I've been DE shaving for about a week now and have used 1 Merkur (came with razor) and a Van Der Hagen that I put in the razor yesterday. While in town today I made a few stops for blades to try. I got a 10 pack of Walgreens store brand made in Israel. Then I went to Sallys Beauty Supply and got a 5 pack of Personna made in USA and a 10 pack of Derby Extra made in Turkey. I even bought a 5 pack of blades from Dollar General that are made in Vietnam. It will be interesting to see the difference in the blades plus I have enough to last me a while, providing I don't throw any away after trying one.
Bought Some Blades Locally Today
- Thread starter J.E.
- Start date
Once you get sorted around you will find the online vendors will definitely be much more economical. Razor Blades Club has decent prices and delivery from Germany is usually 10 days or less (I’m in Canada). If you buy 100 shipping is free. I have bought from Amazon as well.
I enjoy seeking out shave goodies in local stores. In my town some of the small, independent drug stores stock Wilkinson Sword Classic blades. I think I've also seen them in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Good blades for me.
- Thread starter
- #4
I know what you mean. it was kind of fun getting them. I'll try to hit a few independent drug stores next time around. Only problem is, there isn't many of them left.
I suggest getting some russian gillette blades. They work superb for me.
A blade sampler pack or two may be worth considering with your next online order.
+1.
The savings from buying online is huge. I would sample some, and then get 100 of one you like best. Or, if one you bought local is to you liking, buy those in quantity. I would still buy some locally, every once in a while, just to encourage them to continue stocking them.
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks guys. So far, all I've tried is Merkur and Van Der Hagen. I like the Van der Hagen a little better. I put a new Personna blade in my razor last night which I will try today. I kind of like buying locally and am hoping I like the Personna or Derby blades that I can get at Sallys.
I just don't see any local vendors selling DE blades. Good thing there are many choices on the internet.
The only blades we get locally are Wilkinson Swords, I tried them when I first started, haven't had much luck with them, but I haven't revisited them in a while.
Blades vary in sharpness (aggressiveness) and smoothness. DE razors vary in aggressiveness and efficiency. Your beard will need a certain minimum level of sharpness and your skin will require a minimum level of smoothness. Since your razor came with a Merkur blade, I presume it was a Merkur razor. You did not specify the model, but many of their razors are mid-aggressive.
The Merkur, VDH and Derby Extra blades are not all that sharp. (I suspect, but cannot prove, that the VDH blades are made in the same factory as Merkur as they are both sold as ice-tempered blades). The Personna blades made in USA are very good blades with a balance of sharpness and smoothness. They are often called Lab Blue. The drug store brand blades made in Israel are Israeli Personna blades and are also great blades. I believe they are the same blades also sold as Israeli Reds. If you like the Personnas (either USA or Israel), you can purchase them online in quantity at a much reduced price compared to the dispenser packs.
Wilkinson Sword blades made in Germany are also nice blades. I have not tried the Gillette branded Wilkies made in India.
Gillette does make a number of excellent blades in St Petersburg, Russia sold under the Gillette, 7 O'Clock, Polsilver, Nacet, and Astra brands. They also make blades in India.
Feather blades have the reputation for being the sharpest out of the box, but they are less smooth than some others. they are best avoided until your shaving technique improves as they are not forgiving of poor technique.
Once you determine the sharpness level that works best for you, then purchase them in bulk. I have a variety of razors that vary in aggressiveness from very mild (VDH/Weishi TTO) to very aggressive (Muhle R41). I like using extremely sharp blades in the mild razor (Feather, Nacet), but somewhat less aggressive blades in the R41. For me, Merkur, VDH, and Derby Extra blades are not sharp enough to slice through my coarse beard in any razor I own, but if your beard is not so tough, they may work just fine for you.
The Merkur, VDH and Derby Extra blades are not all that sharp. (I suspect, but cannot prove, that the VDH blades are made in the same factory as Merkur as they are both sold as ice-tempered blades). The Personna blades made in USA are very good blades with a balance of sharpness and smoothness. They are often called Lab Blue. The drug store brand blades made in Israel are Israeli Personna blades and are also great blades. I believe they are the same blades also sold as Israeli Reds. If you like the Personnas (either USA or Israel), you can purchase them online in quantity at a much reduced price compared to the dispenser packs.
Wilkinson Sword blades made in Germany are also nice blades. I have not tried the Gillette branded Wilkies made in India.
Gillette does make a number of excellent blades in St Petersburg, Russia sold under the Gillette, 7 O'Clock, Polsilver, Nacet, and Astra brands. They also make blades in India.
Feather blades have the reputation for being the sharpest out of the box, but they are less smooth than some others. they are best avoided until your shaving technique improves as they are not forgiving of poor technique.
Once you determine the sharpness level that works best for you, then purchase them in bulk. I have a variety of razors that vary in aggressiveness from very mild (VDH/Weishi TTO) to very aggressive (Muhle R41). I like using extremely sharp blades in the mild razor (Feather, Nacet), but somewhat less aggressive blades in the R41. For me, Merkur, VDH, and Derby Extra blades are not sharp enough to slice through my coarse beard in any razor I own, but if your beard is not so tough, they may work just fine for you.
- Thread starter
- #12
Yes, my razor is a Merkur 34C. So far I have tried Merkur, Van Der Hagen, and USA Personna blades. Honestly all of those have worked fine. The Merkur seems to be the worst of them but are still very usable for me. I bought a tuck of them when I bought the razor and I will definitely use them. I'm still going to order a sampler when I get a few of these used up.
Sampler packs are a great way to learn which blades work for you. You can purchase packs with blades picked by the vendor, or you can design your own by purchasing 5 packs. Some sample packs come with only 2-3 blades of each brand. If you are on a tight budget, that works, but trying 5-10 blades of each brand is a better option. Since you can use Merkur blades, pretty much any blade will be sharp enough for your= beard, with the possible exception of Treet Black Beauty and Tian Li Blue Blades which reside at the bottom end of the sharpness scale. I suggest purchasing a sampler pack with about 10 different brands ranging across the entire sharpness range. I suspect the mid-sharp blades will work best for you as you really do not need the sharpest blades.
I started DE shaving about six months ago and like you use a Merkur 34C. It came with 5 Merkur blades which I wanted to like until I loaded the second one and it felt more dull than the first one. So I reluctantly bought a pack of Feather blades despite some reviews making them sound like I was risking cutting my head off. I have sensitive, somewhat oily skin and a relatively light beard. I have nicked myself twice, two very tiny nicks, using Feather blades. I have had no issue with ingrown hairs and I really don't find the Feather blades to be aggressive...as they say YMMV. The Feathers are sharp which I like. I also get 8-10 shaves out of each of them. One of the two times I nicked myself I moved the razor sideways so I would've nicked myself with any blade...operator error. I haven't even worked my way through the Merkur pack of 5 blades because even a new Merkur blade doesn't suit me very well. It's just not very sharp. I also don't want to fool around with experimenting with a lot of different stuff although I was tempted to spend a bunch of money on expensive razor, collection of soaps and brushes, etc. I use L'Occitane Cade soap which fits perfectly in one of our very small glass mixing bowls (not even halfway gone in six months), a West Coast Shaving Silvertip badger brush (really love it and got it for $25 on sale), a Vikings Blade large Grand Chairman bowl (deep enough so I don't slop soap all over), generally do three passes, and splash Witch Hazel (TN Dickinsons) after I shave. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Good luck!- Thread starter
- #15
Lots of good information guys. Many thanks!
- Thread starter
- #17
No I haven't. I'll probably be changing blades after my Sunday shave and plan on putting one of the Derby blades in then.
- Thread starter
- #18
Well, I have 4 shaves on a USA Personna blade from Sallys. I can easily say this is the best blade for me that I've tried so far. Just very smooth and effortless.
- Thread starter
- #19
I tried a Derby Extra today. Didn't like it at all.
You can count on any Personna or Gillette blade to be the best. With a mere few exceptions, the rest are sub-par. YMMV.
Similar threads
