Bidding a fond farewell (or, Astra Didn't Make The Cut!

[Yuritau]

Since I started my wet shaving experience, Astra blades have been the workhorse of my blade collection. I started out preferring the Astra SS blades over the SP, but have lately flipped over to a slight preference for the SP. These two blades have been good to my face, and I still like them both, but I have to admit, they are not my favorite blades. No my favorites are the ones I had been reserving for special occasions, the Super Iridiums (the NOS SI's and the new Polsilver SI's are completely indistinguishable to me). And I have recently realized that the price difference between Astras and SI's is really quite negligible:

Astra, average 4 shaves per blade, average price I've paid so far $13/100; cost per shave 3.25 cents
SI, average 7 shaves per blade, average price $34/100; cost per shave 4.86 cents

So I'm going to switch to Super Iridiums on a permanent basis, and make every shave a special occasion!

 

[skydivemd]

Good for you! Life is too short -- enjoy every shave as if it is a special occasion! And you were very smart about it and fiscally savvy, comparing your options and choosing that which is the best compromise of quality and cost. Kudos, sir.

 

[Yuritau]

Good for you! Life is too short -- enjoy every shave as if it is a special occasion! And you were very smart about it and fiscally savvy, comparing your options and choosing that which is the best compromise of quality and cost. Kudos, sir.

I find the the bolded/underlined portion deeply hilarious, given both the contents of my signature and the trend in the opposite direction on these forums.

 

[Teddyboy]

I say "good show ol' bean," as they may say across the pond. Every shave should be special in my view, especially if one's day peaks before 8 AM!

 

[dparish1952]

I suggest you try the US made Personna Super Stainless blades (aka Lab Blues on this forum). You can get a sample from Garry's sample s shop @ http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/336974-Garry-s-Sample-Shop-March-2013-Updates! Forum members Oscroft and others have found the Labs to perform similarly to the Iridiums and Polsilvers (search this subforum's threads for "blind test #"). They can be bought for approx $13 per 100 on the bay or the great river. YMMV

 

[Mick]

I have many blades I enjoy more than the Astra but it is still my "gold standard" (better than an astra or not as good as an astra)

I still recommend them to new shavers as they are smooth, forgiving and sharp enough to get the job done.

 

[Dusty1]

I paid $8.60 for my pack of astras shipped, and no it doesn't help your cause, but I still support your decision to go whith the ones you like more. First and foremost is to enjoy your shave!

 

[Dusty1]

I see your from BC so the difference could be the exchange rate.

 

[mastershake]

the super ir is my top fav blade. i have astras and others and while i think the astras are okay i mainly keep other blades because i like the option of having them there to pick a different blade. but if i went to only keeping one blade it would be the super ir.. good choice.

 

[Yuritau]

I have many blades I enjoy more than the Astra but it is still my "gold standard" (better than an astra or not as good as an astra)

I still recommend them to new shavers as they are smooth, forgiving and sharp enough to get the job done.

I too use them as the basis for all/most blade comparison, just because they seem to be the most consistent blade out there, in terms of the average user's opinion. And yeah, I still have 100 each of the SS and the SP, and I probably wont bother selling them off just cause I like to give 5-10 packs of them when I'm giving a friend a DE starter kit.

I suggest you try the US made Personna Super Stainless blades (aka Lab Blues on this forum). You can get a sample from Garry's sample s shop @ http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/336974-Garry-s-Sample-Shop-March-2013-Updates! Forum members Oscroft and others have found the Labs to perform similarly to the Iridiums and Polsilvers (search this subforum's threads for "blind test #"). They can be bought for approx $13 per 100 on the bay or the great river. YMMV

I've tried a few different Personna blades, and while the labs/meds can be decent blades, I find that they have a problem with consistency: there's a higher instance of dud blades with Personna than with St Petersburg blades. It's enough of an issue that I've written off Personna blades completely. I divided my remaining 20 or so labs between two friends, along with an equal number of Feathers, and both friends commented to the same effect, without me even asking! So I'm moderately confident it's not just a personal perception thing.

 

[crfcom]

Compared to the guys and gals who are buying cartridges, even when you buy Polsilver SI's, you're shaving cheap. And better. Can't beat that deal.

 

[skydivemd]

I have heard another forum member mention the issue with Personna consistency. Reference the 2 Oscroft "lab vs med" challenges for more. I have not used many lab blades and so cannot comment on them specifically, but the Med Preps (my #1 blade) is very consistent blade-to-blade. They are also in a different price bracket than the labs, but no more then the Iridiums...

 

[Yuritau]

Compared to the guys and gals who are buying cartridges, even when you buy Polsilver SI's, you're shaving cheap. And better. Can't beat that deal.

Yup! I have a buddy that I'm working on converting to wet shaving, but he's being stubborn. Every time he complains about the price of Fusion carts at Costco I tell him that I got 200 Astra SS for $20 (including shipping, from Turkey I think), and I can see a small piece of his resolve crumble away.

 

[5savages]

So I'm going to switch to Super Iridiums on a permanent basis, and make every shave a special occasion!

An excellent plan! There's not reason to settle for less than the best.

 

[parsifal54]

This thread is interesting in that I am 30 blades into a 100 pack of the Astra SP and I am not sure that I would order more. Most people seem to love them, but I am not that happy with them...I thought it was just me. I have used them in 4-5 different razors, from closed bar to open comb.

 

[gus1942]

The Astra SP seems to work in all my razors. They are always in my rotation along with Feathers and Gillette blacks.

 

[Wyokid]

The Astra SP seems to work in all my razors. They are always in my rotation along with Feathers and Gillette blacks.

+1 on the Astra SP's!

 

[kingfisher]

Astras are OK. Not too bad.

Current favorite blade is the Permasharp Super.

 

[musicman1951]

Well, you're going to be out a little more than a penny.

Maybe you can skip a meal.

 

[JimK]

I'm glad you settled on a great blade for your daily shave! I always enjoy trying a new blade every now and then, and even rave about a few... For me though, I always "go home" to the Astra SP. So I bought hundreds of them, and they were cheap enough that I can toss one into the wall slot after one use if I feel the urge to use a new high end blade for a few days or more. After the thrill of the new blade wears off, I always have the comfort of a lifetime supply of Astra SP's ready to serve...