I start the adventure this week, once my Merkur 34C arrives. It comes with a 10-pack of Merkur blades. A buddy gave me a pack of Wilkinson Sword Classics. Any tips on a good starter blade? Cheers,
Best blade for a Newbie?
- Thread starter columbusdad
- Start date
ABD anything but derby. get a sampler pack and make sure you get a couple of gillette 7 o clocks
Start with anything other than Feathers. Blades are so YMMV you have to find what works for you. The merkur blades will give you a starting point, which were also my first de shave blades. I'll never touch another one but that's part of the process. Pay more attention to technique and get a sampler pack of blades.
Chris
Chris
Invest in a sampler pack.
Hopefully something including Astra, Sharks, Lord, Gillette - a good range of different blades.
Just over a month in myself and I've found this the best way to get going. You can stick with one brand but if you may find it's a bit too rough for your skin or isn't shaving the closest and you may get down on it all. At least with a sampler pack you can try various ones out and find the best blade for you. I like some of the cheaper Lord blades such as Racer which are very cheap, don't get too much mentions but are very smooth, forgiving of mistakes and once your technique improves gives a nice close shave as well.
Without a sampler pack though I wouldn't have found this out.
In the last month I've tried
Lord Super Chrome
Lord Platinum
Asco
Racer
Rainbow
Astra SS
Shark Super Chrome
Feathers
Derby
Only Derby are defo out of circulation for me and Feathers will get tried again when I'm happier my technique can handle them. all the other blades have been very good shaves and have all been comfortable.
Hopefully something including Astra, Sharks, Lord, Gillette - a good range of different blades.
Just over a month in myself and I've found this the best way to get going. You can stick with one brand but if you may find it's a bit too rough for your skin or isn't shaving the closest and you may get down on it all. At least with a sampler pack you can try various ones out and find the best blade for you. I like some of the cheaper Lord blades such as Racer which are very cheap, don't get too much mentions but are very smooth, forgiving of mistakes and once your technique improves gives a nice close shave as well.
Without a sampler pack though I wouldn't have found this out.
In the last month I've tried
Lord Super Chrome
Lord Platinum
Asco
Racer
Rainbow
Astra SS
Shark Super Chrome
Feathers
Derby
Only Derby are defo out of circulation for me and Feathers will get tried again when I'm happier my technique can handle them. all the other blades have been very good shaves and have all been comfortable.
Definitely get a sampler pack as everyone has mentioned. But a good place to start would be Sharks or Red Personnas. They seem to be good(give or take a whisker) for nearly everyone. And can give you a good base line for comparrison.
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Only you can find out the best blade for your face. A sampler pack is the way to go. Welcome!
Get a sampler pack and find out for yourself what works for you. Derby is one of my top 3 blades and I may have never tried it if I had listened to those who don't like it. I try to go through 4 to 5 blades of the same type consecutively before passing judgment. Sometimes I reserve a blade to revisit later to either verify or contradict my initial impressions.
I believe most blades are "good" or they wouldn't be around, given the number of alternatives. I've found I can get a good shave with any I've tried so far, though some may take a little more work, or not as comfortable as others for me. I don't have a fancy rating system or keep a spreadsheet. I just divide the blades into three categories: like, dislike and neutral. My system works well enough for me, though others have more detailed and in depth notes on their blades.
Good luck in your search and enjoy it, it's part of the fun.
I believe most blades are "good" or they wouldn't be around, given the number of alternatives. I've found I can get a good shave with any I've tried so far, though some may take a little more work, or not as comfortable as others for me. I don't have a fancy rating system or keep a spreadsheet. I just divide the blades into three categories: like, dislike and neutral. My system works well enough for me, though others have more detailed and in depth notes on their blades.
Good luck in your search and enjoy it, it's part of the fun.
There is no one-size-fits-all best blade for newbies. Best with blades is subjective just as best is with any other topic out there (not just wetshaving topics either). Per the standard suggestion, get a sampler pack to determine what's best for you. Blades are YMMV like everything else.
Perfect example. I can't stand Derbys. That doesn't mean that the next person is the same.
Polling others about anything "best" is only going to tell you what is popular. Popular and best for you aren't the same thing.
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- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks for all of the tips! Looks like I am on my way to a sampler pack. I will be sure to let everyone know hos this goes . . . Best regards,
+1 to this. Feathers are very sharp and not very forgiving as you are working on your technique. It was the third blade I tried and I put it away after two days because of nicks. It's something you probably want to come back to later, but I wouldn't try it as a first blade.
BTW, Wilkinson Sword is my favorite blade thus far. As everyone else has said, though, you'll surely have your personal preferences.
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My advice differs from most of the other gents. Go ahead and get a sampler pack and see if there are any blades available locally. When you get to the first one that seems to be working for you, stay with that type of blade for at least a month while you work on your technique. Only after that do you go back to the sampler pack.
The idea is to not be radically changing multiple aspects of your shave while simultaneously working on your technique. Doing so makes it tough to put your finger on what changes cause problems.
The idea is to not be radically changing multiple aspects of your shave while simultaneously working on your technique. Doing so makes it tough to put your finger on what changes cause problems.
I went with this sampler for $55 US shipped. I'm actually glad I did. Seeing how there is such a difference in blades it's interesting to never know what to expect next.
http://connaughtshaving.com/uk.html
http://connaughtshaving.com/uk.html
Guess I'm the weirdo, but I wouldn't buy a sampler. I just see no point in it. I think 99% of your issues would stem from technique, not the blade. You can get 100 Derby's, Astas, and Sharks for under $32 delivered (or less) Why spend that much for 75 or so blades (probably less), when you can get 300? A sampler is going to give you a lot more variety, but do you really need it? Just my $.02.
Try Astra SP but get a sampler pack to have fun with this whole scene.
This echoes my own experiences with Feathers. I ditched after 2 days but the pack is still there waiting for me to have another go. It wasn't so much nicks with me but just a lot of discomfort and and I didn't get the closest of shaves I've had since then but I'm putting that down to technique.
gillete yellows, dark blues, astra sp's , personna, bolzano, and feathers are all good blades to work with. lather is very important starting out and is the key ingredient to discomfort (when not done right) IMO
People swear by the astras, and I think they are a good blade, but I don't like the fact they come with thick glue that stays in the blade.
My great dilemma: If I leave the glue facing up it shows up the blade clearance area and touches my skin, I f I leave it facing down, the blade sticks to the razor when I want to remove it, can't win..
My great dilemma: If I leave the glue facing up it shows up the blade clearance area and touches my skin, I f I leave it facing down, the blade sticks to the razor when I want to remove it, can't win..
+1
I started with Feathers. Steep learning curve. But for me, I got rewarded after 2 weeks with really comfortable and nice shaves. Just stick to the blades, the 5-10 first shaves.... In the beginning, its all about technique!
I would personally go with something a little more forgiving, such as the personnna labs, but ymmv.
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