I revisited the Astra SP and they were still hot garbage. I am glad that you can get a good shave from them but I have no intention of ever using them again. YMMV
Astra SP
- Thread starter Adjustingtolife
- Start date
I have the 100 box of Astra SP's (down to about 80 now) and I find they are very good in all my razors which I would rate as LESS aggressive than average. The more aggressive razors I can't use them in at all. My fault is I bought some razors in my newbie days before I even realized there were different levels of aggressiveness among them 
The 2 most aggressive razors I own I use Derby Extra's in so everything pretty much works out that way..
The 2 most aggressive razors I own I use Derby Extra's in so everything pretty much works out that way..
FWIW, (which is not much) I have been using Astra SP's exclusively this week, and they are purty good to me. (Rex Ambassador, Henson, Yates 921, EJ 3one6). YMMV, just my opinion, don't hate me, . . .
I’ve always been able to get good shaves with the SPs but I prefer the SS blades over them
No need to be hated. I like Astra SP as well. They work better for me than the SS.
Same here my friend!
(So now I am free to be hatin' on all dem SP lovers!)
I used one in a Edwin Jagger de89 first shave started off just ok but got better, ended up doing pretty good mowing through three days growth.
Two days later gave it an another go, I knew right away the blade was definitely sharper. I almost stopped after the first pass, but I had a couple spots to touch up, so I decided to do a full 2nd pass.
Now can’t make a decision after just two but definitely warrants continuing for a while longer.
As I said previously in other threads, I am one of the few who have no preference for the SP or the SS. They just have to be used in different razors is all. It is all trial and error. What else is this hobby? That's why we are in it. (Or at least those of us who consider it a hobby). You don't want experimenting? Stick with one razor, one blade (and buy 600 blades of that model). 
Astra SP were my first blade also...and I hated them. And...I went back and tried them again about 6 months ago and still disliked them. Maybe they would be okay in a Wolfman razor?
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I need to test this on my Wizamet blades. They seem to degrade during the shave, and like using proraso pre shave creams. Can some ingredienses actually degrade the coating?
Lefonque
Even more clueless than you
Astra SP and SS both work well for me. If pushed I have a slight preference for the SS blade.
I think the coating gets degraded with use no matter what, through the friction. Which is why some types of coated blades work better on the second shave. But clearly, some blade coatings and some creams don't seem to get along. Since I've stopped using pre-shave creams altogether, I'm getting much much more enjoyment and performance out of Voskhods for example. But it's all very subjective, I might be missing another important part of the puzzle, or maybe these findings only apply to my own skin type. I guess my point is, experimenting with different parameters is always worth a shot when you have a product that seems to perform poorly at first. Your technique also gets better with time so it's always cool to re-visit things you didn't like in the beginning, one year later. And if everything fails, it's totally fine to move on and explore other products, sooo much great stuff out there these days, for every budget too.
Happy shaves!
I wonder which one is the real deal:
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Also my 1st 100 pack of DE blades 4 years ago. I like the Astra SP & Astra SS, I use the Astra SP as my standard when comparing to other blades that I have bought over the years. Great blade IMO.
I got a tuck of both SP and SS in my blade sampler. I initially thought it was an 'ok' blade but nothing spectacular. After going through the sampler I've settled on a couple brands that I like and bought bulk (not the SP). Last time I changed blades, I decided to use one of the leftover SP from my sampler. I am reminded why I didn't choose it - it is neither very efficient nor very smooth. Just don't like it much. The SS is better, but only for a couple shaves. It is in the bottom half of by sampler. I've found that most of the blades from my sampler that are commonly derided here were better.
My experience with Astras is that there is quite a bit of variation in the production (I’m sure plenty of counterfeits)
The first 100 pack of SS Astras were some of the best blades I’ve ever used. A few years later the next hundred pack were some of the worst. I got five in a sampler a while back and they were ridiculously sharp but a little harsh.
Last time I found some SP’s I liked I bought 500 from the same guy. I’ll probably never use them all, but I like to hoard good blades.
The first 100 pack of SS Astras were some of the best blades I’ve ever used. A few years later the next hundred pack were some of the worst. I got five in a sampler a while back and they were ridiculously sharp but a little harsh.
Last time I found some SP’s I liked I bought 500 from the same guy. I’ll probably never use them all, but I like to hoard good blades.
