Lord: http://www.bruceonshaving.com/2011/01/20/the-different-lord-razor-blade-brands/ Maggard Razors has customizable samplers at very reasonable prices.
I definitely felt a difference between the two Sharks but didn't really like either of them. Of the Lord blades I've tried, I liked the Lord Platinums best. They seemed sharper than any of the others and I prefer a sharper blade. But YMMV of course. You won't know what you like until you try them out yourself.
It might be due to abrasion or corrosion resistance. Iridium is particularly abrasion resistant. The various coatings and treatments do add some benefit, or else the manufacturers would not incur the additional cost of applying them to the blades. Now whether or not that translates into you getting a better shave with a given "improved" blade is another matter. I have found that often it does, but not always. The best way to find out is to try different blades. I did it by buying a bunch individual packs, thereby creating my own samplers. I have found these retailers to be particularly good: Shoebox Shaveshop Razor Blades & More Shave A Buck The first two have a huge selection of razor blades, more than any other vendors I have seen. The third has razor blades not often sold by other online stores.
I have tried Shark Stainless and SuperChrome. I cannot and will not use one more of those stainless ones. Same was with the Lord Platinum and Lord Stainless, couldn't like them one bit. The Shark Super Chrome are FANTASTIC in any razor I've used them with and the price makes them that much more attractive. I've never tried Iridiums yet, I may have to just to see what they're about; they're touted as sharp as feather but much smoother which would be very welcome to me.
I've tried a few Stainless variations of a few brands, and dislikes all of them except one: Rapira Stainless (or is it Super Stainless, I forget!) and it was amazing! I got 5 good shaves out of the first blade of this pack and could potentially keep going. This is very promising seeing the cost is 12 cents a blade!
