I recently tried a Crystal/IP blade. To me, it was very similar in all ways to my goto Astra SP. Which do you think is better all-round without worrying about YMMV(which is a given)?
Astra SP vs. Crystal/Israeli Personna
- Thread starter drlvegas
- Start date
It's close but Astra has my vote. Both are good blades though.
I prefer crystals by a mile over Astra sp.
Astra SP, despite the wicked glue spots. Israeli personas are very good and definitely in my top three, but Astras at 10 cents a blade with such a solid, well-rounded performance is my daily go-to. I fool around with just about anything I can get my hands on, but Astra SP will always be well stocked in my house.
IP is not a bad blade in the razors that I use. The Astra SPs are so affordable though, and work well for me in my razors.
I like the IP's because they seem to be smoother for me compared to the Astra's.
I find the Astra blades excellent at any price, but a steal at under $10/100. The IPs are good blades, but there are other Personnas that I like more.
In my limited experience, both the Astra SP and Personna Reds are more are less equal in terms of sharpness/smoothness. Any variability with the quality of my shaves seems to have more to do with my mood, technique, etc. From an availability/cost perspective, the Astra SP takes a slight lead. The waxy spots are cosmetic and don't bother me at all.
I've got hundreds of both. I have to say it's a tie between the two. Maybe I'm wrong, but the Crystals seem to be just a bit sharper. They are both cheap..... although the Astra SP's are just a bit cheaper. I've got 5 blades that I really like and these are 2 of the 5. Couldn't decide so I bought a bunch of both so I didn't have to.
Ben
Ben
Same here. About 4-500 of each type.
Agreed. At the current prices of +/- $10 for 100, I too have been stockpiling both. It's still markedly cheaper overall compared to the costs that were involved in buying Fusion cartridges before. Granted, I am slowly realizing that wet-shaving has its own additional costs in terms of RAD/SBAD/SSAD etc. but it's all good fun.
Also, you never know....shavepocalypse!
Amazon now started to jack up the price of Astras. I liked them a lot but for me the Red IPs worked better and they are almost the same price.
Funny thing is, just a couple of days ago I felt that I needed to replenish my stock of blades as I've given a full kit to my nephew and gave him a bunch.
I ordered packs of Astra, Crystal, and Shark (100 of each). As far as I can tell, these three brands have all been excellent and yet to truly be set on a single one, but after I go through this stock, I'll probably have a better idea (probably in 10 years from now unless I keep giving some out).
But if I had to choose one right now, honestly, I'd have to say the Crystals would be my choice. I've been finding that every time I pop a new one on, it simply feels "smooth", it glides extremely well and the sharpness has never been at fault. I've yet to really push the number of shaves, but I'd say that I get easily 3-5 shaves out of them... I tend to lose count and eventually switch to a new one as a "in case", but might be able to do a few more if I really wanted.
I will admit that when I first got them, they seemed "cheaper looking" than the Astras and other brands, but they have proven themselves to be very worthy of consideration.
I ordered packs of Astra, Crystal, and Shark (100 of each). As far as I can tell, these three brands have all been excellent and yet to truly be set on a single one, but after I go through this stock, I'll probably have a better idea (probably in 10 years from now unless I keep giving some out).
But if I had to choose one right now, honestly, I'd have to say the Crystals would be my choice. I've been finding that every time I pop a new one on, it simply feels "smooth", it glides extremely well and the sharpness has never been at fault. I've yet to really push the number of shaves, but I'd say that I get easily 3-5 shaves out of them... I tend to lose count and eventually switch to a new one as a "in case", but might be able to do a few more if I really wanted.
I will admit that when I first got them, they seemed "cheaper looking" than the Astras and other brands, but they have proven themselves to be very worthy of consideration.
Astras are my benchmark blade. I test every new blade against it and since they're so cheap and available, if any new blade is not better (for me) than the Astras, they fall into the "will not buy more of" category. Crystals are one of these for me. They're close, but I find the Astras sharper and ever so slightly smoother. Given that the Astras are cheaper, they win.
Red IP's,to me smoother in most razors than a Astra SP.Some razors tho Astra's get the nod.
i find astras equal to treet classics in hackability.
