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best blade & razor pairing 👍🏼

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1st use of(1st)Shark Super Stainless blade, with the orange DLC-Yaqi razor, I've been running my hand over my face to judge if this is closer than the previous Astra Platinum blade, and although this is just the first shave with the Shark(with around 4 days growth) it definitely feels slightly smoother or at the least equal to the Astra, either way only 1 shave in, it defo feels good and considering that's with one of my lower end razors, I'm excited?(or maybe interested should be the word) to see what it's like with my high end razors, usual 2+ passes wtg & xtg/atg with a 3rd touch up pass wherever i thought needed it, one tiny little nick under my chin, but still deserves a good 9.8/10👍🏼
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pre shave...Ice Cube, cream...Body Shop Maca Root & Aloe, brush...unbranded Aliexpress synthetic, bowl...Fox Rosalita via Etsy, post shave...Clean Shaven Balm, nothing special to comment on regarding the equipment, till next time, happy shaves and keep safe all🪒👍🏼
 
Up until a month ago, I would have told you vintage Gillette Spoilers in a .68 timeless ti without blinking an eye.
I've been rocking Israeli reds in a SS Blackbird for the last month and I get incredibly close and irritation free shaves with that combo.
Just an FYI, I took a small $20 gamble on 200 of the German made persona platinums and I can find no difference between them and the originals from Israel. The blade/razor combo, and blade comparison is YMMV of course.
 
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2nd use of(1st)Shark Super Stainless blade with the Executive Shaving Outlaw razor, lovely shave again, only 2 shaves in with the Shark but I'm really enjoying this blade, 1 little nick on chin just under bottom lip, it's the same place i always seem to get a nick if i do get one, i have 1 little spot on my chin about 1pence/cent sized were i have a little rough bumpy skin, its just about on the spot i get the occasional nicks, so think its to do with my skin rather than my shaving technique,anyway it was nice shave with usual 2 pass and a touch up 9.7/10
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pre shave...Ice Cube, soap...Kent,Brush...Omega 49 boar, bowl...Zenith,post shave...Clean Shaven Balm, the 1st use of the Kent soap, nice but very thirsty, I'm lead to believe this is exactly the same as Mitchell's woolfat(which i haven't tried)although it seems nice i feel i have easier to bloom soaps in my rotation that are just as good or better, so i doubt if i would replace the Kent once finished, all in all though an enjoyable shave, so until next time, happy shaves all and take care🪒👍🏼
 
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Shark Super Stainless 3rd use of(1st)blade this time with the blue DLC-Yaqi razor,lovely bbs shave again, just one tiny little nick between my nose and top lip(hardly noticeable) didn't need styptic🤗,9.8/10
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pre shave...PAA Ice Cube, soap...Goodfellas Smile Blueberry and Grapes, brush...Haward synthetic, bowl...Steve Woodhead Pottery, post shave...Clean Shaven balm and TOBS Sandalwood, i have a number of soaps in my rotation now, but i have to say that the Goodfellas Smile blueberry and grapes gave the most incredible slick and creamy lather that ive had from any of my soaps, if i was banned from buying soaps and was only allowed one soap then this would be it, amazing stuff🌟🌟🌟I'll be ordering the other scents too💙💙💙, once again take care all and happy shaves until the next time👍🏼
 
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4th use of(1st) Shark Super Stainless blade with the Haward razor, nice 3 pass shave, wtg, xtg & atg, 9.8/10, i felt on the 3rd pass the blade sliding a little in places, i don't know if if it's at the end of its life, in normal circumstances i would just bin it and use a new one,but for experiments sake, I'll start with it on next shave with different razor and see what happens, I'll have a new blade sitting ready and waiting just in case😁, all in all I'm happy enough with today's shave👍🏼
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pre shave...PAA Ice Cube, bowl... Zenith, shave cream...Speick, brush...CCT synthetic, post shave...Clean Shaven balm, a lovely creamy lather with the Speick cream, sometimes when i use creams i think creams are definitely the best, then when i move onto soaps i think soaps are best, I'll just conclude that good creams and good soaps are probably just as equal to one another👍🏼😁, anyway i enjoyed today's shave, so have a good day everyone and be safe, till next time happy shaves🪒👍🏼
 
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Somehow since I probably build up more fingerspitzengefühl I get away with more various blades in the same razor. Before the futul ended in a bloody mess when I took anything else as a gsb but nowadays damage is a looooooot less.

What I do notice nuts or not is that I have a feeling that there is also a blade soap combo which behaves more slick.
This mornings kcg, pine sheep, Christmas cube which is slick with a gsb gave a very efficient shave but not as slick with a gsb?
 
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5th use of(1st)Shark Super Stainless blade this time with the black/chrome DLC-Yaqi razor, again as before a nice close shave 9.8/10,I'm enjoying the Shark blade, and it will defo be getting kept in my rotation 👍🏼
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pre shave...PAA Ice cube & Edwin Jagger sample 🙄,cream...Uppercut,bowl...Captain's Choice. brush...Vie long mixed badger & horse, post shave...Clean Shaven balm, i discovered today it pays to actually read the label on what your using🤔"duh", soaked the brush and used the Edwin Jagger sample, thinking to myself this stuff isnt too good i couldn't really get a lather, so i went to my den and got the Uppercut cream and mixed a dollop of it in with the Edwin Jagger, then i got a nice creamy lather, on looking at the package for the EJ cream afterwards, I'm trying to get a lather with a pre shave cream, having not read it beforehand i thought it was a shaving cream sample, ended up a nice shave in the end...note to self... "always read what your actually using"🤔, anyway until next time happy shaves👍🏼
 
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6th use of (1st)Shark super stainless blade with the Feather AS D2 razor, although i love the ASD2 razor, it's a peculiar shave with anything other than a Feather blade, it just smoothly glides over my face, i done 2 passes wtg & xtg and a start of atg, but the fact the blade was just gliding over my face, i thought the blade needed replaced, so i finished the 3rd pass atg with a brand new blade, but even with the brand new blade it just smoothly glided over my face, which in itself for some folk will be brilliant, but i actually like the feeling and sound of my whiskers coming off, the shave itself was a great BBS 9.8/10, it just confuses me when i don't hear or feel anything🙄, i know that may well be down to the blade itself 😉all in all though I'm happy with todays shave👍🏼
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pre shave...PAA Ice cube, soap...Razorock Caribbean holiday, bowl...Zenith,brush...Razorock synthetic beehive, post shave...Clean Shaven balm, until next time, happy shaves everyone🪒👍🏼
 
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1st use of (2nd)Shark Super Stainless blade with the DLC-Yaqi aggressive razor, lovely bbs shave, 1 tiny little weeper under my bottom lip where i have the little rough bit of skin, was ok though didn't need styptic, all in all a very nice 9.9/10 2 pass shave👍🏼
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pre shave... PAA Ice Cube, soap...A&E Which One's Pink, brush...Simpson synthetic, bowl...Fox Rosalita(Latvia), post shave...Clean Shaven Balm👍🏼
 
ive ordered a few packs of Chinese blades to try out, I'll stick them in at the end of experiment to see if their any good🤔View attachment 1252580View attachment 1252581View attachment 1252582View attachment 1252583

Have you gotten them yet?

Do the Baili blades still say "Made in America" in Chinese on the tucks? They are/were Personna/ASR made blades. The Baili Platinum+ were the best of the three Baili tiers. One notch up from Chinese Cloud blades in sharpness.

I bought a tuck of the Gillette blades in the supermarket, now and then, to see if they had improved yet. They are sharper than the Chinese old brand Rhino blades, but about 5x the price.

The Ming Shi blades are sharp, and I've got the scars to prove it from trying to use them with Futur clone they were included with. I never could find a razor they worked well with, or a reason to use them over my other blades. "Smoother shaver" are the last words I would use to describe them. But my opinion might change if I tried them again.

The Chinese blades I have the most respect for are Ri Mei blades. This is a big, old company. I got some of their blades with their inexpensive three-piece razors and they were very good -- sharp, smooth and well-mannered -- even though they weren't the top of the line. The blades were very hard to find.

BTW, if you are ever tempted to try the Chinese Schick DE blade, don't bother. It is only one notch above Chinese Super Gillette Blue Blades. I didn't bring any of either blades back with me - space problem.

Apache is one of Personna's labels in China. Their titanium DE blade, made in America, was a big disappointment, fairly dull and relatively rough. However, I did buy some Chinese Personna DE blades online, made in America, and they were smooth and sharp.

On the other hand, I got triple blade orange Apache cartridges, made in America, and they were amazingly good, and easily lasted a month. They said they were ceramic coated. But the more expensive Apache and Schick cartridges, made in America, were lousy, in my opinion. Go figure.

My theory is that many Chinese are afraid of cutting themselves with DE blades -- just look at the illustrations for their razors. So Gillette made sure they made their made in China blade one that would never cut anyone.

Of course, it's always possible these might have improved recently. But keep in mind that most Chinese who are not impoverished sunburned peasants toiling in fields or wizened grandfathers who learned to shave with a DE razor before the Revolution would die of shame if anyone saw them using a DE razor. Most people I knew used an electric razor now and then; they have rechargeable ones that cost $3 that work fine for them.

Of course, China is a big, relatively diverse country, and some men do need to shave daily. They most likely use cartridges. I rarely saw DE blades or razors for sale in stores, except ones with foreign customers. I might see a Ri Mei razor for $1.50 or tuck of Rhino blades in a small shop; the big supermarkets would have a few Schick, Apache and Gillette tucks among the cartridges, even in cities of 5 million or more.

China can make good razor blades if they want to. But I don't think you are likely to find anything special there.

But it is always nice to see someone willing to experiment in the name of science. Please let us know what you learn.
 
A member asked for recommendations for a mild butterfly razor. My suggestion was a Baili butterfly. Hey, they are cheap, and aren't likely to cut you, unless you get foolish. And they are far superior to the Weishi, which I enjoy looking at....

I bought the Baili butterfly in China online, shortly after it came out. My impression was that it was good, but not great. I had some nice three-piece razors I liked better, so it didn't get a lot of use.

However, we are dealing with the "classic chicken and egg" allegory, which in this case is the "razor and razor blade" conundrum:

How can you tell if a razor is good unless you have a blade you know is good?

How can you find a blade that is good unless you have a razor you know is good?

Finding a good blade in China was not easy, as I mentioned in my previous post.

I bought some top of the line Baili Platinum+ blades, the second most expensive DE blade in China, and used them in the Baili butterfly. It shaved more like a caterpillar. It was a an adequate shave, but not particularly close or efficient. I eventually switched to other blades and other razors.

Well, this morning I put my old reliable Laser Ultra triple coated blade in my Baili Butterfly; it's my favored test blade because it is so consistently sharp and smooth. I used regular Barbasol mousse, with a light coating of Nutrogena glycerin soap underneath. I got a close, fast and delightfully smooth shave! The butterfly had finally emerged from its cocoon; all it needed was a good blade. (However, I may also have used better technique.)

I pulled up some photos online of great, old classic Gillette butterflies, you know, the ones from before the 50s with snobbish names. The geometry of the heads sure look similar to my Baili. Hey, if you're going to copy, why not copy the best? But I'm no expert on Gillette butterflies, having only used one as a teenager. I prefer the Old and New Type OCs.

I bought a chrome Baili butterfly for $4 and a gold tone for $5 in China. If you know where to look, you can get one almost as cheap here. I buy the Laser Ultra in packs of 400 sent from India for less than $20. BTW, with the Barbasol or Equate mousse, I get absolutely no razor or soap burn.

I'm going to try the butterfly with some other blades, including the Treet carbon steel, the Sharp Swiss Titanium, the Gillette-Wilkinson India and China blades, and those Baili Platinum+ blades, which were too expensive to leave behind.

But, frankly, it will be hard to improve on the shave I got this morning. The Baili butterfly razor and the Laser Ultra blades seem to be a perfect match.
 
Have you gotten them yet?

Do the Baili blades still say "Made in America" in Chinese on the tucks? They are/were Personna/ASR made blades. The Baili Platinum+ were the best of the three Baili tiers. One notch up from Chinese Cloud blades in sharpness.

I bought a tuck of the Gillette blades in the supermarket, now and then, to see if they had improved yet. They are sharper than the Chinese old brand Rhino blades, but about 5x the price.

The Ming Shi blades are sharp, and I've got the scars to prove it from trying to use them with Futur clone they were included with. I never could find a razor they worked well with, or a reason to use them over my other blades. "Smoother shaver" are the last words I would use to describe them. But my opinion might change if I tried them again.

The Chinese blades I have the most respect for are Ri Mei blades. This is a big, old company. I got some of their blades with their inexpensive three-piece razors and they were very good -- sharp, smooth and well-mannered -- even though they weren't the top of the line. The blades were very hard to find.

BTW, if you are ever tempted to try the Chinese Schick DE blade, don't bother. It is only one notch above Chinese Super Gillette Blue Blades. I didn't bring any of either blades back with me - space problem.

Apache is one of Personna's labels in China. Their titanium DE blade, made in America, was a big disappointment, fairly dull and relatively rough. However, I did buy some Chinese Personna DE blades online, made in America, and they were smooth and sharp.

On the other hand, I got triple blade orange Apache cartridges, made in America, and they were amazingly good, and easily lasted a month. They said they were ceramic coated. But the more expensive Apache and Schick cartridges, made in America, were lousy, in my opinion. Go figure.

My theory is that many Chinese are afraid of cutting themselves with DE blades -- just look at the illustrations for their razors. So Gillette made sure they made their made in China blade one that would never cut anyone.

Of course, it's always possible these might have improved recently. But keep in mind that most Chinese who are not impoverished sunburned peasants toiling in fields or wizened grandfathers who learned to shave with a DE razor before the Revolution would die of shame if anyone saw them using a DE razor. Most people I knew used an electric razor now and then; they have rechargeable ones that cost $3 that work fine for them.

Of course, China is a big, relatively diverse country, and some men do need to shave daily. They most likely use cartridges. I rarely saw DE blades or razors for sale in stores, except ones with foreign customers. I might see a Ri Mei razor for $1.50 or tuck of Rhino blades in a small shop; the big supermarkets would have a few Schick, Apache and Gillette tucks among the cartridges, even in cities of 5 million or more.

China can make good razor blades if they want to. But I don't think you are likely to find anything special there.

But it is always nice to see someone willing to experiment in the name of science. Please let us know what you learn.
ive just had the 2 lots arrive so far, and i have a couple of tucks of Apache from a previous purchase a while back, but still not got round to trying them yet👍🏼
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2nd use of(2nd)Shark Super Stainless blade with the Omega barberpole razor, 2 passes wtg & xtg with a little 3rd touch up anywhere i felt needed it, again a lovely 9.7/10 shave👍🏼
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decided to go full barbershop tonight😁, started as usual with the PAA Ice Cube(really wouldn't want to shave without it) the new Captain's bowl in copper, Omega barberpole brush in "pure" Omega barberpole razor, and the HSSC Barbershop soap, WOW what a soap provided a lather @Chard52142 would be proud of, was like white emulsion, normally if i dont give a description of the soap it means it was ok, but this soap deserves praise its fantastic, first HSSC soap in my rotation but think it's a brand I'll be trying more of, i give it my recommendation 👍🏼,finished off with the Clean Shaven balm, till next time happy shaves all🪒😉
 
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