Well, since the one time 2 years ago in my sample kit.
Really super smooth and cut effortlessly. I expected nothing less in my Muhle R89, but I was impressed with how sharp it was in addition to smooth. I nicked myself in one spot, and that was my fault ATG on my chin. Even blade buffing and extra cleanup didn't dredge up any irritation. I still had some residual irritation from my less than stellar shave with my Slim Adjustable, but the Astra did not aggravate that. My neck was a bit red where the irritation was, but after some aftershave balm and 15 minutes, the redness was gone. It will still take the rest of the week for my face to fully heal from the Slim shave. I think most of the other blades I have would have aggravated the irritation a bit.
So, all in all, even though the Astra may not be considered to be the sharpest blade out there, it is more than sharp enough to cut almost any beard, and mine is thick and coarse, and smooth enough not to irritate even the most sensitive skin. I have been enamored with the Gillette Blue and more recently with the super sharp and smooth Israeli Peraonna, but I honestly don't know why I'd ever shave with anything else when the results are this good. Not that I won't shave with my other razors again, but this was a great shave.
I'll have to see how they do in my vintage razors, which I'm struggling with. Maybe the Astra will be the blade that makes them daily shavers for me. Way to go Astra. Next time I need to order something from Amazon, I'm going to order another 100, maybe 200, for $9.50/100. Just so I have plenty laid in reserve.....in case something happens to production or the factory blows up, God forbid.
A+ rating for Astra SP.
Really super smooth and cut effortlessly. I expected nothing less in my Muhle R89, but I was impressed with how sharp it was in addition to smooth. I nicked myself in one spot, and that was my fault ATG on my chin. Even blade buffing and extra cleanup didn't dredge up any irritation. I still had some residual irritation from my less than stellar shave with my Slim Adjustable, but the Astra did not aggravate that. My neck was a bit red where the irritation was, but after some aftershave balm and 15 minutes, the redness was gone. It will still take the rest of the week for my face to fully heal from the Slim shave. I think most of the other blades I have would have aggravated the irritation a bit.
So, all in all, even though the Astra may not be considered to be the sharpest blade out there, it is more than sharp enough to cut almost any beard, and mine is thick and coarse, and smooth enough not to irritate even the most sensitive skin. I have been enamored with the Gillette Blue and more recently with the super sharp and smooth Israeli Peraonna, but I honestly don't know why I'd ever shave with anything else when the results are this good. Not that I won't shave with my other razors again, but this was a great shave.
I'll have to see how they do in my vintage razors, which I'm struggling with. Maybe the Astra will be the blade that makes them daily shavers for me. Way to go Astra. Next time I need to order something from Amazon, I'm going to order another 100, maybe 200, for $9.50/100. Just so I have plenty laid in reserve.....in case something happens to production or the factory blows up, God forbid.
A+ rating for Astra SP.
The only conclusion I can draw is that my lather building skills have improved and that the SP is perhaps less forgiving of a poor lather than other blades.
