It's official in terms of SE razors. I love the original Gem SE razors and these blades are good. The first shave was mind blowing. I got close as a Gillette Fusion but I had the audio feedback and comfort level of a straight razor. But that was with the 1st shave only. Today's shave wasn't even close to the first one. I ended up having to strop the blade before making my 2nd pass and I didn't get a close shave either. I needed a 3rd pass easy if not 4 passes total and that's too much for my sensitive skin. So 2 multi pass shaves is my limit which is just like the results I get with their DE blades. Personna makes these blades:
Here's another problem that I have with these blades. I towel dry ALL of my blades after each and every use including my straight razors and these are the only ones that rust:
^ Even my other carbon blades don't this after 2 shaves and towel drying. So it's looking like the Ted Pella stainless steel blades might have won over these Gem Blue Star blades in terms of aesthetics. How they shave will be determined tomorrow. If they're comfortable and last longer than 2 shaves, then I will be happy. But if they don't last that long and aren't comfortable, then I will stick with the Gem Blue Star blades and my Hawk SE will be getting more use.
