Today we are going to be reviewing a double edge razor blade that is quietly one of the most popular blades on the market: the Personna Lab Blue. These blades are highly respected by wet shavers and they sell like crazy, but for whatever reason they just don’t get the publicity that some of the other highly regarded blades do.
Well I'm going to try and help change that with today's review because I'm a huge fan of the Personna Lab Blue. In fact, these are the blades that I use for my daily shave routine! For my beard, they offer the perfect mix of sharpness and smoothness.
But as we say in the wet shaving community, YMMV and just because they work great for me certainly doesn't mean they are the right blade for you. So before you go buy a pack of 100, let's dig into the details and see if these blades might be a good option for you.
Brand | Sharpness | Smoothness | Best For... |
|---|---|---|---|
Personna Lab Blue | 8 | 8 | Men looking for a balance of sharpness and smoothness |
Pros
- Doesn’t compromise sharpness for smoothness or vice versa
- Works for wide range of wet shavers
- Excellent option for beginners
- Sharp without being overly aggressive
Cons
- No blade bank
- YMMV
Product Overview
The Personna “Lab Blue” blades are a standard size double edge stainless steel razor blade. They fit in any conventional safety razor that doesn’t have some unique design that can’t handle a typical safety razor blade.
The packaging for Personna Lab Blue’s is very minimal. Lots of other blades come in small plastic dispensers that hold 5 or 10 blades, but these don’t. Instead, they are packaged in a small thin cardboard/thick paper carton. The carton gets the job done but it’s not as sturdy as a plastic dispenser. The benefit of this minimalist packaging though is that it allows them to keep some of the costs down.
The carton has a bunch of marketing information on it (edit: there’s actually 2 cartons they package these in), but the only real thing to note with the carton is that it has a little slot that tears open. This slot makes it easier to be able to take 1 blade out at a time without the rest of the blades falling out. Good little packaging design. It’s too bad it doesn’t have a blade bank, but those are easy enough to make on your own anyway.
Inside the carton, the blades are individually wrapped in paper. This makes them safe to handle plus it protects the blade from corrosion and other deterioration. Personna used to wrap the blades in a nice blue wrapper, but sometime over the last few years they switched to a plain white wrapper. The blade on top is the old wrapper and the blade on bottom is the new wrapper.
When it comes to the actual blades, they have the words “Personna” and “Made in U.S.A” across the top and “Personna Super” on the bottom.
Unfortunately, Lab Blue’s are available in a limited number of quantities. Lots of de blades are available to buy in a variety of quantities (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200), but I’ve really only seen these sold in packages of either 5, 10 or 100 with the 100 pack easily being the most popular quantity bought. If you’ve seen these sold in a different quantity though, please leave a comment below and let us know where you saw them.
Likewise, I have never seen these available in a sample pack. Which really sucks because these are such awesome, popular blades. I think the reason is because since these don’t come in plastic dispensers, it makes it hard to re-package them and sell them in sample packs. But if you’ve seen these available in a sample pack somewhere, please let us know where!
Alright, enough chit chat about the basics. Let’s get to what really matters and figure out if these are the right blades for you!
Key Features
Superb Sharpness and Smoothness: How Is This Possible?
When it comes to finding the best razor blade, in my opinion, the holy grail is a sharp blade that is also smooth and forgiving, right? After all, the goal for every wet shaver should be to get a close and irritation-free shave every time.
And that’s exactly what these blades do. The Personna Lab Blue’s do a remarkable job at providing a sharp yet also smooth and forgiving shave.
Regarding the sharpness, these aren’t going to be as sharp as a Feather (no other blade is), but I would still rate these as an 8/10 on the sharpness scale. Which is still really sharp. There’s probably only a handful of other razor blades out there that are as sharp or slightly sharper.
But what I think separates these blades from most others that are comparably sharp is how smooth a Personna Lab Blue blade is. Every time I shave with one of these, it is always incredibly gentle and forgiving. I never have any tugging or scratching while I’m shaving, and it’s very rare that I have any sort of razor burn or irritation after shaving.
I think some wet shavers are skeptical when they hear that a blade is both sharp and smooth, but it is possible! You don’t have to compromise one for the other.
Smooth Without Being Mild
With the Personna Lab Blue blades, the sharpness and smoothness of the blade actually complement each other. Because the blades are well above average in sharpness, it allows the blade to just glide across the shaving surface. It’s sharp enough to effortlessly cut through even thick, coarse hairs. But it’s not so aggressive that you will get a cut with every mistake you make.
Is the Personna Lab Blue as smooth as a Derby or Shark? Probably not in the traditional sense of how we define “smooth” because this isn’t a mild blade. But is it a forgiving blade that won’t cut you up for every mistake and leave your face feeling like you just walked through a sandstorm afterwards. I’d rate this is an 8/10 for smoothness as well.
YMMV, but for me, these provide the perfect balance of a close shave without any tugging or irritation.
Versatile Blades: Great Option For Wide Range of Wet Shavers
Most double edge razor blades are best suited for a particular profile. Smooth blades are best for men with light beards and/or fine facial hair. But sharp blades are typically best suited for men with thicker beards or coarse hair.
But the great thing about the Personna Lab Blue blade is that it caters to all types of beard thickness and facial texture. It’s sharp enough to handle thick, coarse beards. But it’s also smooth enough to deliver a gentle and irritation-free shave for men with sensitive skin that can’t handle an overly aggressive blade.
Is this the perfect blade for every wet shaver? Of course not.
Sometimes a blade just doesn’t agree with your face, razor, hair texture, beard thickness… But what I am saying is that this is one of the few blades that works for a variety of wet shavers. It’s not just smooth. It’s not just sharp. It’s both.
Great Option for Both Beginners and Veteran Wet Shavers
The Personna Lab Blue is a great option whether you are brand new to wet shaving or you have been doing it for 20+ years.
I absolutely recommend that men new to wet shaving use a smooth blade when they first start using a safety razor. The problem though is that a lot of men take it to the extreme and use a blade that is way to mild and not sharp enough for their beard or hair texture.
And when you use a blade that isn’t sharp enough for your beard, it’s pretty much impossible to use proper technique. Using a blade that is too mild will force even the best wet shavers to want to push down with the safety razor to try and add more aggressiveness to the razor. This is a huge mistake.
But as we’ve already discussed, the Personna Lab Blue provides a tremendous balance of sharpness and smoothness. It’s one of the best, most well-rounded blades around.
Look, certain blades just don’t work for some people. But the characteristics and features of the Personna Lab Blue make it a great option for lots of men.
Hold Up Really Well For Multiple Shaves
One of the reasons I like using Personna Lab Blue’s so much is because they hold up really well for multiple shaves. These are not one of those blades that is great for 1 or 2 shaves and then the performance drops off dramatically.
For me, the first shave is really high quality. However, the sharpness actually seems to increase with the second shave. This isn’t all that uncommon and happens with most other quality blades. Some of the coating comes off in the first shave and the first shave is almost like a honing pass.
The sharpness really doesn’t noticeably drop off for me on the 3rd, 4th or 5th shave either. And while I like to replace my blade after the 5th shave, I could probably stretch these blades into a few more shaves, but don’t feel like taking the risk of getting a bad shave when the blades are so affordable.
You Can Get to BBS, It May Just Take a Few Passes
It may only take 1 or 2 passes to get baby butt smooth with a Feather because the blade is so sharp. However, the Personna Lab Blue can get there, but it might take another pass or 2.
Honestly, how many of you even care about getting baby butt smooth? Is the marginally closer shave a Feather can offer really noticeable? For the vast majority of you, I think one pass with the Personna Lab Blue will give you a shave that is plenty close enough to bbs.
Superb Quality Control
In my experience, Personna Lab Blue’s have some of the best quality control of any de razor blades on the market. I don’t think good quality control is emphasized enough when men are researching double edge blades.
Being able to consistently rely on a blade to deliver the same results every time you put a new blade in your safety razor is hugely important. You don’t want to have to adjust on the fly to a blade that feels different every time you shave.
Made in the USA
If you’ve read many of our other blade reviews, you probably noticed that most of them are made overseas. We recommend blades from Russia, Israel, Turkey, Japan, Egypt, Germany…
But finally, we have one made right here in the United States.
Honestly, this isn’t that big of a factor for me. I’m more interested in finding the right blades for my face rather than just buying something because it’s made domestically.
But that said, if all else is equal, why not buy American?
What Are Some Other Good Options to Consider?
Astra Superior Platinum
Lots of wet shavers that like Personna Lab Blue blades also like Astra Superior Platinum blades also. Why? Because the two are very similar. Personally, I think that Astra Superior Platinum blades are just a hair sharper, but Personna Lab Blue’s are just a hair more smooth on my face. Point is, if you’re looking for a sharp blade that is also smooth and not overly aggressive, these are a great option.
Polsilver Super Iridium
Polsilver Super Iridium razor blades are unfortunately often overlooked and underrated. These are some really top quality blades. These are very similar to both the Astra Superior Platinum and Personna Lab Blue blades. They are about an 8/10 on the sharpness scale, but they are a very smooth and easy on the face blade. If you’ve got coarse hair or a thick beard and have sensitive skin, these are an excellent option.
Feather
If you need a blade that is even sharper than a Personna Lab Blue, the Feather de blade is probably your best option. These blades set the bar when it comes to sharpness. They provide an incredibly close shave but aren’t going to be quite as smooth or forgiving. If you’re a veteran wet shaver that knows proper safety razor technique want the sharpest blade out there, this is the one.
Still on the fence about which double-edge blades you want to buy? Then checkout my guide on what I think are the 10 best safety razor blades on the market today. It has all the information you need to find the perfect blade for your safety razor.
