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An epic quest to find the blade of legend

I have been using a safety razor for about 4 months now. I have exclusively used Van der Hagen blades (with the exception of a single Vincent) because I had a large pack of them. However, several of you suggested tryablade.com to easily explore which blades I actually like. Hint: it's not the VDH blades. Haha. So I figured I would document my quest here and if anyone has any opinions or suggestions they are all welcome. Below are the blades that I ordered. If I missed any gems please let me know.
Item #DescriptionQty
17Gillette - Super Platinum2
16Rapira - Platinum Lux2
15Merkur - Super Platinum2
14Gillette - Platinum2
9ASTRA - Superior Stainless2
13Shark - Super Chrome2
10Personna - Med Prep2
11Wilkinson - Sword (German)2
12Gillette - 7 0'Clock - Super Stainless2
1ASTRA - Superior Platinum2
3Personna - Lab Blue2
2Feather - New Hi-Stainless2
5Gillette - Silver Blue2
6Personna - Platinum (Israeli Reds)2
7Gillette - 7 0'Clock - SharpEdge2
8Derby - Extra2
4Voskhod - Teflon Coated2

I will follow with my thoughts on my first blade used out of this bundle.
 
So the first blade I decided to try was the Wilkinson's. I picked this blade based purely on nostalgia. Growing up my mom had a set of Wilkinson's Sword kitchen knives. I was always excited when she brought them put. Each one had their own hard case with a built in sharpener that ran across the blade every time it was removed. While I have no idea if the two products are related this is nonetheless my motivation for trying it first.

To the blade. It seemed to have a good bit of oil on it when removed from the paper. Not sure if this is common with other blades but at least it's not the case with VDH blades. I wiped it off and slipped it into my Gillette Slim Adjustable set on 3.5. I used Taylor of Old Bond sandalwood as it's my preferred cream. I did 3 passes as usual. My first impression of the blade is that it seems to glide fairly smoothly over my face. Not too much drag as I have become accustomed to. It seemed to handle the contours of my face easier especially along the jaw line. I did notice that I had to take more short strokes in the area I was shaving. I'm not sure if this is a result of the blade or the fact that I had 2 days worth of growth. No nicks to start which is nice. Just the standard small bleeding spots from bumps on my neck. The shave itself came out fairly smooth with not much irritation. So thus far the blade rankings are as follows.
1. Wilkinson's
2. Vincent (I didn't really like this blade though)
3. Van der Hagen
 
It's a nice sampler pack you have ordered :)
I would like to recommend two more blades for you to try out.
Lord Silverstar and Muhle.
Two blades that works very good on my face (and head) in several of my razors.
 
Nice pack if you go for a second pack add bic & kai
But you should be able to find that right blade in the pack you have
Have fun
 
I second the suggestion to get KAI, but my main suggestion would be to be sure to buy a sample of Polsilver/Wizamet (two different names for the same blade, though Wizamets are cheaper for reasons unknown and unknowable). Polsilver/Wizamet is many people's favorite blade and should be part of a broad blade-testing effort like you're currently doing imho.

Other than that, you've got a good crop there and will certainly enjoy your experimentation to come.
 
Good luck with your quest. That's a great selection you have there. You can read a lot of reviews, even the objective sharpness info, and it really won't tell you much. Your face and your perceptions will render a "bad" blade good and a "great" blade inferior. My personal quest lead me to Gillette Rubie, an objectively dull-to average blade that is expensive for some reason. But it does the job for me better than anything else. I may never know exactly why, I just went where the experience led me. And it took a good six months to decide.

But I recently got some new razors and that might all go out the window! So my quest is ongoing. I think that's one of the reasons why this becomes a hobby for many people and why some just don't wanna put forth the effort. You really get out what you put in. It's a great experience to figure all of this out. You can do all the online research you want, but in the end, the only way to really do it is to find out for yourself. Good luck.
 
I'm an extreme minimalist, and I usually present a contrary view that involves not buying too much stuff. So, I'll ask a question: From the chart below, which blade was the best? Assume the quality of shaves from each blade was the same. I tossed the blades when they lost efficiency. If there are some answers to the question, I'll continue.

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Looks like a great selection--you should certainly find something you like in there. My only suggestion is to base your opinions on your experience and don't be swayed by fellow B&Bers viewpoints. Plenty of people will tell you such and such a blade is horrible or always gives them redness, but choose what's most comfortable for you.
 
You may want to go through a full blade cycle before switching. That way you will experience the full range between new/sharp, thorough smooth, to end game. Typically this is a "workday's" worth of shaves (5).

Having little experience, you have nothing to compare each blade with (no base/history).

You can use this thread as your daily log to express your feelings about each weeks/blades experience.

Since you have 2 of each, you can revisit the ones you enjoyed the most.

Given time, you will be able to shave with any blade/razor combination and give yourself a smooth enjoyable shave.
 
If I missed any gems please let me know.

He.... he... he..... o_O


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He.... he... he..... o_O


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This thread is a B&B classic.
 
So day two with the Wilkinson's. It still glides smooth across my face without much drag. But again it doesn't seem to take the hair down efficiently. It takes several strokes to get the hair down in one direction. Still not much irritation except around my neck a little.
 
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