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blade recommendations

Hi everyone, I want to see what kind of blades people recommend. Its easy enough to google whats popular, but i want to throw in my history and see if perhaps i can get a more catered response.

My shave history looks like this:

I've got a pretty dense beard no matter the length. Arab genes. I can shave in the morning and have a drill sergeant ask me y i didnt shave by 4pm. That day i learned of the 4 oclock shadow.

The blades i use to use were used razors- a gamut of em- gillette, mach, schick, whatever was laying around. I wasnt really taught anything. i just grabbed what i could.

As you could imagine, my first ~5 years of shaving were very unpleasant. Id usually let my beard grow for weeks before dreading the shave. Fast forward to today and this is what ive learned.

Razors eventually dull. This was a new concept to me since i started with dull razors. I also learned all cart razors struggle against a longer beard but in the end it saves the agony of shaving several times.

After much struggling i decided to try a straight edge razor. Yea... I quickly realized that a safety razor is what i was after. i found one at walmart, and compared to the one i got my dad on ebay (for like $1,) this $10 handle was amazing.

I didnt think much of the blades. I just bought what i could find for a good price- i started with derby extras. i actually still have like 20 blades left, ive been shaving about twice a month since my face was very irritable from years of shredding. you could imagine how long ive been using derby.

Now that i am almost all out of derby, i have been taking a second look at what blades i should resupply with. I love how safety razors can shred through a full grown beard whereas carts cant even make a scratch. Ive been learning more about technique through self teaching and through what hurts less in the end, never really bothered to look up anything besides a soap lather for those times id be in a pinch.

I always throw away a double sided or 2 half blades after every shave, at least from my derbys. i feel my whiskers/beard really put the blade to work and for my own sake ive been playing it safe.

I can say that my face is far less irritable now with my fresh blades and evolving technique.

However i need some suggestions on my next blade refill.

My priorities (in order) are:
Cheap
less irritation
power

Ive come to know cheap as 1 double derby blade per shave and am very uncomfortable with the idea of using the same blade for 2 shaves. I actually use to use 2 double sided derby extras per shave at one point before i got better at technique.

My research and priorities have taken me to Derby premium. But derby seems to have a terrible rep. I plan to buy em off ebay, i dont know if fakes or clones are an issue here.

I have been reading some really good things about GSB, but they are almost double the cost of the derby premiums. it seems like both should in theory hold up to 2 shaves but in reality its likely i might toss em after every shave. Ill try 2 shaves and see how it goes...

My question to you guys, for a person looking for comfort and effectiveness at the cheapest price point, is the GSB worth it over the derby? $8 vs $15 for 100ct is a very difficult choice for me here. I will likely be shaving once a week or two. no sense buying a sample when i could get the 100ct at the cost of 100 derbys and a sample of gsbs. or what about astras vs derby premium ($10 vs $8)?

the best razor i ever used in my life was a cart womens shick i was given for free in college. blew the derby outa the water for comfort. not something i can afford though, and idk how itd hold up to a 2 week+ beard. I am male.

My default strat is to go with whats cheapest and hope its better enough than the derby extras were that i wouldn't look back on my choice again. With the price point of about $8 for 100, that opens up possibilities like astras and maybe others i havent heard about yet.

tl:dr

need best razor/thick hair for cheapest price on irritable beard. Derby prem vs astra sup? or something within $7-$12 per 100ct?
 
if any of you know of cheaper prices than ive seen thatd be helpful too- maybe buy 1000 blades if i can save 50% would be sweet
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I would look around and get yourself a blade sampler pack. You can pick them up reasonably cheap and most seem to come with 5 tucks of different blades. That way you can work out what Blade works best for you. Blades are a very subjective topic and what works for me might not work for you. Good luck.
 
Welcome to B&B.
The post 2016 manufactured Derby Extra are much improved on the older ones. However you will find Astra SP sharper and smoother. I find GSB a little better performance than Astra SP but, as said before, a sample pack should be your next step.
You don't mention which razor you are using other than it cost $10 from Walmart. It seems you need to work on technique and shaving more frequently, even daily. In terms of technique, have a look at the ShaveWiki | Badger & Blade and especially; Blade Angle | Badger & Blade
Stick with the DE but consider a Fatip open comb razor (Piccolo or Grande) which is an all brass razor at reasonable cost.
 
Welcome to B&B.

I'd recommend Derby USTA, come both as DE or half DE blades. These are higher quality than regular Derby blades, made for barbers (Usta meaning Master). They are new on the market and no fakes yet. Readily available on ebay.
 
Quit throwing you blade away after one shave. A lot of blades get better/sharper on shave #2 and even #3.
 
Quit throwing you blade away after one shave. A lot of blades get better/sharper on shave #2 and even #3.

+1! This is my experience also, especially with blades such as Personna labs (some of my favorites). Other top blades for me (in no particular order):
GSB
Personna reds
Nacet
Astra SP

Even though cost/blade may be a bit more, I suggest you purchase a blade sampler or two to determine your personal preferences. IMO, the most expensive blade is one you do not use.
 
Thanks for the tips. Maybe the old derbys are just that bad, when i get something new ill try em out a 2nd time. Compared to most people i know my hairs a bit tougher and thicker and i always chalked it up to that. But I think it comes down to the old derbys just being bad. I think im going to go with the derby premiums, ive seen some amazing comments about them. really between that and the astras, almost at the same price point.
 
I know the handle i had was german made. It has great weight and i know its quality even though it was around $10.
I'm 85% sure its the Van Der Hagen, but i distinctly remember it being around $10-12, looks like its over $17 now. I dont have much experience but i love this handle and would recommend.

-been using this guy for probably 4ish years with no issues. had it lock up once but was probably user error.

For my remaining derby extras i plan to use em all but only 1 shave each, I dont think these older derbys do well beyond one shave. In my experience at least
 
These derby usta are right in the price point im looking at. Are these generally better received than the Derby premiums? Anyone tried out the Derby professionals?

I see some comments comparing them to the premiums but it looks like they are so close that psychology may play a factor here. But the new design is definitely attractive for preventing fakes for the short term. Glad it was mentioned here I think i'll be trying em out.
 
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Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
First off Welcome to B&B!
I just pulled out some Derbys that I got when I first started DE shaving. As I remember, one shave is all I got with them, and it wasn't a comfortable shave.
Now that my technique has improved, I can get more than one shave with a Derby, but I prefer to use another blade, such as a GSB, Nacet, or Gillette Platinum. I can get 20+ shaves with those blades when used in a Fatip Piccolo as @Invicta has suggested.
Another blade choice for your thick beard might be a BIC Chrome Platinum, I hear some members are getting 40+ shaves with them!
You also never mentioned what you are using for lathering, I have found that a nice soap and brush greatly improves my shaves!
If you are looking for cheap, go no further than Arko, 12 sticks for $12 on amazon will last you a long, long time.
prof
 
Hi,

I don't have a super course beard, but more course than some of my friends. I have been using the Merkur 34C with different blades. I personally have found that I really like the BIC Chrome Platinum blades quite well, they seemed like they were consistent for quite a few shaves, maybe a week or so of shaves for me. I also really found that the Merkur blades worked really well for me, but they are quite expensive, but I got over a week out of one of the blades. I also really like the Wilkinson Sword blades both the German ones and the China ones. Recently I have also come to like the MenSmell blades that came from wetshavingclub.com. It was $12 for a new razor and 105 blades. I am only on my third shave with the blade though, so more to come once I use it more. I also have found recently the Nacet blades work well for me also, four shaves into my current Nacet. Got 5 out of the first Nacet blade.

For reference I like to shave every day and I do three-four passes to get a close shave. I also sometimes have to skip a day because I have to get up early for work, so the growth is longer. I have straight, but thinker facial hairs.
 
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