Gillette Wilkinson Sword Razor Blade Review

There are at least 2 different DE razor blades branded as a Wilkinson Sword – Wilkinson Sword and Gillette Wilkinson Sword.

The first Wilkinson Sword I tried is made in Germany and is a fantastic razor blade that is widely available, including even at the pharmacy or grocery store – which is great.

New 100 pc Gillette Wilkinson Sword Razor Blades Double Edge Safety Razor Blade

• Made in China

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This review is on the “other” Wilkinson Sword, that is branded as Gillette and I only see online. It has also been labelled the “Indian” Wilkinson Sword, however after reading the package it appears to be made in China and imported to India. This particular blade was then sold to tryablade.com in the USA and made its way to me in Canada.

This website will be listing this blade as Wilkinson Sword Gillette in lists and tables – primarily to distinguish from the other Wilkinson Sword, and Gillette will be last so that the Wilkinson’s are beside each other for easy comparison.

Another Gillette blade that is made in India is the Gillette 7 O’clock Super Platinum (Black), and I like the German Wilkinson Sword quite a lot so I was optimistic going into this razor blade test.

Fresh out of the pack the sharpness measured 43, which is right about average. This is also slightly sharper than the German Wilkinson Sword that came in at 46, but note the German blade has a PTFE coating which wears away quickly. You can click this link to see a Razor Blade Sharpness Comparison Chart with the other blades tested so far.

The first shave with the Gillette Wilkinson Sword razor blade was great. I did my usual 3 pass shave and was able to get a very smooth and close shave all over with no nicks, cuts or irritation.

Note that I shave my head as well as my face and have a pretty thick growth – except for the top of my head. This means that one of my shaves might equal two of someone that just shaves their face, or even more if they have a thinner beard.

After the first shave, the sharpness increased to 40. You will notice in the other razor blade reviews as well that most blades so far tend to sharpen up with use. This is only slightly sharper than the initial sharpness of 43, and I very much like the consistency.

I find anything in the high 30’s or low 40’s is a great shave, and I am not really a fan when blades really sharpen up as I personally shave differently with a blade that is 45 than a blade that is 35. Consistency in my opinion is great as the shaving technique does not require any adjustment along the way.

The second shave was basically the same as the first and was a great shave. Close, smooth, and no irritation.

After the second shave the sharpness decreased just slightly to 41, which for all intents and purposes is the same as 40. Again I will note the consistency, it basically did not change much at all out of the package – and was sharp enough for great shaves the whole time.

Initial Sharpness = 43
Average Sharpness = 41
Edge Retention = 0.95
Smoothness = 5/5

Overall Subjective Rating = 5/5

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*While I did not find an “official” source to confirm Platinum coating, I did find several unofficial references.

I can see why these blades are called the Indian Wilkinson Sword as they are imported to, and would be purchased from India. That said, the many references online that state made in India are simply false as the package clearly states they are made in China. Perhaps they were once made in India and the manufacturing was moved, and the name just stuck.

Regardless of where they are made, the Gillette Wilkinson Swords are a fantastic razor blade, very reasonably priced, and I suggest that you give them a try.

Check out more Razor Blade Reviews or look into how the Razor Blade Sharpness Testing works.

Have you tried the Gillette Wilkinson Sword Razor Blades? Be sure to leave your overall rating, the community appreciates your vote!