I just wanted to understand you are talking about 7:00AM and not 7 O'clock (I really like the 7 O'clocks). BTW I'm with you on the Voskhod blades, but to each their own.
I find it nearly impossible to believe that you couldn't find a single St. Petersburg manufactured blade that you liked based solely on the merits of the blade. They produce a very, very wide range of blade brands. If your post was meant to be an anti-Russian commentary vis-á-vis the Russo-Ukrainian war, kindly keep your political/moral bias out of the blade discussion. Ditto if instead it was anti-Gillette for... *waves hand vaguely* ...reasons. pick one. We don't judge products or the people who make them the same way we judge that country or a country's leaders. At least, we ought not. It's not right, just, or fair to the ordinary people just trying to do their jobs.
I have some Voskhod blades that came in a sample pack. I have yet to try them. Aren't the Astra blades made in Russia? I really like those blades! So many blades to try! I only got started last Sept. (wish I had re-discovered safety razors sooner!)
Yes, Astras are made in Russia and awesome blades. I don't believe a country makes a great blade, but the quality control of the blade company. I like blades from Russian, India, Israel, Turkey, and many other places.
Yes, Astra is made at the PPI Gillette plant in St. Petersburg. Voskhod is also made in Russia, but made at a different plant. The two blades are night and day difference, imo. Astra is sharp rather than smooth, and Voskhod is smooth, rather than sharp. If you like one, you probably won't care for the other. Ditto.
I do like the Astra. So, I prolly won't like the Voskhod. I still have a few blades left from the sample pack I bought last fall. I keep using the blades I know I like.
The worst DE blades I've ever used were the "Last Razor" blades that were part of the subscription service. They went out of business shortly after offering a pretty terrible DE razor, a couple tucks of blades, and shaving cream for $5. Most people bought it and immediately cancelled. I tried two of the blades, pitched the rest along with the razor. If anybody can find worse blades I'd be surprised.
My bottom tier blades are as follows. Euromax Shark Platinum (though I enjoy Shark SS and Super Chrome) Bic Astor Bic Chrome Platinum Gillette Wilkinson Sword Astra Super Stainless
I've always assumed they were Merkur rebrands, like Van Der Hagen. 'Ice tempered' and/or 'Swedish Steel' anywhere in the blade description or packaging is a dead giveaway of a Merkur rebrand, imo. I'm almost tempted to give Merkur another go, but any blade brand that makes me stop mid shave to replace it on it's first use is not a brand I care to revisit. The second blade met the same fate as the first. If I recall correctly, I finished the shave with Wilkinson Sword blades, which are proof that Germans can make good blades if they put their mind to it. Also many Personna blades are now made in Germany. I've met some people who don't mind Merkur blades (or various rebrands), and they usually started with them and hadn't tried anything else yet. I know of a handful of people who will use them in their blade rotation. I know of absolutely no one who claims Merkur/Rockwell/etc. is their favorite blade, which is pretty damning in and of itself.
current wilkinson blades were my starting point around 2017.always liked them,though now i rarely use them.the $11 per tuck was the decider after i found 100 packs of others for X$..made in germany,consistantly reliable.if these were available in 100 packs readily i would have and use more.
This may ruffle some feathers, but Personna blues I can't stand; I find them very rough. I traded off a nearly full 100 pack for anything. I really like the Personna reds, but the blues I'd bin or give away if I had any.
Amazing what works for some and not others, but maybe not so amazing given so many variables with beard and face sensitivity. I’m the opposite, didn’t particularly like the reds (Israeli made?) but do like the blues.
Sharks, Derby, and Feather blades all tie for last place in my book. Shark and Derby seemed rather dull to me and tended to pull rather than cut. Feathers tore the hell out of my face. Though, after "corking" feathers I found that I was able to get a decent shave.