The Blade Ratings
I’ve done it with the razors and lathers, so why not the blades, right?
Except these don’t have a previous post to refer back to, so I’ll be entirely going off of notes and memories.
I currently have 39 blade brands/types in the collection, but there are 40 listed here
Now, the problem with reviewing a blade as opposed to a razor or even a lather is that there are so many variables involved. The razor used will cause a blade to feel different. And while the same kind of holds true for the razor’s rating based on different blades, you do get a feel for how a razor performs after several shaves with different blades.
So I’ve tried to keep my ratings as focused just on the performance of the blade as I can. Most of the aggressiveness ratings come from Razor Emporium, but I’ve been trying to fill in my own as best I can. The Comfort and Quality ratings are all mine, and they average to an overall score.
This obviously will be updated as needed.
| Rank | Blade Name | Photo | Aggressiveness | Comfort | Quality | Overall | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gillette Perma-Sharp |  | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | One of the best in the collection and it will consistently show up as a lot of people’s favorites. It’s efficient, smooth and comfortable. |
| 2 | Astra Super Platinum (green) |  | 4.50 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.750 | These are another favorite of most shavers–it’s aggressive enough to be nicely efficient, yet comfortable enough to be an everyday blade. This is only second because I’d reach for the Perma-Sharps first. |
| 3 | Bic Chrome Platinum |  | 3.00 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.750 | After I used these, I was convinced that the aggressiveness rating wasn’t right because they are relatively efficient and very comfortable. But lots of people use them and say that they’re a milder blade. |
| 4 | Shark Super Stainless |  | 3.50 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.750 | A frequent go to for me. These seem precise and efficient while still very comfortable, despite their lower aggressiveness rating. They’re substantially better than their Shark Super Chrome counterparts. |
| 5 | Gillette Nacet |  | 4.00 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.750 | This is an obviously well-made blade that has a very high reputation among shavers. It’s aggressive enough and comfortable, and holds its edge for a while. It’s been a favorite for me since the first time I used it. |
| 6 | Gillette Platinum |  | 4.50 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.750 | I’ll be honest, there isn’t a lot of difference between this and the Nacet from my point of view, and yet there’s just a slight hint of more aggressiveness, but it isn’t a bad thing. Bottom line: I don’t use this one enough. |
| 7 | Astra Superior Stainless (blue) |  | 4.00 | 4.50 | 4.75 | 4.625 | While this is ranked just slightly below its green sibling, it’s a solid performer that is still a favorite of a lot of people. I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it out head-to-head with the Astra greens, and vowed to come back to it early and often. |
| 8 | Dorco Platinum HQ Red |  | 3.50 | 4.25 | 5.00 | 4.625 | A solid blade that really flies under the radar. You see it a little bit across the SOTD posts, but not terribly often, so when I gave it a shot, I was very surprised. It’s similar to the Durablade 7am Plus and Bic, really. |
| 9 | Durablade 7am Plus |  | 4.00 | 4.50 | 4.75 | 4.625 | Speaking of the Durablade, here it is. Oddly, whereas most of my blades came to me first in a sampler pack and later by full purchases to stock them up in the collection, I saw a review of this one from Razor Emporium’s owner as he used it for the first time, and really liked it, so I ordered a tuck and went with it. It’s satisfying without being aggressive. |
| 10 | Gillette 7 O’Clock Sharp Edge (yellow) |  | 3.00 | 5.00 | 4.25 | 4.625 | The first of the Gillette 7 O’Clock blades on the list, this one will always be my favorite. Initially, I loved it because it was extremely mild, and paired in a mild or mild-medium razor, it always was comfortable, but over time, I’ve realized it’s also just a solid performer–yes, it requires extra strokes, but that isn’t a bad thing in this case. |
| 11 | Gillette 7 O’Clock Super Stainless (green) |  | 3.50 | 4.50 | 4.75 | 4.625 | A bit more aggressive than the yellow, this one hits the performance sweet spot for me, but is slightly less comfortable. And as someone who prefers comfort over closeness, I’ll reach for the yellow first. |
| 12 | Gillette 7 O’Clock Super Platinum (black) |  | 4.00 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.500 | Hierarchically, this should be better than either the green or yellow blades for me, but I found them a little underwhelming and had a little more irritation with them. But truth be told, all 3 of the 7 O’Clock blades are very close in performance and comfort, and I’d be happy using any of them. |
| 13 | Gillette Silver Blue |  | 3.50 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.500 | This is one of those blades that just does its job and doesn’t excite me, which is okay. It does a great job, both in terms of comfort and quality of shave, but it just isn’t one that I always remember to go back to. I’ll have to remember to come back to it soon. |
| 14 | Rockwell Stainless Steel |  | 3.00 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.500 | As with a lot of blades that ship with razors, this one was underwhelming. But, of the blades that shipped with razors I’ve obtained, these, so far, are the best. They aren’t great, but they aren’t bad, either. They work okay with the Rockwell razor, but I need to try them with the others. |
| 15 | King C Gillette |  | 4.00 | 4.25 | 4.50 | 4.375 | There are people out there who claim that this is simply a rebadged Gillette Platinum or Astra Blue, but at least one person I’ve seen online has claimed to have spoken to Gillette and been told these are their own blades altogether. They perform well, and as you’d suspect, perform similarly to the Platinum or Astra blue, but I can’t really say that it’s better than either of those. Maybe it was using it in the KCG razor that’s the problem, but all I know is that it didn’t deliver an oustanding shave. |
| 16 | PAA Platinum Strangelet Super Sharps |  | 3.00 | 4.50 | 4.25 | 4.375 | I don’t know if this tuck was just tossed into a sampler I got from Razor Emporium because they don’t know what to do with them, or because both are based in the Phoenix, AZ area, but this blade is the only one I’ve ever experienced dullness and tugging with. But outside of that, it’s a comfortable shave that’s mostly close. Nothing too special, though. |
| 17 | Personna Red Stainless Steel |  | 4.00 | 4.25 | 4.50 | 4.375 | An early favorite because it was fairly comfortable and could get some of the closest shaves, I haven’t used it in a while, and I really should throw it in some of the newer razors and give it a go. I really liked it because it was smooth and comfortable. |
| 18 | Feather |  | 5.00 | 4.00 | 4.50 | 4.250 | The Feather blade is frequently introduced as the sharpest blade ever made by a human being. Or something like that. It has a reputation of being super sharp, but not very durable, lasting maybe for 3 shaves if you’re lucky, but possessing a super sharp edge that’s very efficient. I found that it works well, but isn’t a favorite, though I definitely need to go back to it soon. |
| 19 | Accuforge Super Stainless |  | 4.50 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.000 | Accuforge is a brand primarily known for surgical razors and blades. That should tell you a lot of what you need to know here: it’s a bit aggressive, but mostly comfortable and close, and I need to also use this one again soon. |
| 20 | RK Stainless Steel |  | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.000 | To be honest, this blade just made me kind of angry. Not because it delivered a bad shave (at least not entirely), but because all over the packaging and blade, it states that it was manufactured exclusively for Henson razors. And it just was a complete disappointment in the Henson mild and made me question why you’d have a blade made specifically for your razor and have it turn out to fall flat. I wasn’t happy with it, even though it wasn’t a terrible blade. |
| 21 | Dorco Titan |  | 4.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 | 3.500 | Let me be honest here, and also reiterate that I can change these ratings up if needed. But after the first shave with the Titan, I’m really disappointed. It was very uncomfortable and not that great a shave. If I’m going to have an uncomfortable shave, at least make it close enough where I happy about something with it. |
| 22 | Shark Super Chrome |  | 3.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 | 3.500 | Compared to the Shark Super Stainless, this is a huge letdown where you literally can feel and easily notice the lack in quality and engineering. My shaves with it were worse in every possible metric, and I was not happy with it in the least. |
| 23 | Van Der Hagen |  | 4.50 | 2.50 | 3.00 | 2.750 | The first blade in the collection, and one of the worst. While the shaves with it (and the Van Der Hagen razor) were better than the cartridges I’d been using for decades, they really were not very good. Part of it is the razor, but it can’t be all of it. |
| 24 | Kai Stainless Steel | 4.50 | 2.50 | 2.50 | 2.50 | The Kai seems to be a bit polarizing. Some really love it, perhaps even more than the Feather blades. Others, including me, hate it. I never got a good shave with it. It was always uncomfortable and not very close, and I just could not find a happy shave with it, even after trying several razors. | |
| 25 | Asco Super Stainless |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 26 | Big Ben Super Stainless |  | 3.00 | No Shaves | |||
| 27 | Crown Super Stainless |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 28 | Derby Extra |  | 3.50 | No Shaves | |||
| 29 | Derby Premium |  | 3.00 | No Shaves | |||
| 30 | Filoso |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 31 | Lord Classic |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 32 | Lord Platinum Class |  | 3.00 | No Shaves | |||
| 33 | Lord Super Chrome |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 34 | Lord Super Stainless |  | 3.50 | No Shaves | |||
| 35 | Mühle Stainless Steel |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 36 | Parker Premium Platinum |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 37 | Personna Platinum |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 38 | Sharp Hi Chromium Durablade |  | unk | No Shaves | |||
| 39 | Super Max Titanium |  | 3.50 | No Shaves | |||
| 40 | Wizamet Iridium |  | 4.50 | No Shaves |