I’ve always liked Personna Comfort Coated blades. They’ve been a steady, reliable part of my rotation for a long time. When I heard they were being discontinued and replaced with 'Personna GEM Platinum Diamond Glide', I’ll admit I was skeptical. Usually when something good gets “updated,” it ends up worse. That didn’t happen here.
After reading a reviews, one description stuck with me. Someone called these “well-behaved Feather blades.” That turned out to be pretty spot on. I generally like Feather for the sharpness, but I’ve always felt they fall off quickly after the first shave. The Diamond Glide uses hi-stainless Japanese steel with a proprietary coating, and whatever they’re doing works.
One of the knocks on the old Comfort Coated blades was that the first shave wasn’t great, likely because the heavy coating needed to wear in. The Diamond Glide seems to fix that completely. First shave, second shave, third shave all feel the same. No break-in period, no surprises.
These blades are very sharp. Feather-level sharp to my face. At the same time, they’re impressively smooth and comfortable. Zero irritation for me. I usually don’t push a blade past three shaves, so I can’t speak to long-term longevity, but over those three uses the performance stays consistent.
I also really like that they’re made in the USA. The manufacturer clearly knows what they’re doing, especially given their background producing blades for medical and surgical applications. That level of experience shows in how refined these feel.
One small gripe, and it’s not about performance. The naming is bizarre. Adding “GEM” to the name is genuinely confusing, since GEM is already a specific razor blade format. These aren’t GEM blades in that sense, so the naming feels unnecessary and misleading.
That said, the blade itself is excellent. I usually get nervous when a favorite product is replaced, but this feels like a real upgrade. Paired with my Lambda Athena, the shaves have been effortless, smooth, and drama-free.
I didn’t expect to say this, but I think I’ve found a new favorite blade.
SOOOOO agreed with this.
Nice write up. Easily the best blade out there rn and longest lasting too. I’ve been trying to tell anyone who will listen. It’s not often that we get a new American made blade. This one is damn near perfect for me and the wife. I bought a second box immediately after my first shave. All the first shave irritation of the old USA Personna’s are a thing of the past.
If you lightly strop them on your palm, like 7 times for each side alternating the blade face each time (7 x 2 passes), or you cut a sheet of paper, the first shave is OK.
You should use almost no pressure not to take away too much coating if you intend to use a blade for more than 4 times.
I’ve done that plenty. These new ones are just better.
Me too. Done plenty and no issues at all with Personna comf.coat. No "first shave irritation of the old USA Personna’s".
Terrific blades.
Nice write up! I’m a big fan of these blades! I plan to try them in my new Bronze Athena next.
/u/coco_for_cocoapuffs to the rescue! They're available at their store: https://kodiakshaving.com/products/gem-platinum-diamond-glide-de-blade?variant=52423791608175
Where did you find them?
I got them at The Razor Company it looks like they’re out of stock at the moment, but it looks like Razor Emporium has them. The other vendors that carry them look like they are barbershop supply companies that I’m not familiar with.
Thx.
Yeah, I know. The fact that in these months they weren't easy to find in wetshaving stores is the reason why I asked it.
Thanks u/bmac92 for the ping :) I do sell them! I can also throw in a free blade with any purchase, just use the code "DIAMONDGLIDE" at checkout, and I'll throw the free blade in your package! (I'll run that promo for another week, ending 1/5/26)
Happy New Year!!
I purchased a box of these right when they came out, didn't take long to realize they were going on my top 3 list along with Edgewell made Wilkinson Sword and Feathers, Personna CC's while very good got bumped off.
The factory boxes these blades are packaged in do not protect the blade edges properly. The blade edges are facing the long end of the box.
Make sure you are ordering from a place that would properly package your shipment and put some padding in the box.
Though not entirely relevant to your post, what’s a GEM blade (the format you mention)
These:
https://imgur.com/a/naYJEC3
Ohhhhh now it makes sense why those single edge blades would come up when I’d look up the Gem blades
Love this review! Totally agree with the Feather aspect, I also love how sharp Feathers are, and these felt just as sharp but smoother.
Also, personally, I agree with your point on naming... because of that, I only ever want to refer to them as "Diamond Glides" 🤣 if enough of us call them that, then that's what they'll be known as, right??
Where did you find them?
https://atlantabarber.com/personna-gem-double-edge-blades/?searchid=2126227&search_query=Perssona+gem
Thx!
The only place have found these so far is an Amazon listing that looks fishy to me. The few other places that even list them say they're out of stock.
The manufacturer links to an Amazon listing. I ordered my first box from Amazon and then another from: https://atlantabarber.com/personna-gem-double-edge-blades/?searchid=2126227&search_query=Perssona+gem
trying em tomorrow, very excited!
Im curious, when you say, "good for 3 shaves" do you mean, 3 passes with the razor. Or 3 days of shaving?
Three shaves. Each shave consisting of three passes. So, one blade = nine total passes. Honestly, I’m sure the blade can go further. I’ll experiment.
Thanks for the heads-up on these blades. I just ordered some. I have a Lambda Satin Tithena too. Got it a couple of weeks ago, and it is fantastic. Looking forward to trying these blades in it.
Excellent! Please report back. I wanna make sure my experience isn’t an outlier.
Can't wait to try them! I'm currently working through my AccuForge blades, but as soon as I'm done with them, I'm trying the Personna GEMs.
They are quite good. I got a couple of nicks because I was not expecting them to be as sharp as they are. Treating them like Feathers is a good call.
Just continuing their tradition of confusing the people who they want to buy their products. Some things never change. The blades sound fantastic and after I finally work my way through my 100 pack of Personna Comfort Coated blades, this is what I'll be buying.
How do these compare to Nacets?