The rarely discussed Derby USTA blade

[geneaut]

I've seen a few threads discussing these blades before. There is always some debate whether they are rebranded Derby Extras or Derby Premiums, or are they their own blade. I don't know the real answer, but I know I got a very good shave with one this morning. One nice enough to prompt this post.

In fairness, I must report I purchased these on a whim back in November 2019 because they showed up on Amazon when I was looking at some Gillette Silver Blues. I pulled the trigger on them because they were $7.49 for a box of 100 with free Prime shipping. At that price, I was all in. What I got was a small box with 10 plastic tucks of 10 unmarked blades.

Now, to how they shave. Back in December when I first loaded this guy up in an inexpensive Lord S625 razor I discovered something. These didn't feel like Derby Extras to me ( which to me always seem on the dullish side ). These USTAs had a wee bit of a bite. I was slightly cavalier with the first shave in a razor I didn't know very well and managed to knick myself on my neck. The next few shaves I took my time and things went well, but the first shave was stuck in my head and then with the holidays and the arrival of a few other new to me blades these got shoved into the back of the cabinet and sort of forgotten.

Now that I'm on the 2020 Shave Sabbatical I have made a conscious decision to revisit all my shave kit to reevaluate and pare down my collection, and today I decided the USTAs deserved another go. This time I knew what they were capable of, and put them in my RR SLOC which is such a smooth shaver for me. I made sure to pay attention to my technique and prep, and what I received was a simply marvelous, smooth, 3 pass BBS. No muss, no fuss. It probably was one of the best shaves I've had in a few months.

So, as always I reinforced a lesson I know but sometimes forget. Don't judge a blade by a few shaves, and don't limit your opinion to how a blade performs in just one of your razors. Also, another lesson it taught me is that if I am trying to honestly form a good opinion on new equipment then I shouldn't let the arrival of more anticipated products I want to use make me come to a hurried conclusion. That said I will follow that advice and continue shaving with this particular USTA until it shaves out. Another quick lesson learned was the usefulness of a shave log. When I looked back at my notes I realize a lot of my mental opinion of this blade was based on the first actual shave that didn't go really well, but when I looked back at my notes for the next few shaves on it I realized I had some nice things to say.

I will update this thread with my thoughts on this blade as I use it more. I'd love to hear anyone else that has used these blades and their thoughts on them.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I havent tried these but Ive found that much of the bad rap that Derby gets is that when many people first start wet shaving, Derbys come with the first razor they get and many of us lack skill at that point in time, so we blade the gear.

 

[geneaut]

I havent tried these but Ive found that much of the bad rap that Derby gets is that when many people first start wet shaving, Derbys come with the first razor they get and many of us lack skill at that point in time, so we blade the gear.

I grabbed 20 Derby Extras when I started shaving ( 2009'ish ) because at the time they were sort of the accepted 'newbie' blade. Like you pointed out they seemed to come with most new razors, and the whole DE shaving Internet thingy was still sort of in its infancy and we didn't have 10-15 years of online knowledge back then like we do now. The Extra's were certainly OK, and they got the job done but as I started expanding my blade collection they got used less and less, and I never bothered to replace them when they ran out. I used one in the past year or so that I picked up somewhere and it was still OK'ish without being remarkable in any way. I have easy to shave whiskers so I get along with a wide band of blades so OK'ish just doesn't really make me jump in their corner with enthusiasm LOL.

The USTAs don't shave to me like the Extras I remember. I'll load an Extra up and compare just to be sure I'm not forgetting anything at some point since that is a goal of mine this year to shave with every blade I have in stock.

I also have the Derby Premiums. I've only used about 2 of them, and they were nice and pleasant shaves. Better than my recollection of the Extras as well. I'd have to try the Premiums side by side with the USTAs to make a comparison between them, but as far as my mind tells me now the USTAs seem slightly sharper.

 

[hydro-magic]

Good point on keeping a log. I revisited a blade I don't remember liking that much recently. Went back and looked at my log and I'd completely forgotten it gave me great results in one of my razors. It was just the first couple I tried it in were razors I later figured out just didn't work that well for me with any blade.

 

[RayClem]

I am responding to portions of several posts above.

1. Try blades in several different razors before giving up on them. Absolutely. I have razors that range from a very mild VDH TTO, moderate EJ DE89, moderately aggressive Karve D plate, to aggressive Muhle R41. In the VDH, I like using super sharp blades like Feather, BIC, Nacet, 7 O'Clock Black, etc. In the R41 I like using less-sharp, smooth blades like 7 O'Clock Yellow. In the moderate-moderately aggressive range, I like using mid-sharp blades like GBH, Gillette Platinum, Polsilver, 7 O'Clock Green, Rapira PL, Voskhod, etc.

2. It seems like many new razors come with either Derby Extra, Shark Chrome, VDH or Merkur blades. These are all blades that are on the less-sharp, smoother side. Some folks who are starting out in wet shaving are young and have beards that are easy to shave, unlike my tough, grizzly beard. For them, younger folks, these blades may work quite well, but they are not sharp enough to work for me. Most who are purchasing starter razors are new to wet shaving and have not developed the skills to use a super sharp blade without blood loss. If you started your wet shaving journey with Feather blades and ended up with serious cuts, your journey might be cut short (pun intended).

3. I have not used the USTAs, but unless they are significantly sharper than Derby Extra, I do not intent to try them. I do not even like Astra SP blades as I do not find them quite sharp enough to give a great shave, only a mediocre one. But I know Astra SP blades have a strong following. That just says my beard is tougher than most.

 

[geneaut]

Good point on keeping a log. I revisited a blade I don't remember liking that much recently. Went back and looked at my log and I'd completely forgotten it gave me great results in one of my razors. It was just the first couple I tried it in were razors I later figured out just didn't work that well for me with any blade.

I initially thought logging shaves was really over the top, but a coworker talked me into it and I downloaded an app that runs on my iPhone. I liked the free version well enough to actually pay $3 for the real thing. To this day it is the only piece of software I've ever paid for on my phone, and it has proved it's worth to me. It takes a minute to use after a shave, and it is useful to review from time to time. A paper log, or an online spreadsheet would probably work as well.

 

[geneaut]

I am responding to portions of several posts above.

1. Try blades in several different razors before giving up on them. Absolutely. I have razors that range from a very mild VDH TTO, moderate EJ DE89, moderately aggressive Karve D plate, to aggressive Muhle R41. In the VDH, I like using super sharp blades like Feather, BIC, Nacet, 7 O'Clock Black, etc. In the R41 I like using less-sharp, smooth blades like 7 O'Clock Yellow. In the moderate-moderately aggressive range, I like using mid-sharp blades like GBH, Gillette Platinum, Polsilver, 7 O'Clock Green, Rapira PL, Voskhod, etc.

2. It seems like many new razors come with either Derby Extra, Shark Chrome, VDH or Merkur blades. These are all blades that are on the less-sharp, smoother side. Some folks who are starting out in wet shaving are young and have beards that are easy to shave, unlike my tough, grizzly beard. For them, younger folks, these blades may work quite well, but they are not sharp enough to work for me. Most who are purchasing starter razors are new to wet shaving and have not developed the skills to use a super sharp blade without blood loss. If you started your wet shaving journey with Feather blades and ended up with serious cuts, your journey might be cut short (pun intended).

3. I have not used the USTAs, but unless they are significantly sharper than Derby Extra, I do not intent to try them. I do not even like Astra SP blades as I do not find them quite sharp enough to give a great shave, only a mediocre one. But I know Astra SP blades have a strong following. That just says my beard is tougher than most.

I need to get a few more shaves in on this blade, but I really think the USTA could live in your mid-sharp grouping. I literally just binned a Voskhod before this blade and the USTA seems to match it ( on my face at least ) in sharpness. I also like the Rapira PL and I think the USTA could hang in its neighborhood without shaming itself.

However, you and I know YMMV is a real thing so take my results with a grain of salt. That said, if I were you I wouldn't be afraid of trying an USTA if one fell in your possession. I'm fairly positive it's sharper than the Extras.

 

[RayClem]

I initially thought logging shaves was really over the top, but a coworker talked me into it and I downloaded an app that runs on my iPhone. I liked the free version well enough to actually pay $3 for the real thing. To this day it is the only piece of software I've ever paid for on my phone, and it has proved it's worth to me. I takes a minute to use after a shave, and it is useful to review from time to time. A paper log, or an online spreadsheet would probably work as well.

I do not log my shaves. However, I have a den that now contains about 165 soaps and creams. There is no way I can keep track of all those without some help from a computer.

Thus, I created a database in Microsoft Access to keep track of each of the soaps, the ingredients, the scent notes, and all my evaluation ratings and notes concerning the performance of each of the soaps. I can easily sort the data if I want to look for soaps with best slickness, best post-shave, or least expensive soaps and creams, etc.

I started to develop a similar database to track the use of about 25 razor blades in 8 razors, but I did not find it all that useful. I divide my blades into three categories: very sharp, mid-sharp, and less sharp. There is also a "dull" category for blades like Derby Extra, Sharp Chrome, VDH, and Merkur, but those blades are too dull for me in any razor, so I have given those blades away.

I divide my razors into categories of mild, moderate, and aggressive. I use one of my very sharp blades in the mild razors. I use mid-sharp blades in moderate razors, and I use less sharp blades in aggressive razors. That seems to work for me, so I do not need software to track those matchups. As long as I use the right blade in the right razor, I get a great shave.

 

[RayClem]

I need to get a few more shaves in on this blade, but I really think the USTA could live in your mid-sharp grouping. I literally just binned a Voskhod before this blade and the USTA seems to match it ( on my face at least ) in sharpness. I also like the Rapira PL and I think the USTA could hang in its neighborhood without shaming itself.

However, you and I know YMMV is a real thing so take my results with a grain of salt. That said, if I were you I wouldn't be afraid of trying an USTA if one fell in your possession. I'm fairly positive it's sharper than the Extras.

You may be right about the USTA blades. I do not like Shark Super Chrome blades - too dull and was always reluctant to try the Shark Super Stainless. However, when they came out with the Shark Platinum blades, I decided to risk $8. I found them to be decent blades. Thus, just because you do not like one blade produced by a company does not mean you won't like others.

I find that with Gillette blades as well. I tried some Rubie Plus blades and found them to be a little dull, but Nacets are quite sharp. I find Astra SP green blades are not quite sharp enough for my beard, but I love the Astra SS blues.

 

[geneaut]

I find that with Gillette blades as well. I tried some Rubie Plus blades and found them to be a little dull, but Nacets are quite sharp. I find Astra SP green blades are not quite sharp enough for my beard, but I love the Astra SS blues.

I prefer the Atra SS blades as well versus the SPs. The SPs work better for me than I expect they do for you, but the SS are just plain better so all things equal I usually purchase them.

I'd hesitantly say the USTAs are more like the SS than the SPs right now, but I really should give them a few more shaves before I proclaimed that actual fact.

 

[RayClem]

I prefer the Atra SS blades as well versus the SPs. The SPs work better for me than I expect they do for you, but the SS are just plain better so all things equal I usually purchase them.

I'd hesitantly say the USTAs are more like the SS than the SPs right now, but I really should give them a few more shaves before I proclaimed that actual fact.

I do not really need to purchase more DE blades any more than I need to acquire more shaving soaps. I have more than enough to last me for the remainder of my lifetime. However, I love scientific exploration and most razor blades are cheap. If you find the USTA blades to be significantly better than ASP, I will risk the $7.50 to purchase 100 on Amazon. There is a current offer that includes a free sample Lord ASCO Platinum blade, so I would get to evaluate two different blades. I wonder how the ASCO platinum blade compares to the Shark platinum blades also made by Lord.

When I am evaluating new blades, I normally put one of my favorite blades in my EJ DE89 and then put the new blade in a Muhle R89 that has an identical head design. I shave one side of my face with one razor and use the other razor for the opposite side. Then I switch sides for each pass. I normally do three full passes plus a cleanup pass, so each razor is used for two passes on each side of my face. That allows me to compare the two blades for sharpness and smoothness in identical razors using the same lather. I consider the DE89/R89 heads to be mild-moderate, so they are suitable for use with most blades.

 

[malocchio]

I squeezed 7 good shaves out of the USTA....

 

[geneaut]

I do not really need to purchase more DE blades any more than I need to acquire more shaving soaps. I have more than enough to last me for the remainder of my lifetime. However, I love scientific exploration and most razor blades are cheap. If you find the USTA blades to be significantly better than ASP, I will risk the $7.50 to purchase 100 on Amazon. There is a current offer that includes a free sample Lord ASCO Platinum blade, so I would get to evaluate two different blades. I wonder how the ASCO platinum blade compares to the Shark platinum blades also made by Lord.

When I am evaluating new blades, I normally put one of my favorite blades in my EJ DE89 and then put the new blade in a Muhle R89 that has an identical head design. I shave one side of my face with one razor and use the other razor for the opposite side. Then I switch sides for each pass. I normally do three full passes plus a cleanup pass, so each razor is used for two passes on each side of my face. That allows me to compare the two blades for sharpness and smoothness in identical razors using the same lather. I consider the DE89/R89 heads to be mild-moderate, so they are suitable for use with most blades.

I have close to 2000 blades myself so when I bought 100 of these USTAs it was definitely the exploration that mostly drove it, and the fact they were so inexpensive. At worst I was going to PIF them.

Plus I like the idea of looking at blades that aren't quite as mainstream as others.

 

[RayClem]

I have close to 2000 blades myself so when I bought 100 of these USTAs it was definitely the exploration that mostly drove it, and the fact they were so inexpensive. At worst I was going to PIF them.

Plus I like the idea of looking at blades that aren't quite as mainstream as others.

For me, the less popular blades were Shark Platinum, Dorco Prime Platinum STP301 and Supermax Blue Diamond. They all turned out to be good blades.

 

[geneaut]

For me, the less popular blades were Shark Platinum, Dorco Prime Platinum STP301 and Supermax Blue Diamond. They all turned out to be good blades.

It's funny you mention the Dorco Prime because the USTA shave this morning was fairly similar to what I remember the Prime being like. The Dorcos are pretty sharp to me without hitting that Nacet / 7 O'clock Black level, but they also seem to let my skin know they are not to be trifled with. I also enjoy the old Supermax Blue Diamond ( Titanium and Platinum ) blades BTW.

I'm going to keep using the USTA for about a week ( replacing it if necessary ) so I can get a good feel for it. I may just have hit all the variables just right this morning and the blade may be playing a more minor role in the good shave than I should be giving it credit for.

I haven't tried the Shark Plats yet. Shark Chromes are OK to me without being anything special.

 

[BigD]

Here's my review of the blade.

 

[RayClem]

Here's my review of the blade.

What was your final conclusion for USTA vs the Derby Premium? Are the USTA blades similar to Premium or a step up from there?

 

[NPK]

I tried Usta in my Techs...it was just "meh". It did the job well enough but wasn't exceptional at smoothness or sharpness.

 

[BigD]

What was your final conclusion for USTA vs the Derby Premium? Are the USTA blades similar to Premium or a step up from there?

Sorry, that was in my Derby Premium review. The Usta was just a tad better than the Premium. Not by much, but one shave better.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[RayClem]

Sorry, that was in my Derby Premium review. The Usta was just a tad better than the Premium. Not by much, but one shave better.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

I could not easily track down your Premium review since it was quite a while ago. That is why I asked.