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Derby Extra - DE Razor Blades

Pros: Forgiving
Cons: Picky about what razor its in
I first tired one of these in a Merkur and hated it. I didn't touch another one for a while. I then tried one in my Gillette Blue Tip and it was great! I loved it and it gave me a great shave consistently. I loved it so much I decided to try it in my ball tech, and hated it! It pulls in both my tech and Merkur but is smooth as butter in the blue tip.

I don't know. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" accurately describes my feelings toward Derby Extra.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
3.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
3.00 star(s)
Sharpness
3.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
3.00 star(s)
Pros: price and availability
Cons: durability
This is a good blade, definitely not the best I've ever tried but far from the worst. They don't seem to last more than three shaves for me, but they provide a comfortable close shave with just about any razor I use them in. They are also readily available at my local Sally Beauty supply store so I won't run out.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Longevity
2.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
4.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
4.00 star(s)
Pros: forgiving, dependable, economical blade
Cons: not the smoothest of shaves
I've put off using these until today. I can honestly say these seem (for me) another good daily "go to" blade.
Used in a Sanguine Steel shavette this morning - like the well mannered Dorco 300 I've used previously, these are another very forgiving blade... Maybe tolerant would be a more accurate word.
You will still get cut if your technique is "off". You will get cut if you rush at it and assume you're going to be okay... and if you're a bit too vigorous rash will occur.
However, post-shave overall the overall feel of my skin is none too bad... maybe a wee bit delicate in some places (the lower neck R/H side - my usual Achilles heel) , but not like the kind of "rage of fire" I would get with a quick shave with an awful cartridge based shaver.
The end result, for me is where these blades kind of loose points is the finish. There are still some areas that aren't as smooth as I would like... (neck R/H as usual sadly) However, where they get one back is price. Even in the small amount I got (25 blades isn't a massive quantity) these represent SUPERB value for money. When you look to get them in bulk, the blade price becomes around 2p a blade....
So to sum up: A good blade for the novice, with enough "bite" to remind you to stay focused on shaving... maybe not as smooth finish as some may like, but at this price that I feel can be forgiven.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Longevity
2.00 star(s)
Packaging
3.00 star(s)
Sharpness
4.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
3.00 star(s)
Pros: Well it's made of metal at least.....
Cons: Where to start.......
Merkur 33C, Proraso white soap.

$6.00USD for 20 blades shipped from ebay.

I'm new to DE shaving so part of the problem this morning was my fault. I could not feel the blade on my face at all so I applied a little bit more pressure. I have 2 moles on the left side of the face that I can normally go over without cutting, or only having a small spot of blood...its been happening since I was 16....

This morning I nearly amputated the left side of my face. Partially my fault, partially the blades fault. For the side of my face that I didn't destroy, it feels like I didn't shave at all but at least it looks like I did so I'm good to go today at work.

I should've been conservative on the blade pressure..... however, I can see the blade imperfections on the cutting edge once it is installed into my 33C. As I look down the edge of the blade while it is pointed at a bright light, the cutting edge has ripples in it, which tells me it was stamped out on ****e fabrication equipment or it was milled with a potato and a rock.

I will do my best to make due because I am cheap but I will more than likely be tossing these out in favour of my favoured Astra Greens. Not as close as feather, but I can use these daily with minimal or no cuts.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
0.00 star(s)
Longevity
0.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
0.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
0.00 star(s)
Pros: Good price point, does the job.
Cons: None I could notice, at least not yet.
I ordered a box of these as part of stocking-up on inexpensive DE blades. They were available for less than $10 per hundred on eBay. It seems to be a familiar brand with fair to excellent reviews. One of my criterion is that the blades come in those packages where you can slip old blades into a protective cover, as that makes disposal safe and easy.
The blades arrived in an interesting box printed in Turkish, Arabic, and English. It had a tear-out perforation to make it easy to pull out the 5-packs. The blade fit well in my Mühle razor and gave just the right gap below the edge of the blade.
So far I have tried the Merkur Super blades that I picked up with the razor, and today I changed in a Derby. With a three-pass shave, and no nicks or cuts, the Derby gave the best results so far. As I did a final rinse-off of my face, it was so smooth that all I could feel was the slipperiness of residual prep oil.
As I am planning to keep blade usage down to three to seven days, I see every reason to use a nicely priced and effective product like this one, instead of one that costs five times more.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Longevity
4.00 star(s)
Packaging
5.00 star(s)
Sharpness
4.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
5.00 star(s)
Pros: Not so sharp, but not dull..
Cons: Doesn't last to long
Love these, and at the price point it's hard to go wrong. For me they are in the sweet spot for sharpness. However they only last like two shaves. The feathers I had previously tried weren't bad but they lasted a week.. I'm willing to replace the blade morse for the smoothness... I can't even tell it's shaving really...
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Longevity
2.00 star(s)
Packaging
2.00 star(s)
Sharpness
5.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
5.00 star(s)
Pros: Inexpensive and readily available
Cons: Not very sharp, cause razor burn
Blades, like everything else with wet shaving, is personal to the individual. For me, Derbys just don't cut it (pun intended). 1st, 2nd, 3rd shave they pull and tug at my beard and leave razor burn. I have tried many times and I simply cannot make them work...for me. I prefer sharp aggresive blades, Feather, Gillette Black, etc.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
2.00 star(s)
Longevity
2.00 star(s)
Packaging
2.00 star(s)
Sharpness
2.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
1.00 star(s)
Pros: Good starter blade
Cons: Blade is too dull to achieve a BBS shave
I tested the Derby Extras for 2 weeks with a Muhle R89 razor and face lathered with Valobra Almond.

Derby Extra Summary of results:
Total shaves: 23
Total blades: 7
Total shaves with Valobra Crema di Sapone Purissima Almond: 12
Total shaves with Cella: 3
Total shaves with Williams Mug Soap: 3
Total shaves with Mitchells Wool Fat: 2
Total shaves with VDH Luxury: 1
Total shaves with VDH Deluxe: 1
Total shaves with Colonel Conk Bay Rum: 1
Lathering method: Load the soap on the brush and direct to face lather
Brush: B&B Essentials Boar
Razor: Muhle R89

I found there can be significant irritation if pressure is used or if too many passes are used. When used with light pressure and good lather from Valobra Almond, Cella or MWF, I can achieve very good shaves with a little stubble ATG. Changing the shave prep did help with a closer shave but at the expense of nicks and irritation. Three shaves per blade is a safe number of shaves for me. I will be looking for a sharper and smoother blade. I will have to rethink a better prep.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
5.00 star(s)
Sharpness
2.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
3.00 star(s)
Pros: Price, Quality, Close Shave
Cons: None that I can really think of.
These work great for me. I don't know how anybody couldn't like them. But to each his own.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Longevity
4.00 star(s)
Packaging
5.00 star(s)
Sharpness
5.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
5.00 star(s)
Pros: None
Cons: Legion
These are terrible.
They are blunt. They tug, pull & hack until your face can't take any more.
The only plus is that when you bin them, at least they were cheap.
If they were the only DE blades available, I'd gladly grasp a 5 blade cart instead.
Price
1.00 star(s)
Quality
0.00 star(s)
Longevity
0.00 star(s)
Packaging
2.00 star(s)
Sharpness
0.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
0.00 star(s)
$8.45 per 100 on eBay this includes shipping
Price
0.00 star(s)
Quality
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Longevity
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Packaging
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Sharpness
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Smoothness of Shave
0.00 star(s)
Pros: none
Cons: all aspects
only good for one shave, tore my face up, razor burn like crazy, I found CVS brand blades much better.
Price
0.00 star(s)
Quality
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Longevity
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Sharpness
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Smoothness of Shave
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Pros: Got them free in a PIF (thanks Wazza)
Cons: They're a paradox.
These blades for me are a paradox. They dragged across my face and skipped etc. but gave a good smooth shave, No irritation or burn and no cuts; go figure. I'll give them a few more days and update this review after I had a few more shaves with them. They definitely didn't like three days of my copper wire growth which although short it's tough. I prefer Wilkinsons to these in the sharpness dept. and I dislike Wilkinsons. So far for me the Boots/Tesco's/Asda store branded blades knock these for six....... so far.......to be continued.



Derby revisited....... the verdict stands, I used them in my 38c and my vision and got the same results.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
2.00 star(s)
Longevity
1.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
1.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
4.00 star(s)
The Derby Extra is the first blade I started with when DE shaving. It seemed everywhere I looked the Derby Extra was the blade that was in a photo or mentioned. So I thought that it must be everyone's favorite. Like every blade, different strokes for different folks. This one just does not agree with me.

Price -
These blades are very cheap. You can sometimes get them for as cheap as .10 or less per blade in Bulk via Ebay. I got mine in a Sampler pack, and then ordered 25 more for 3.50.

Sharpness -
I find Derbys to be middle of the road in the sharpness department, and they also have a major problem of not being consistent blade to blade. One blade will be sharp, the other dull and tugging.

Longevity -
I can't rate this area because I got rid of them after 1 shave.

Smoothness of Shave -
These blades tore my face up big time with Razor burn, from first time to the 3rd time trying them. For some reason, even though they are not very sharp, they have a bad tendency to cause horrible Razor burn like I said. As started above too, they can either be butter smooth or tug and pull.


Quality -
Hit or miss. Some blades give a smooth shave but still irritate for some reason, others just tug and pull. I didn't believe it at first, but when people say the blades are inconsistent in quality, they're right.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
2.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
2.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
2.00 star(s)
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Not so sharp
I'm not a big fan off derby blades, but they where my first DE blades to use because they came with my Edwin Jagger safety razor.

They worked fine for me, but they are not so sharp and if you go and buy bulk then the price isnt so much cheaper anymore then the likes off Shark.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
3.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
3.00 star(s)
Sharpness
2.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
3.00 star(s)
Pros: cheaper than feathers
Cons: nine
been using these and the feathers for about two years used wilkinsons and gillettes before this and anything else . feathers my first choice derbys second feathers sharper derbys last longer
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Longevity
5.00 star(s)
Packaging
5.00 star(s)
Sharpness
4.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
4.00 star(s)
Pros: Good Beginner Blade
Cons: Not a very close shave!
You might have to shave more if you use these, not a super close shave.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Longevity
4.00 star(s)
Packaging
5.00 star(s)
Sharpness
3.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
4.00 star(s)
Pros: Sharp
Cons: Varying quality, risk of getting a BAD blade
Sometimes the blad offers a nice shave, other times you get a sneaking suspision that you accidentially lathered with your aftershave because it just burns that much to shave with. If that's the case, do not hesitate to cork the blade or discard it completely. Quality control issues in a major way here.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Quality
2.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
4.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
0.00 star(s)
I received a sample one with the Muhle DE razor and had 2 shaves with it, on a 3 days beard.
I see that is well appreciated, but this blade is not for me. I have very tough beard, seems like the platinum blades suits me better.
Price
0.00 star(s)
Quality
3.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
0.00 star(s)
Sharpness
3.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
3.00 star(s)
Pros: Sharp, cheap.
Cons: Just don't work for me.
For me these just don't work very well. They tear up my face. Price is as good as any other. Smoother than the WalMart Wilki's, but these blades just hurt. YMMV
Price
4.00 star(s)
Quality
1.00 star(s)
Longevity
3.00 star(s)
Packaging
4.00 star(s)
Sharpness
3.00 star(s)
Smoothness of Shave
2.00 star(s)
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