Best Razor Blade for tough beard

[Talltexan]

Howdy!

I have a hard time getting a good shave and have a very coarse beard and currently use Wilkinson Razor blades but discovered Feather Razor Blades! Wow what a difference! I need to purchase more blades. Would you recommend buying feather blades or one that is a step below? If I did purchase feather blades what is a good deal from amazon.com? Should I buy 20, 30 or 100? How long should a razor blade last per shave?


Best
Jerry

 

[Beerhunter]

Next paycheck I am gonna get the 100 pack of feather blades gf likes them as well in her lady gillette. Glad you like them.

 

[BigNickel]

Amazon is a decent price for the Feather blades, but DrIdiot will sell you 200 blades for only $58, a much better price. He ships worldwide
http://www.doubleedgeshavingplace.com/product/feather-double-edge-razor-blades-200-blades

 

[John Von Wuggz]

At the moment I'm Feathers, Astra SP, GSB, and 7 o'clock Black. I'm in your position trying blades for the same reasons.

 

[Mick]

Not to throw this off on a tangent but if you have a coarse beard you may want to try a single edge razor. The stiffer SE blades seem to eat right through tough beards leaving nothing but a smooth clean shave

 

[ArNav]

How about a slant?

 

[Luke Sky High]

A Feather blade and a good enough beard prep that is guaranteed to soften your beard is all you need. I don't think a slant is mandatory, a mild razor can let you do aggressive slant angles in total safety... but if you like Merkur slants blade exposure, use it.
What pre-shave do you do?
My beard stubble is thick and two pre-shave routines work wonderfully for me, they weaken the stubble and increase razor blade life

• Wash face with Musgo Real Glyce Soap and leave it wet on your face for 2-3 minutes. Rinse with water, apply shaving cream and shave.
• Second method, if your shaving cream/soap can hold a lot of water without dripping or running down your face, do a quickly watery lather whose only purpose is to applied at your face for 2-3 minutes while you finish the final shaving lather.

 

[RaiserLiebe]

Yes, I thought that "leave lather on face" was a bunch of hooey-- until I tried it. Boy, that is one important piece of advice! Worked wonders for me. Made all the difference between cutting hair and scraping skin. Rarely nick anymore.
Cheers.
PS I like a lot of blades. Feather wasn't bad but not super. I like 7oC Blacks, Supermax SuperPlat, Polsilver SI, Labs.

 

[mharris127]

I use Astra SP blades. I find them smoother and last longer than even the vaunted Feathers. They are also a third of the price. If Feathers work best for you and you are willing to spend the extra bucks I say go for it. Even Feather blades are much cheaper than the Mach 3 and Fusion blade carts.

 

[Wingnut]

I use Astra SP blades. I find them smoother and last longer than even the vaunted Feathers. They are also a third of the price. If Feathers work best for you and you are willing to spend the extra bucks I say go for it. Even Feather blades are much cheaper than the Mach 3 and Fusion blade carts.

I agree: when you've found what works for you, why look elsewhere--unless money is an issue for you. Give Jason over at Dridiot a look. I've ordered from him before, and I was very happy with the transaction. It's always nice to support those vendors who support B&B, too...

There are plenty of folks who WISH they knew which blade worked best for them, and now you KNOW. I say spend the cash and get happy shaves for as long as those Feathers last!

 

[cnichol3]

I like the Astra SP and the Gillette 7 O'clock yellows. The yellows are just as sharp as the Feathers IMO, but are much cheaper. If you like Feathers the best, I would recommend buying as many in bulk as possible, 100 or 200 packs because it is cheaper the more you buy!

 

[dparish1952]

Jerry,

Member Oscroft has performed several blind shave offs, including Feathers and several Gillette blades, and my fav, the Personna Labs. I found these threads entertaining and informative. You might read tests #5, #9, and #11. The Personna "Labs" can be found for less than half of the Feathers on Amazon and on a large auction site. I have used those with the Merkur 39# slant and gotten an awesome shave.

Blind test #1 - Feather vs 7 O'clock Yellow
Blind test #2 - Astra SP vs Derby
Blind test #3 - Shark SS vs Dorco ST301
Blind test #4 - Personna "Red" vs Astra SP
Blind test #5 - Feather vs Personna Med Prep
Blind test #6 - Gillette 7 O'clock, Yellow vs Black
Blind test #7 - Med Prep vs Iridium Super
Blind test #8 - 7 O'Clock, Black vs Blue
Blind test #9 - Personna, Med vs Lab
Blind test #10 - Timor vs Sputnik
Blind test #11 - Med vs Lab, round 2

You can buy a sample pack of 10 Lab Blue blades (normally sold in packs of 100) at www.leesrazors.com

Good luck!

P.S. I live in Ft. Worth.

 

[Shyguy]

I think feather (yellow), Perma sharp and super iridium.... I been trying these blades for a while....the iridiums are the best quality in term of sharpness but they are on the expensive side.. So my favourite for the price are the Perma sharp blades, very smooth and excellent shave.