Shave'n Blind Blade Test

alexface

alexface

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81
Location
North of the Pole
I'd like to invite experienced DE shavers to a double-blind blade test.

Here's the deal:

You will receive a dozen wrapped and coded blades and will be expected to report each of three shaves per blade comparing sharpness, comfort, and preference to the previous blade. Each participant will be asked to use the same razor throughout the test, keeping prep, lather, and routine consistent and to have an assistant who can swap blades discreetly. Sound like your thing?

The ideal participant has years of experience shaving with a safety razor, has found several blades that work well, shaves more than three times per week, and takes notes. If this sounds like you please send me a PM, post a response or questions below. Here are some links to know what you would be committing to:

Frequently asked questions: http://goo.gl/c4AdSD
Earlier Worksheets: http://goo.gl/jOa0KF (v08)
Sample Worksheet: http://goo.gl/vCmn0L
Initial Survey: http://goo.gl/forms/xXfXqjgO8k
Shave report form: http://goo.gl/forms/IQn7eay92Y

This is project is for fun and is of personal interest. I am not researching on behalf of a company, university degree, or any organization. Sixteen blade packs have been mailed and our private Google group has twelve active members.
 
I'm taking part in this, it's odd not knowing what's in the razor but it's a great way to try new blades without letting perception colour your judgement. So far I'm on the first one and have found that I like it a lot. If it turns out to be a Merkur I'll die of shock...
 
Great to also see you here on TSR, Chris.

Steve, The ideal is just a measuring stick. 3-4x/week is perfectly fine. The assistant is a requirement, however. What about a neighbour? :)

Michael, all of the raw anonymized data will be in the public domain. I'll post links to the data here. From that data, I expect we'll find some interesting results, such as "70% of shavers prefer blade X to blade Y (p<0.01)" or "Those who prefer A preferred B and C over D, E, and F, while those who prefer F..."

Each participant is asked to report at least three shaves with his own zeroth blade along with notes. For example:

Blade 00 shave 1 (Thu 18 Dec)
Zeroth blade: Gillette 7OC SharpEdge Yellow, St. Pete

And then for each blind blade, he should compare to the same shave with the previous blade. For example:

Blade 01 shave 1 (Wed 24 Dec) was Sharper, Smoother, Better than blade 00 shave 1
Notes: First blind blade after 48 hours of growth. Cautious on first pass WTG. Blade was similar or sharper than G7Y and noticably smoother. Blah blah blah

Blade 01 shave 2 (Fri 26 Dec) was Duller, Smoother, Better than blade 00 shave 2
Notes: 48 hours growth. Quite a bit of stubble after second pass, so I conclude not as sharp as the G7 Yellow. But very smooth, no issues... blah blah blah

Blade 01 shave 3 (Sun 28 Dec) was Duller, Harsher, Worse than blade 00 shave 3
Notes: 48 hr growth. Initially felt smooth, but not particularly sharp. By second pass, easy areas still had stubble. Extra pass and touch-ups. Blah blah blah

From all of these comparison reports, we can construct rankings (3 shaves x 3 criteria). For example (after six compared blades):
jn9KBPT.png

(I don't expect to make pretty pictures for all data). The raw data looks something like this:

Sharpness: (00.2 = 05.2) > 01.2 > (02.2 = 03.2) > 04.2
 
I'm having a blast so far. I just finished up my second blade. I think this is where we get to speculate what we shaved with. Since everyone's blades are in different order, there will be no comparison between my blade 1 and Alex's blade 1 etc.

I have just finished up three days with a blade that hates my face. It has to be an Astra SP. Has to. Because I feel miserable, and the last time I had a shave this bad was the third time I gave Astra a try. I know people love these blades, but they hate me. Of course I'm probably wrong as to what the blade actually is. My guesses so far:

Blade 00: Gillette Silver Blue ;-) (bet I get that one right!)
Blade 01: Derby or similar blade known for being rather dull but smooth
Blade 02: Astra SP or other blade I will stay far, far away from in the future

Joel

PS - Hello everyone
 
Hey Everyone,

I like the idea of a public forum for discussion as well. I am starting to irritate my assistant/SWMBO with my nightly guessing of the blind blades. So here are my guesses so far:

Blade 1 - Probably not Feather, maybe Kai or Astra SP
Blade 2 - Derby, Racer, or Shark SS
Blade 3 - Something Russian(and wonderful). Similar to Voskhod and Perma-Sharp.

James
 
First blade was terrible for me, nice and sharp for the first two shaves and then overnight went blunt and rough.

The first shave on the second blade was also encouraging... but the other two will have to wait until next week when I'm back from my holiday.
 
I have decided not to continually post my "raw data" here, because it seems like the thread will get bogged down by information that is not relatable to others. That said, I will paint broad strokes. My Weber GSB combo is wicked smooth and close, BBS 2 pass shave.
 
NavyShave, I think you've got the right idea posting to the report form ( http://goo.gl/forms/IQn7eay92Y ). Most of the guys are botching the strict report format anyway (in the Google Group). Then the guesses here in TSR can be as fun or embarrassing as you wish.
 
Since the reporting form is easy for us and easily mineable for you, I think this is am winning combo. Monday will be blade 01 shave 1...very excited. Now to teach my assistant 3 piece DE basics.
 
renewingmind said:
I'm having a blast so far. I just finished up my second blade. I think this is where we get to speculate what we shaved with. Since everyone's blades are in different order, there will be no comparison between my blade 1 and Alex's blade 1 etc.

I have just finished up three days with a blade that hates my face. It has to be an Astra SP. Has to. Because I feel miserable, and the last time I had a shave this bad was the third time I gave Astra a try. I know people love these blades, but they hate me. Of course I'm probably wrong as to what the blade actually is. My guesses so far:

Blade 00: Gillette Silver Blue ;-) (bet I get that one right!)
Blade 01: Derby or similar blade known for being rather dull but smooth
Blade 02: Astra SP or other blade I will stay far, far away from in the future

Joel

PS - Hello everyone
Click to expand...

Blade 00: Gillette Silver Blue ;-) (bet I get that one right!)
Blade 01: Derby or similar blade known for being rather dull but smooth
Blade 02: Astra SP or other blade I will stay far, far away from in the future
Blade 03: Feather or something I've never tried that is sharp, like VgermannameIcan'tremember
Blade 04: Lord or what I have heard about Merkur

Wow blade 04 is bad.

Joel
 
My blade 01 is horrible, I don't even want to finish shaves 2 and 3. I haven't had a shave this bad in 5 years. I did not suffer a cut, but I am certain that my beard was reduced by individual hair extraction/pulling.
 
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