Polsilver Super Iridium

[BeatlesFan]

A secret inside source.

Just what SMF has always needed -- our very own DE "Deep Throat" !!

[Squire]

Oh don't get me started.

[BPman]

Hahahaha!! On another forum a Gillette employee dropped some fascinating hints & info regarding this. Unfortunately, many did not like what he said. Personally, I like some of the old blades as well, with the Schick Plus Patinum & Super Chromium being superb. However, sputtering, coatings & metallurgy have progressed immensely since then. I have never gotten a bad shave from a St. Petersburg Gillette DE blade, or a modern Personna for that matter. I have tried dozens of blades and to be frank I got burnout. Once these are gone I will simply stay with the two modern brands aforementioned. I have a bunch of old "classic" blades as well but rarely use them anymore. They are good, but sometimes I feel as if people have a test bias when using one since these are so costly nowadays. Of course, that's just my subjective opinion.

[Squire]

Quite so, cost is a factor that has placed once common blades in some perceived higher status category. Don't doubt there've been some advances though, as there have in virtually every other industry in the last 40 years.

[BPman]

Squire, have you tried the Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus and the Gillette Nacet Stainless? I mean the current ones made in Russia and not the older ones made in other countries. IMO, these two are Gillette's best DE blades. So sharp & buttery smooth. Many are getting 7 & 8 shaves on them.

[Squire]

Yes I have and I like them, good examples of modern quality blades. I don't do reviews any longer because of degraded eyesight (can't see through a microscope) but if I did I would rate these two up there.

[TRBeck]

I have been out of the loupe...er, loop on blades, so I'm glad to know that there are additional quality offerings from Gillette currently available. Will have to order a few of each.

[BeatlesFan]

Hahahaha!! On another forum a Gillette employee dropped some fascinating hints & info regarding this. Unfortunately, many did not like what he said. Personally, I like some of the old blades as well, with the Schick Plus Patinum & Super Chromium being superb. However, sputtering, coatings & metallurgy have progressed immensely since then. I have never gotten a bad shave from a St. Petersburg Gillette DE blade, or a modern Personna for that matter. I have tried dozens of blades and to be frank I got burnout. Once these are gone I will simply stay with the two modern brands aforementioned. I have a bunch of old "classic" blades as well but rarely use them anymore. They are good, but sometimes I feel as if people have a test bias when using one since these are so costly nowadays. Of course, that's just my subjective opinion.

Well, in confirmation of your views, I, too, have been pleasantly surprised at both the Iridium and the Personna Hospital Use. I believe they're on par with the best blades ever made. I do still rank the best vintage at or near the top, however (for me, especially the Gillette Platinum Plus, of which I have several hundred). I don't even remember what I paid for those blades, but it was a few years ago, and it wasn't a lot so I'm pretty sure there's no bias confirmation or whatever in my case.

I do find the vintage to have more longevity, but overall don't think it's a "better" blade than the Iridium and/or the Personna Hospital Use ( I discard after 3 shaves anyway). By the same token, however, I'm hard-pressed to observe any
improvement in shave quality due to these supposed technological advances in sputtering, coatings, etc., which leaves me a trifle skeptical of our "Deep Throat," who may indeed have drunk the corporate Kool-Aid and have bias confirmation issues of his own.

Anyway, amidst all this, one fact stands out a mile: they ain't makin' the old ones no more. So they will dwindle and eventually pass from the scene. Consequently, I think it's just fabulous that we've got some superb currently manufactured DE blades that'll provide us years of great DE shaves. It leaves me feeling very bullish about the future (or should I say "Futur"?!) of DE shaving. Things are looking good!