42 Bic Chrome Platinum Shaves

[Gollnick]

After my triumphant Six Months of Feather Shaves, I decided to do a month or so of shaves with my old favorite Bic Chrome Platinum blades. I ended up doing 42 consecutive Bic shaves; 42 is seven blades with six shaves each.

At first, I was shocked by how bad these Bic blades are, "How could I have liked these?"

But I don't like to make snap judgements about anything, certainly not razor blades. I'm constantly amused by "review" posts I see on other forums saying, "I just got these Brand X blades in the mail yesterday. Today, I shaved with one. Now I will proclaim my review and evaluation of them: they're not as good as my usual every-day blade." Surprise, surprise. Maybe I'm just not as skillful nor as sensitive as these guys, but I know that I can't reach any conclusion about a blade in just one shave. I know that all brands vary a bit one-to-the-next blade. So, a reviewer needs to try a few blades before saying anything. I also know that my beard varies a bit day--to-day and so, again, it is necessary to try over several days. I also know that different blades need slight tweaks of technique for me and so it takes some experience to "dial in" with a new blade.

I have, in the past, enjoyed month after month after month of great shaves from Bic Chrome Platinum blades. I have liked these blades a lot.

So, I didn't let my initial dissappointments discourage me. Indeed, over the course of the first week or so, I focused on my technique and I got dialed back in on my Bic blades.

What I found is that to get the same virtually-perfect shave that I became accustomed to with Feather blades, I needed to pay more attention especially around my chin. Once I started doing that, I was able to get the same quality of shaves from Bic that I had been getting with Feather.

I have often said that Bic Chrome Platinum blades are 90% of Feather for 1/2 the price.

But, what I now know is that Bic Chrome Platinum blades deliver 100% of the shave of a feather for 10% more work but at 1/3 the price.

Feather blades are nominally 100 for $40 (in 100-piece quantity) which is 40 cents each. Bic Chrome Platinum blades are typically 100 for $20 which is 20 cents per blade, half the price of Feather. But, I get four shaves from a Feather almost every time. I get six from a Bic almost every time. So, Bic blades end up actually being only 1/3 of the price of Feathers.

In short, I am pleased to now have two blades that can give me nearly-perfect shaves. I suggest to anyone who likes Feather to also try Bic, but do commit to using them for a few weeks to allow yourself to get dialed in and do realize that you will have to adjust your technique and may have to work just a bit harder. The reward will be the freedom of having two brands available to you.

 

[Durwood]

Thanks for you input on these Gollnick:thumbup: I'm going to give 'em another go now. I tried a few several months back and was happy with the sharpness, but I seemed to get a lot more "weepers" and nicks than I had been accustomed to (usually none). I'll take some more time with them and see if I can dial them in in either my Futur or one of my Gillette adjustables.

 

[Rick in KY]

I haven't tried the Bics.

With how well the Feathers work for me (especially in comparison to the Derby and other (which I can't remember right now)), I'm not sure I'd have much interest in shopping.

As Chuck has mentioned in the past, DE shaving is inherently a much less expensive way of scraping the hair off one's face than using cartridges. Chuck has also rightly pointed out that even using a relatively expensive blade is still much less expensive.

Some quick back of the envelope math:

Feather px/blade = $0.40
Bic px/blade = $0.20
# shaves/blade = 6 (I find I use each blade one week; each week consists of an average of six shaves. This makes it easier for me to remember when to put in a new blade and seldom do I suffer a poor shave with this system.)

Cost/year with Feathers = 52*$0.40 = $20.80
Cost/year with Bics = 52*$0.20 = $10.40

So, while it costs me twice as much using Feathers, this only represents a difference of $10.40/year.

For that price difference, I guess my motivation to experiment any further is, at best, tepid.

 

[Will Power]

I've found that Bic are capable of delivering a good shave but, the variation in quality between blades is quite marked. A certain number of duds in fact. This adds to cost and makes me reluctant to move away from Feather,some burn too so I keep the Bic as standbys.

In terms of cost I was able to get 60 Feather with cost free shipping, I live in Europe, for an impressive 24USD or about 17 Euro in our money. Putting that in a local context, DE blades are VERY hard to find in shops these days and cost about 5 Euro for 5 Gillette, around 1.40 USD PER BLADE! A poor blade too but still much cheaper than cartridges. As I shave every two or three days - I like the rough look, Feathers are not a luxury but really up for the job and are the most consistent blade I've used so far.

However, it's always wise to keep a look out for alternatives, but cost alone won't convince me .