in which Nick Experiments: Razor Blades: Sharp DE Razor Blades
This week's test is the Sharp Double Edge Razor Blade. They are made in Bangladesh of Swedish steel, and come 5 blades to a pack. The packages are cardboard wrapped in cellophane, and the blades wrapped in waxed paper within.
Value:
West Coast Shaving has 100 blades for $17.40 shipped. Amazon has the same for $17.76 with free S/H if you order another $7.24 in other crap, so that's not too bad either. Either way's about $0.18/blade.
Lethality:
Surprisingly benign! Other than a small bit of rawness throughout and a single misstep on the very last day, these blades were really very good at not hurting my pretty face.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/16 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/17 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/19 - 8.0 - Had a zit on my jaw. It met it's end painlessly, and the bleeding stopped by the time I had finished that pass. So, not too bad, but there was some blood.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 9.125
Effectiveness:
Really, not too bad. The blades never reach the upper-tiers of master blades like the out-of-production Gillette or Feathers, but they do solid, consistent work.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 8.0 - Solid. Little stubbly all over afterwards, but nothing too terrible. Not baby-smooth, sadly.
11/16 - 7.5 - Similar to Day 1.
11/17 - 7.0 - Similar to Day 1, but a little more stubbly.
11/19 - 8.0 - Similar to Day 1.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.625
Wear and Tear:
The blade wore down over time - nothing super extreme like the cheapies, but it did wear down nonetheless.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 9.0 - Very minor tarnish.
11/16 - 7.5 - Dings, tarnish.
11/17 - 7.0 - Bigger dings.
11/19 - 6.5 - Definite wear/tear, though there's maybe another day of shaving here.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.5
Subjective - Feel of Shave:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric DURING the shave.
The feel of the shave was never terrible, nor was it ever fantastic. It was a shave - solid, cut the hair, and while not super pleasant it didn't make me wince or anything. There are nicer shaves to be had, but this was very consistent in getting the job done quickly and relatively painlessly.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0 - Solid. Little raw after, little rough during.
11/16 - 7.0 - Same as Day 1.
11/17 - 8.0 - Mysteriously a little less rough than either prior day - maybe due to blade dulling?
11/19 - 6.0 - Most definitely due to blade dulling, then. Little more rough/raw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.0
Subjective - Feel of Face:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric AFTER the shave.
The face was a little raw and a little stubbly no matter the day, and the feel seemed to get better the duller the blade got until it finally started to give out in Day 4. It was never great, but it was never Sword-painful either.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0
11/16 - 7.5
11/17 - 8.0
11/19 - 7.0
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.375
Subjective - The Ladies:
I have no idea what she's thinking.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0
11/16 - 7.0
11/17 - 8.0
11/19 - 9.0
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.75
Overall Score (out of 60) - 46.375
Pretty solid second-stringer. It's a good, everyday sort of blade - get the job done, but you won't be going to job interviews on it. Honestly, you could do either these or Derby's if you don't wanna fly 1st class, though I like Derby's more on overall (non-Ladies) feel.
Verdict:
Meh. I'm a fan of the nicer stuff, but I wouldn't kick this blade outta bed for eating crackers. If that makes sense.
Value:
West Coast Shaving has 100 blades for $17.40 shipped. Amazon has the same for $17.76 with free S/H if you order another $7.24 in other crap, so that's not too bad either. Either way's about $0.18/blade.
Lethality:
Surprisingly benign! Other than a small bit of rawness throughout and a single misstep on the very last day, these blades were really very good at not hurting my pretty face.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/16 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/17 - 9.5 - Little raw.
11/19 - 8.0 - Had a zit on my jaw. It met it's end painlessly, and the bleeding stopped by the time I had finished that pass. So, not too bad, but there was some blood.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 9.125
Effectiveness:
Really, not too bad. The blades never reach the upper-tiers of master blades like the out-of-production Gillette or Feathers, but they do solid, consistent work.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 8.0 - Solid. Little stubbly all over afterwards, but nothing too terrible. Not baby-smooth, sadly.
11/16 - 7.5 - Similar to Day 1.
11/17 - 7.0 - Similar to Day 1, but a little more stubbly.
11/19 - 8.0 - Similar to Day 1.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.625
Wear and Tear:
The blade wore down over time - nothing super extreme like the cheapies, but it did wear down nonetheless.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 9.0 - Very minor tarnish.
11/16 - 7.5 - Dings, tarnish.
11/17 - 7.0 - Bigger dings.
11/19 - 6.5 - Definite wear/tear, though there's maybe another day of shaving here.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.5
Subjective - Feel of Shave:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric DURING the shave.
The feel of the shave was never terrible, nor was it ever fantastic. It was a shave - solid, cut the hair, and while not super pleasant it didn't make me wince or anything. There are nicer shaves to be had, but this was very consistent in getting the job done quickly and relatively painlessly.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0 - Solid. Little raw after, little rough during.
11/16 - 7.0 - Same as Day 1.
11/17 - 8.0 - Mysteriously a little less rough than either prior day - maybe due to blade dulling?
11/19 - 6.0 - Most definitely due to blade dulling, then. Little more rough/raw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.0
Subjective - Feel of Face:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric AFTER the shave.
The face was a little raw and a little stubbly no matter the day, and the feel seemed to get better the duller the blade got until it finally started to give out in Day 4. It was never great, but it was never Sword-painful either.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0
11/16 - 7.5
11/17 - 8.0
11/19 - 7.0
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.375
Subjective - The Ladies:
I have no idea what she's thinking.
Daily Scores (of 10):
11/13 - 7.0
11/16 - 7.0
11/17 - 8.0
11/19 - 9.0
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.75
Overall Score (out of 60) - 46.375
Pretty solid second-stringer. It's a good, everyday sort of blade - get the job done, but you won't be going to job interviews on it. Honestly, you could do either these or Derby's if you don't wanna fly 1st class, though I like Derby's more on overall (non-Ladies) feel.
Verdict:
Meh. I'm a fan of the nicer stuff, but I wouldn't kick this blade outta bed for eating crackers. If that makes sense.