Your thoughts on longevity of Astra SP (green) blades?

[Gabeson]

I have been using Astra SP (green) blades for at least 6 months solid now. Before deciding on these I tried several different brands in a sample pack, to ensure I didn’t lock into a specific brand without knowing id like the blade. From memory, I tried Derby, Astra SP, Feather, Merkur, Persona Red, Persona ‘Lab Blue’, and there may have been another 1-2 brands im forgetting. Out of all these I found Astra to be the most pleasing. All the brands mostly game me 1-2 comfortable shaves before I had to chuck the blade – not many, I know. Astra was one of the only ones where I could get 3-4 shaves before needing to chuck the blade out.
I have noticed however that lately I really enjoy the first and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] shave but not really the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] shave, and so sometimes I’ve been resorting to just junking a blade after just 2 shaves with the Astra. I use a Muhle R89 Grande, which I love, and I have what I would refer to as ‘medium’ beard.

I know that there are MANY, many more blades I could try…but really, I can’t afford to just order a stack of blades to try, although id love to try some other blades, I don’t want to get into having to purchase another stack of blades.

DE blades aren’t expensive, so I suppose even if I throw out an Astra after 2 shaves, sometimes 3 shaves, that’s not too bad, is it?
I have just read where some users were reporting get 5, 6, 7+ shaves from a single Astra blade, and I have never yet encountered a single DE blade that would give me anywhere near that many shaves. I like Astra as it’s a nice balance between smoothness and sharpness…but im just not getting that many shaves from it. The 2 shave I usually get from it recently are nice, so no complaints there. Perhaps I should just suck it up, and bin it after 2??

What are your thoughts? I don’t mind trying another 1-2 brands of blades, but I’m just not wanting to have to drop a bundle on another mass of sample blades.

 

[Gig103]

Considering how cheap Astra are, and that you found out the best shave out of your sample pack, I'd stick with it. Let's say you discover you can get 4 shaves out of a new blade that costs double - same price per shave! Even if your favorite blade was a $0.30 Feather that lasted the same 2 shaves, it's still cheaper than a cartridge.

The only reason you should go back on a hunt might be because after 6 months your technique may have improved enough that some old or different blades perform counter to your previous opinions.

 

[PMT]

7 days for me!

 

[TropicalHotDogNight]

I can’t afford to just order a stack of blades to try, although id love to try some other blades, I don’t want to get into having to purchase another stack of blades.

Buy one pack from each company that interests you. The cost is under $2 per pack. That's affordable.

 

[Gabeson]

Buy one pack from each company that interests you. The cost is under $2 per pack. That's affordable.

Yeh I'm not even sure which ones to try...most brands I looked into, when people compared them to Astra, they don't seem to stack up. But it's such a personal thing.
For me to get a 5 pack delivered in Australia for really any DE blade, is $5. But I may have to get a few anyway.

 

[PPhillips]

I used to really like Astra blades when I first started but then had the same issue as yourself. They would start getting rough after 2-3 shaves. I recently switched my daily shaver from an EJ to a vintage Gillette flare tip and have found that Gillette 7 o clock (green) have been giving me consistent good shaves and will last me a minimum of 4 shaves per blade.

 

[dionesius3]

Maybe the Excalibur club here on B&B can help you in the blade longevity department. I used to change blades after 3-4 shaves also and then I discovered the thread about making blades last longer. I tried some of the advise they give and began getting numerous shaves per blade. Here is a link:http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/431416-Excalibur-Club-Blade-Longevity-DE-SE-and-Injector

I went from getting 3-4 shaves per blade with an ASTRA SP to now getting 25-28 BBS two pass shaves per blade. Prep, angle, pressure, and technique make all the difference in the world. It took some time to learn, but it was and is well worth the effort.

 

[Gabeson]

I used to really like Astra blades when I first started but then had the same issue as yourself. They would start getting rough after 2-3 shaves. I recently switched my daily shaver from an EJ to a vintage Gillette flare tip and have found that Gillette 7 o clock (green) have been giving me consistent good shaves and will last me a minimum of 4 shaves per blade.

Cheers for that. Yeh you may be onto something there - I am actually yet to try some Gillette 7 o'clock blades! Silly I know haha. I'll need to order a few of them. I know there are the blacks, greens and yellows to try. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Gabeson]

Maybe the Excalibur club here on B&B can help you in the blade longevity department. I used to change blades after 3-4 shaves also and then I discovered the thread about making blades last longer. I tried some of the advise they give and began getting numerous shaves per blade. Here is a link:http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/431416-Excalibur-Club-Blade-Longevity-DE-SE-and-Injector

I went from getting 3-4 shaves per blade with an ASTRA SP to now getting 25-28 BBS two pass shaves per blade. Prep, angle, pressure, and technique make all the difference in the world. It took some time to learn, but it was and is well worth the effort.

That's a terrific link - thanks a lot for that! I had never seen that before. There you go! Been wet shaving for years and yet there's always something new to learn, or improve on. Love it. Thanks

 

[floyd923]

3 shaves. Always feel like I could go for 4, but when I do its a nightmare. So regardless of how good the 3rd shave felt, I just toss. Astra SP are cheap enough to toss early! They are also my favorite blades!

 

[Luc]

I am still, to this day, trying new blades. I use the ASTRA green on a regular basis and get between 5 to 9 shaves (3 passes per shave) depending on the razor and soap that I use. Some razor do not allow me so many shaves (more aggressive ones). Some soap seem to help with the glide so much that I do not need to change the blade and still get a BBS. With time, you will get more out of your blades if you want to try. But, the soap and razor are playing in this.

If that can help, any type of blade did not last me more than 2 shaves in a slant. Maybe it would be different today as I have more experience.

 

[vitalsigns81]

I've currently gotten 12 shaves out of one blade, which has happened a few times before. Seeing this thread is making me consider keeping it in, and seeing exactly how far I can take it... Normally I chuck a blade after 6 shaves (take one day off from shaving a week).

 

[stoof2010]

Maybe the Excalibur club here on B&B can help you in the blade longevity department. I used to change blades after 3-4 shaves also and then I discovered the thread about making blades last longer. I tried some of the advise they give and began getting numerous shaves per blade. Here is a link:http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/431416-Excalibur-Club-Blade-Longevity-DE-SE-and-Injector

I went from getting 3-4 shaves per blade with an ASTRA SP to now getting 25-28 BBS two pass shaves per blade. Prep, angle, pressure, and technique make all the difference in the world. It took some time to learn, but it was and is well worth the effort.

I just visited the thread and asked some questions. I'm interested in prolonging the blade life, but not sure how to go about it. Read a lot of the pages but could read them all lol.

 

[bkbrewer]

I'm not a fan of Astra. They do not hold up to my THICK beard. When I have used them in past shaves, they either tore up my face or only survived one shave.

 

[imfallen_angel]

Astra are my go-to.. I have a bunch of Crystals and Sharks that aren't bad, but every time I rotate and go back to the Astra SP, it's like seeing an old friend again.

About 3 shaves is fairly standard. Some claim doing several shaves, heck, one thread was about one person saying that his shaves were bad until he did several first then fine for dozens of more shaves (something in the 30-40 shaves)... made no sense to me, I took his challenge and by shave 5 I couldn't do it anymore.

I would believe that the hair's thickness has probably lots to do with the wear that an edge gets.

I just think that there's wishful believing and just plain physics. The more you cut with something the more the edge gets worn down.. but then, cutting dry grass or a piece of wood will have a huge impact on a blade's wear cycle.

The only way we'd be able to confirm this would be to have a microscopic evaluation of the multi-dozen shaves people's blade.

Maybe some just have always had shaves that they consider normal or good (for them) that others would consider irritating. Heck I don't consider getting nicks and cuts as "normal" part of shaving, but my father (who was a terrible shaver) and others here appear to believe so.

But even with 2-3 shaves per 10 cent blade, you're still better than any cartridge.

 

[BRITD]

I went from getting 3-4 shaves per blade with an ASTRA SP to now getting 25-28 BBS two pass shaves per blade. Prep, angle, pressure, and technique make all the difference in the world. It took some time to learn, but it was and is well worth the effort.

Maybe the Excalibur club here on B&B can't. YMMV. As to being worth the effort, it depends on what a fraction of a penny, a persons time, effort and less quality shave is worth to them? When Astra S/S blades cost $10/100, its redundant to be switching the blade out once a month for the 99% of DE wet shavers. IMHO

 

[tejolot3]

Astra SP blades, like most others I use, give me three good shaves, with #2 being the best one. The only two blades I've used that can consistently give more good shaves than the rest are Personna blue and Gillette Nacet. But, with the difference in price, I still go for Astra as my go-to blade; even with fewer shave per blade, I still come out ahead that way.

 

[njpaddy]

I usually get 3 good shaves with Astra SP, Red Personna & Merkur. 4 is hit or miss so I toss after 3. Sharper blades like Feather, I toss after 2.

 

[SteveWY]

Until this year I would give my standard answer of 5-6/shaves per blade. I don't see any difference in longevity between any blade I use. This year I'm on a "blade-a-week" thing so I go a full 7 days on an Astra SP.

 

[BeeSeeDub]

I also get about 7 shaves per blade with the Astras.