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Which blade should I try next (given what I have liked so far)

Blade selection is probably the most "YMMV" topic in these forums. Personal preference reigns supreme here, as every blade on the market will have its fans and its detractors. For me and my face, I've settled on three blades for now, and each blade works well in a specific razor. Israeli Red Personna in my Merkur 39C Slant, Voskhod in my Maggard's MR5-v.3, and Gillette Nacet in my Merkur 34C.
 
I see what blades you like...
So i suggest you:
-Viking's sword by personna(they are smooth as red personna but sharper).

-Royal platinum and of course the famous qball platinum a.k.a crystal a.k.a israeli personnas.
I think you'll love these...
 
I got some US made Personna Blue/Labs that J-MN was nice enough to send me (thank you). I used them today in my Parker 76r.

My first pass I was thinking that at the prices these go for I was going to need to order 100 of them ASAP. By the 2nd pass, I wasn't as sure (minor cut), and after the 3rd pass (I've finally been fairly consistent with 3 passes) my neck is quite irritated (and I went 2 days without a shave which usually means less irritation). So, I see where many people say they are quite sharp, but maybe not smooth enough. Thus far (only one shave, so take it with a grain of salt), I definitely like the Israeli Personnas much more. On the other hand, they definitely gave me a close shave.

Though, the jury is still out, and I maybe should have tried them in another razor. I used it in my Parker 76r, which to my face is my most aggressive razor (more so than my open comb RR OLD Type OC). I see people rate the Parker 76r/99r (the 76r is the black handled version of the 99r) all over the board, from mild, to quite aggressive, with medium to aggressive seeming to be most common (when attaching numbers, the most common seem to be 7-7.5). So we'll see how the Personna Labs go when paired with my EJ de86 or Merkur 38C.
 
Oh, other than trying the Personna Labs in another razor, and trying my 3rd or 4th shave with the Gillette Platinums, I will probably go with either the Gillette 7 o'Clock yellow (Russian) or the Nacets next.
 
Glad to hear the Labs arrived, Jeff.

As you stated, for me, they are not as smooth as the Israeli Reds and I don't feel the shave is any closer, which is why don't use them much anymore and won't be buying more once I run out (I think I have 7 left). I think it's a good blade, just not my favorite.

I'm not quite sure where I'd rank the Labs anymore. They were my #2 blade, but got bumped down a notch by Kai. I've also had a good run with Derbys the past couple weeks, unlike my previous experience which I attribute to being a manufacturing defect given how rough they were. If Derbys are normally like the last two blades I've used, I actually like them quite a bit, but they're still no Israeli Red, which is my clear favorite by a good margin.
 
Today I tried a Nacet in my RazoRock Old Type OC and it may be my favorite combination of razor and blade that I've tried yet. It is my first shave with a Nacet so it is too early to say for sure, but so far I definitely like it better than the Astra SP, and I might even like it better than Israeli Personnas. If my next shave with it is as nice (especially if it is in another razor showing that they work well for me across different razors) they just may be my first 100 blade purchase. So far, the best combination of sharp and smooth.


I did a 3 pass shave (WTG/XTG/ATG) with some ATG buffing and touch up. I used a comfortable but edging towards medium aggressive razor (the RazoRock OLD Type OC). There was virtually no irritation, and what little there was was only evident upon using my alum stick and getting just a little stinging. Absolutely no redness or razor bumps. In exchange I have one of the closest shaves I've had yet (I probably won't have enough stubble to do more than a 1 pass touch up tomorrow and likely won't be able to do a full shave until Monday). Even if I don't end up buying 100, these will definitely have to be a permanent addition, and they'll probably be the blades I use for any pre-date shaves. I'm impressed.
 
I see a flaw in how I've been judging the blades I'm trying. Once I get through the blades on my current list, my plan was to buy 100 blades of my favorites altogether (presumably my favorite more expensive blades) and 100 of my favorite more economical blades (assuming they aren't the same as my absolute favorite). However, I've been simply rating/judging them together in one lump grouping. What a shock, my current contenders for favorite blade are the two most expensive I've tried so far (Nacet and Israeli Reds), or at least they are the most expensive using Amazon pricing.

I should probably break them into favorites by price range. Then, should I use two price ranges (affordable=under $15/100, expensive=over $15/100), or should I use three (around $10, around $15, and around $20)? Then again, maybe absolute favorites/ranking may be the way to go since prices can fluctuate from source to source (right now on Amazon, Nacets are around $20 shipped for 100 and Astra SPs are about $11-12 and thus the Astras are the budget buy, but on other sites I've seen Nacets recently for only a couple dollars more than Astras which makes the Nacets a very good deal).
 
Well, I've ordered my 1st 100 pack (2 actually). I was buying other things anyway (the items I wanted for my friend's starter kit- Proraso Green Tea and Oats pre/post shave cream and the tubed shaving cream, a RR synthetic brush), and they had Nacets for $11.99, and Personna Platinum blades (the blue pack sold in Europe, but they are the made in Israel blades that reading the forum suggests are the same as Personna Reds) also for $11.99. So, my current two favorites for about the price of Astra SPs that normally go for around $20/100. I didn't order enough for free shipping, but split between 5 items it didn't really add much to the price of each item. So, I'm happy, but I'm going to continue going through my other options to see if there is anything else I want to order in bulk.
 
OK, now to a slightly different variation of my original question...

Which of the blades I currently have but haven't tried should I test next? I love Nacet so much so far that I ordered a 100pk, same with the Israeli Personnas (the blue British market Platinum, but my understanding is they are the same as the Reds I like so much).

  • Try the Shark Stainless
  • Try the Polsilver. I keep hearing that they are discontinued, so I may want to try them and see how much I like them sooner rather than later so I can still order them in bulk if I love them
  • I keep hearing how good the Voskhods are, maybe I should try them now
  • One of the Gillette 7 O'Clocks I have (Super Platinum, Sharp Edge, or Super Stainless)
  • Gillette Silver Blue seems popular, and from what I read they are similar to blades I already like
  • Astra Stainless
  • Go with something I have from my 16 blade sampler (individual blades of 16 different brands, everything above I bought in 5 blade tucks), maybe the Feather. Since I only have 1 blade of the blades in that sampler, I've been holding off until I'm more experienced to use them (though if I use the sampler soon, I'll probably buy another sample pack in a few months to account for more experience).
  • Retry the Derby now that I have decent technique to see if I hate them as much as I think I do
  • Stay with a blade I've used a few times (currently I have a Shark SC, Nacet, Personna Red and Personna Med with 1-3 shaves on them) and see how many shaves I can happily get out of it
 
I suggest you trying viking's sword(made by personna) blades.
If you love personna platinums they are the same but a little sharper.
 
I decided to try the Polisilver SI. They are very well rated pretty much everywhere and there are rumors that they have been discontinued. So, I figured I should see what all the fuss is about and see if I like them enough to order some.

I do see what all the fuss is about. I liked them a lot. Very close and very comfortable shave in my Merkur 38C. They are definitely up there with my top two favorites (the Personna Reds and Nacets) and possibly in contention for first place. I'll have to see how I like them after subsequent shaves. However, at current sale prices at Italian Barber ($11.99) and typical prices going around $20 (plus or minus a buck or two) the Personnas and Nacets are a much better deal since most online retailers and Amazon are selling the Polisilver around $35, and with the Bulgarian Ebay seller selling them at less than half that ($15) I would be concerned to buy from them in case they are fakes or unlabelled 2nds.

Next I will probably try either the Shark Stainless or the Astra Stainless. I love the Astra SP and really like the Shark SC, and with how much I loved the Nacets I am curious how other stainless and non-chromed blades fare. Or, I may try the Derby blades again and decide their fate in my medicine cabinet once and for all. At any rate, I'd like to decide what my budget blades are going to be (current top contenders being Shark SC or Astra SP).
 
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This was an interesting read. My favorite blade is the Shark SS. I started with the Astra SP and they were my favorite until I tried the Shark SS. Other blades I have tried and liked are Voshkod, Rapira Platinum, and Rapira Swedish Super Steel. I tried the Nancet and thought it was just okay. I ordered some singles of the Gillette 7 O Clock, Polisilver, Gillette Blue and a couple of others which I have not tried yet. I recently got caught up with trying different soaps and have bought some vintage Gillette razors (NEW OC, Black Beauty Adjustable, Ikon B3 Slant, Gillette Tech 1954, and a Gillette SS 1954). I have been using the Shark blades for consistency when trying out these razors since I know the Shark blades will give me a good shave. Once I get through the razors I will dial in the blades. Thanks for the post and recommendations.
 
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