Blades, blades, blades......

[Lesmore]

I'm new to DE Shaving....but I've been using my blade sampler and I have to say, there are a lot of good blades out there.

I've recently bought a 100 each of Feather and Personna...both really sharp blades. I got them as Xmas is rapidly approaching, my testing time was abbreviated...only since October...and this was the time to order (as Xmas gifts for others to give to me)...so I went with the Feather and Personna...which in early testing seemed excellent.

But I have to say Wilkinson Swords are right up there, along with Gillette Green Box. Four, great shaves out of the Wilkinson and I think it might have gone to six, but I wanted to check out another brand...Merkur.

So far....out of the 7 or so different blade makes in my sampler...4 seem really good.

The others...I haven't given a good shot yet...just tried one or two, when I was less than proficient ....so they might be fine.


I have a mid heavy beard I suppose and I use Proraso White Puck, shaving soap for sensitive skin...seems to work well, along with my Omega Boar brush (works well)...soon to be replaced by a Badger Silver tip.

My question of the day is...drum roll...please....

Other blades I have, include...Astra, Derby,Merkur....I need to test more thoroughly....but I'm starting to wonder...is there really much difference with razor blades...or are they all ok ?


I know I'm new and inexperienced in DE shaving......but is there really a difference between blade makes...or is it mostly a question of getting the best deal on whatever blade make ?

Annnnnd....are there any other DE blade brands you would advise that I should buy and assess ? Am I missing a bet somewhere ?

 

[Optometrist]

Oh yes! What a difference a blade makes. This is such a personal thing that reading reviews and noting personal experiences should be taken as a guide only, and not conclusive to that blade in general. Merkur blades don't carry much following here I think you will find (including myself), however, there are some who swear by them. I find them to give a very rough shave, with tugging. Give them a try. What do you have to lose? And it is the only way to find out how your shave performs.

David

 

[njpaddy]

At some point I stopped rotating different razors and blades every two shaves and stuck with the same razor & blade combo for several months. I was surprised how quickly my shaves improved. I now use a razor/blade combo for 3-4 months at a time before rotating and find my shaves are more consistent with no irritation. There are many blades I still haven't tried, but I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it school". If you found blades you think you like, stick with them for a bit and see how they work over a longer period. I happen to one of those who likes Merkur blades, but only when I use my HD.

 

[georgekyr]

Different combinations of blades and razors offer different performance. The thing is how sensitive your skin is and how tough is your beard. My father for example can shave with anything with no problem at all. I can do that also but only with specific combination of blades and razors. So for 1 person maybe 95% of possible combinations work ok and so he is a lucky man. For the other extreme maybe just 5% of all possible combinations work, so that person has to try a lot before he finds something good. Most of the people though lie between the two extremes and that is why after trying about 10 blades with 1 or 2 razors they find something that works great for them...

 

[Lesmore]

At some point I stopped rotating different razors and blades every two shaves and stuck with the same razor & blade combo for several months. I was surprised how quickly my shaves improved. I now use a razor/blade combo for 3-4 months at a time before rotating and find my shaves are more consistent with no irritation. There are many blades I still haven't tried, but I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it school". If you found blades you think you like, stick with them for a bit and see how they work over a longer period. I happen to one of those who likes Merkur blades, but only when I use my HD.

I have only one razor...a Muhle R 89.....but so far, I really like it. The workmanship is unbelievably good.

I think of it as the razor equivalent to my old Leica Rangefinder camera.

 

[man00ver]

Blades can be made of different steels. They are subject to different honing processes, and they can have different kinds of coatings (or none at all). While all of them can cut your whiskers, there will be differences in performance as to sharpness and smoothness. Some will be more forgiving of poor technique than others. These variances can also make a notable difference depending on the razor use. So, you have some experimenting to do to find the right ones for your equipment, technique, and your face!

 

[talibeard]

A lot of blades are ok, some are very good and some are really great! Of course there are some blades that don't work, no matter what.

Most members that tried out many different blades will have a list like that, but not many lists will be identical what one tosses in the bin halfway a shave will be somebody else's #1.

 

[Pkrankow]

I have a list of 5-6 blades that work nicely, very similar to each other in performance. I also have a short list of blades that really did not work well. I have many brands left in my sample pack, and I am having a hard time wanting to try others.

Phil

 

[Sledgehammer39]

My question of the day is...drum roll...please....

Other blades I have, include...Astra, Derby,Merkur....I need to test more thoroughly....but I'm starting to wonder...is there really much difference with razor blades...or are they all ok ?


I know I'm new and inexperienced in DE shaving......but is there really a difference between blade makes...or is it mostly a question of getting the best deal on whatever blade make ?

Annnnnd....are there any other DE blade brands you would advise that I should buy and assess ? Am I missing a bet somewhere ?

Blades are truly a personal thing, where YMMV really applies. By the looks of what you have tried so far I believe you got a decent sample of blades. If you want to try something similar to Personnas. Try out Shark blades SS or SC, they are great performing blades and are fairly cheap to obtain. Also the Lord Platinum's are good blades also, I get 2 really good shaves from them and third decent shave. But there price is 10 bucks for a hundred.

Also try a few packs of the Gillette 7 o'clock Yellows, Blacks, Nacets.. These are on the pricey side of the blade spectrum but are really good blades. Give it a shot, variety is the spice of life. The aforementioned blades worked for me YMMV.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

I've found very few blades that don't work for me, and by that I mean they have a hard time handling my stubble.

My favorites, for sharpness, smoothness, and longevity include the Red Pack Personnas, and the Astra Superiors.

 

[Hex]

Oh yes! What a difference a blade makes. This is such a personal thing that reading reviews and noting personal experiences should be taken as a guide only, and not conclusive to that blade in general. Merkur blades don't carry much following here I think you will find (including myself), however, there are some who swear by them. I find them to give a very rough shave, with tugging. Give them a try. What do you have to lose? And it is the only way to find out how your shave performs.

David

+1

Of all the components of DE shaving, it's the blades differences that are a mystery to me. They seems to work well for one, won't work for me,,,,today, at 9am, with the moon in its 4th quadrant. Yet tomorrow they work. Others chalk it up to technique and I am sure that technique plays a part but my technique is fairly stable.

Cases in point:
Merkur blades work pretty well for both me and my son, yet others detest them.

I tried Astra SP about a month ago and set them aside as mediocre. Tried them yesterday and they worked well.

Go figure. I suspect there are black arts involved.

 

[Chester]

I wouldn't say they're all the same, because there are appreciable differences. At the same time, I'm of the mind that most blades will work for most people, and there are a range of standards as to what works. This is a pretty discriminating forum, and I think "our" (most DE shavers at B&B) standards are really high. Some guy who's a DE shaver because that's what he's always known, or a guy who gets whatever blades they have at the supermarket, is going to have a lower standard.

Yeah, some tools/handles/holders seem to accentuate one make of blade over the other, but most of the time, the middle 70% of blades will probably work acceptably for everyone. Your Personnas and feathers are pretty reliable for comfort and sharpness. You're probably on the high side of informed purchasers, too. That said, if cost is a factor, pick the best blade by that attribute. Eventually, you'll get picky and you'll arrive at a set of 5-6 different blades that will work for you, and you'll just end up settling into 1-3 of those.

As goofy as it may sound, I became a lot more aware of blade differences after I had an established prep and lather routine... it took 6 months of being really consistent before I became "picky" about my blades. I'm not saying you'll see it the same way I do, but inevitably you'll find your happy medium.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet

 

[Pkrankow]

I had my fourth shave on the same feather, and it was as good as the first three. Gonna try #5 on it tomorrow. I have not gotten more than 3 shaves from other blades.

It was not a "WOW" experience compared to any other blade, but longevity is nice.

Phil

 

[Ski-Patroller]

So far I have found two blades I love, Feather and Super Iridium, and 4 or 5 that I would use if I could not get either of these. I'm sure there are more that would be acceptable, but I have also found some that I think were unuseable, Zorrik and Dorco for example.

I'm actually on a quest for an SI replacement, but haven't found it yet.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I'm new to DE Shaving....but I've been using my blade sampler and I have to say, there are a lot of good blades out there.

My question of the day is...drum roll...please....

Other blades I have, include...Astra, Derby,Merkur....I need to test more thoroughly....but I'm starting to wonder...is there really much difference with razor blades...or are they all ok ?

In my experience (see my thread "Feather, measure of all blades"), most are ok/good, some are very good and some are no good. So I would agree with you

 

[Lesmore]

I had my fourth shave on the same feather, and it was as good as the first three. Gonna try #5 on it tomorrow. I have not gotten more than 3 shaves from other blades.

It was not a "WOW" experience compared to any other blade, but longevity is nice.

Phil

Put in a Feather today...worked very well...smooth, beautiful shave. The Feather and the Personna work very well for me.

Also Wilkinson Sword-white box and Gillette 7 0'clock- green box do very well.

 

[El Judio Bravo]

... I'm actually on a quest for an SI replacement, but haven't found it yet.

May I suggest Russian Yellows and Greens, and Nacet?

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

May I suggest Russian Yellows and Greens, and Nacet?

And the Perma-Sharps for the Turkish market...

 

[El Judio Bravo]

I've heard good things from satisfied customers of the Turkish-aimed Perma Sharp blades. But in good conscience I can only recommend products I have used myself.

And I may score a carton of Nacet before I begin a moratorium on RBAD purchases ...

 

[lradke]

I found that different blades performed slighlty differently with different razors(...wow...that was a lot of "different"s ). However, I find that if I want to do more than one WTG pass, I need to use Red Israellis or Feathers. All the other blades pull too much. I have tried tons of blades...well only 10-15 different brands, and ones like BIC and Merkur feel like I am raking my face with a broken bottle. I will use the odd Iriduim Super or derby...but NEVER for an against the grain pass.

But yeah...I like Feather and RI's. Currently they work the best...but as others have said, what is good for one person may not be good for another. Good luck in your quest!