TSD 36pc Blade Sampler

Shave 22: Sptnik (Last Shave):
First off, thanks to everyone who left me a message after my last write-up. I never expected other people to actually read what I write...I just thought it would be a cool way to document my findings and experiences with my TSD blade sampler. You guys make me feel so warm and fuzzy...thanks again!

Last shave with the elusive Sputnik blade. How did it fare?

Pre-Shave:
Warm water in bowl; soaked brush
Hot shower
Clearasil daily face wash
Sputnik blade (shave 3)
COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap

Shave:
1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - Again, as expected from prevous shaves, my 1st pass was the best pass. Even after 2 good shaves (cutting 3-4 day growths each time), this blade still feels just as smooth and sharp as the day I broke the wrapper. I praised the Teflon coating on my last write-up and I echo that praise once again. To me, the Teflon coating is what sets this blade apart from other blades.
Rinsed and re-lathered
2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - On my 2nd pass, I was able to get most of the remaining patches of stubble left behind from my WTG pass. Pass 2 was uneventful, and that is NOT a bad thing!
Rinsed and re-lathered
3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - I was careful this morning not to rush through pass 3. Even at the end of my third pass, I was able to feel the smoothness of this blade and the sharpness was evident. I admit to a near BBS shave, but touch-ups were required, however as usual, only in my usual trouble spots.

Post-Shave:
Warm water rinse
Thank God for EMJ!

Conclusion:
The Sputnik is a true contender when it comes to blade sharpness and smoothness. I am impressed with how nicely the blade feels against my face and how it cuts through whiskers so effortlessly. I did mention that I thought that the Sputnik's "shave longevity" was lacking, and unfortunately, I still feel the same way after this morning's shave as well. So to sum it all up, it cuts like a Voskhod but left me feeling like I shaved with a Dorco.

Final Thought:
Maybe I was hoping it would knock my socks off...or maybe I got too caught up in others experiences with it, but for me, the experience was just...good. It gave good shaves and that's always a good thing! But the reason for all my write-ups and for trialing all these blades, is to find the best blade out there (for me) based on performance, availability and price. The performance on these are great. The availability...hard to come by based on my google searching, but not impossible to find. However, if you do find them, expect to shell out between $20- $30/100pc. (depending on your source, Ebay seemed to be the cheapest).

As for me, I plan to stash a few of these and return to them in the future. I'd like to try them in my other razor (EJ DE89) and compare my experiences. On to the next blade... SHAVE ON!!

 

Alright guys, I need your help. After careful evaluation of the remaining blades that I have yet to try and the recent addition to the tour of Sputniks and Feathers, I'm wondering which blade I should try next. The next blade I try, will be the 2nd to the last blade I use before I make my final decision as to which blade will go in my EJ DE89 Barley that I'm saving my first shave on my wedding day. Let me know what you think, I'll take the top 2 suggestions and start with the first one on Wednesday.

Here is the short list:
Treet
Super-Max
Super Platinum
7am
Derby
Feather

What blade should I try next?

Thanks, and as always...SHAVE ON!!

 

I say Feather first and Derby last. My succinct $.02

 

I vote for Feather too. They're sharp but also very smooth to me and they work great in my Muhle R89 (which has the same head as your DE89). Just remember - no pressure.

 

Feather is a must try. So it gets my Vote.

 

Do I have a journal?
Writing a journal is tiresome stuff, so I applaud the Mr. Kawika503 for his efforts. It is a well written and interesting read.

 

I know. I had to stop. It took forever to write down all that cr@p.
I tried reading through it a few days ago, and was amazed over all the weird stuff I wrote. Next time I will hire an editor, or perhaps a ghost writer

Now, to keep this post somewhat on topic, I will also vote for the Treet as the next blade (after the feather)to test before the wedding.
I remember this blade as a pretty good blade. My first favorite, but strangely enough. I have not touched it since then

 

I like Ryan's description of how the Feather shaves. The first seems to go well for me. The second even better. 3rd isn't bad. On the 4th, I start to feel the roughness setting in even though the blade still seems very sharp. I pushed one to a 5th shave in my Weber last week and got a load of irritation so now I'll change them when they start to feel rough.

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback!

I've tallied the votes and it's obvious that the Feather blade gets 1 of the 2 spots in my modified line-up. Truth be told, I am actually very excited to shave with these blades - just to see for myself what all the hype is about. Of course, I will heed all the above said advice: "no pressure" and "when things get rough, toss it". After a little thought, there was a tie for the Derby and the Treet. Since I owe immobileman a Treet write-up, I have decided to base my next write-up on it. Starting this Wednesday (tomorrow) I will start the Treet blade, then sometime late this weekend I will move to the coveted Feather blade. By Saturday of next weekend (the day before my wedding) I will decide on which blade will go in the EJ Barley.

Thanks for all your help guys - I'm excited to try theses blade, for my morning shave and to get married!! SHAVE ON!!

 

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Shave 23: Treet (1st Shave):​

As promised, here is my "first impression" of the Treet (Dura Sharp) razor blade. This one came in the yellow/striped wrapper. (Side note: You know what I like...when you unwrap a new razor blade and find that it has a wrapper inside the wrapper...you know what I mean? There is the outside wrapper that has the design on it and then inside that wrapper, there is a second wrapper that is usually wax paper or something similar. I doubt this contributes to any of the blades shave quality, I just enjoy the "double wrapper" - makes it seem as if the blade is so awesome, it requires 2 wrappers ) The Treet blade is double wrapped, almost felt like Christmas.​

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Pre-Shave:​

Warm water in bowl; soaked brush​

Hot shower​

Clearasil daily face wash​

RazoRock 3pc​

Treet Dura Sharp blade (shave 1)​

Omega Pro Boar brush​

COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap​

​

Shave:​

1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - My first pass was positively uneventful. The blade cut smoothly against my face and is as sharp as most other blades I've written about. However, having just finished with the Sputnik, to me, the Treet blade is less sharp - however...still...sharp. The blade did struggle a little in my heavy growth area (jawline and chin), resulting in some resistance, but not enough to make for a terrible or uncomfortable shave. ​

Rinsed and re-lathered​

2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - After the initial beard-bulk was removed by the 1st pass, the 2nd pass respectively went smoother, but beard reduction was minimal. A 3rd pass was definitely required.​

Rinsed and re-lathered​

3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - Before my 3rd/last passes on any shave, I always give my face a "once over" with my fingertips just to see where I should be focusing my pass. This time though, I found a lot of areas that needed the 3rd pass. Even after having 2 previous passes, my 3rd pass left a little more...to be desired. I spent more minutes than usual doing touch-ups, thus I am slightly disappointed in the performance of this blade.​

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Post-Shave:​

Cold water rinse​

EMJ - All day, every day!​

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Conclusion:​

For me, the first shave with any blade is always "the hardest", in the sense that it's "success" almost depends on your previous shave...with your previous blade. In my case, even though I didn't favor the Sputnik as much as I wanted to, it still gave a very good shave. Now, having said that, following my Sputnik shave with a Treet shave showed huge differences in shave performance and sharpness of the blade. From this first shave, I would say that the Treet's sharpness is middle of the road. Just as sharp as most, but not as sharp as Voskhod, Astra, Personna Blue and the most recent Sputnik. The Treet shave was similar to shaves I've had with Wilkinson Sword and Lord Platinum. Again, sharp - just not "ooooh" sharp!​

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Final Thought:​

Its been a couple of hours since my morning shave and my face is still very smooth, unlike the Sputnik, where I could already feel stubble 2-3 hours later. There is one thing that I miss that is not on the Treet blade, and thats the Teflon coating. I am VERY much a supporter of the Teflon coated blades and have consistently gotten good shaves from them. I don't believe this blade is coated in anything, which is fine, maybe I'm just spoiled....or, maybe it should be Stay tuned for the next installment and in the meantime...SHAVE ON!!​

 

Double wrapped like Christmas made me I have been more curious about this blade as it has a love/hate relationship. Good to hear it has kept you smooth for a bit. Thanks for the report!

 

As of right this moment, neither love nor hate it...on the fence. Will require a couple more shaves to work out our differences. Or not

 

Shave 23: Treet (2nd Shave):​

Shaved again with the Treet blade on Friday night before I went to the airport to pick up my best friend. I haven't seen this friend since my birthday 3 years ago, so I wanted to make sure I look clean cut and put together.​

Pre-Shave:​

Warm water in bowl; soaked brush​

Hot shower​

Clearasil daily face wash​

RazoRock 3pc​

Treet Dura Sharp blade (shave 2)​

Omega Pro Boar brush​

COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap​

Shave:​

1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - Shave 2 went off without a hitch. My first pass was "good" in the sense that the blade was still sharp and beard reduction was "good". ​

Rinsed and re-lathered​

2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - My 2nd pass was just like the first, good beard reduction but nowhere near BBS by the end on my 2nd pass.​

Rinsed and re-lathered​

3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - By the end of my 3rd pass, I had managed to get most of my beard down, however I found lots of areas aside from my trouble spots that needed touch ups. ​

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Post-Shave:​

Cold water rinse​

EMJ - All day, every day!​

Conclusion:​

Although the blade did what is was made to do, at this point in my blade trials I really am scrutinizing the performance of each blade - based on smoothness and sharpness, however more importantly, I'm looking for that "amazing shaving experience" that we all seek. With an alterior motive of finding my "one" blade, not for life, but for my wedding day, this blade was just "ok" with "good" result that gives a "decent" shave. For me, the blade is definitely "middle of the road".​

Final Thought:​

In the interest of time, I made the executive decision to "bank" the Treet blade because of it "just ok" shave experience. I did so, because I was PIFed a pack of Feathers and I've been REALLY dieing to give them a-go and get them in the running before my bid day. So, with the lack-luster experience from the Treet, I chose to move on and give the coveted Feathers there moment to shine. Meet me on my other write-up for a thorough first impression of the Feather. Until then...SHAVE ON!!​

 

Kawika503, Thanks for all your work on this fantastic thread and fingers crossed for a fantastic shave on your big day.

feather and my Edwin Jaeger de89 give me a fantastic shave (my first bulk buy of blades) and feathers in a newly acquired gillette slim are every bit as awesome.

Can't wait for your tour to continue

 

Shave 24: Feather Platinum (black/yellow packaging):
Finally, a chance to get my Feather "first impression" posted...the Wedding chaos has begun! I actually came into work today to relax. What?

Pre-Shave:
Warm water in bowl; soaked brush
Hot shower
Clearasil daily face wash
Feather blade (shave 1)
RazoRock 3pc
COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap

Shave:
1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - Since I consider my RR 3pc to be on the more aggressive side, I was careful not to get too cocky with this blade loaded. I made short, pressure-less strokes starting from the back of my jaw to my chin. I had moderate beard growth along my jaw line and the Feather cut right through my whiskers effortlessly. There is no doubt, that Feather blades are VERY sharp. Against my skin, the Feather blade was unnoticeable during my first pass.
Rinsed and re-lathered
2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - After my 1st pass, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my beard had been reduced by more than 90%. Pass 2 went by fairly quickly and I barely felt the blade cutting - which at one point I thought that the gloriousness of the Feather had run its course. However, all subsequent rinses of the razor did reveal that even though I wasn't feeling any cutting of whiskers, that they were in fact being cut, shavings sitting at the bottom of my sink were evidence of that.
Rinsed and re-lathered
3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - To be honest, FOR ME, the Feather offered a near BBS shave by the end of the 2nd pass. Impressive indeed, still, I did all 3 passes as promised. Again, since there was little resistance, the 3rd and last pass was over quickly - feeling more like a formality rather than a necessity. Since my 3rd pass was hardly a pass, I incorporated touch-ups, which were little to none, EVEN on the underside of my jaw which I refer to as my "trouble spots".

Post-Shave:
Warm water rinse
EMJ All Day Every Day!

Conclusion:
Any forum reader knows that Feather blades are often praised for their un-matched sharpness. In fact, some comments I've read stated that the Feather blade is THE sharpest blade and that it should be used (loosely) as the benchmark when comparing the sharpness of other blades. I can't go that far, and attest to those statements because I don't write technical reviews. Rather, just a "journal" if you will of my shaving experiences. With that being said, in addition to the obvious sharp qualities of the Feather, I also found it to be a smooth shaver as well. While shaving, the blade glided against my skin without any indication that I was shaving with "the sharpest" blade. Post shave I experienced no razor burn/rash/irritation of any sort.

Final Thought:
Although the performance of this blade was outstanding on my first shave, I am very eager to shave with it at least 2 more times. Just like how the blade is praised consistently for its sharpness, the Achilles heel to this blade seems to be its longevity. Most reviews I've come across state that the life of a Feather blade significantly declines by the or after the 3rd shave. Now, for my wedding blade, it would be just fine, as I would be using a fresh blade. However, I still need a good all around blade for life after the wedding day and that is ultimately the focus of my trials.

So, as a first impression, are Feather blades sharp? Absolutely! Do they deliver an amazing shaving experience? You betcha'! Have I found the "one" blade? Probably not...however, it is definitely in the running to be used on my wedding day. Again, I look forward to my next shave so I can get firsthand experience at how this blade settles in and how the characteristics change from the 1st shave to the 2nd and then finally to the 3rd.

When life gets rough, shut the bathroom door and SHAVE!!

 

Excellent! Any razorburn or irritation going with a third pass? I anticipate the sharpness as you continue with your trial. And as you state, "shave on!"

 

If any skin irritation was present after my 3rd pass, it was minimal and considered an "acceptable" amount. I use a good post shave lotion so that also helped to decrease any negative effects I may have incurred. 2 hours after my shave, I noticed ZERO skin irritation of any kind, only the closest BBS shave to date. Shave 2 will happen tonight, before I pick up my parents from the airport