Perhaps there is nothing in shavedom more controversial than blade preference. Like most people on B&B, I own several different variety of blades and I have my favorites. I could describe to you what I like and dislike about each individual blade, and I could tell you without hesitation that my favorite blade is the Polsilver SI. I must admit that I am somewhat baffled when other people disrespect the Polsilver or choose a blade that I find to be unusable. When it comes to blades, YMMV rules the day.



Over the years I have done my shave of scientific research, and the problem with the evaluation of shaving equipment is what is referred to as Experimenter Bias. Humans are unable to objectively evaluate pretty much anything. We have preconceived likes and dislikes that work at both the conscious and subconscious level. As applied to blade evaluation, if the shaver is aware of which blade is in the razor, an objective evaluation is impossible. In order to do an objective evaluation the shaver must be "Blind" to the blade in the razor. To that end I enlisted my wife to change razor blades after each blade was used for 3 days. At no time did I know which blade I was shaving with. As she believes this whole shaving thing is nutty, she has no experimenter interest in the outcome of the experiment.



The Experiment:



4 different razor blades.



*Polsilver SI

*Nacet

*Gillette 7 O'Clock Black

*Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus



I am very familiar with all 4 blades. Before the experiment I would have said the following:



1. Polsilver SI - My favorite blade. The best combination of sharp and smooth.

2. Nacet - Not quite as sharp as the Polsilver. Not quite as smooth. A small step beneath the Polsilver

3. Gillette 7 OC Black - Very sharp. Not smooth enough. Often irritating to my skin.

4. Gillette Rubie - 2nd favorite blade. Not quite a Polsilver but very close.



As with any good scientific experiment, I tried to keep as many variables as possible constant.



*24 hour beard

*ATT S2 razor

*Prep that included a pre-shave shower; Mickey Lee Shave Butter; Mickey Lee Drunken Goat Soap; Rudy Vey/ShaveMac D01 3 band brush; and Soap Commander Integrity AfterShave Balm.

*Each blade got a 3 day evaluation. My wife changed the blades. I was never aware of which blade I was using.





My goal in this experiment was twofold:



1. I wanted to learn if I could identify each blade.

2. I wanted to identify the best blade without experimenter bias interfering.



Blade Evaluation:



Below is a summary of my evaluation as well as my best blade guess.



Blade #1

-Very sharp. Good audible feedback. Not the smoothest. A few weepers here and there. Skin irritation after 3 days of use.

BEST GUESS - Gillette 7 OC Black. OVERALL RANK #4



Blade #2

-less sharp than #1 but much smoother. Nice combination of sharp and smooth. No irritation. No weepers. Quiet blade. Really nice blade. BEST GUESS - GILLETTE RUBIE PLATINUM. OVERALL RANK - #2



BLADE #3

-Not as sharp as #1. Not as smooth as #2. A bit of tugging. Good audible feedback. No weepers. Good shave just not as good as #2. BEST GUESS - NACET. OVERALL RANK - #3



BLADE #4 -

-Smooth and Sharp. Very efficient shave. No irritation. No weepers. Very quiet blade. My favorite blade.

BEST GUESS - POLSILVER SI. OVERALL RANK - #1







RESULTS:



I was surprised when my wife showed me the blade chart. I didn't get a single blade right. NOT ONE!!





ACTUAL BLADE (final ranking)



BLADE #1 NACET(4)

BLADE #2 POLSILVER SI(2)

BLADE #3 7 OC BLACK(3)

BLADE #4 Gillette RUBIE(1)







CONCLUSION:



So there you have it. To my surprise, I was unable to identify a single blade despite having used all four blades extensively in the past. My clear favorite was blade #4, and I was quick to assign the Polsilver SI to that spot. I was also surprised to find that the Nacet was my least favorite blade. I would have put the Gillette 7 OC Black in that spot before the study.



A hearty congratulations to the Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus, my new favorite blade, on its well earned victory.





By the way, more than ever, my wife thinks this is a nutty hobby.