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Asking for advice - should I continue searching for that one DE blade to replace all the others?

Economically, there is nothing stopping you from purchasing a 100 pack of a blade you can live with AND keep an eye open for blades you haven’t tried before.

I too have tried a dozen or so blade brands over the past ten years, and most fall within the ‘will do’ category and only a few fall into the ‘never again’ corner. The only blade that stands out as being very smooth is one I received as a free sample, namely the Tiger Platinum.

I don’t know if you would enjoy it though, as your favorite blade (Bic) is one I really dislike.

One thing I would recommend you do is to set aside a few blades from each new tuck you buy. These these can be used later down the line to try with different razors.

Good luck in your search.
 
Yes, continue your search. You will find several that provide a closer, smoother shave than others. But it takes time & trying lots of blades. Check out the Great Blade Exchange to get a variety of blades. All it costs is a postage stamp & two of your blades for each two you want in return. And the great part is you are welcome to participate as often & as many times as you like! The link is at the bottom of this post, in my signature.
Thank you, I’ll check it out! I’m curios how much it’d cost to send them to/from Moscow and whether or not it is even possible to send de blades in an plain envelope, though!
 
I read your posts #1 and #54 and if I would try to give you an advice, I would just copy and paste my previous post. Although, I am far from being an expert and only have experience shaving one face, but then, I do shave that face about 365 times in a year.
First thing that comes to my mind is that your expectations are not clear and that is probably because of unclear criteria. As I mentioned here, in my opinion, the result of a shave, as a mechanical means of removing stubble, is impacted by many factors. All of them already listed. For some members here when they finally achieve Nirvana they attribute the success entirely to that particular blade. Just because, you know, the blade is the thing that does the cutting. I believe this is wrong.
A seven-day beard would present several difficulties to shave and the results properly analyzed. But expanding on that would make a very long post here.
To make it short, I believe you should stop focusing on blades and experiment with working on your technique.
In my experience, the quality of the lather is paramount for a great shave. And I mean slickness, residual slickness and cushioning.
Enjoy the journey. And yes, there is nothing wrong with trying new blades, so please buy, buy and buy some more.

Edited to add: blades are not ones responsible for irritation and discomfort. Lousy lather, too much pressure, too many strokes, brush burn, wrong aftershave, would be a few that would cause trouble.
Sharper blades shave closer, in my experience. The BBS lasts longer if I use a sharper blade, that is for sure.
I hope this helps.
Thank you very much for sharing you experience, it’s been really helpful to me! I’ll definitely heed your advice and focus my efforts more on improving the technique!
 
Economically, there is nothing stopping you from purchasing a 100 pack of a blade you can live with AND keep an eye open for blades you haven’t tried before.

I too have tried a dozen or so blade brands over the past ten years, and most fall within the ‘will do’ category and only a few fall into the ‘never again’ corner. The only blade that stands out as being very smooth is one I received as a free sample, namely the Tiger Platinum.

I don’t know if you would enjoy it though, as your favorite blade (Bic) is one I really dislike.

One thing I would recommend you do is to set aside a few blades from each new tuck you buy. These these can be used later down the line to try with different razors.

Good luck in your search.
Thank you for the response, your advice makes sense! And i might have unintentionally mislead you with my post a little- Bic is most certainly not the blade that I like- it feels too sharp and i tend nick myself more often than not when I use it.
 
Thank you, I’ll check it out! I’m curios how much it’d cost to send them to/from Moscow and whether or not it is even possible to send de blades in an plain envelope, though!
Good question about postage cost & how to package the blades. I suggest asking your local post office what the cost would be to mail razor blades to Kansas City, Missouri, USA. You will need to have an idea of how much your package weighs for the post office to determine the postage cost. I wrap the blades in a paper coin wrapper & can fit two stacks of 10 razor blades in a single coin wrapper.
 
Good question about postage cost & how to package the blades. I suggest asking your local post office what the cost would be to mail razor blades to Kansas City, Missouri, USA. You will need to have an idea of how much your package weighs for the post office to determine the postage cost. I wrap the blades in a paper coin wrapper & can fit two stacks of 10 razor blades in a single coin wrapper.
Mr. Dmshaver, apologies for such a late reply…I’ve been swamped at work and it kinda slipped my mind…
Thank you for being so considerate and trying to come up with a way to help me out- it means a lot!
I’ll follow your advice and try to find out those details!

Btw, could you also tell me if it would really be considered ok on my part to offer, say, cheap blades such as Voskhod , Rapiras (which are the easiest to find here locally) in exchange for some blades that I haven’t tried, but which cost twice as much (e.g., Wilkinson sword, Wizamet, etc.)? I mean, wouldn’t such an exchange be imbalanced and unfair to the other person?
 
Mr. Dmshaver, apologies for such a late reply…I’ve been swamped at work and it kinda slipped my mind…
Thank you for being so considerate and trying to come up with a way to help me out- it means a lot!
I’ll follow your advice and try to find out those details!

Btw, could you also tell me if it would really be considered ok on my part to offer, say, cheap blades such as Voskhod , Rapiras (which are the easiest to find here locally) in exchange for some blades that I haven’t tried, but which cost twice as much (e.g., Wilkinson sword, Wizamet, etc.)? I mean, wouldn’t such an exchange be imbalanced and unfair to the other person?
All double edge razor blades are welcome & you may send any brand & request any brand back. No distinction is made concerning the price.
 
Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me out with the following “conundrum”.

I’ve been wet shaving for a couple of years and I’ve been trying out different blades in order to find the blade that I could stick with into the foreseeable future.

I usually shave only once a week with Fatip piccolo, and I’ve had experience with about 15 DE blades, namely:

1) Voskhod, Ladas, Rapira Platinum, Rapira Swedish, Sputnik

2) Derby extra, Derby Premium, Bic, Astra SP, Perma-Sharp , Feather, Bolzano

3) Gillette: 7 o’clock Super stainless , Sharpedge, Platinum, Nacet, Silver Blue, Rubie.

However, most of them feel more or less the same to me – that is, they are all equally kinda comfortable (or, more accurately, equally not uncomfortabe), and are good for about four (and a couple of them for six) shaves before I toss them. None of the blades makes me go like “Wow, that is one amazing blade” – they all feel just ok, nothing to write home about.

The only two outliers are Bic and Ladas – the former seems too sharp for my taste and I end up getting nicked more often than I do with the other blades, and the latter is dull and is tugging hair even if it’s my first shave with it.

So, I don’t really know how to make up my mind – should I just go ahead and purchase one hundred blades of like Voskhod because it’s the cheapest of the bunch or should I keep looking for a blade that like feels super smooth and give me more shaves ?

I know there are close to a hundred different blades in production, and I’ve probably only scratched the surface with the blades that I used, but is there like a point of diminishing returns or something in this case?

In other words, how many different brands of blades does it make sense to sample before giving up and just sticking with a bird in hand– if almost every blade that i try gives me kinda the same shave and i intend to use only Fatip?

I mean, will all the other blades that I try probably feel the same to me? Or is there no way of knowing that beforehand?

Should I keep buying blades samples hoping to stumble upon the blade that will force me to cry out “Eureka?” Is there any particular brand you’d suggest that I must try out?

How long did it take you guys you to find that one blade to rule them all?

I hope that my questions don’t sound too confusing.
Thank you in advance!
If most seem the same to you, just pick the one that is cheaper/per shave.......
 
Not really, but it's fun to try new ones so why not? I just discovered kai and how awesome they are, but it’s not like I need to switch and discard my others lol we're not choosing teams here
 
I do have my favourites but I enjoy trying new blades. Like they say: “all friends were once strangers.”
You won’t know unless you try.
 
Maybe you could give the treet carbon blade a try . Its a one and done blade, but it works great in the fatip for me.
 
Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me out with the following “conundrum”.

I’ve been wet shaving for a couple of years and I’ve been trying out different blades in order to find the blade that I could stick with into the foreseeable future.

I usually shave only once a week with Fatip piccolo, and I’ve had experience with about 15 DE blades, namely:

1) Voskhod, Ladas, Rapira Platinum, Rapira Swedish, Sputnik

2) Derby extra, Derby Premium, Bic, Astra SP, Perma-Sharp , Feather, Bolzano

3) Gillette: 7 o’clock Super stainless , Sharpedge, Platinum, Nacet, Silver Blue, Rubie.

However, most of them feel more or less the same to me – that is, they are all equally kinda comfortable (or, more accurately, equally not uncomfortabe), and are good for about four (and a couple of them for six) shaves before I toss them. None of the blades makes me go like “Wow, that is one amazing blade” – they all feel just ok, nothing to write home about.

The only two outliers are Bic and Ladas – the former seems too sharp for my taste and I end up getting nicked more often than I do with the other blades, and the latter is dull and is tugging hair even if it’s my first shave with it.

So, I don’t really know how to make up my mind – should I just go ahead and purchase one hundred blades of like Voskhod because it’s the cheapest of the bunch or should I keep looking for a blade that like feels super smooth and give me more shaves ?

I know there are close to a hundred different blades in production, and I’ve probably only scratched the surface with the blades that I used, but is there like a point of diminishing returns or something in this case?

In other words, how many different brands of blades does it make sense to sample before giving up and just sticking with a bird in hand– if almost every blade that i try gives me kinda the same shave and i intend to use only Fatip?

I mean, will all the other blades that I try probably feel the same to me? Or is there no way of knowing that beforehand?

Should I keep buying blades samples hoping to stumble upon the blade that will force me to cry out “Eureka?” Is there any particular brand you’d suggest that I must try out?

How long did it take you guys you to find that one blade to rule them all?

I hope that my questions don’t sound too confusing.
Thank you in advance!
It took me a long time to find the best blade for me. I only use the Gillette Platinum Light Blue. I also use the same razor every day. I do vary a few brushes and soaps. When I take the razor to my face I know what I’m going to get every time.
 
Most likely you will find your "eureka" blade when you cross some experience threshold. The blade is just one partner in the dance. Don't forget to bring ARKO.
 
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