I'm with the older generation shavers on this one, and never had any problems with glue dots on blades. And for those who do not like glue dots on their blades? There are plenty of good blades that do not have glue dots. There is something for everyone.
I have had other brands that had the glue on them as well. I was told the numbers mean nothing on the blade, but I use it so I know which side to switch the blade over after each shave. I don't know if it makes a difference or not but I also put a lil dab of preshave oil on the end of the blade. it seems to make it slicker for the next shave
The glue doesn't bother me one bit, the glue has never interfered with my shave. I'd like to blame the glue for bad shaves but that's not the reason.
Yes, It's not a big deal. I love Astra SPs as much as I love my girlfriend, and it's something I deal with on a bi-weekly basis. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal.
The Gillette SBs are the only ones I've come across so far with the glue dots in all four corners. They line up just right with where the cap clamps the blade in place on the base and makes it harder to shift the blade if needed to line up. The blades that have just two dots on the centerline or use wax are no problem at all.
Gillette Silver Blues have been no problem for me. Glue dots do not affect blade performance IMO. If you don't like them, PIF those SBs, someone would love to have them. SB= Silver Blues, wise guys.
It doesn't effect the shave. But it's a pet peeve of mine. I just find it annoying getting the blade out of the wrapper when there is glue involved. It makes me use my brain in a moment of relaxation.
I went for a long time refusing to buy Astra again after realizing how annoying it is to clean those glue spots off razors. When you are trying to give 10 or 20 razors a quick polish and have to stop to clean 4 glue spots off each one it becomes very tedious. Luckily Astra changed to just the 2 centre dots. I felt like that was a good compromise, so now I am willing to use them again....... there's still a little tension in the relationship though
Love the Silver Blues. When I first started using them I tried washing it or hand stropping it off the edge. Then went a while facing it up, then tried facing it down. Now I just put it in the razor and shaving paying no attention to which way it sits. Through all of that, it's shaved the same way every shave.
It is a good blade for me also. Being new to wet shaving, I was curious if that much glue was the norm.
For me, just about all of them have that much glue. Sometimes it's run over on the blade. In that case, if I do notice it, I face the glue upwards. But it probably doesn't matter.
After 3-4 shaves and rinse/clean up afterwards with hot water and rubbing, the glue is still there. Maybe this pack of blades I got was a fluke and the next pack won't be near as heavy with the glue dots. I didn't mean for this question to sound like I was bitching about glue on the blades. I was just wondering if it was normal since this was only the 3rd brand blade I had opened and tried out of a sample assortment I had got. I just started wet shaving a couple months ago now and haven't used near as many brand blades as some of you. I have used up all 5 blades in the pack now so no more worries about future blades sticking to the razor head while I try to shift it slightly to get it lined up properly. While the SBs are a good blade for me and I will buy them again if need be, I have a 100pk of Astra's that will last me a while for now.
Didn't mean to imply you were complaining. The dots are a minor annoyance. My only complaint is the wax on my razor is I use a waxed blade.
I know, I thought about that after I reread it. I was replying to the use of hot water. I meant the rest of the post in general.
