Thanks Michael, since you got these from Shave Nation you may have seen his recent comparisons of the blades on the you tube thingy I think your own insights would be less biased, I won't hesitate to order more of these, cool thread Thanks
I've noted so far that the real difference is not so much in performance as it is in longevity of the blade. The Indian-made ones so far seem to have a much shorter shave life than the Russian-made ones.
Alright, shave number five: nothing new to report. Williams Wednesday with Merkur 34c. Finished off after post-shave treatment with Pinaud Clubman Musk and Nivea post shave balm. No feedback on the witch hazel and alum. I think now that first blade out of the tuck might've been a dud. If anything changes for tomorrow's shave or Friday's, I'll report on it, but so far so good.
Alright, here's my final report on Blade #2 out of the tuck: Today, shave seven after skipping yesterday. Thursday was shave six with the Merkur 34c and Taylor of Old Bond Street Tobacco Leaf shave cream. Today was the Merkur 42c, Stirling Scots Pine Sheep soap with companion aftershave splash (glacial menthol) and post shave balm. Today, no nicks or cuts to speak of, no feedback from the witch hazel and alum. Even if there were, the glacial menthol in my aftershave was enough to soothe any irritation. So, I'm going to go on the assumption that that first blade out of the tuck was a dud. I was tempted to see if I could get another shave or two out of the second blade, but as I'll be using Dr. Jon's Krampus soap and aftershave and those aren't particularly forgiving to irritated skin, I don't want to push my luck. So tomorrow I'll be using the third blade out of the tuck. So, it seems that the new Indian-made Astras aren't noticeably different from the Russian-made ones. I've heard they're not quite as smooth, but I don't think the difference is enough to really matter. I can't speak as to how other Gillette-owned brands previously manufactured in Russia compare, as I've not had the opportunity to test them out, but the new Astra Superior Platinums seem so far to be about as good.
It still concerns me that the very first blade might have been a dud. I know that's a small sample size, but when the very first one is a dud -- you have to wonder. I thought duds usually rear their ugly head on the first shave -- but I could be wrong. I like Astra SPs, too, and I have almost 100 left, bought about 3 years ago. I have many other blades, and I'm set for at least 10 - 15 years. Many more years than that if you count cartridges! I've never had a close love affair with any one particular blade. I seem to get along with every blade I've tried. (Razors are a different matter, though.) I go 7 shaves then toss it. I've tried longevity tests before, but I've never had to toss a blade before 7.
To be fair, I had gone a few days without shaving and used the blade in a more aggressive razor than I typically reach for. Besides, even the Russian-made Astras came with the occasional dud. Even the best quality control team in the world can't catch 'em all. I'm still going through the tuck. Today's shave was with my Merkur 42c, soap and aftershave was Dr. Jon's Krampus, and the only burn I got was from the aftershave. The witch hazel and alum gave no feedback, nor were there any nicks.
Ohio Shaves did an excellent review comparing the Indian- and Russian-made blades. I concur with his conclusions here. The Indian-made ones are a wee bit sharper than the Russian-made iteration, but that loses the famous smoothness. For MY face it's not big enough a change to make a big deal out of it, but as always, your mileage may vary.
Good review(s). Much appreciated. I stocked up on Russian Astra SP's but they'll run out eventually ...
I've gone through a little over 100 Astra SPs (all Russian) over almost the last 10 years, and to my memory I've never encountered a dud. The first pack of 100 was bought almost 10 years ago -- my latest pack of 100 about 2 years ago. I've read a lot about people trying blades for the first time, and I always seem to see things like people encountering a dud within the first 5-blade tuck they try. As I said, I, like many here, are well-stocked a blades for years, but it is interesting to hear how all these new versions of old favs perform. I do like Dorco Primes, as well as Indian Gillette 7'oclock PermaSharps (Green), so there still are a few non-Russian blades in production that suit me well.
Same experience for me with the Astra SP. Been using them almost exclusively for the past 10-12 years; don't recall ever coming across a dud.
just used a 2017 vintage st pete's astra sp in my fatboy on 4.been a long time since i used one.definitely not as sharp as i thought but a close comfy shave resulted.the last couple of years i have been using gillette blue/white box platinums for 90% of my shaves,astra sp definitely not as sharp/smooth as those.will try a second shave with the blade.. -Fat-Friday- e-4 fatboy semogue 820 jeeves john varvatos
Alright, just following up on my review. I skipped shaving on Tuesday and Wednesday, Tuesday because I was busy and didn't have time, and Wednesday because I was feeling MEH. Anyway, yesterday (Thursday) was Shave 3 or 4 with the third blade from the Indian-made tuck. Soap was Taylor of Old Bond Street Tobacco Leaf shave cream, and the razor was my Merkur 34c. No nicks or irritation following, no drag at all. Today's shave was with P.A.A. Lump of Coal, with the P.A.A. Prismatic razor. It's the one with the scalloped cap and comb, if you're not familiar with it. Damn fine shave, only one tiny nick that closed up nicely, and only a literal moment of feedback from the alum (and that only because I'd gone over the same area a few times) before fading out. The aftershave splash and star jelly gave no feedback at all. So, at this point I'm going to assume that first blade out of the tuck was either a dud or didn't take well to several days of whisker growth in an aggressive slant razor. The other two blades have given me no real trouble, although I will say they're not quite as smooth as the Russian-made Astra SPs. It's not enough of a difference for me to write the brand off. And @brit that is a nice-looking Fatboy!
Oh yea, don't get me started on these youtube guys who a) either have an online store, or b) get free stuff that they must plug, lest they no longer get free stuff. If you were allowed to eat at a restaurant for free every time, what would you do? a) trash it in reviews, or b) say it was the best food you ever had? Funny that now we have to call something "vintage" that was produced just a few years ago.
Interesting observation, Michael. Tangentially, I’ve done a similar comparison with Israeli and German made Personna Platinum Chrome. The difference I found wasn’t so much in lifespan or sharpness, but rather, smoothness. Sorry for the hijack.
Yeah I've since had to revise my evaluation as I've used the other blades from the tuck. But for the apparent dud they've gone so far about six or seven shaves, which is about where I typically stop anyway. Yesterday's was the last using the third blade from the tuck. Little to no irritation and maybe one tiny nick that closed up and didn't weep. I was using Stirling Scots Pine Sheep soap in my Merkur 34c. Today was with P.A.A. Lump of Coal and P.A.A. Anniversary bakelite razor. I underestimated how aggressive this lightweight number can actually be and got a bloody chin area, but again, nothing that stayed open. That I blame on myself, not the blade, because I forgot to respect the razor.
