Personna Med Prep rebrand.

dtownvino , have commented the same in a couple of posts, including recently BUT the fact is that, for my face and razors deployed, there is a noticeable difference between Labs and Med Preps with Labs just not performing well. 

In fact, the Labs have performed so poorly, have given them all away Including a full 100 box bought on expectations of being a must have blade.

Conversely, have hoarded every Med Prep as they have exceeded high expectations, gifting many but only as wishing to share a positive experience that comes with a high price tag.

Anecdotal evidence may not be everything but it is something, especially when one clearly outperforms the other in side by side shaving comparisons.

I get it, I like the American Standard Heatpump better than the Trane that comes off of the same line.  

Call me crazy, I think they perform better.  

But I’m confident they come from the same line so the blade sharpnes should be identical (minus the coating).  Key words “should be”.

I have to admit I like both blades.

Yes, this could all be a “placebo effect”.  
(Go easy on the Trane equipment…I live in the same town as the Trane Corp.  My son-in-law and many of his friends are engineers…)

I got another excellent and improved shave with a Med blade in my Karve Overlander today. 
(As I have with about 3-4 other razors.)
I’ve been using the Lab Blues for most of a year as my “go-to” blades.  
The Meds, at least the few that I have at this point…are giving me a closer shave with less irritation, less weepers.
Mileage Variation!

Assuming that the coating is a difference…isn’t it possible that the possibility of extra coating with the Blues is having an effect?
Isn’t part of the love for NOS antique blades, in part, because of their lack of coating?  (Thicker, etc. also…)
As you suggested hand stropping or corking to remove some of the coating, is sometimes better?

dtownvino , have commented the same in a couple of posts, including recently BUT the fact is that, for my face and razors deployed, there is a noticeable difference between Labs and Med Preps with Labs just not performing well. 

In fact, the Labs have performed so poorly, have given them all away Including a full 100 box bought on expectations of being a must have blade.

Conversely, have hoarded every Med Prep as they have exceeded high expectations, gifting many but only as wishing to share a positive experience that comes with a high price tag.

Anecdotal evidence may not be everything but it is something, especially when one clearly outperforms the other in side by side shaving comparisons.

I have never used Med Prep blades. I have always assumed that since they are said to be the same as the Lab Blue blades with the exception of of extra cleaning steps that the performance "should" be similar. My problem with Lab Blue blades has always been that for my tough beard, the blades are never sharp enough to give a good 1st shave after removing them from the wrapper. Generally, if I tough it out through the 1st shave, the next few shaves are satisfactory. However, since I do not have to go through that difficult first shave with other blades, I find it easier to use blades that give a good first shave. I have always hypothesized that it is the thickness of the "Comfort Coating" that cause the poor 1st shave and that after the coating begins to wear off the blade performance improves. I see a similar phenomenon when using 7 O' CLock Super Plaitnum black and Wilkinson Sword Classic (German) blades, but not to the same extent as the Lab Blues.

How then can we explain that some people who use Med Prep blades find them to be superior to the Lab Blues?. Since the Med Prep blades undergo additional cleaning and sanitizing steps, it is possible that those extra steps are removing some of the excess coating that seems to interfere with my 1st shave. I know some people try to avoid the poor first shave by corking or hand stropping the blades prior to 1st use. I wonder if the cleaning processes to which the Med Preps are subjected are affecting the coating in the same way that corking or hand stropping has worked for some shavers. 

Since I have discovered many different blades that work well for me without the need for corking or hand stropping and which do not require the extra cost of Med Prep blades, I have never explored those options.

Coating happens in a different step.  

The line makes the blades.  Printing and coating, downstream.  

If you have ever seen a paper line, there is slitting and converting with coating.  The base paper (the blade and edge) is the same as the paper base.  All the value add or changes that occur later happens to the base paper.  

If you haven’t, it’s a lot easier to research than blade mfg.  

Trust me, don’t trust me, it doesn’t matter to me.  But the blade edge, steel, etc. not just congruent, identical.

I promise I’ll stay out of this thread now.

dtownvino
I spent my entire 41 year career in the paper industry, so I have seen nearly every paper manufacturing, converting, printing, embossing, laminating, dying, and coating process. I do know what you mean about the blade manufacturing process and then subsequent steps.

Even if the Lab Blue and Med Prep blades are absolutely identical coming off the manufacturing line, there is still the possibility that something is happening in the post manufacturing process of the Med Preps that is affecting the coating applied to the edges. As a hypothetical example, if the Med Prep blades are being exposed to steam to sterilize the blades, that might soften the coating such that it comes off more readily. If the blades pass through a chemical bath to remove any contaminants, that might also affect the coating. I would love to see the Accutec facility and put my chemical engineering expertise to the test.

Coating happens in a different step.  

The line makes the blades.  Printing and coating, downstream.  

If you have ever seen a paper line, there is slitting and converting with coating.  The base paper (the blade and edge) is the same as the paper base.  All the value add or changes that occur later happens to the base paper.  

If you haven’t, it’s a lot easier to research than blade mfg.  

Trust me, don’t trust me, it doesn’t matter to me.  But the blade edge, steel, etc. not just congruent, identical. 

I promise I’ll stay out of this thread now.

Dtownvino!
I think this is a good discussion, and I appreciate your input.
You understand that I’m not arguing with you?  Right?

My original post clearly admitted the production process of the Lab Blues and Med Preps is stated to be the same other than being sterilized for medical usage and that it makes no sense why the Med Preps differ BUT that anecdotal evidence is that, for my face and razors employed, Med Preps are decidedly superiour re smoothness in practice. Let me further state that, across multiple production runs, Lab Blues result in post shave irritation and localized break outs, whereas Med Preps leave a smooth face free of issues. Some may refuse to acknowledge empiricism which is their choice to believe what they will but their belief doesn't comport to my experienced reality. Am less than interested in the implication that I and others would intentionally mislead people (cui bono?) or be experiencing a mass psychogenic delusion; this disparaging others for any heterodoxy is troubling in the confines of this forum as it is more broadly in the society.

My original post clearly admitted the production process of the Lab Blues and Med Preps is stated to be the same other than being sterilized for medical usage and that it makes no sense why the Med Preps differ BUT that anecdotal evidence is that, for my face and razors employed, Med Preps are decidedly superiour re smoothness in practice. Let me further state that, across multiple production runs, Lab Blues result in post shave irritation and localized break outs, whereas Med Preps leave a smooth face free of issues. Some may refuse to acknowledge empiricism which is their choice to believe what they will but their belief doesn't comport to my experienced reality. Am less than interested in the implication that I and others would intentionally mislead people (cui bono?) or be experiencing a mass psychogenic delusion; this disparaging others for any heterodoxy is troubling in the confines of this forum as it is more broadly in the society.

If a theory cannot be demonstrated/proven using empirical evidence, then the theory is not helpful. So empirical evidence is critical. Like you, my face and Lab Blues are a poor match.
After I complete my DE blade evaluations, any remaining Lab Blue blades will be PIFfed to someone who likes them.

I have generally found that once Lab Blues attain their optimal performance somewhere during the 2nd shave, that they perform similarly to the Personna Platinum Chrome blades, whether from Israel or Germany, which I find to be essentially identical. Thus, I pick the Personna Platinum blade or other similar blade rather than the Lab Blue.

I am looking forward to testing the AccuThrive Med Preps. I will do a side by side shave between the Med Preps and Lab Blues to try to determine if there is a performance difference. However, I do not plan to pay extra for the Med Preps just to have "Made in USA" printed on the packaging. There are two many other blades that perform well for me.

I think personna red price/performance vise is the best. Why we must pay 3 time more only for name?

I think personna red price/performance vise is the best. Why we must pay 3 time more only for name?

Favour Israeli Reds but find them substantially different from Med Preps in face feel in my razors and on my skin.

I think personna red price/performance vise is the best. Why we must pay 3 time more only for name?

Favour Israeli Reds but find them substantially different from Med Preps in face feel in my razors and on my skin.

I second what Dan is saying about Personna Platinum blades made in Israel.  I still find Israeli made better than German made for me, even if it’s the same line.