in which Nick Experiments: Razor Blades: Lord Platinum DE
This week's test is the Lord Platinum Double Edge Razorblade. They come in packs of 5 blades, and are packed in little paper holders that look like envelopes. Within the envelopes they are packed in 2nd piece of waxed paper, which is sort of weird. The envelopes are packed in a little rip-top cardboard box, so despite the double-paper it's one of the greenest packages we've had so far. The blades are made in Egypt.
Value:
West Coast Shaving has 100 blades for $11.90 shipped. HOLY CRAP. I can't find a price anywhere else nearly as good, flat out, save eBay. $0.12/blade. Yowza.
Lethality:
Not terrible - prone to cutting unexpectedly and some rawness, but it's not as bloodthirsty as a Feather or anything.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - A little raw about the jawline, but nothing major.
09/14 - 10.0 - Flawless - no rawness, no cuts.
09/15 - 9.0 - Minor cuts on the chin.
09/17 - 7.0 - Cuts about the neck, chin. Raw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 8.75
Effectiveness:
On checks and neck, the blade was quite good - smooth shaves, little damage. Around the jaw and under the chin, though, it was shitty - lots of little stubble. The blade does poorly with odd angles and detail work.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 8.0 - Under the chin was crap - minor stubble from the jawline back to the midpoint of the underchin. The rest of the face was great, though.
09/14 - 8.0 - Same as the 11th, really, but slightly worse on the right side this time.
09/15 - 7.0 - Chin's terrible too, now. Whee.
09/17 - 7.0 - Same as 15th, really.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.5
Wear and Tear:
The blade seemed to hold up, but the 3rd and 4th day were just terrible despite it's visual appearance. I think it actually lost it's edge nigh completely on day 4.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Meh. Little wear.
09/14 - 8.0 - More so. Regular use pattern, really.
09/15 - 6.0 - Appearance looks fine, but man is this not sharp.
09/17 - 3.0 - OW OW OW. Dullsville. Surprised it worked at all.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 6.5
Subjective - Feel of Shave:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric DURING the shave.
The feel wasn't bad the first 2 days, but day 3 was raw like whoa and by day 4 I'm pretty sure I was shaving with a dull blade.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Not too terrible.
09/14 - 9.0 -
09/15 - 6.0 - Raw like crazy on jawline, and it hurt to shave against the grain.
09/17 - 4.0 - Hurt to shave both ways, really, but only about the jaw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.0
Subjective - Feel of Face:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric AFTER the shave.
Despite the rawness and pain during the shave, the aftermath hasn't been bad. A smidge raw after day 3 and 4, sure, but I've had worse shaves during this test easily. After applying the aftershave and moving on through my day, it was fine.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Not bad, though the chin stubble is distracting.
09/14 - 9.0 - Same as 11th.
09/15 - 7.0 - A bit raw early on, but it got better over the day.
09/17 - 7.0 - Same as 15th
OVERALL AVERAGE - 8.0
Subjective - The Ladies:
Laurel, she's not a fan of the stubble. While doing a grope/check of my face each morning, she always migrated directly to the chin/underjaw and spent good time scowling at it before proclaiming it failed.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 7.0 -
09/14 - 7.5 -
09/15 - 6.0 -
09/17 - 6.0 -
OVERALL AVERAGE - 6.625
Overall Score (out of 60) - 44.375
Hey, it's not as bad as a BIC but worse than a Derby. Yup, pretty much.
Verdict:
Honestly, they're sort of crappy. Unless the $0.05/blade is breaking your back, just buy Derby's if this is your price range as they're far far FAR superior
Forthcoming:
No test next week due to my overnight shiftage, but I'll resume thereafter and should be done before I overnight again. I think.
Value:
West Coast Shaving has 100 blades for $11.90 shipped. HOLY CRAP. I can't find a price anywhere else nearly as good, flat out, save eBay. $0.12/blade. Yowza.
Lethality:
Not terrible - prone to cutting unexpectedly and some rawness, but it's not as bloodthirsty as a Feather or anything.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - A little raw about the jawline, but nothing major.
09/14 - 10.0 - Flawless - no rawness, no cuts.
09/15 - 9.0 - Minor cuts on the chin.
09/17 - 7.0 - Cuts about the neck, chin. Raw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 8.75
Effectiveness:
On checks and neck, the blade was quite good - smooth shaves, little damage. Around the jaw and under the chin, though, it was shitty - lots of little stubble. The blade does poorly with odd angles and detail work.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 8.0 - Under the chin was crap - minor stubble from the jawline back to the midpoint of the underchin. The rest of the face was great, though.
09/14 - 8.0 - Same as the 11th, really, but slightly worse on the right side this time.
09/15 - 7.0 - Chin's terrible too, now. Whee.
09/17 - 7.0 - Same as 15th, really.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.5
Wear and Tear:
The blade seemed to hold up, but the 3rd and 4th day were just terrible despite it's visual appearance. I think it actually lost it's edge nigh completely on day 4.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Meh. Little wear.
09/14 - 8.0 - More so. Regular use pattern, really.
09/15 - 6.0 - Appearance looks fine, but man is this not sharp.
09/17 - 3.0 - OW OW OW. Dullsville. Surprised it worked at all.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 6.5
Subjective - Feel of Shave:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric DURING the shave.
The feel wasn't bad the first 2 days, but day 3 was raw like whoa and by day 4 I'm pretty sure I was shaving with a dull blade.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Not too terrible.
09/14 - 9.0 -
09/15 - 6.0 - Raw like crazy on jawline, and it hurt to shave against the grain.
09/17 - 4.0 - Hurt to shave both ways, really, but only about the jaw.
OVERALL AVERAGE - 7.0
Subjective - Feel of Face:
This is intended for a 'feel' metric AFTER the shave.
Despite the rawness and pain during the shave, the aftermath hasn't been bad. A smidge raw after day 3 and 4, sure, but I've had worse shaves during this test easily. After applying the aftershave and moving on through my day, it was fine.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 9.0 - Not bad, though the chin stubble is distracting.
09/14 - 9.0 - Same as 11th.
09/15 - 7.0 - A bit raw early on, but it got better over the day.
09/17 - 7.0 - Same as 15th
OVERALL AVERAGE - 8.0
Subjective - The Ladies:
Laurel, she's not a fan of the stubble. While doing a grope/check of my face each morning, she always migrated directly to the chin/underjaw and spent good time scowling at it before proclaiming it failed.
Daily Scores (of 10):
09/11 - 7.0 -
09/14 - 7.5 -
09/15 - 6.0 -
09/17 - 6.0 -
OVERALL AVERAGE - 6.625
Overall Score (out of 60) - 44.375
Hey, it's not as bad as a BIC but worse than a Derby. Yup, pretty much.
Verdict:
Honestly, they're sort of crappy. Unless the $0.05/blade is breaking your back, just buy Derby's if this is your price range as they're far far FAR superior
Forthcoming:
No test next week due to my overnight shiftage, but I'll resume thereafter and should be done before I overnight again. I think.