BlueBeards Revenge Double Edge Razor Blades – A Pirate’s Treasure
Here we are with another BlueBeards Revenge product, their Double-Edge razor blades. The BlueBeards Revenge is a brand coming to us from the UK. To date I have been impressed with their pomade and shaving cream. Some months ago I realized that they were also making old-school double-edge razor blades and even though they were well rated, they were going for $50 for 100 blades, or $0.50 a blade. Considering that you can purchase a quality Derby blade for $0.13 a pop, this is double the price. So what happened for me to get a 100 blade pack? The folks at the Modern Man were having a sale and the pack was going for $30. I opted to buy the pack with 2 of my friends who are also wet shaving enthusiasts.
As with every purchase I have made through The Modern Man, I was once again blown away with the speed of delivery: 5 business days from the UK to Canada with free shipping. It doesn’t get much better than that!
The BlueBeards Revenge branding is unmistakable with its white skull and cross bones on a blue background. The BB Revenge also has a way with labeling and the British humour is very present. Read the packaging.
The packaging of the blades is setup in 10 small plastic dispensers containing 10 blades each. The blades are individually wrapped in the customary waxed paper. I found that the paper was stuck rather well to the blade compared to other brands out there. Just be careful with your digits. Typically, the blades themselves are printed with the brand name and perhaps some quality assurance indicators, in this case the blades are completely blank. Something I have not witnessed as of yet.
Based on the indications on the labeling, these blades are manufactured in the UK. Most razor blades are now manufactured in the middle-east and in Russia.
Since I have no idea how these blades will perform, I will be opting to go with variables that have performed very well in the past. The goal is to isolate the performance of the blade by having every other element be a know-good constant (products that have performed consistently well).
TEST STAGE:
- State: Out of the shower
- Razor: Merkur 180
- Blade: BlueBeards Revenge
- Pre-Shave: Rocky Mountain Barber Co. Sandalwood pre-shave oil
- Shaving Cream: Rocky Mountain Barber Co. Sandalwood shaving cream
- After-Shave: Rocky Mountain Barber Co. Sandalwood after-shave
With the Rocky Mountain pre-shave oil and shaving cream being applied it was time to see what these blades are about. On initial contact I got the impression that this blade was sharper then my Derby’s or even the Treet blades. If it is possible, I also got the impression that the blade was sturdier or stronger. Visually they look no different that other blades I have tried, but they also didn’t feel like a thin foil. The job to get done was to shave off 3 days worth of growth. This blade sliced through the beard with ease and comfort. There was no pulling or tearing, just a nice and smooth shave. Using the Rocky Mountain products was also a comfortable choice as the oil and cream give fabulous glide and insulation.
Considering that these blades are ($0.30) a piece compared to ($0.15) for the Derby’s, it is only fair to be expecting a equally better experience which it was.
Usually, I only do one shave with a blade. My testing has generally shown that the blade looses much of it’s slicing capabilities after a shave. The blade also tends to be fairly dirty from the shaving product accumulation which is difficult to wash off when loaded in the razor, thus I only use a blade once. In my mind, if you have to take the blade out to wash it, the risk element negates the cost benefit. In this case, the blade was surprisingly clean even though the Rocky Mountain products are thick and generally a tad more difficult to rinse out. The blade looked very clean so I will attempt to do a second shave with the blade.
The other wet shaver enthusiasts in my circle have reported similar findings and have been quite pleased with these BlueBeards Revenge blades.
My impressions: this is a premium blade offering an excellent shave experience. It gets a: 5/5
26/01/2018 Addendum: While searching new products, I came across a brand that looked suspiciously identical to The BlueBeards Revenge; same packaging, labels and product offering. The only thing that was different was the logo and the name: Dreadnought. As it turns out; Dreadnought is the BlueBeards Revenge brand for the Canadian and American market.
Use these links to shop for these blades:
