Blade Testing Criteria

cdthomas23 · #1 11-03-2009, 10:55 AM

I have been DE shaving for almost 3 weeks now. With my razors, a fellow B&Ber included a mini Blade Sampler pack (Derbys, Red Pack Personnas, Shark, Gillette 7 o'clock, Feather, Astra, maybe one or two more). For the first two weeks I used the Derbys with pretty good success. So far this week, I have used the Personna.

My question is: What criteria do you folks use for picking which blade you like? Is it strictly closeness or shave and amount of irritation? Or are there other things your are taking into account? Any help on this would be appreciated. With this sampling, hopefully I can figure out which blade (or blades) are for me.

So far, both the Derby and the Personna have given pretty close shaves with minimal irritation.

WhosYerBob · #2 11-03-2009, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdthomas23

...pretty close shaves with minimal irritation.

That's my criteria. Simply a comfortable shave with good results. If the results are above good - say a DFS or a BBS - then that's just pure gravy.

jgjoneslaw · #3 11-03-2009, 12:52 PM

I also factor in cost somewhat. So for example I have gotten roughly equal shaves with Gillette 7 o'clock yellow and Blue Bird Blades. The Blue Birds are cheaper and I usually have less weepers with them so I picked up 100 of them today. Now if the 7 o'clocks had been cheaper I may have gone for them. I still haven't tried all my blades yet but the Blue Bird gave me all I wanted as far as no irritation, close shave in two passes, and cheap.

mkevenson · #4 11-03-2009, 03:21 PM

I use the blade for several shaves. If it feels good when I shave and I get a good shave then it is a keeper. In my experience most new DE shavers get sample packs early on and try to evaluate the blades at that time. Unfortunately there are 2 BIG REQUIREMENTS FOR A BLADE TEST TO BE LONG LASTING. 1ST, YOUR TECHNIQUE SHOULD HAVE STABLISED. And second, you should do all the testing with the same razor. If you have done your tests before your techique has developed that's ok. Just know that the same tests on the same blades later in your developement may be different. As far as the razor is concerned, many say that the same blade will feel different in different razors. Hope that helps.

Luc · #5 11-03-2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhosYerBob

That's my criteria. Simply a comfortable shave with good results. If the results are above good - say a DFS or a BBS - then that's just pure gravy.

+1

If the blade makes you go, ok, it's all right, then you didn't find it. If you go WOW! That's the one...

cdthomas23 · #6 11-03-2009, 06:16 PM

How will I know a bad blade? I hear many folks mention the Merkurs (I know a few like them) are awful. Is is just a bad shave or what? Maybe I will know it, but the Derbys and Personnas have both seemed good.

Luc · #7 11-03-2009, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdthomas23

How will I know a bad blade? I hear many folks mention the Merkurs (I know a few like them) are awful. Is is just a bad shave or what? Maybe I will know it, but the Derbys and Personnas have both seemed good.

This depends on how you rate something bad, average, good, extra-good.

I would qualify a blade as 'bad' if it skips and didn't shave anything after 3 passes. If I can be 100% it's not related to my technique and the blade is really dull (including the other 4 in the pack) then, yup, that's bad. The only example that comes to mind is 'Shogun'!

delmonte · #8 11-03-2009, 07:08 PM

Both times I've tried Derby's now, they made my face feel very hot afterwards, which I didn't from any other blades, so either they're very sharp and my technique isn't good enough, or they're just not right for me. I do really like Astra's though, which everyone says are very close in sharpness to Feathers, and I don't get that unpleasant feeling with them. So I guess Derby's just aren't for me. I also liked Red Israeli Personna's at the beginning. They are very smooth, but I later found them to not be sharp enough. Too many passes needed to get a good shave, so I probably won't be buying those. I would actually like to try them again, but I don't have any more because my dad and I are sharing the same sample pack

DunEdinRanger · #9 11-03-2009, 08:10 PM

In a nutshell, closeness, smoothness, longevity, and price.

Swampfox · #10 11-04-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdthomas23

How will I know a bad blade? I hear many folks mention the Merkurs (I know a few like them) are awful. Is is just a bad shave or what? Maybe I will know it, but the Derbys and Personnas have both seemed good.

Welcome Craig, glad to have you here. And I love your avy (let's hope the Tigers can keep up the roll they're on!)

For me, I can feel a bad blade scraping my face, and tugging and pulling on my neck. What seems to bad for one person, can be fantastic for another. For instance Bluebirds, which are loved by many, so far do not work for me. I gave a pack to a buddy of mine, and he loves them. WM Personnas work for some, while for me they are terrible.

Jsteele · #11 11-04-2009, 03:23 PM

First off WELCOME!!! now for your question. I take in consideration the longevity of a blade,for instance. Does it hold its edge after your first shave? And my second judging method is the smoothness of the glide. An easy gliding blade helps reduce razor burns and ingrown hairs on my sensitive skin. I discovered that Merkur blades are not smooth and seem to tug but hold its edge for several shaves. While Dorco blades can not hold its edge longer than one shave. After some testing i found that red personnas,feathers,and astra blades all work for me. Part of the fun of wet shaving is trying out new products and seeing what works for you. Best of luck and happy shaving

pauls51 · #12 11-04-2009, 08:52 PM

My first and main priority is comfort, closely followed by closeness.

Different blades work for different people unfortunately (it would be good if they made one blade that worked on all skin types; but then again there will be no adventurous fun in finding the right blade)For example; some find the Derby to work well with themselves, however it pulls and tugs when im using it..

jsrdrnr · #13 11-04-2009, 09:01 PM

Good or bad all depends on what you consider to be good or bad and what your grading scale is. For me a good shave is closeness and less irritation. But with that goes technique (since I am a noob and still working on this I must take that into consideration for all blades still) and prep. If either of those are off I dont care what set up you have you are going to get a "bad shave."