Hello Everyone! As you may have seen in another thread, I recently received some packs of DE blades of two unknown brands (to me anyway...mods feel free to move this if it belongs somewhere else). One of these brands is Vikings Sword, and as a response to a comment Jody made, I'm going to document my experience with this blade. When I was first given the blade, I wasn't too sure about it. The packaging looks rather cheap and the cardboard label seems like it is just thick paper. When I took a look at the blade wrapper, I honestly had my doubts as to the quality of the blade. I thought I would be shaving with something the caliber of a Merkur blade (terrible for me). But I kept positive and thanked my wife very much for finding them for me. Shave #1: This morning was round number one with the blade. I used my Muhle R106 and MEM shave cream for the shave this morning. In the first pass (N to S) I experienced a mild pulling sensation, but then again I had 2 days of heavy growth to mow through, and the only blade that DOESN'T pull with that much growth is a Feather. The pass went better than expected; there were no times where the pulling was ever uncomfortable. I relathered and went for pass number two (ear to nose). This pass was very smooth and I couldn't feel a thing except for the clean glide of the razor accross my face. It was cutting through the stubble very well and once again there was no uncomfortable pulling or anything. The pass went very well! Now I was gearing up for the final pass (S to N). I slathered on the cream, amused at it's pale green tint, and got ready to finish the shave. Expecting some pulling and the odd uncomfortable stroke, I was suprised to find that there was none of that. The blade performed better than my Red Personnas, that I use on a regular basis. The final pass was very smooth and I was left with a face that had no irritation, but was very very smooth! I was very happy with this shave and am hoping that tomorrows will go just as well. I am a bit skeptical, as some blades perform very well on the first shave but then are terrible for every shave after that. But I will keep you posted as to how it goes! Shave #2 Today I risked another 3 pass shave. Usually my face can't handle 2 3-pass shaves in a row, but I was curious about how smootht the 3rd pass would go. I should mention that when I shave I only use one side of the blade and then switch to the other when it gets dull. I have just always done this. Since I am testing the life of the blade, I figure it would only be right to keep some of the variables the same. Todays line up was similar, I used my Muhle R106 but switched to Martin de Candre soap (which I had test lathered before, and know it gives a quality lather). The first pass went very well. Of course since I shaved yesterday, the beard growth wasn't too long. I could feel that the blade was a bit worn down, as it wasn't as sharp as yesterday....but it was smooth sailing! The second pass went as smooth as yesterdays! The third pass, for me is the maker or the breaker when it comes to how well I like a blade, as it has always been a touchy pass for me. I lathered up and went to work. I did experience some irritation on this pass, namely the right side of my face. But to be honest it was due to driver error (I think I was too tired to be shaving ). Once I got the correct angle, much like the first pass today, I could feel the blade was duller, but there was no tugging at all. The pass went really smooth, for the exception of the wrong angle at the start. All in all todays shave went very well! and I remain happy with these blades!:biggrin: I am pretty sure I should be able to get 4 comfortable shaves from this blade. I will go back to the MEM cream for the remainder of the week and see how many more shaves I can get from this one blade, and to keep the variables the same as when I started. Until tomorrow! Shave #3 Today was a quick 2 pass as my face was roughed up pretty bad from yesterday. As mentioned I went back to the MEM Olive shave cream. The two passes were completely smooth, with no new irritation to add from yesterdays shave. The two passes were N to S and Ear to Nose. There is nothing really more to say than has already been said. Today's shave only reemphasized what was mentioned under "Shave#1". Tomorrow I will do the final 3 pass shave and then give a scored review based on my experience with the blade. But as thought above, I will be able to get 4 comfortable shaves from this blade, which makes me very happy! Shave #4 Today was the final 3-pass shave to see how well the blade held up. Usually at this time in a blades life (for me) I can't pull off an ATG pass, because the blade is far too dull, and it will do more damage than good. The first two passes went smoothly as expected, and so I prepped myself for the final pass. This pass went smoothly though I could tell the blade was done after the shave. It still cut fairly easy, but it required a little more work to get the job done. However I was satisfied...no irritation ! Using a 10-point scale and these 5 qualitative factors, here is my review: Sharpness: 8 Price: 7 Smoothness: 9 Longetivity: 10 Overall Quality: 9 I find the blades sharper than the Red Personnas, but not as sharp as an Astra Superior Platinum. The price is fairly reasonable, my wife paid 10 Shekels a pack (10 blades)...which is roughly $2.75. I find this price decent enough! Smothness is GREAT! The blade cut very smooth when new, and it was still smooth at the end of its life. I was very happy with this, as usually blades tend to tear up my face once they start to get dull. I am very suprised I got 4 shaves from the blade, especially when 3 were a full 3-pass shave. most other DE blades I can only get 3 from. So overall I was very impressed with the quality of the blade. The packaging looks a bit cheap, but there is no wax holding the blade to the paper, which is an instant winner. Also the blade held up very well when using it and as mentioned I am very happy with the life of the blade. One that I would recommend to someone if they ever came across it, maybe not as an everyday blade, but you wouldn't go wrong by trying it out! But as always YMMV! Thanks!
It should be noted to readers who haven't seen the Haul thread post from Luke, that Luke's wife brought these back from Israel. Having said that, I did find a thread on another forum that said these are made by Personna in Israel. Same factory that makes what we commonly refer to as Israeli Personna blades as well as the Red Pack Personna blades and Crystal blades. If this is the case, these should be fine blades. While I'm now a Voskhod guy, I do love the Israeli Personna blades too. Looking forward to the rest of your review Luke. Thanks!
I actually stumbled into an unopened pack of these by accident so I am also interested in your review.
When I tried looking up these blades, I couldn't find anything (but is should be noted that I seem to be hopeless when doing research...LOL). I haven't tried the Crystal blades before, but the Vikings seem to be a hardier than the Red Pack Personnas. I know if I was using a Red Personna blade in this test, it wouldn't have been able to deliver a smooth 3rd pass on the second shave, just because it had so much growth to take care of on the first shave. But yes, the Vikings seem to be fine blades indeed!
This' remarkable .... I wonder why 'they are not in American or European market if they are made by Personna, which means a guarantee of quality' ... Sincerely and 'the first time I've heard of these blades!
Hey Jody, The presonna red pack I got in a sampler from Bullgoose, are these the same ones everyone is talking about? On the packaging I have it says manufactured in Staunton, VA. -Troy Call me Troy or Griff
It's possible the packaging and point of origin may have changed since Energizer now owns American Safety Razor Company (aka Personna, aka Gem, aka PAL) along with their ownership of Wilkinson Sword and Schick. On The Bullgoose pages for the Personna Red Pack blades, it says Made from Swedish Steel these are the Red IP blades that you have heard about. PTFE, Platinum & Chrome coated, super stainless double edge blades made in Israel. They were definitely made in Israel at one point not too long ago. These 3 are all made at the same plant in Israel - or were - in addition apparently to the Viking Sword and Eddison blades that Luke has obtained: "Red Pack" Personna: Crystal : Israeli Personna:
So Jody, when blades are made in the same plant, that doesn't mean they are identical blades right? I imagine like any production facility, they would be producing different quality products. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Oh I am a dummy, The words Distributed are there, dangit ok, so the are distributed by ASR but manufactured in Isreal. Got it
I'm sure they have different machinery for different customer specifications. They also produce private label blades for grocery and pharmacy chain stores throughout Europe. So no, I don't imagine all of the blades are the exact same. What I do think is that quality control is the same and is good from this factory.
That makes more sense to me. For some reasoon I was assuming that blade factories produced one type of blade, which didn't make sense at all!
Where in Tel Aviv did you find them? My wife was all over there and she couldn't find any. Eventually she bought some from some specialty barber supply store but each pack was about $5. I can't remember if that store was in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem though.
When I tested these out here is where they fell. Personna Platinum (Red) 86.4% Viking's Sword 80.7% Now both are good blades in my opinion, but I think the the Viking's Sword is not manufactured exactly the same as the Red IP. There must be different honing patterns, stropping time, or coatings that make a difference.
I tend to agree with you but i never tried the Red Personna. I talked with someone from the Personna factory and he said they don't have the rights to sell under Personna brand in Israel. I'm not sure if it's only the brand or the product itself that is different. The Personna factory and brand is owned by Energyzer now.
