Challenge PIF - Astra Superior Stainless Blades - Then And Now

[fast shaver]

Modern Astra SS Blade #3 Shave #6
Tools: Lupo Razor, Arko & Plissoft brush.
Got a fairly smooth four pass shave this A.M.
The blade is slowing down more so it took an extra pass.
No nicks or irritation noted.

 

[borwish]

Current Production Shave #6
3 days growth

Blade: current Astra SS
Pre: Warm shower with Kirk's unscented Castile soap
Razor: 64 Super Speed
Soap: Stirling Sharp Dressed Man
Brush: Stirling Pro Handle Synthetic
After: Aqua Velva Ice Sport

Another smooth performance from the current even though it is starting to show its wear. 2 1/2 passes resulting in BBS excepting the trouble area with no drama. Very mild feedback from the aftershave. I usually use a blade 6 times and toss it, but I'll go one more round. The Super Speed isn't my smoothest razor, so the final round will be in something more comfortable to get a more fair comparison.

 

[Demolition]

First shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Black Marble 24mm Silvertip Badger
Soap: RazoRock Blue Label

After tossing out my second modern Astra SS, I figured that there was no use in trying the third blade since neither of the first two blades were remarkable in any way. However, I wanted to investigate the issue that I had with the different lot numbers etched on the blades. As noted earlier, the first blade was etched with "9315RF" while the second blade had "9297RF" etched on it.

I opened the wrapper of the third blade and was somewhat relieved to see that it had "9297RF" etched on one tab. This boded well because the second blade was fairly consistent and displayed reasonable longevity while the first blade was inconsistent and rough. But the only way to test the theory that one lot is better than the other is to use the blade, so...

Today's shave began with a lovely lather generated by the Yaqi Black Marble Silvertip/RR Blue Label combo. A 5-second mash-and-rotate on the puck resulted in enough rich, slick lather for at least five passes.

Meanwhile, the FOCS/modern Astra SS duo performed very well. My WTG and ATG passes were flawless. Smooth, comfy, and quick. This reminds me of the way that the second modern blade started.

On the other hand, the XTG pass did feel slightly rough, but nothing like what I experienced with the first blade which tore up my neck on every use. I'm hoping that this blade will smoothen out on subsequent uses, though.

So, overall, things are off to a decent start. (I'm hoping that it stays that way.)

 

[fast shaver]

Modern Astra SS Blade #3 Shave #7
Tools: Lupo razor, Sheep soap & Plissoft brush.
Got a fairly smooth four pass shave plus touchup this A.M.
The Modern Astra is about to bite the dust so in the bin it goes.
For me the overall Winner of this Challenge goes to the Vintage Czech blade.!
The Astra SS Czech blade although no quite as sharp as the Modern Astra SS blade was a lot smoother & shaved about just as close for me.
Many Thanks to @Space_Cadet & @Grundi For sponsoring this Challenge.

 

[BigJ]

ThunderDome Challenge, ‘Two Blades Enter, One Blade Leaves!’

Purpose: To pick a winner, no ties allowed!

Methods: No blinding. Wolfman WR1 (my ‘daily driver’) will be loaded with the test blade. Then I use my (whatever looks good this AM) rotation of (mostly) ‘tallow’ soaps, badger brushes and assorted splashes.

Each shave will be judged using my ‘10 point’ scale during a week of shaves. Then on to the next blade.

Not exactly ‘scientific’ but this is the best I can do these days!

Results:

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 10
Shave #3: 9
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9
Shave #3: 9.5
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 8.5
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 8.9

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 9.5
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 9.1

Modern (Russian) Astra SS Blade 3
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 3
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5

Discussion: The final blade in this epic match is off to a VERY good start!

 

[Demolition]

Seventeenth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Vintage) blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Simpson S1 Special Best Badger
Soap: Pré de Provence No. 63

Another smooth shave from the FOCS/vintage Astra SS combo.

Like the previous outing, all three passes were quick and trouble-free. Some extra buffing was required which, frankly, is nothing new for this blade. There was no post-shave irritation, as usual, so no ASB was required.

Not much needs to be said about the Simpson Special Best/PdP No. 63 pairing; a nice, slick lather, as always.

Overall, a very routine shave (which is just fine with me).

 

[BigJ]

ThunderDome Challenge, ‘Two Blades Enter, One Blade Leaves!’

Purpose: To pick a winner, no ties allowed!

Methods: No blinding. Wolfman WR1 (my ‘daily driver’) will be loaded with the test blade. Then I use my (whatever looks good this AM) rotation of (mostly) ‘tallow’ soaps, badger brushes and assorted splashes.

Each shave will be judged using my ‘10 point’ scale during a week of shaves. Then on to the next blade.

Not exactly ‘scientific’ but this is the best I can do these days!

Results:

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 10
Shave #3: 9
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9
Shave #3: 9.5
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 8.5
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 8.9

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 9.5
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 9.1

Modern (Russian) Astra SS Blade 3
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 3
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!

Discussion: 10/10 with the Vintage this AM!

Either a very good/excellent blade or I am getting accustomed to the Czech option!!

 

[borwish]

Vintage Production Shave #7
3 days growth

Blade: vintage Astra SS
Pre: Warm shower with Dial
Razor: King C Gillette
Soap: Arko
Brush: Stirling Pro Handle Synthetic
After: Aqua Velva Ice Sport

Fairly smooth shave, but the blade is definitely showing signs of dulling. The shave results weren't as good as previous shaves with number 4 being the best. It's time to toss it. There was moderate feedback from the aftershave. I highly doubt the modern blade will surpass it.

 

[Chard52142]

Wed 2nd SOTD Round 6-Blade #1 Shave#6 (Continue from where I left off)
Soap OSP BayRum
Brush Yaqi 26mm Mysterious Space Tuxedo
Razor Parker SemiSlant
Blade Czech Astra Superior Stainless 6th
Post & Aftershaves Ice Water + Stirling Witchhazel BayRum + Hyaluronic + Clubman VIBR
Nice quality from this soap! Scent is good, the lather is rich, creamy, and really slick...
Continuing with the Astra blade challenge and the razor/blade pairing produces good, smooth, and comfortable 3passes without any issues for a bbs to dfs result. Aftershaves were good too.
Round 6 Astra blade challenge using the Parker SemiSlant
Czech Astra SS - WTG/XTG & ATG pass is good, smooth & comfortable with a rating of 9.7

 

[Demolition]

Second shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 26mm Two-Band Badger
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label

This was not the shave that I was expecting.

While the previous shave with this blade was marked by flawless performances on the WTG and ATG passes, today's shave can only be described as mediocre.

The WTG and XTG passes were surprisingly tuggy. Even with an excellent lather generated by the Yaqi Moka Express Two-Band/RR Gold Label pairing, it felt like I was dry-shaving. I re-lathered several times during both passes, but the tugginess was not reduced.

In a stunning contrast, the XTG pass felt great. As noted before, my XTG passes have been the bane of the modern Astra SS; invariably rough and uncomfortable. But, for some reason, today's XTG pass felt extremely smooth.

This odd turn of events has me questioning the quality control of the modern Astra SS blades because all three of the ones that I've tried have been consistently inconsistent when compared to each other. I guess the only thing to do is to soldier on and see how this blade fares over the long run.

 

[woodwzrd]

Astra Superior Stainless Blades - Then And Now
Modern Blade 1 Shave 5-7
4/5

Shave 5-6

Pre Shave: Hot shower and Neutrogena face wash
Razor: Gillette Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Astra SS (5-6)
Brush: Maggard Synthetic
Soap: Stirling Gentleman
AS Balm: Nivea
AS: Captian's Choice Land Ho Reserve

Shaves 5 and 6 were near identical shaves. The Stirling Gentleman provided and nice slick lather for the modern blade to just glide across my face for a smooth comfortable three pass shave. I needed to do jus ta little extra buffing as usual but there was no irritation. This blade certainly seems to prefer a more mild razor.

Shave 7

Pre Shave: Hot shower and Neutrogena face wash
Razor: Gillette Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Astra SS (5-6)
Brush: Maggard Synthetic
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
AS Balm: Nivea
AS: Captian's Choice Venture

Shave 7 with the modern blade was still pretty good. It may not have been quite as smooth as 5 and 6 but still pretty good. I ended up with just one tiny little weeper that showed up after I had cleaned up but it went away right away. The Scots pine is really slick but I think I had it a little to wet this time but the overall slickness was still top notch. The Captian's Choice AS is a new adventure to me and so far I really like it.

The next shave will be a return to the vintage blade to see how it stacks up to the modern blade in my fat handle tech.

 

[Demolition]

Eighteenth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Vintage) blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Omega 10005 Boar
Soap: Pré de Provence Bergamot and Thyme

A slick lather and a smooth blade equal a great shave.

Once again, the FOCS/vintage Astra SS duo provided a trouble-free shave with no tugging or roughness. The decline in sharpness that I first reported on May 23 has not been noticeable. In fact, the efficiency has been better over the last few shaves. The comfort level is up and my shaves with this blade have been slightly quicker, lately.

It's a welcome change from the disappointing results that I've gotten from the modern Astra SS blades. I'd have thought that a blade made with state-of the-art technology in a modern facility would have blown such an old-fashioned blade out of the water, but it didn't happen. Chalk one up for the Czechs, I guess!

Also, since things have wound down a bit in here, I think it's time to give another thumbs up to @Grundi and @Space_Cadet for organizing this challenge. Kudos to you, gentlemen!

 

[hairless wonder]

My apologies for not posting my last review earlier, this past weekend was crazy. Instead of enjoying a 3-day weekend, I wound up spending much of it working to beat a deadline. As a result, this post contains two reviews in one.

This past weekend's shave was brought to you by Vintage Astra Stainless. Use a blade from the past for a shave that lasts!

Tools
Blade: Vintage Astra Stainless (5th use)
Razor: Fendrihan Kingston on WCS 79BR
Brush: Van Der Hagen Night Star 3 Band
Soap: Cella in the tub
Splash: Captain's Choice Italia
Alum: generic alum block from local Indian market
Bowl: Captain's Choice Seaworthy in Cobalt

Procedure
Soak brush in warm water while taking a warm shower
Use a knife to slice an almond sized sliver of shave soap and put into bowl, then add some hot water to warm up bowl
After showering, dump water from bowl into empty yogurt cup
Squeeze brush to remove excess water
Apply brush to soap in bowl and whip up into a lather, adding water from yogurt cup as necessary
Apply lather to face
Shave WTG
Apply more lather to face
Shave ATG
Apply more lather to areas to be buffed
Buff difficult areas ATG (make sure to stretch skin)
Rinse soap off face then apply alum
Clean brush, razor, and bowl
Rinse alum off face and dry face on towel
Apply splash

Results
I got a BBS shave with several weepers.

The vintage was a little rougher this time. I managed to get a BBS, but I felt more irritation this time and I could definitely feel the blade. It was my first time building a lather with Cella in a bowl instead of in the tub and on my face. My face felt some sting all over after applying my alum block. When I applied the Captain's Choice aftershave splash, it felt nice and may have helped to soothe some of the irritation.

After the splash dried down and disappeared, my face felt smooth but not as smooth as when I use Captain's Choice aftershave balm.

All in all, if my first shave with the vintage Astra was a 99/100, this shave would've been about a 94/100.


-------------------------------------------


Last night's shave was brought to you by modern Astra Stainless Steel blades. The latest shaves deserve the latest blades!

Tools
Blade: Modern Astra Stainless (5th use)
Razor: Fendrihan Kingston on WCS 79BR
Brush: Van Der Hagen Night Star 3 Band
Soap: Captain's Choice Venture
Splash: Captain's Choice Italia
Alum: generic alum block from local Indian market
Bowl: Captain's Choice Seaworthy in Cobalt

Procedure
Soak brush in warm water while taking a warm shower
Use a knife to slice an almond sized sliver of shave soap and put into bowl, then add some hot water to warm up bowl
After showering, dump water from bowl into empty yogurt cup
Squeeze brush to remove excess water
Apply brush to soap in bowl and whip up into a lather, adding water from yogurt cup as necessary
Apply lather to face
Shave WTG
Apply more lather to face
Shave ATG
Apply more lather to areas to be buffed
Buff difficult areas ATG (make sure to stretch skin)
Rinse soap off face then apply alum
Clean brush, razor, and bowl
Rinse alum off face and dry face on towel
Apply splash

Results
I got a BBS shave with several minor weepers.

The blade felt rougher than ever before. I wound up with some weepers where I did my usual buffing. Fortunately, applying my alum block was sufficient to staunch the bleeding. This could be the result of the lather still being thinner than I would prefer.

As with my last shave, after I washed off the alum I'd rubbed on my wet face, I applied some Captain's Choice Italia aftershave splash. It stung a bit immediately on application, but the sting went away really quickly thereafter. I almost thought I hadn't felt any sting, but paused and reflected on how my face felt immediately after applying the splash. I confirmed that I felt some sting.

As before, after the splash dried down and disappeared, my face seemed to have been soothed a bit. But I still felt some minor discernible irritation where I had the worst weeper.

All in all, if my first shave with the modern Astra stainless steel blade was a 93/100, this shave would've easily been about a 89 or 90/100.

 

[Chard52142]

Thu 3 SOTD Round 6-Blade #1 Shave#6 (Tally So Far, Czech 3 Russian 2 with 1 Draw)
Cream Suezbana Aloe & Lavender
Brush Yaqi 24mm Sagrada Familia
Razor Parker SemiSlant
Blade Russian Astra Superior Stainless 6th
Post & Aftershaves Ice Water + Stirling Witchhazel MitA + Hyaluronic + Clubman Brandy Spice
Superb lather from the soap! Calming scent, thickly creamy and slick lather...very enjoyable!
Shave with razor paired with the blade (still in the Astra blade challenge) was good, reasonably smooth but efficiency is abit less compared to yesterday's blade. Managed 3passes without any issues for a between bbs and dfs result. Good aftershaves as usual.
Round 6 Astra blade challenge using the Parker SemiSlant
Czech Astra SS - WTG/XTG & ATG pass is good, smooth & comfortable with a rating of 9.7
Russian Astra SS - WTG/XTG & ATG pass although still good but noticeably less smooth and less efficient with a rating of 9.6
Round 6 contest result is the Czech clearly crosses the Russian to the line and wins this round again due to the comfort & efficiency result. So far, the Russian blade is good out of the blocks but the Czech is out-running away towards to finish line.

 

[BigJ]

ThunderDome Challenge, ‘Two Blades Enter, One Blade Leaves!’

Purpose: To pick a winner, no ties allowed!

Methods: No blinding. Wolfman WR1 (my ‘daily driver’) will be loaded with the test blade. Then I use my (whatever looks good this AM) rotation of (mostly) ‘tallow’ soaps, badger brushes and assorted splashes.

Each shave will be judged using my ‘10 point’ scale during a week of shaves. Then on to the next blade.

Not exactly ‘scientific’ but this is the best I can do these days!

Results:

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 10
Shave #3: 9
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9
Shave #3: 9.5
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 8.5
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 8.9

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 9.5
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 9.1

Modern (Russian) Astra SS Blade 3
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 3
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5

Discussion: Blade #3 is the best of the vintage litter! Tough challenge!!

 

[borwish]

Current Production Shave #7
2 days growth

Blade: current Astra SS
Pre: Warm shower with Dial
Razor: King C Gillette
Soap: Arko
Brush: Stirling Pro Handle Synthetic
After: Aqua Velva Ice Sport

The current production finally beat the vintage, but it took 7 shaves to do it. It's showing it's wear, but not as acutely as the vintage. 2 1/2 passes gave a comfortable shave that wasn't quite BBS. No nicks, no irritation, no drama. Definitely less feedback with the aftershave than the vintage.

Since I normally toss a blade after 6 shaves I'm calling VINTAGE as the winner. It gave a slight but consistently smoother shave each time. The 4th shave was the best with each blade with both being extraordinarily good. I tossed both blades this morning even though the modern had another shave or two in it. If the vintage were still in production I'd definitely order a 100 pack. I loaded another current production blade and will use it until it's end followed by a vintage, but don't expect my opinion to change.

Many thanks to @Grundi and @Space_Cadet for the experience of using these great blades.

 

[Demolition]

Third shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua 24mm Tuxedo
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

An unexpectedly good shave.

I say "unexpectedly" because I had very low expectations for this blade after its disappointing performance on June 1. It was bad enough that I thought about binning the blade. However, I decided to keep using it because this challenge isn't just about comparing the modern and vintage blades, but to compare all of the blades against each other. That's why Grundi sent three of each blade.

So, it seemed only fair to test this blade further to ensure that the previous shave wasn't an anomaly. I'm glad that I did because, as mentioned, I received a very good shave. There was some slight tugging on the WTG and XTG passes, but the ATG pass was quick and trouble-free. Overall, the comfort level was much higher. I did not have any post-shave irritation, this time, either.

On a side note... The flip-flopping between good and bad shaves reminds me of the first modern Astra SS that I tried. This unpredictability doesn't inspire confidence, but I'll keep using it until I get a clear idea of this blade's nature.

On a side note, part 2... The Yaqi Aqua Tuxedo/RR Santa Maria del Fiore pairing was fantastic, today. I don't subscribe to the notion of summer scents (e.g. citrus, eucalyptus, menthol, etc.) vs. winter scents (e.g. tobacco, leather, wood, etc.), so I have no problem wearing something with a darker/heavier fragrance on any day of the year.

 

[xiletero]

Astra Russian new, use 3
face shave
Snirmin razor (some magnetic clone to Futur) 4.5 and 5.5
muhle synthetic
fitjar
Speick AS
AquaVelva 5-1

2 pass shave, one side had more vibration than the other.....more blade exposure....., the side w more vibration cut better so that was used for 2nd pass
Shave was acceptable, minimal irritation..... nothing to write home about (neither the razor nor the blade). Yesterday I used R41 w a black carbon treet, that was a better shave but those blades are good for one or 2 shaves max.

 

[hairless wonder]

Tonight's shave was brought to you by Vintage Astra Stainless. For a classic shave, use a classic blade!

Tools
Blade: Vintage Astra Stainless (6th use)
Razor: Fendrihan Kingston on WCS 79BR
Brush: Van Der Hagen Night Star 3 Band
Cream: Proraso Blue
Splash: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Soothing Post-Shave Balm
Alum: generic alum block from a local Indian market
Bowl: Captain's Choice Seaworthy in Cobalt

Procedure
Soak brush in warm water while taking a warm shower
Squeeze some shave cream into shave bowl, then add some hot water to warm up bowl
After showering, dump water from bowl into empty yogurt cup
Squeeze brush to remove excess water
Apply brush to soap in bowl and whip up into a lather, adding water from yogurt cup as necessary
Apply lather to face
Shave WTG
Apply more lather to face
Shave ATG
Apply more lather to areas to be buffed
Buff difficult areas ATG (make sure to stretch skin)
Rinse soap off face then apply alum
Clean brush, razor, and bowl
Rinse alum off face and dry face on towel
Apply splash

Result
I got a BBS shave with just a hint of irritation.

I just finished my first shave with Proraso Blue. It was a pretty good shave. I managed to build full a lather quickly and it turned out to be slick and well-cushioned.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed shaving with Proraso. I have used the Red and White croaps in the tubs. The White provides such a nice hit of menthol on a hot day/evening. The Blue also has a bit of menthol, but it is less than that of the White. On a warm evening like tonight, it was a pleasant surprise.

Oddly, the Blue's scent reminds me of fresh paint. I don't mean this in a bad way. I actually like the smell of fresh paint. That said, the smell is likely not a selling point with the Blue, as it might be with the Red, which smells fantastic!

The vintage blade was a little nowhere near as rough as it was on my last shave with it. I managed to get a BBS, with just a bit of minor on some small pimples I hadn't noticed. I didn't even realize I had irritated them until I applied my alum block. Then I felt some minor stinging, which caused me to take a closer look and realize I'd irritated some pimples on my neck and chin. When I applied the Aqua Velva aftershave splash, it continued the cooling sensation. The Nivea aftershave balm may have helped to soothe any lingering irritation, I think.

All in all, if my first shave with the vintage Astra was a 99/100, this shave would've been about a 95/100.

 

[BigJ]

ThunderDome Challenge, ‘Two Blades Enter, One Blade Leaves!’

Purpose: To pick a winner, no ties allowed!

Methods: No blinding. Wolfman WR1 (my ‘daily driver’) will be loaded with the test blade. Then I use my (whatever looks good this AM) rotation of (mostly) ‘tallow’ soaps, badger brushes and assorted splashes.

Each shave will be judged using my ‘10 point’ scale during a week of shaves. Then on to the next blade.

Not exactly ‘scientific’ but this is the best I can do these days!

Results:

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 10
Shave #3: 9
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9
Shave #3: 9.5
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 8.5
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 8.9

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 9.5
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 9.1

Modern (Russian) Astra SS Blade 3
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 3
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Discussion: Blade #3 is determined to go the distance!!