Best blade for EJDE89 and/or Gillette Slim Adjustable?

[JerseyBoy]

Trying to have some respect for the experienced users here and rely on the tribal knowledge that any and all might have and be willing to share.

I am relatively new to DE shaving and have two relatively common razors - a new Edwin Jagger DE89 and a vintage Gillette Slim Adjustable. Since these two particular razors seem to be in pretty heavy use throughout our shaving brotherhood, I thought others might gain some insight into what blades YOU have found to be best suited to each of these razors.

As a corollary, what blades have been a flop in either of these razors? (even if they might have worked fine in other razors you own)

For example, Personna Lab Blues worked great in my EJ, but not so well in my Gillette...and Feathers were disappointing in both. Of all things, the Derbys in the trial pack that came with the EJ were great in both....

I understand all of this is highly YMMV, but any and all input would very much be welcomed!

 

[Woofster27]

I too am new to DE shaving and I would love to see the answers you get to this as I also own a EJ89, and have been fiddling around with blades. So far the Personna Blues work best for me, I actually hated the Derby blades that came with it.

 

[jagardn]

For me, the Derby's were ok, they pulled a little. I did like the Astra SP and Bluebirds. I still have some more to try from my variety pack.

 

[davizera]

The answer is easy: the one that you feel the best.

There's no single answer, blades are a matter of choice. What is more beautiful, blue or green?

Some blades are a consensus, like Feathers, Lab Blues or Med Preps, but in my modest opinion I think that Astras, Lord Platinum or Gillette Yellows are more comfortable to me.

You've said that you like Derbys, a good number of people here, including me, will tend to disagree with you. The best blade for you will be found after you try a certain number of them; but as you're in the beginning, it's more important for you to adjust your technique than finding the best blade.

 

[JerseyBoy]

Thanks for the input David - agree that this blade discovery will definitely be a journey! Hoping to find some shortcuts (no pun intended!!) along the way, since there are so many to choose from! I have liked the Astras as well.

To All, I guess the info I am seeking is : What blades have you personally liked in the EJ DE89 and /or the Gillette Slim? Which haven't you liked?

Hoping others might add that specific knowledge to the thread since these are highly popular razors- definitely don't want to start another blade debate and would like to aggregate and possibly try the blades that others have liked in either of these specific razors, and potentially skip on ones where the experience has been less than optimal.

 

[2Deuce2]

Shark Super Chrome

 

[jeff2011]

I like feathers and AstraZeneca in my slim adjustable. And 7 o clock yellows. I will run feathers on five and the rest on seven.

 

[Padre OBrien]

I have both razors and find that Astra SPs and Feathers are great. I've tried Crystals from Israel and Personna blues. They are really good too, just a tad below. This morning I put a feather in my EJ89 after a couple of weeks with the Astras and had a truly fabulous shave. I bounce around a bit with blades and razors but keep returning to the slim and the EJ.

 

[Bob L.]

I use Feathers in my Slim Adjustable and since starting I've stopped trying other blades.

That said, get a sample pack and start experimenting. Your face is unique. Experimenting is half the fun.

 

[Speedwell68]

I have found that Wilkinson Sword Classics work well in whatever razor I have used. That includes an EJ89.

 

[hillbilly pick]

Personna meds and Super Iridiums are great in EJ and am still hunting for the best blade in slim.

 

[hakemakmal]

Gillette 7' oclock yellow,smoooooth

 

[BayRhum]

The Slim Adjustable is one of two of my baseline razors to judge new blade, soap/creams. So far everything seems works OK with the slim. What works better than most are Israeli Red Personnas, Rapira Lux, Feathers and so on.

 

[davizera]

In the end all of you have just confirmed my opinion, blade choice is something personal.
Each one has his favorites, so keep on trying them; but don't forget about technique improvement.

 

[Cacique]

When I first started I had the best shaves with Astra SP. My first shave with a Derby was pretty bad. After a while with the Astra SP and my technique getting better, they actually started feeling rougher and I started liking the Feathers better. I tried some Bolzanos and Personna Labs from TGBE and both were very good, smooth shavers.

I would say Bolzanos were smoother than Astras and Feathers, but not as sharp as Feathers. Labs about as smooth as the Bolzanos but sharper. I've really been liking the labs and might try some meds soon, been getting much smoother shaves than with the Feathers, letting me go all the way with ATG for the BBS.

Edit:
Forgot to add that I only have the EJ89 at the moment, great razor.

 

[Aimless1]

Of the two I only have the EJ89. So far love the Crystals. Like others, did not care for the Derbys - they pull.

 

[bryan1980]

My advice would be to try any new blade in a non-adjustable razor (such as your EJ89) first. If it works in it, it'll work fine in your Slim, since you can adjust the Slim to match the characteristics of the EJ (fairly closely, anyways).

I always use one of my flare-tip Super Speeds when trying a new blade. It's a good baseline razor for me.

 

[5savages]

I dont' have the EJ89, but in my slim, I find that Personna Super work best for me, followed closely by Voskhod.

 

[kosmin]

I can only say about the EJ89, don't own a slim, so these are my experiences. As you well mentioned, this is highly YMMV. I find derby's to be the go to blade, super ok all the time. Feathers are beautiful, need to be more careful but deliver. Downside in my case, to good a shave to have something worth shaving next day . Also very good results with Gillettes, blacks, blues, silver blues and Sputniks. A no-no with supermax. A big no-no actually. But what's more important, and I think this is usually overlooked, the prep and technique, just spend the time to do everything right and the results might surprise you.

 

[dpm802]

For my EJ89L, I like Derby.

Although I haven't used it in several years, my Slim seemed to favor the AstraSP ... but that particular blade worked well no matter what razor I put it in.

+1 on Feather being a flop in both of them. It wasn't until I started using a Slant that the Feather found a home.

But you already know that YMMV ... you'll have to do your own experiments and work through a sampler pack to find what's best for you ... but that's part of the fun of the wet-shaving hobby.