Gillette 7 O'clock Review

[Squire]

Made in St Petersburg, Russia, under license from Gillette.



Discreption: A bright yellow box with what appears to be a Sunrise motif, these are very attractive stainless blades that say SharpEdge.





Characteristics: This is a very attractive blade and as the close up photo shows there is an obvious sense of overall quality. The long sloping grind from the blade table shows as clean and accurate a line as I have seen under 450 power magnification. The hone line is equally clean and the resulting blade edge is as sharp as one could wish. The packaging does not mention the type or amount of coating but there is something there, presumably platinum.

Use: This blade is as sharp as any I have used and this being said by a guy who has used Feathers almost exclusively for close to three years. Either the edge is coated with platinum, or its edge enhancing equal, or these Russians know how to hone an edge better than anyone. Just out of curiosity I switched a new Feather in the adjustable mid shave and could not tell the difference. As well as being sharp the 7 O'clock cuts as smooth as one could ask. In short, this blade exceeds expectations and matches those costing twice as much.

Conclusion: I haven't tested every major blade but I have tested enough to say If you can find a better blade than this one buy it, but you won't, not in the same price range. You can get the same performance from other brands but you'll have to pay twice as much. Rated 7.5.

[goose]

Interesting review. I believe some others have metioned these blades being extraordinarily sharp as well. Do you prefer this blade to the Swedish Gillettes?
Thanks,
Clint

[Squire]

Clint it's been a few years since I used a Swede so I don't want to make a direct comparison from memory. From what I have learned I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same but I won't be able to retest Swedes for a few more weeks.

[Occam]

Squire thank you for the photograph which reveals the same 'striation' pattern in the blade as what the so called 'Swedes' have.

So I'm thinking that this is from machining, processing or the steel used which is obviously shared between this and the Swede.

I'm likely to try these out after my stock of Swedes runs out sometime towards the end of the year.

[Squire]

Hey Ben, this is the first time I have noticed those striations which is why I made the photo. It will be interesting to see where and when these show up again.

[bernards66]

Squire, Interesting, because the Gillettes I got from Europe, the ones with part of the writing on the back in Russian, were atrocious. So, it would seem that there must be a hell of a spread in quality coming out of that St. Petersburg plant.
Regards,
Gordon

[TRBeck]

Squire, you have made a great deal of money for Gio with your glowing reviews of these, Derbys, and Polsilvers. The Derbys are en route, and given the 500 Lord blades I just bought, I don't need to order 7 o'clocks or anything else, but you may have given me RBAD.

EDIT: No intent to advertise implied.

Regards,

[Squire]

Gordon I've had the same bad experiences with some Russian Gillettes and before I got off onto this blade jag wouldn't have considered them irrespective of brand. There are certainly some differences within blades made in the same factory and it's more than just coating, I believe.

[bernards66]

Squire, Well, sure. We know that blades of varying quality, and presumably make-up, come out of that ASR facility in Israel. But the quality spread on these seems truly mind boggling.
Regards,
Gordon

[marsos52]

hi
squire this is most interesting to me because last week i tried a 7 oclock
i got in a sample pack

i was impressed with the packaging of the blade i only heard real good things about these blades

since the swedes are so impressive i expected these to be very close

i know its hard to judge from one blade but i wasnt happy at all and didnt even get a second shave it was horrible and i chucked it after two passes and ended up finishing with a swede that i had already used 5 or 6 times and that blade did me much better than the new 7 oclock

i did much better with the polsilver than the 7 oclock's

i have so many sample blades to try but im growing tired of trying new blades each time i go back to a merkur or swede my shave is wonderful and each time i try a new blade i am so disappointed

squire i have one question with all the close examation you have been doing with these blades have you ever checked or looked at how thick the blade is ?

i have no way of measureing the thickness of a blade but i think for example the merkur blade is a bit thicker than most some blades feel thinner than others and i wonderful if this is true and if it is how does the thickness effect the way a blade does its job the feathers seem thinner
the swedes and merks seen thicker even the way the blade handles itself in the razor and the way it feels as i shave the blades that feel a bit thicker seem so shave smoother and less stingy and give a more solid feel

anyway i am just wondering if you have looked into this or if you have noticed this about the way a blade feels

thanks
marc

[southpaw]

...Rated 7.5.

Might I ask what it lost points for?

[bernards66]

Marc, Well, it very well might be. Those older ('70s & '80s ) Wilkinsons that I've been using certainly seem a little thicker then most of what's out there today. Like you, I have no means to actually measure this, but that's the way it seems. And it would certainly fit with my conviction that most makers have been 'cheaping down' in various ways on their DE blades over the last 20 years or so. Your description of your experiance with the 7 O'clocks sounds more like mine with those other two Russian made 'Gillette' blades that I've tried. Sooo.....I dunno. And Marc, you have no obligation to continue to try every DE blade that's obtainable, especially since you are usually dissapointed. Just stick with the Swedes and Merkurs, work on your technique, and enjoy your shaves!
Regards,
Gordon

[Squire]

Marc I thought I'd measure a group of them on Sunday and post if there is anything worth posting about.

[Squire]

Michael I've used Feathers for thousands of shaves and being familiar with them decided I would rate them an eight. I could say the 7 O'clock is almost as good as a Feather but it seems more accurate to say one is a 7.5 and the other an 8. I almost rated the 7 O'clock a 7.75 but felt I should test a few dozen quality blades before I'm comfortable with the comparisons. Who knows, I might yet find one that is even closer to a Feather but for now the Feathers are my standard by which the others are measured.

[marsos52]

hi again bernards66 im sorta glad you have a similar feeling about the 7 oclock and how many of the newer blades have a thinner feel to them

sometimes i think i am the only one with some thoughts or ideas i have about products and/or shaving ideas and experiences

just to let you know i have been de wetshaving for over 30 years
i feel my technique is already pretty good and i know that i dont have to keep trying new blades and others shaving products even though i already know whats works for me still if i can find something better or just as good its worth the time

also being able to mix it up so to speak is interesting to me so from time to time i get of a "lets try some different" kick

since lately there have been so many reviews here on different blades and since i had many of them already i figured i should try some and see if any are good for me

also what i like most about trying these blades is that they make me really appreciate the blades i have been getting great shaves with

and i must admit i learn something each time i pop a new blade in my razor most of the time i still can achieve a good shave mnay times a great shave just that most of the trial blades envolve more passes or touch ups etc etc

well i could go on and on but enough said

squire i am looking forward to your reviews and cant wait to see if some blades are thick than others

peace be with you

marc

[Gene]

Squire,

I know you monitor many threads here, did you see the ad for the 7 O'Clock s that were in the green pack offered by dridiot?

have you ever tried those, or do you think it might be same blade, different package?

Very confusing.

Regards...

[Squire]

Gene what we're talking about here are different blades. The 7 O'clock is in a yellow box and the 7am is green. The O'clock is a top of the line Gillette while the am is an economy model for which I don't have high hopes.

[Gene]

Squire,

Well, that explains that.

This whole time thing - 7 this, 7 that - like the internet; I am sure these fads will die out before too much longer

[daveyp]

I think the blades he was referring to are these:




Gillette 7 o'clock's in a green package. I'm curious too if they are the same as the yellow packaging. They say 'super stainless' instead of 'sharp edge'.

Dave

[TRBeck]

Aside from the color of the packaging, I notice that these are labeled Super Stainless as opposed to Squire's Sharp Edge. I'd assume they are different, maybe a slightly lower or higher caliber blade in the range of products. Interested to see if any others have experience. Perhaps we could get input from dridiot himself.

Regards,