I have never had good experience with Astra SP blades, but I was never quite sure why some people reported that the blades were sharp and smooth and others had negative experiences similar to my own. I can use the SP blades but get much better shaves with the Astra SS and other Gillette blades. Astra SP blades are inexpensive, but if quality control on the blades is poor, they do not represent a good value.
Astra SP, Still a Good Blade?
- Thread starter THall
- Start date
Hello,
Yes... the GSB or Gillette Yellows are still a great option. I also love Wilkinson Sword. The truth is I can work with just about any blade if there is consistency. And Astra SP had that before. So I don't get it. I hope they fix this issue. Until then... I will play with othe blades until I find my go to
I like Gillette Silver Blue and 7 O' Clock Yellow blades, but IMHO, the 7 O'Clock Black and Nacets are the top of the Gillette line.
I only started wet shaving back in March. So still a newbie, pretty much.
Two weeks ago, I started a new, very fast paced project at work, and simply don't have any extra time to spend on shaving in the morning. I even thought about temporarily going back to carts or electric, but then decided just to stick with what I knew worked for me with DE. No taking sweet time or experimenting with razors or blades.
Right after a quick shower, I use Astra SP blades in my Variant set to 3.5, face lather with Arko stick, three "classic" passes - WTG, XTG, ATG with minimal and very hasty touch up. I wash my face with cold water, use a generous amount of witch hazel with alcohol (Dickinson), stick my razor into a container filled with rubbing alcohol, wash my brush & quickly clean up the sink, when I am done I put the razor in its container, and use some Nivea cooling balm on my face. All in all it takes around 7-8 minutes.
I've been getting practically BBS quality shaves (except one or two spots that don't get touched up to BBS standard because I don't have the time to examine every square inch of my face), very few minor weepers, one cut in all that time due to being sleepy and sloppy, and no irritation whatsoever. I think ASP is a great blade.
Two weeks ago, I started a new, very fast paced project at work, and simply don't have any extra time to spend on shaving in the morning. I even thought about temporarily going back to carts or electric, but then decided just to stick with what I knew worked for me with DE. No taking sweet time or experimenting with razors or blades.
Right after a quick shower, I use Astra SP blades in my Variant set to 3.5, face lather with Arko stick, three "classic" passes - WTG, XTG, ATG with minimal and very hasty touch up. I wash my face with cold water, use a generous amount of witch hazel with alcohol (Dickinson), stick my razor into a container filled with rubbing alcohol, wash my brush & quickly clean up the sink, when I am done I put the razor in its container, and use some Nivea cooling balm on my face. All in all it takes around 7-8 minutes.
I've been getting practically BBS quality shaves (except one or two spots that don't get touched up to BBS standard because I don't have the time to examine every square inch of my face), very few minor weepers, one cut in all that time due to being sleepy and sloppy, and no irritation whatsoever. I think ASP is a great blade.
I've been wanting to try the GILLETTE BLACKS. This would be a good time
Hi.
You're right about the glue. I didn't mention it but they are putting it on pretty thick
Hi,
I've always loved Astra in the past. And I loved the first pack in my sleeve of 100. The second pack did not live up to the standards.
Yuck 700. I feel bad enough when I ordered 100. After trying few blades from them, I have decided to throw them off the garbage. There might be good blades within the rest of the blades but I do not want to try them one by one. The blades qualities are like every flavour beans
I am switching to Treet Platinum at the moment.
Yep... they are hit and miss. It's a shame because I really liked these in the past. Luckily I picked them up very cheap.
Yuck 700. I feel bad enough when I ordered 100. After trying few blades from them, I have decided to throw them off the garbage. There might be good blades within the rest of the blades but I do not want to try them one by one. The blades qualities are like every flavour beans
I am switching to Treet Platinum at the moment.
I'm getting rid of all my Astras they just don't do it for me.
Has anyone bought a pack of Astra SP recently?
The 100 pack i bought last year was laser engraved, and a good blade for me. So i have just ordered another pack of the same but they are printed again!
anyone aware of this or have i got some VERY old batch? I ordered from the same vendor on amazon.
Cheers
The 100 pack i bought last year was laser engraved, and a good blade for me. So i have just ordered another pack of the same but they are printed again!
anyone aware of this or have i got some VERY old batch? I ordered from the same vendor on amazon.
Cheers
The laser printed are the new
Update:
The third box of Astra SP's out of my 100 sleeve are as good as the first pack. I'm confused. Don't understand how all five blades in the second pack were so bad... will keep going and see what happens
The third box of Astra SP's out of my 100 sleeve are as good as the first pack. I'm confused. Don't understand how all five blades in the second pack were so bad... will keep going and see what happens
Thanks for your reply, I agree with lack of consistency it’s very frustrating.
I have both. There's old stock still being sold.
I found this thread after opening a fresh sleeve of new stock Astra SPs. I noticed the laser etching, glue, and flimsiness. The shave from the first blade was not as nice as the same first shave from the Astra SPs I have been using exclusively for the last six years. I will go through this 5-pack and open another, but if the quality stays the same through these blades, I will move on from Astras. The blade options are so good at the moment, I don’t need to have brand loyalty.
I still have my old sampler pack from many years ago, so I will break all those out and find a new favorite. I hope it is the Personna blades, as I really like the minimalist packaging and budget price.
Love this quote!
I still have my old sampler pack from many years ago, so I will break all those out and find a new favorite. I hope it is the Personna blades, as I really like the minimalist packaging and budget price.
Love this quote!
Another data point for Astra: In February I got 100 Astra SP off Amazon, because they were offered cheap with something else, and received the laser etched variety.
The first 5 were perfectly good (but having to wash the wax off was a slight deterrent). Once cleaned up, they worked fine, as good as Personnas.
My favourites are locally bought Israeli Personna (sold in the UK as "Personna" in Asda, and in Boots as their own brand, but identical as far as I can tell), so with 95 "good" Astras spare, I'm in no hurry to get more.
The latest Tesco offering, 10 x "Xprt", also looks like an Israeli Personna rebranded, but I didn't like the shave.
I was already convinced by the packaging that it was a Personna, so any psychological bias should have favoured it, but it was as rough as hell. Maybe just a bad batch.
Meanwhile, I know what I'm going to buy a few more of locally, though.
The first 5 were perfectly good (but having to wash the wax off was a slight deterrent). Once cleaned up, they worked fine, as good as Personnas.
My favourites are locally bought Israeli Personna (sold in the UK as "Personna" in Asda, and in Boots as their own brand, but identical as far as I can tell), so with 95 "good" Astras spare, I'm in no hurry to get more.
The latest Tesco offering, 10 x "Xprt", also looks like an Israeli Personna rebranded, but I didn't like the shave.
I was already convinced by the packaging that it was a Personna, so any psychological bias should have favoured it, but it was as rough as hell. Maybe just a bad batch.
Meanwhile, I know what I'm going to buy a few more of locally, though.
I was going to buy those for my dad, I won’t purchase anymore, thanks to warning here and on Amazon.com
I will order 200 Personna platinum from Connaught website instead. Great price by the way.
I will order 200 Personna platinum from Connaught website instead. Great price by the way.
