Best Atra replacement blades

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
Post Reply
User avatar
k1rod
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:08 pm
Location: Phoenix

Best Atra replacement blades

Post by k1rod »

I am getting to be a dyed in the Woolfat DE shaver. I appreciate the simple elegance of it. I appreciate spending the time enjoying and performing the ritual. However, sometimes I am rushed. When I just don't have the time, I break out the Barbasol and the Atra. The Atra gives me an excellent shave even when I don't have the time to pay close attention to the shaving process. The problem is that Gillette doesn't make Atra blades anymore. There are ebay sellers that I have been buying NOS Gillette blades from for about $0.70 each. $0.70 per blade still offends my Scottish sensabilities (read: cheap). I have used the Super-Max blades and they are OK but not as good as the Gillette (or even the old OSCO drug blades I still have a few of). Is there anybody that currently makes an Atra replacement blade that is as good as the Gillette and costs under half a buck a blade. Thanks!
There are 10 types of people in this world, those that understand binary and those that don't.
haiti222
Posts: 208
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:17 pm
Location: Greater Detroit

Post by haiti222 »

Do you hate the Atra Plus? It seems that it is readily available online, but at about $1.10 per blade (shipped), even at amazon.com....

It seems that the NOS is a slight value, but, my guess is almost all the generic blades are being made by ASR anyway.

Does anyone like DORCO make atra-compatible blades?
User avatar
k1rod
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:08 pm
Location: Phoenix

Post by k1rod »

I didn't know there were Dorco Atra compatable blades. Where can these be ordered from? I like the Dorco DE blades so I would definately give them a shot. The Super Max generic blades I've got were made in India. Does ASR make blades in India?

Regarding the Atra Plus, I hate the lubrication strip. When the blades get old, the strip dries out and just becomes an obsticle to a good shave. I end up peeling the thing off, if I can get it off.
There are 10 types of people in this world, those that understand binary and those that don't.
User avatar
Pauldog
Never Shave a Husky
Posts: 6313
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:39 pm

Post by Pauldog »

The Osco blades were almost certainly made by American Safety Razor (ASR), just like almost every other no-name and store brand. Sometimes you can find these blades in dollar stores and liquidation stores. Otherwise, shop for the best price for the store brand at supermarkets and drugstores.

There's also a blade that fits both Trac II and Atra. The official ASR name is "Duofit":
http://www.asrco.com/PageView.aspx?NavK ... RegionID=2

It should fit fine, but on some Atra razors the pivoting is somewhat less because of the extra plastic from the Trac II fitting.

http://www.theessentials.com/jump.jsp?i ... itemID=134
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... atid=89896
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000T08L70/
http://www.youngzebra.com/1143813271-1158909073203.html

Schick and other major manufacturers also made compatible blades at one time, so you may be able to find old stock.

And there's always eBay...
Last edited by Pauldog on Mon May 12, 2008 10:41 am, edited 3 times in total.
haiti222
Posts: 208
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:17 pm
Location: Greater Detroit

Post by haiti222 »

I was speculating about DORCO, just saying that the atra style is still somewhat popular, and I believe someone besides ASR and Gillette make such blades.....Heck Wilkinson was making atra compatibles about 15 years ago.......
haiti222
Posts: 208
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:17 pm
Location: Greater Detroit

Post by haiti222 »

Dorco USA has been sued by both ASR and Gillette in the last year. I was reading the lawsuits on the Federal Courts website (must have paid account).

Dorco USA or its partner Pace Shave sells blades through the store brand at Family Dollar and K-Mart. They appear to make the DE, Atra and Sensor generic blades sold there now. They have a US plant so they may say Made in USA, but really they can be Dorcos. They were sued for copying the designs of ASR and putting the patent numbers of ASR on the packages and blades, so they may be hard to tell apart. ASR even sued about double edge and Sensor type blades.

Gillette on the other hand sued about the Sensor 3 onward, saying they violated many patents and also violated the packaging of Gillette by copying it too much.

The ASR case was settled. The Gillette case is new.

They do NOT appear to make any Injectors though.
Post Reply