Personna Platinum “Israeli Red” Razor Blade Review
The Personna Platinum is a very popular DE Razor Blade and one of the easier Personna blades to tell apart. There are several other Personna branded razor blades like the Personna Comfort Coated “Lab Blues”, which are easily confused with other Personna razor blades.
The red packaging here easily sets these apart. This is partially where the term “Israeli Red” comes from, and with a name like that it’s pretty tempting to give them a try.
The other part of the slang term is easy to guess that the blades are made in Israel. Now while the blades are made in Israel, which is what the box I have says, they are then shipped to Mexico for assembly for distribution in America.
Fresh out of the pack the sharpness measured 41. For information on what this means check out Razor Blade Sharpness Testing. This is on the sharper end of things and what I would consider to be in the desirable range. You can click this link to see a Razor Blade Sharpness Comparison Chart with the other blades tested so far.
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.
The Personna Platinum “Israeli Red” gave me a great first shave. It was extremely smooth and noticeably sharp throughout. It was one of those shaves where I was “in the zone” and was it very enjoyable.
After the first shave, the sharpness increased to 37. As of right now most coated blades have increased their sharpness after the first shave, the current hypothesis is that the blade edge becomes more exposed as the coating wears off. This results in a sharper cutting edge, although the smoothness may decrease as the coating disappears.
I like a razor blade to be fairly consistent throughout, some blades have significant changes in sharpness while shaving. I find that a change of 10% or less as you see here is the most desirable as the technique does not need to change at all and you can just enjoy your shave rather than reacting to changing variables. When I use a blade that really “sharpens up” I need to make sure I watch myself and lighten up accordingly or risk irritation.
The second shave basically mirrored the first shave, which is exactly what I am looking for. As I said I like consistency, and if I can get 2 solid full head and face shaves out of the cost of a DE Razor Blade I am happy.
After the second shave the sharpness measured 36, which for all intents and purposes is the same as after shave one at 37. As I have already indicated my appreciation for consistency this is very desirable to me and explains why my first and second shaves were very similar (they were both great).
Initial Sharpness = 41
Average Sharpness = 38
Edge Retention = 0.88
Smoothness = 5/5
Overall Subjective Rating = 5/5
Platinum Chrome Coated. Made in Israel, Assembled in Mexico.
The Personna Platinum “Israeli Red” Razor Blade gave me 2 great shaves and I would be very comfortable using this blade a third time. Seeing how some blades I will only use once (like a Derby Extra) this speaks highly of its durability and value. I would highly recommend that you give the Israeli Red’s a try.
Check out more Razor Blade Reviews or look into how the Razor Blade Sharpness Testing works.
Have you tried Personna Platinum “Israeli Red” Razor Blades? Be sure to leave your overall rating, the community appreciates your vote!
