Astra SP and SS were both in my sampler. I like the SS better than the SP, but both wound up near the bottom of my ranking. I found there are plenty that are similarly priced but far better for me.
Astra Superior Platinum Blade Review
- Thread starter awk_m4
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Just out of curiosity what are your top blades?
1) Voskhod
2) Treet Classic
The Treet Falcon is also very nice, but more expensive than the Classic. I haven't been able to figure out what makes them worth the extra, as performance is very close.
Honorable mentions go to the Personna Platinum Chrome and Treet Platinum. Also comfortable shaves but not quite as efficient.
I found Astra SP to be inefficient and always left me feeling irritated. SS is a little more efficient but is only good for a couple shaves. It irritates me after that.
Thanks
Based upon your recommendation, I grabbed a Voskhod that I had received in a sampler pack and tried it today. Wonderful shave! Thanks for the suggestion. If you and I seem to like similar blades, I'll have to give the Treet Classic, Treet Platinum, and Personna Platinum Chrome a try as well.
I really anticipated liking Astra SPs because so many other people do. Funny enough, I didn't love Gillette Silver Blues either (which so many other people do). They weren't bad. They were just kind of "meh." My favorites so far have been King C Gillettes (too expensive), Wizamets, and now Voskhod.
You have to take subjective reviews with a several pounds of salt. Astra was one of the first blades I tried, based on all the glowing reviews. I think to some extent that has resulted in some sort of self sustaining reputation - everyone insists they are great because everyone tells them so, and so on.
IMHO, they are one of the most overrated blades discussed on the forum.
I've found objective sharpness tests correspond much more closely to my preferences:
What Is The Best Razor Blade? The Science Of Sharpness - Sharpologist
How do you know what works well for you when shaving? Examine a few charts and get a better idea of what blades give you the most consistent results?
sharpologist.com
Never tried Astra Blue but Green was one of the very first blades I bought in bulk way back when. It was beween "meh" and OK in an R/EJ89, and other blades worked better for me in those razors. In a Henson, Green works well for me.
I've read some of your other posts where you mention that you are fairly new to the DE thing. What you might discover later in your journey is that stuff that worked for you is suddenly not as well suited, and that stuff you dismissed early on might actually do ok or better. Changes in skin, and improvement in technique (lather, pressure, angle, etc.) can influence this.
I'd say set aside a few blades and revisit them in a year or so. Maybe in your daily driver or maybe in a new razor.
I've read some of your other posts where you mention that you are fairly new to the DE thing. What you might discover later in your journey is that stuff that worked for you is suddenly not as well suited, and that stuff you dismissed early on might actually do ok or better. Changes in skin, and improvement in technique (lather, pressure, angle, etc.) can influence this.
I'd say set aside a few blades and revisit them in a year or so. Maybe in your daily driver or maybe in a new razor.
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Those are great points and an excellent suggestion. Just this week I shaved with a Voskhod blade that I wasn’t too impressed with and yet a couple of months ago I was quite happy with it.
I am in the Astra SS camp. They just work better on my face than the SP.
It always amazes me how YMMV blades are.
It always amazes me how YMMV blades are.
Just purchased my first 100 blade pack and they're the Astra SP. I've tried probably 20 different blades since I started using a DE safety razor back in January. After settling on the RazoRock Lupos and Rockwell 6 series as my "go to" razors, the Astra SP works best in those razors for me. Smooth, comfortable and efficient. For the price and performance it's a value that can't be beat (for me)!
I have other favorite blades, but the Astra SP's never fail to deliver a close & comfortable shave from all my razors.
