The Personna Med Prep blades are marked FOR HOSPITAL USE. In my experience, they’re nice and sharp, and they last longer. Made in USA. I had some rough experiences sampling various blades when I took up safety razor shaving. I just clung in blessed relief to the first blade that worked really well for me without carving up my epidermis.
I’m with you on the new age of gaudy, overpriced, money-wasting gimmick razors. It’s all preposterous.
That’s good - find a blade and system you like and stay with it, and hope it stays available. I kept chasing variants of platinum plus when they’d become unavailable. The last was from Brazil. But I won’t contribute to Gillette anymore.
For travel, I liked the disposable Atra-style (Trac II with pivot). When Gillette first came out with the flex blade, ‘Sensor’ I think, it wouldn’t give me a smooth shave. I assume that’s why they continued to add blades, i.e., because they don’t work! And now you pay through the nose, too.
Sometimes you can build a better mousetrap, sometimes you can’t.