Wizamet Super Iridium Razor Blades: Why Wet Shavers Rate Them So Highly

Most double edge blades are bought, used and forgotten. A few acquire something closer to a reputation, passed along in forum threads and shave-of-the-day posts for years after the people who started the conversation have moved on. Wizamet Super Iridium is one of those.

This article looks at where that reputation comes from, what experienced shavers actually say about the blade, and, just as importantly, what the people who do not get on with it say. Blade performance is personal. The aim here is to give you an honest picture rather than a verdict.

What Wizamet Super Iridium blades are

Wizamet Super Iridium is a stainless steel double edge blade sold in tucks of ten, each blade individually wrapped in its own paper envelope. The larger carton we buy holds twenty-five of those tucks, printed on the box as 25 x 10, for two hundred and fifty blades.

Wizamet Super Iridium blades are manufactured in Saint Petersburg, Russia by Petersburg Products International, which is part of Procter & Gamble. The printing on the tuck itself carries P&G contact details, and both the brand and our supplier state the same manufacturer and location.

The name causes some confusion, so it is worth saying plainly: the “Iridium” in Super Iridium is a product name. Treat any description of a specific coating chemistry with caution unless the manufacturer states it, because the published specifications do not go into that detail.

Why the blade has such a loyal following

Read through the reviews on Badger & Blade, where the blade has thirty-one of them, and the same words come back again and again.

Smoothness is what people praise most. It is mentioned more often than anything else, and usually first. One reviewer puts it as “they are smooth, very smooth; perhaps the smoothest I have experienced”. That is one person’s experience rather than a measurement, but it is representative of the tone across the set.

Sharpness tends to get discussed in relation to Feather. Many reviewers describe it as close to Feather, some as equal, some as a step below. A recurring theme is that the combination is what people value rather than either quality alone. One review sums that up as “super sharp, yet oh so super smooth as well”.

Edge life is usually reported at three to five shaves. Four is the most commonly mentioned figure. That is self-reported and depends entirely on beard, razor, prep and how willing you are to carry on with a tired edge, so treat it as a rough expectation and not a promise.

Not everyone agrees, and that matters

A fair account has to include the dissent, because it is there in the same review set.

Some shavers find the blade harsh rather than smooth. One review states flatly that “these are harsh blades IMO, and not everyone likes them”, and another reports razor burn. At least one reviewer finds it unremarkable and says it lacks sharpness. Several note that it performed poorly for them in particular razors while working well in others.

Price comes up repeatedly as a complaint, usually balanced against the longevity. The packaging also takes criticism, with glue marks and plain cardboard mentioned more than once.

None of this cancels out the praise. It is the ordinary reality of double edge blades: the same edge in two different razors, against two different beards, produces two different shaves. A blade with a loyal following is one that suits a lot of people, not one that suits everybody.

Wizamet and Polsilver Super Iridium

The two names are constantly compared, and the comparison is worth understanding rather than settling.

Polsilver is a separate line with its own history, associated with production in Lodz, Poland. Wizamet Super Iridium is associated with the Saint Petersburg plant. In long-running forum discussions the two are treated as related but distinct, and opinions on how they compare are firmly held in both directions.

We are not going to tell you they are the same blade. That claim circulates widely and we have not seen authoritative evidence for it. What is fair to say is that they share a lineage and a naming convention, that people who liked one often went looking for the other, and that the discontinuation of one is a large part of why the other is talked about as much as it is.

How it sits against Feather, Nacet and Astra

There is no league table here, because a ranking would be dishonest. What there is instead is a rough sense of what people reach for and why.

Feather is the reference point for sharpness and is widely described as demanding of technique. Astra Superior Platinum is usually described as forgiving and tolerant of an imperfect angle. Gillette Nacet sits somewhere in between for most people and is a common everyday choice.

Wizamet Super Iridium is most often placed near the sharp end while being described as more comfortable than its sharpness alone would suggest. That is precisely the combination its followers value. Whether your face agrees is a different question, and the only way to answer it is to shave with it.

If you want the longer comparisons, we have written about Feather and Astra and about how sharpness is actually described across the popular blades.

A note on provenance

Because the blade is sought after and has been through periods of patchy availability, questions about authenticity come up regularly in wet shaving forums. A 2019 Badger & Blade thread running to many pages debated whether particular large-count offers were genuine, and the discussion never reached a firm consensus.

The practical advice that emerged from it is sound and worth repeating. The production information printed on the sides of the individual tucks is what people check. Blurry photographs, a seller unwilling to show every side of a pack, and brand-new accounts posting glowing reviews were all treated as reasons for caution.

This is one of the quieter reasons to buy a blade like this through an established supply chain rather than the cheapest listing you can find.

Who should try Wizamet Super Iridium

It suits an experienced double edge shaver who already knows roughly what they like and wants to try one of the blades the hobby keeps talking about. If you have settled technique and a razor you get on with, you are in a good position to judge what the fuss is about.

It is also a sensible blade to include when you are deliberately testing several against each other, because it sits at a distinctive point on the sharp-and-smooth axis and gives you a useful reference.

If you are three weeks into your first safety razor, there is no urgency. Learn your angle and your pressure on something forgiving first. The blade will still be here.

How to test a new blade properly

Most people learn nothing from trying a new blade, because they change four things at once and then form an impression.

The method that works is dull and takes about a month. Use the same razor, the same soap and the same preparation. Give the blade at least three shaves before judging it, because the first shave off a fresh edge is not representative. Write one line after each shave covering comfort, closeness and anything that went wrong. Change one variable at a time.

At the end you have something better than an impression: a shortlist of two or three blades that genuinely suit your face. Our guide to choosing and testing a DE blade sampler pack sets that process out in full, and how to choose the right safety razor blade covers what to look for.

Where to buy Wizamet Super Iridium in Canada

We stock Wizamet Super Iridium double edge blades in packs of ten, five packs and twenty-five packs, shipped from Montreal across Canada and internationally. The twenty-five pack is the full two hundred and fifty blade carton.

They sit alongside the rest of our double edge blades, which is worth a look if you would rather try Wizamet next to a few others than commit to one name.

Common questions

Are Wizamet Super Iridium blades still made?

Yes. They are current production, manufactured in Saint Petersburg by Petersburg Products International. Availability outside the EU has been uneven over the years, which is part of why the blade has a reputation for being hard to find.

Where are Wizamet blades made?

Saint Petersburg, Russia, by Petersburg Products International, which is part of Procter & Gamble.

Are Wizamet and Polsilver the same blade?

They are frequently compared and share a naming lineage, but we do not claim they are the same blade. Polsilver is associated with production in Lodz, Poland, and Wizamet Super Iridium with Saint Petersburg. Anyone telling you with certainty that they are identical is going beyond the published evidence.

How many shaves does a Wizamet blade last?

Shavers commonly report three to five, with four mentioned most often. That is self-reported and varies with your beard, your razor, your preparation and your tolerance for a tiring edge. Treat it as a rough expectation rather than a figure to hold us to.

Are Wizamet blades sharp?

They are generally described as being towards the sharp end, often discussed alongside Feather. Sharpness is subjective and interacts with your razor and technique, and a minority of shavers find the blade harsh rather than sharp-and-smooth.

Do they suit sensitive skin?

We make no claim either way. Comfort depends on your razor, your angle, your pressure and your preparation far more than on the blade alone.