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AstraSP...Massive blade variation?

I don't seem to have had this problem. Granted I haven't bought a 100 pack and the last ones I got were from WCS. I think I got about 24 shaves instead of 30 out of my last one.
 
The Astra Stainless Blades I got last year (100 Pack) are very consistent & shave way better than the SP'S. I have no clue as to whats going on with the two.?
 

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The Astra Stainless Blades I got last year (100 Pack) are very consistent & shave way better than the SP'S. I have no clue as to whats going on with the two.?

Since joining B&B, Astra was synonymous with the SP blades in the green box. I never really paid any attention to the fact there were other, i.e. the Superior Stainlessin the blue box. I picked up a couple of tucks recently and have been very pleased. Today was day 11 with a FB on 7. Still smooth and effortless.
 
The Astra Stainless Blades I got last year (100 Pack) are very consistent & shave way better than the SP'S. I have no clue as to whats going on with the two.?
I'd never push an SP 12 shaves, but the first SS I used went that many without any sign of giving up. They may be 100 worthy, all depending on how the second I have holds up.

Let he who is without sin cast the first rock, and we shall smoketh it
 
It is really weird. I have noticed that the AstraSP blades from my most recent order have insane quality variation.

Some blades are perfect and give an incredibly smooth shave. The next blade will be incredibly rough and shred my face.

At first I thought it was me doing something wrong, but I noticed I never had the same thing happen with the Personna Reds where every blade performs consistently for me.

So I think it is clearly the blade and the unique variation of the AstraSP.

Anyone else experience this?
Yes, every now and then I have to throw an Astra SP out, but it isn't that often.
 
Astra SP is one of my favorites. I never order 100 of them. In the beginning, I'd pick them up in Pasture's for $1.50 a tuck. Saw that Maggard, Try A Blades & RBC has them for $.75. Have ordered 4 to 6 tucks from them when buying other things.
Have never had a QC issue with Astra. Can always count on them for a DFS & get a least 6 shaves out of the in any razor I have. It's really a good workhorse or blue collar blade.

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Astra SP is one of my favorites. I never order 100 of them. In the beginning, I'd pick them up in Pasture's for $1.50 a tuck. Saw that Maggard, Try A Blades & RBC has them for $.75. Have ordered 4 to 6 tucks from them when buying other things.
Have never had a QC issue with Astra. Can always count on them for a DFS & get a least 6 shaves out of the in any razor I have. It's really a good workhorse or blue collar blade.

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Thing is, if you like having them around and are buying tucks, even if only occasionally, at 10 bucks a hundred in carton quantity, it's almost a no brainier. Then you're all set for good!

That's the conclusion I came to, as Astra SP has been my fallback blade.
 
I think there's a lot more opportunity for variation in the quality of our lather and technique than in factory produced blades. I'm not saying you can't get a bad blade now and then; I'm just saying blade variation is not the most obvious culprit when experiencing inconsistent shaves.
 
Thing is, if you like having them around and are buying tucks, even if only occasionally, at 10 bucks a hundred in carton quantity, it's almost a no brainier. Then you're all set for good!

That's the conclusion I came to, as Astra SP has been my fallback blade.
Don't need 100 of them. Got over 100 of the Rapira Platinum Lux which are my favorites. Another 100 Dorco St-300 from my first razor order and like them too. Between them and other blades I've bought here and there, got well over 300.
The Astra I've bought on line have been to round an order for free delivery and just to try something different here and there. Haven't use one in a few weeks now, but know I have them.

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Don't need 100 of them. Got over 100 of the Rapira Platinum Lux which are my favorites. Another 100 Dorco St-300 from my first razor order and like them too. Between them and other blades I've bought here and there, got well over 300.
The Astra I've bought on line have been to round an order for free delivery and just to try something different here and there. Haven't use one in a few weeks now, but know I have them.

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That never stopped a dedicated B & B'er! :001_tongu

But fair enough, and thanks for the reply.
 
That never stopped a dedicated B & B'er! :001_tongu

But fair enough, and thanks for the reply.
No problem. See, for me it's mathematics.... I have about 30 Astra SP that I bought within the last year on hand. I shave every other day & a blade last me about 6 shaves give or take. 1 blade about every two weeks. Those 30 blades will last me about a year.
The Dorco & Rapira give me the same amount of shaves per blade, so with 100 blades of each, they will cover 4 years per brand....wait it gets better.
Feather is a favorite of mine, and recently ran out. Got 20 of them on eBay last week. They get me at least another year worth of shaves since they last longer.
With the other 100 or so assorted blades, that should get me at least another 3 years.
So 4 + 4+ 3 or more + 1 + 1= at least 13 years worth of blades. I think I'm good for awhile...[emoji16]

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I think there's a lot more opportunity for variation in the quality of our lather and technique than in factory produced blades. I'm not saying you can't get a bad blade now and then; I'm just saying blade variation is not the most obvious culprit when experiencing inconsistent shaves.
That may well be true when one is experimenting (I end up regretting most of my shaving experiments, I guess you need to shuck a lot of oysters to find a pearl) but it's less true when one is keeping the other variables constant. Every now and then I find an Astra SP with brownish rust-like stains, as if a rinsing process was left incomplete. But I admit that's rare, and it really isn't an issue for me..
 
No problem. See, for me it's mathematics.... I have about 30 Astra SP that I bought within the last year on hand. I shave every other day & a blade last me about 6 shaves give or take. 1 blade about every two weeks. Those 30 blades will last me about a year.
The Dorco & Rapira give me the same amount of shaves per blade, so with 100 blades of each, they will cover 4 years per brand....wait it gets better.
Feather is a favorite of mine, and recently ran out. Got 20 of them on eBay last week. They get me at least another year worth of shaves since they last longer.
With the other 100 or so assorted blades, that should get me at least another 3 years.
So 4 + 4+ 3 or more + 1 + 1= at least 13 years worth of blades. I think I'm good for awhile...[emoji16]

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Yeah, I hear you.

I'm 2 shaves per blade, and out. Rarely 3 or more.

I've just gotten to the point where I'm buying a 100ct carton of the several blades I like for 15-25 bucks a carton, and figure I'm then set with no thinking or hassle in the future.
 
It is really weird. I have noticed that the AstraSP blades from my most recent order have insane quality variation.

Some blades are perfect and give an incredibly smooth shave. The next blade will be incredibly rough and shred my face.

At first I thought it was me doing something wrong, but I noticed I never had the same thing happen with the Personna Reds where every blade performs consistently for me.

So I think it is clearly the blade and the unique variation of the AstraSP.

Anyone else experience this?

Nope I found them to be nice and smooth.
 
I’ve been experiencing this lately (I thought it was the aggressiveness of my razor so I switched; nope, really harsh even in my ATT with M plate). And not just blade to blade, but from pack to pack. I got mine on Amazon, from a trusted vendor (Super Safety Razor), so this may be a QC issue. Oh well, these had been my favorite blades.

Thanks for sharing; as always a great resource here.
I'm having the same experience with blades purchased in mid 2017 that I'm just getting into.
 
I have a fairly large stock of Astra SP bought years ago and use almost daily. After at least 400 used never had a bad Astra blade, so far. Consistent performer for me.
Cannot comment on recent production.
 
Never had a problem with Astra SPs and I am on my second hun pack of them. They are solid performers in all my razors even the fussy ones. Even the other blades made in St Pete have been solid performers. Did you get counterfeit blades? Even not, maybe as was aforementioned, the QC inspector had to drop a deuce or squeeze a kidney? One in a thousand may be a dud if that many pass by. Storage could be a factor?
 
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