Merkur Platinum Double Edge Blades

Not the sharpest blade in the world, this much maligned blade will consistently deliver a smooth and comfortable shave more often than not. And I can get more quality shaves from a single Merkur blade than I can from 2 feather blades.

These are the blades by which I judge all others. They're not the sharpest, but they're sharp enough. They shave smooth, cleanly, and are predictably the same from shave to shave. They also last a good amount of shaves, getting 3-5 shaves per side myself. There may be better blades out there, but these are the ones I buy (and use) regularly.

These blades have given me a very comfortable shave. Whilst they are not as sharp as the feather blades, they do deliver a very smooth and comfortable shave, with good razor glide to my sensitive skin with thick and fast growth.

You do need a few more strokes/passes to get the closeness, but overall its a very comfortable, forgiving, well engineered blade that does a superb job.