Blades: New to DE Shaving!

[CRshavBer]

Never tried those and have only heard of the Rubies which are suppose to be very nice. I believe most of the Gillette DE blades, if not all, are manufactured in St. Petersburg, Russia and they are marketed for different parts of the world. For example, the Nacets have Arabic writing on the side and are targeted more for the Middle East. This would make sense, since those blades are perfect for thick coarse hair.

That makes sense. Thank you for all the info! I love the Gillette blade I have so far, and am looking forward to trying out more!

 

[sm29]

My recommendation for beginners is to pick one blade that the community generally regards as good. Honestly, it doesn't really matter which one. But just pick one. Use that blade type to learn how to shave properly with the DE. Hone your technique with that blade until you are getting repeatable, high-quality shaves. Once you have it down then I recommend trying a bunch of different blades to figure out which blade is perfect for you. When you begin something new it's always a good idea to keep the variables to a minimum. Your technique - not blade choice - will be the limiting factor for a while so get that sorted before playing with all the different brands. A lot of new shavers blame blades for poor shaves and spend a lot of effort swapping between them hoping to find a magic fix before they come to the realization that their own skill was the problem and not their blade.

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I think you will do yourself a huge disservice if you keep changing blades. What might have one day become your favorite blade might never be tried again with what will hopefully be your improved technique. I would start with one moderately sharp and moderately smooth blade for at least 60 or more shaves. With an improved technique other blades can then be fairly evaluated. Pick a blade that is popular such as the Astra SPs or Personnas (either Israeli or American) and you will know you have a good starter blade and maybe a forever blade. Stay away from Feathers, Nacet, and other very sharp blades until you are ready. (Feathers have now become my favorite blade but were only first tried after several years of practice.)

 

[HVenture138]

Of what you listed I’ve found Silver Blue (that’s what I think you meant with “blue”) and 7oclock black to be smoothest. I haven’t used them in a bit but I remember thinking that the greens are harsh. Also the rubies are smooth and exceptionally sharp. But if you want extra smooth and sharp give the Bic chromes a try. I think they get less love because people associate them with disposable razors but they are top performers, seriously, check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

 

[CRshavBer]

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I think you will do yourself a huge disservice if you keep changing blades. What might have one day become your favorite blade might never be tried again with what will hopefully be your improved technique. I would start with one moderately sharp and moderately smooth blade for at least 60 or more shaves. With an improved technique other blades can then be fairly evaluated. Pick a blade that is popular such as the Astra SPs or Personnas (either Israeli or American) and you will know you have a good starter blade and maybe a forever blade. Stay away from Feathers, Nacet, and other very sharp blades until you are ready. (Feathers have now become my favorite blade but were only first tried after several years of practice.)

Hey thanks for all the advice. I had two Gillette 7 o’clock Super Platinums to start with. I just purchased Astras and Derby’s since they were readily available. I’ll be using them till I master the shave technique. And I’ll try different razors. Once I get to that point them I’m excited to sample a whole range of blades. And I definitely won’t be using the Feathers for a long time. Thank you.

 

[CRshavBer]

Of what you listed I’ve found Silver Blue (that’s what I think you meant with “blue”) and 7oclock black to be smoothest. I haven’t used them in a bit but I remember thinking that the greens are harsh. Also the rubies are smooth and exceptionally sharp. But if you want extra smooth and sharp give the Bic chromes a try. I think they get less love because people associate them with disposable razors but they are top performers, seriously, check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

So far I only had two Gillette 7 o’clock Super Platinums (the black) to use, and they are great! I’ll be looking forward to trying the Bic Chromes in the future too. And I want to try all the Gillette blades at one point so the Nacets and Rubies are high on list. Thanks!

 

[Umma2gumma]

I would recommend starting with Astra SP. It‘s a blade that seems to be liked by majority of people who try it (not everyone, of course), it’s got a good balance between sharpness and comfort, it works well in different razors within a wide range of aggressiveness, it’s easy to find, cheap, and (in my experience anyway) pretty consistent from one batch to another.

 

[CRshavBer]

I would recommend starting with Astra SP. It‘s a blade that seems to be liked by majority of people who try it (not everyone, of course), it’s got a good balance between sharpness and comfort, it works well in different razors within a wide range of aggressiveness, it’s easy to find, cheap, and (in my experience anyway) pretty consistent from one batch to another.

Thank you! I have some Astras and Derby’s on the way. Also a wonderful shaver from B&B is mailing a sample package.