Thanks for the review. That is exactly my experience. Tried them with an IKON B1 OSS as well as with a TGS ITALICO open comb (similar to a Parker 26 head) and needed almost 4 passes with both DE razors.
I know you made this video years ago, but I’m going to try these in my more aggressive razors (RR Lupo 72, 95 & Mentor). As you may know, just how sharp blades such as Feathers work great in mild razors, the opposite is also true, mild blades in an aggressive razor can also be a great combo. I’ll let you know my results once I’m done, cheers!
MY GOD! Just when we were talking about this! Oy, I almost feel like a jinxed you there Nick. Nah, but all jokes aside, these have been the only blades I've seen that don't work for your skin and beard type. For a second, I thought you were gonna nail every blade you tried. But you know, this just proves how important blade choosing is, corroborates the importance of a blade sampler and how a new wet shaver can pretty much give up if they end up using a "non compatible" blade at first, which for me, is what pretty much almost happened. Overall, great video and can't wait for the next! : )
These are my favorite blades. I don't find them dull at all but I have found that doing the Douglas Smythe trick of shaving a pair of jeans a couple times on each side of the blade makes the first shave way more smooth. The second and third shave on these blades are way better than the first.
Rapira Swedish Supersteel Blades are one of my favorite DE Blades They cut through my stubble very well in three passes with my merkur 34c or my vintage gillette Tech or adjustables. No nicks or irritation most of the time, this blade is forgiving and comfortable for three or four shaves, about a week. I am 62 years old and have pock marks, wrinkles, loose skin hallows & crop circles. Feather blades are not kind to my face, even in a hoffritz slant head safety razor.
LOL you find the nicest way to say you don't like them - like your breaking the news about a serious illness or something. I'ts OK to just tear into them and say they are CRAP! TRASH! not worth the cardboard box they came in! etc... haha
i've tried several DE blades, and been trying the Rapira SS. Now I always find difficulty in getting a blade sharp enough for 3 or less passes, but smooth enough to take the goatee area clean enough. My hair is very coarse. So I've found Rapira incredibly forgiving but sharp enough to get close. It's not very sharp compared to Voskhods, and Sputnik's with the grain. but against teh grain, it just gets so close in one pass. So I think I might be sticking with these for sometime.
I had a similar experience with these blades. Felt like I had to do multiple passes and ended up aggravating my neck BAD! (May have to skip a day shaving) I'm still somewhat new to DE shaving and haven't found "my" blade but I think these blades are a "no" for now. (May revisit at a later date though)
These are more or less the equivalent of Personna's Lab Blue in sharpness and closeness as far as I'm concern, both being inferior to the Polsilver Super Iridium and the Feather. My goto blade is the Polsilver SI, as it's much cheaper than the Feather. I get them directly from Russia.
My experience with these blades is entirely different than yours. I find them very sharp and very smooth. The Rapira Swedish Supersteels are my favorite blades followed closely by The Gillette "Black" blades. I don't use mild razors like you do so maybe that contributes to the different experiences.
I recently went to try a blade. I am anxious to try these blades as I ordered one. Unfortunately if they are close to Derby they will be a bust for me.
eric whitlow They are NOT close to Derby. Swedish SS are generally regarded as one of the better blades out there. You cannot judge a blade on one shave. You need to give them at least four or five shaves to fully judge a blade.
Great review Nick. I really like the Rapira Lux and Voskhod blades so I've wanted to try the sweeds for quite a while. I tend to agree with your blade reviews so maybe I'll hold off on these for a bit. Do you have any of the Gillette 7 O'Clock blades in the queue? The 7 O'Clock Blacks are one of my favourite blades. Thanks again Nick and keep up the great work!
Being a stainless blade brings some drawbacks (less sharpness and more roughness) but the big value added that it does not bring any (maybe) harmful coating (chrome, Iridium, maybe platinum). So it is impossible to compare a stainless blade with a coated blade in my opinion.
I think we all know the only reason these blade reviews are all greats shaves is because of the high and mighty Sterling soaps. Lol Just kidding. Thank you so much for another great blade review. Please keep them coming. Greetings from Houston Texas!
Also, I don't agree with the sharpness Nick. It seems that even sharpness is different for everyone. When I shave with Derbys I might as well pull the hairs out myself. Whereas these Rapiras felt like Personna Lab blues for me. And I know you like those as well!
Gepstra As I said in his last video, all blades from one and the same manufacturer are one and the same as well, just with different labeling! The differences one THINK to feel between two blades from one and the same manufacturer are just in ones mind and come from different preparation (use of different soaps/creams, more/less water, longer/shorter working the lather etc.) and form on the day. Blades from different manufacturers are different for sure! Additionally, I think Nick often generalizes a bit too much after testing just one blade out of pack, he tries one blade and says "Theses blades are pretty dull / not so sharp as...". Not a proper scientific approach... BR, Dan.
Don Dan Is there a source for this? Because when I try new blades I try to rule out most variables. Voskhods and Ladas are from the same manufacturer correct? Because Voskhods tug like hell in my 34C whereas the Ladas provide me with a smooth shave.
I have tried to get a good shave with these and have never been able to, they are pretty near the worst blade I've used outside of derby and dorko. I dislike voskhod but not nearly as much and I really like the platinum lux, lada and the basic rapira blades - so it is not the brand itself.
I'm pretty much a straight razor guy now but when I tried these blades, they pulled and tugged very badly. These blades are just flat out horrible. Even stropping them didn't help them at all with my tough beard which is like barbed wire now. Unless I have to, I won't shave with a DE or a cartridge anymore.
Gepstra Neither of them worked for me. I pretty much got the same results. Now the company that does make these blades also makes the Gillette Silver Blues which I liked and my current "go to" blade which is Perma-Sharps.
Have tried Silver Blues, didn't like them that much, average at best. Have not tried Perma-sharps yet! Those will be in my next Tryablade order. Have you tried Sputniks? They are one of my favorites now.
Gepstra I've pretty much stopped trying other blades now that I've tried so many blades in various different razors. I'm strictly straight razors only now.
One of my favourite blades. Very smooth and sharp. I just picked up 500 of them for £22 $35. Sorry Nick totally disagree with everything in this review. You cannot judge a blade on ONE shave. You need to give it at least four or five shaves. I have very coarse hairs under my chin and the Swedish SS cuts through it easily. And that's with three passes and a touch up. And claiming these are in Derby sharpness makes you out to be totally wrong. These are generally regarded as one of the best blades going. I suggest you try again. These reviews are bogus. You are not reviewing correctly.
Thanks for the review. That is exactly my experience. Tried them with an IKON B1 OSS as well as with a TGS ITALICO open comb (similar to a Parker 26 head) and needed almost 4 passes with both DE razors.
I know you made this video years ago, but I’m going to try these in my more aggressive razors (RR Lupo 72, 95 & Mentor).
As you may know, just how sharp blades such as Feathers work great in mild razors, the opposite is also true, mild blades in an aggressive razor can also be a great combo. I’ll let you know my results once I’m done, cheers!
MY GOD! Just when we were talking about this! Oy, I almost feel like a jinxed you there Nick. Nah, but all jokes aside, these have been the only blades I've seen that don't work for your skin and beard type. For a second, I thought you were gonna nail every blade you tried. But you know, this just proves how important blade choosing is, corroborates the importance of a blade sampler and how a new wet shaver can pretty much give up if they end up using a "non compatible" blade at first, which for me, is what pretty much almost happened. Overall, great video and can't wait for the next! : )
Used one for the first time in my Feather AS-D2 and yes you do need a few passes and touch ups but overall a decent shave.
These are my favorite blades. I don't find them dull at all but I have found that doing the Douglas Smythe trick of shaving a pair of jeans a couple times on each side of the blade makes the first shave way more smooth. The second and third shave on these blades are way better than the first.
I found them sharp and smooth! Very good blades !
Thank you for your honesty!
great review. I happed to really enjoy these blades, but this is why samplers are the way to go!
Rapira Swedish Supersteel Blades are one of my favorite DE Blades They cut through my stubble very well in three passes with my merkur 34c or my vintage gillette Tech or adjustables. No nicks or irritation most of the time, this blade is forgiving and comfortable for three or four shaves, about a week. I am 62 years old and have pock marks, wrinkles, loose skin hallows & crop circles. Feather blades are not kind to my face, even in a hoffritz slant head safety razor.
I liked them as well
Thanks for the thoughtful review.
LOL you find the nicest way to say you don't like them - like your breaking the news about a serious illness or something. I'ts OK to just tear into them and say they are CRAP! TRASH! not worth the cardboard box they came in! etc... haha
looking forward to trying those along with razorock mission razor.
on the way from usa at mo.
use geo trumper lime.
I found them to actually be as sharp as the Voskhod but tad bit smoother, Gonna have to order bunch of these too
They work very well for me!
i've tried several DE blades, and been trying the Rapira SS. Now I always find difficulty in getting a blade sharp enough for 3 or less passes, but smooth enough to take the goatee area clean enough. My hair is very coarse. So I've found Rapira incredibly forgiving but sharp enough to get close. It's not very sharp compared to Voskhods, and Sputnik's with the grain. but against teh grain, it just gets so close in one pass. So I think I might be sticking with these for sometime.
I had a similar experience with these blades. Felt like I had to do multiple passes and ended up aggravating my neck BAD! (May have to skip a day shaving)
I'm still somewhat new to DE shaving and haven't found "my" blade but I think these blades are a "no" for now. (May revisit at a later date though)
NICK!
Review the treet falcons
These are more or less the equivalent of Personna's Lab Blue in sharpness and closeness as far as I'm concern, both being inferior to the Polsilver Super Iridium and the Feather.
My goto blade is the Polsilver SI, as it's much cheaper than the Feather. I get them directly from Russia.
just tried these and I'm impressed
@עילג ישראלי changed to voskhod
My experience with these blades is entirely different than yours. I find them very sharp and very smooth. The Rapira Swedish Supersteels are my favorite blades followed closely by The Gillette "Black" blades. I don't use mild razors like you do so maybe that contributes to the different experiences.
I recently went to try a blade. I am anxious to try these blades as I ordered one. Unfortunately if they are close to Derby they will be a bust for me.
eric whitlow They are NOT close to Derby. Swedish SS are generally regarded as one of the better blades out there. You cannot judge a blade on one shave. You need to give them at least four or five shaves to fully judge a blade.
Great review Nick. I really like the Rapira Lux and Voskhod blades so I've wanted to try the sweeds for quite a while. I tend to agree with your blade reviews so maybe I'll hold off on these for a bit. Do you have any of the Gillette 7 O'Clock blades in the queue? The 7 O'Clock Blacks are one of my favourite blades. Thanks again Nick and keep up the great work!
Being a stainless blade brings some drawbacks (less sharpness and more roughness) but the big value added that it does not bring any (maybe) harmful coating (chrome, Iridium, maybe platinum). So it is impossible to compare a stainless blade with a coated blade in my opinion.
Just wanted to ad that I find a lot depends on the razor that you are using as to the shave that you get from any one particular blade.
I think we all know the only reason these blade reviews are all greats shaves is because of the high and mighty Sterling soaps. Lol Just kidding. Thank you so much for another great blade review. Please keep them coming. Greetings from Houston Texas!
Hi Boss... Rapira Swedish And Platinum Lux, Which Is Better?
Really appreciate your reviews and tutorials Nick! Please review the Gillette Silver Blue blade :-)
only blade that I've discarded after 1 use, cause I got a terrible shave out of it
Please try SuperMax Super Platinum blades
Better try the Ladas blade. In the Wilkinson Sword, they shave much better. I use an auto-translator, so I'm sorry :)
Can I send you the sharpest, smoothest, most forgiving blades you have ever tried? Have you ever used a Zircon?
Also, I don't agree with the sharpness Nick. It seems that even sharpness is different for everyone. When I shave with Derbys I might as well pull the hairs out myself. Whereas these Rapiras felt like Personna Lab blues for me. And I know you like those as well!
Gepstra Except for Feathers...
Gepstra As I said in his last video, all blades from one and the same manufacturer are one and the same as well, just with different labeling! The differences one THINK to feel between two blades from one and the same manufacturer are just in ones mind and come from different preparation (use of different soaps/creams, more/less water, longer/shorter working the lather etc.) and form on the day. Blades from different manufacturers are different for sure!
Additionally, I think Nick often generalizes a bit too much after testing just one blade out of pack, he tries one blade and says "Theses blades are pretty dull / not so sharp as...". Not a proper scientific approach... BR, Dan.
H31MU7 Feathers are either sharp, or too sharp :)
Don Dan Is there a source for this? Because when I try new blades I try to rule out most variables. Voskhods and Ladas are from the same manufacturer correct? Because Voskhods tug like hell in my 34C whereas the Ladas provide me with a smooth shave.
Don Dan Not correct. Many blades are produced from the same factory, yes. But they are different in terms of the edge and coating of the blade.
I have tried to get a good shave with these and have never been able to, they are pretty near the worst blade I've used outside of derby and dorko. I dislike voskhod but not nearly as much and I really like the platinum lux, lada and the basic rapira blades - so it is not the brand itself.
Nick, do you think the Merkur 34c is more aggressive than the EJ89?
I wonder if you didn't land a fluke blade, because these are definitely sharper than the other Rapiras - e.g. Platinum Lux, Voskhod, Ladas
Jean-Pierre Therrien And at least as sharp as (if not more then) the Personna Lab Blue or GSB.
I just tried one and loved it. going with these from now on.
Can you review the "Big Ben" razor blades? I keep getting them in my wet shave subscription, and I'm wondering how they compare.
+Ryan Gee Why don't you just try one then?
did you try going against the hair using this blade?
no, he didn't.
Stirling*
Return to the straight razor-you have not shaved with one for ages.
keeping it real.
I'm pretty much a straight razor guy now but when I tried these blades, they pulled and tugged very badly. These blades are just flat out horrible. Even stropping them didn't help them at all with my tough beard which is like barbed wire now. Unless I have to, I won't shave with a DE or a cartridge anymore.
Steve Davidson what about other Rapiras?
Gepstra Neither of them worked for me. I pretty much got the same results. Now the company that does make these blades also makes the Gillette Silver Blues which I liked and my current "go to" blade which is Perma-Sharps.
Have tried Silver Blues, didn't like them that much, average at best. Have not tried Perma-sharps yet! Those will be in my next Tryablade order.
Have you tried Sputniks? They are one of my favorites now.
Gepstra I've pretty much stopped trying other blades now that I've tried so many blades in various different razors. I'm strictly straight razors only now.
I didn't like these. I had the same experience that they were dull and I couldn't get a close shave. I needed like two pass up rounds with these.
I mean touch up rounds hih :)
Not a good blade for me - too tuggy. Shame because I bought a fair few.
The blade sucks! Thank you for the review!
One of my favourite blades. Very smooth and sharp. I just picked up 500 of them for £22 $35. Sorry Nick totally disagree with everything in this review. You cannot judge a blade on ONE shave. You need to give it at least four or five shaves. I have very coarse hairs under my chin and the Swedish SS cuts through it easily. And that's with three passes and a touch up. And claiming these are in Derby sharpness makes you out to be totally wrong. These are generally regarded as one of the best blades going. I suggest you try again. These reviews are bogus. You are not reviewing correctly.
Wow, someone has an attitude issue