Blade Review: Polsilver Stainless

[Nick the Knife]

Gents,

Ok next up is the interesting Polsilver Stainless blades, which may either originate from Poland or P&G's St Pete plant - differing views on this but I think it's a case that they used to be made in Poland but ended up getting moved to St Pete - the giveaway being the gluespots (dunno why folks always complain so much about these - yes they're a lil annoying but hardly a deal breaker, some folks make out like they're asbestos!)

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Here's some interesting background I found posted over at YKW regarding these blades which seem to be surrounded by a lil mystery due to the recent acquisition of them by P& G, the original Super Iridiums and also the new 'Polsilver Super Iridiums'....where these sit in this grand scheme is anyone's guess:

Petersburg Products is 65% owned by Gillette/P&G, and the rest by the Russian government. That's the deal they could cut in the early '90's to get their foot in the door. The plant back then was in a rundown waterfront/warehouse district of St. Petersburg, making Sputniks, Astras, and other such blades. I believe a new plant has since been built on the outskirts of St. Petrsburg.

At about the same time in the early '90's, Gillette purchased Wizamet S.A. in Lodz, Poland They continued making Iridiums, Polsilvers, and "Swedes" there until 2005, when P&G decided to move all DE blade production to St. Petersburg. The Lodz plant was converted to making Mach3's and Fusions. The "W" on Iridium and Polsilver wrappers is the Wizamet logo.

The four large wax/glue spots under the wrapper are a trademark of any blade made in the St. Petersburg plant. They are a deal breaker for me. I'll use up what blades I have from there, but won't be buying more."

I prefer the Polsilver to the Iridium because it's smoother even if not quite as sharp or long-lasting. It's a moot point because once the 16-17 Polsilvers I have are gone, there will be no more. The Polsilvers were cancelled because they weren't as popular, and the fact that eight or more brands/models of blade were being made in the St. Petersburg plant. The complexity led to confusion and quality problems, like Polsilvers showing up in Iridium wrappers.

Due to all this and generally very good to excellent reports on their performance PLUS the fact they've been discontinued (which in shaving seems to be an instant guarantee of a product going from average to legend status overnight & having it's going price treble!) these have become quite sought after lately. Not uncommon for these to be selling for up to 40c per blade, before postage! Thats getting towards elite price but does the performance meet the price?

I should flag that my first 2 shaves with these was with LESS than ideal lathers (using Mike's Natural Soaps) and was also with a Gillette Slim (first pass @5, 2nd@3). Haha so much for consistency to ensure results eh. ;-)


Sharpness of Blade/Closeness of shave: 8/10, felt pretty damn sharp. Got some nice audio feedback as it went through the hairs. Definitely one of the sharper blades I've recently used.....not quite at the Feather level but a very good edge on these.

Smoothness of Shave/Comfort of Shave: 7.5+/10, this grade has been given a plus as I think that it was significantly undermined by the horrible lather I was working with. I did feel to have a very good level of smoothness to it. I'll have to get another few shaves out to be more certain about this.

Post-shave irritation/cuts: First time I shaves I got a couple of little weepers....I generally don't get these - instead more often getting 'cuts' from going too fast. But I took it that these were a testimony to the sharpness of the blade itself. Otherwise no post shave problems albeit again the lather wasn't ideal but the blade definitely held up its end.

Overall score for blade 7.5+/10, again a plus score as I think this blade has upside that my first 2 uses didn't get to showcase due to the underperformance of the lather. Due to its sharpness I'd think this would do well in my slant - might give that a try next

Comments: As mentioned its a very nice blade.....its early days in the reviews and I can already see that short of reviewing the blades back to back in a single shave (changing in and out after a few strokes) it's VERY hard to be truly subjective and accurate in giving feedback on them. Just SO many variables that pertain to every shave which could make the difference between a good shave and a sub-par one.

That all said I'm 100% confident that these are above average blades which should happily sit within almost anyone's stash and give solid results in any razor within your rotation - I don't think they're ELITE level blades e.g RM's GBEs - but they're definitely in the next tier down from these based on my usage so far. As stated with prices on the rise these will get harder to get but they can be found for as little as 16c/blade posted! Check my earlier posts for details on these. And at that price they may well rival the best value superior blades available. Grab a pack or two whilst you still can.

 

[Nick the Knife]

I've put 4 shaves on my Polsilver and every single one of them was really VERY good. AM certain I could eke out another 1-2 shaves if wanted. Definitely highly recommend these to folks if you can get a hold of them, very nice blades with strengths in all facets of performance (sharp, smooth, longevity) & can be gotten at a very competitive price.

Definitely glad I grabbed some whilst they're still available.

 

[Mong.]

How similar do you find them to the Pol Super Iridiums?

 

[Nick the Knife]

How similar do you find them to the Pol Super Iridiums?

I don't have nor have I ever tried the Polsilver SI's.....I've previously tried and again have a couple of the original SI's (due to RM's generosity) but haven't compared and to be honest prolly won't anytime soon - to compare I'd have to have both blade in use for the one shave and CBF'd - maybe another time.

Where the Pol SI's sit is anyone's guess....but they're priced at ~2.5 times these so they'd want to be VERY good.

 

[Mong.]

I've found them to be excellent for me, but I'm yet to try the brown packaged ones yet. I'll compare them tonight.

Is there anything stopping me putting a few loose blades in a normal envelope with a 60c stamp? I'm not sure how people usually send small quantities of blades in the mail, but I'd be curious to get your thoughts on these expensive ones. Happy to send some your way if you want.

 

[Nick the Knife]

I've found them to be excellent for me, but I'm yet to try the brown packaged ones yet. I'll compare them tonight.

Is there anything stopping me putting a few loose blades in a normal envelope with a 60c stamp? I'm not sure how people usually send small quantities of blades in the mail, but I'd be curious to get your thoughts on these expensive ones. Happy to send some your way if you want.

Sam,

No, as long as the blades are in their factory wrappers then they'd be fine to go into an envelope as is. If you really wanted to be extra safe you could just fold them in a piece of paper a few times e.g piece of notebook paper, sit the wrapped blades in it - double it over, repeat, repeat etc - basically you've tripled etc the protection they've already had. Would have to be a really amazing situation for them to get damaged or damage someone on route.

Very kind offer and I'm happy to give you my thoughts on them - I'm happy to do a direct - same shave comparison to the browns and see if I can notice any difference. Will PM you my address.

 

[Mong.]

Brilliant mate, I'll get 'em in the post tomorrow on my day off. The price difference between these two is pretty significant, so I'm just tossing up whether or not to buy more of the SI's. It's hard for me to get a good perspective about where they sit in the blade hierarchy, so a test run from someone who's a bit more worldly in that regard will be handy.

 

[Nick the Knife]

Brilliant mate, I'll get 'em in the post tomorrow on my day off. The price difference between these two is pretty significant, so I'm just tossing up whether or not to buy more of the SI's. It's hard for me to get a good perspective about where they sit in the blade hierarchy, so a test run from someone who's a bit more worldly in that regard will be handy.

Haha so you're saying you want me to send them on to RM then? ;-)

Wow well the SI ones must be pretty good then. Hmmm they're a bit costly per blade aren't they? I just checked and at ~38c per + postage (for a 100) they're up there - definitely amongst the more expensive current production blades. But for a weeks shaves thats still very cost effective so not vintage blade type money (which is still very good compared to cart. costs).

Thats a very kind offer and will gladly give you the best feedback I can. Thank you.

 

[Monsta_AU]

You have the address

Meanwhile the blades in question arrived today. Not sure if Australia Post go the same chuckle as I did with the name it was addressed to.

Will report in due course.

 

[Mong.]

Nick, they'll be in the post tomorrow, you're very welcome. RM, do you want a few of the Pollie Super Iridiums too? I can send a few your way if you like, if you inbox me with your address I can send them out with Nick's when I'm at the post box tomorrow.

I had a go with the Stainless blades tonight, and they're pretty good. I found them to be milder compared to the SI's, I don't think they're quite as sharp. I did find them to be more forgiving around my trouble areas (adam's apple, right side of my throat), it was a very comfortable shave and at no point did I feel like there was a chance of a cut. The SI's keep me on my toes because they do seem pretty feisty, so compared to them, these are cruisy and pleasant. No irritation with these, I did get a little bit from the SI after the previous shave but that may have been me being somewhat overzealous in my BBS pursuit. That said, I went for a similar result tonight and though it is a very close shave, it's not quite BBS. Still free of red sore patches though, so that's a big plus to the stainless.

The winner in my book? The SI's. Comparing the price/performance ratio though, I'd go for these because I don't think that the SI's will be worth about double the price for most people. If the Stainless are an 7.5-8/10, the SI's are a 9/10 for me. I think most people could get a fairly decent shave from the stainless, and I'd have no trouble being happy if I only had them for the rest of my life. Personally, I think the SI's are as close to a go-to blade as I've found so far so I'd be happier with them. They're probably not worth the extra price, but I'd pay it because I haven't found anything that suits me better yet.

Both of these blades are worth a look, after I try the final blade in my set (the 'Iridium Super'), I'll happily send some surplus blades around for others to try out.

 

[Nick the Knife]

Well gave one of the Pol Browns a run in my Merkur slant last night (as a side note I really think there's a LOT to be said for a single pass WTG shave with a slant....it gives a GREAT shave thats worth ~1.5+ passes in almost any other razor - zero irritation & so quick and simple!).....was the 2nd use on this particular blade (had used previously in Red Tip with so-so results).

Shave was good - albeit got another very lacklustre lather from the MNS I used...*grumble*. First pass, WTG was fantastic.....coming back for the 2nd pass (hybrid XTG/ATG) was a lil rough in certain sensitive sections - to be honest the slant isn't the best razor for ATG, unless you have a laser sharp blade + world beating lather it can prove to be a lil much for me in certain areas. In this regard its great used in a 'Thomas method' type arrangement with something a tad milder....though to be honest most of the time I genuinely find that a single WTG pass with it does the business admirably.

But the Pol Browns were as Mong alluded, very smooth - their sharpness being the only weakness (not a true weakness but just not as much of a strength as the smooth side). I must have had around 1/2 dozen shaves with them in varying razors now, not a single cut (a single weeper on very first use) - which is very good.

Is definitely a very nice all-around blade, I'd mean this as a compliment when I say I'd see it as an 'Astra SP PLUS'. Definitely not a world beater but a very good all-around blade.

 

[Mong.]

Just found this on eBay, at the bargain price of $10 per blade.

 

[Pjotr]

Let me see.....Polsilver Super Iridiums, Super Iridiums, Iridium Supers, Polsilver Stainless, Polsilver Brown. Confused. All from the same factory? And all different?

 

[Monsta_AU]

Let me see.....Polsilver Super Iridiums, Super Iridiums, Iridium Supers, Polsilver Stainless, Polsilver Brown. Confused. All from the same factory? And all different?

Various factories. All (mostly) different. No such thing as an Iridium Super.

First go this morning. First blade I have used from with Wizamet (Lodz) factory for a long time. This is a first try for me on the Polly Stainless (yeah, there are blades I have not tried yet... stop laughing).

These are as I remember the Lodz-produced blades to be: Sharp, smooth and an all-over good shave. Not the closest shave but well above a Super Iridium which I find leaves stubble 3 hours later. I am now 8 hours later and have a bit of stubble around the chin.

They remind me of a Swede, and also the White Platinums. Which is because they were also produced at the same factory. Swedes were discontinued entirely after a brief move to the Annècy in France (the so-called Annecy Swedes) and the White Platinums were moved to PPI.

 

[Nick the Knife]

They remind me of a Swede, and also the White Platinums. Which is because they were also produced at the same factory. Swedes were discontinued entirely after a brief move to the Annècy in France (the so-called Annecy Swedes) and the White Platinums were moved to PPI.

Wow thats high praise indeed. Glad I nabbed a few whilst I could. Nice feedback, thanks for sharing!

 

[Monsta_AU]

The biggest surprise was the glide that I got out of this blades and Proraso. Such an easy, smooth sensation.

Makes me wonder if I should also stock up on these. Better than Permasharps at this price.

 

[Nick the Knife]

The biggest surprise was the glide that I got out of this blades and Proraso. Such an easy, smooth sensation.

Makes me wonder if I should also stock up on these. Better than Permasharps at this price.

Yes, I agree they're VERY smooth and do have a real glide about them. Haha now we all know that you're not 'wondering' but instead are thinking how many do you really want to buy.....300? Hmmmm 1000? There's a nice roundness to that figure now then isn't there.

We should do get an 'over/under' wager going on it......I'd say around 300 is the mark (due to the postage costs jumping up) so I'd put my money on that. Would be a BOLD endorsement of them if you went about this, but you are RM so I wouldn't bat an eyelid if you did.