Can’t believe I’m saying it...Derby’s are ok.

[FL shaver]

Second shave with that Derby blade today and there is no doubt in my mind that these are not the same Derbys that I tried when I first got into DE shaving. Smooth as butter. It was painful to shave with the old Derbys, regardless of prep or lathering product, and I gave them several chances.

Apologies for the incorrect pluralization of Derby!

 

[riverstyxxx]

Derby's are probably the only prison-approved razor blades, normally an inmate would steal one and make it into a shank but they're so dull they can't even slice a piece of fruit.

 

[Whilliam]

Cannot comment on current Derby Extras, but Derby Premiums are outstanding.

 

[FireDragon76]

Emboldened by a good couple of runs with Dorcos, which I thought were almost as bad as Derby’s in the tugging and pulling department, I loaded a fresh Derby from an unopened tuck. I have to say I got a close and comfortable shave. I am using a very good cream, though. I wonder if the Dorco and Derby blades benefited from the Haslinger and Antiga Barberia de Bairro lathers. Maybe my beard is not as tough as when I first tried Derby’s in 2010? I never thought I would arrive at this place...

Your technique has improved.

When I first started out with DE shaving, Derby was about all that was available, except for Feathers, which were just unusable (nicks and cuts all the time), and Merkurs, which were overpriced for the performance you got compared to Derby.

 

[FL shaver]

I am sure my technique has improved, but other blades worked well when I first started. Derbys yanked mercilessly on my whiskers like no other. I enjoyed another flawless shave this morning. I am somewhat excited about this finding as I would consider purchasing 100 and giving up Astra SPs.

 

[Quest4WS]

Derby blades were one of my first blades, along with personna blues. I'm glad I moved on from them. Never cared for them.

 

[stuartshaver]

most DE blades are fine. It will depend more on how your particular razor holds them due to the extreme thinness of DE blades. If the blade is clamped far from the edge or not tightly then you will notice more variance in blades. Razors that secure blades tightly don’t suffer as much variance in my experience. Derby are not much different than a Feather in my Karve they don’t vary in how well they cut only in smoothness, the Derby wins

I've been thinking something similar to this. I don't know whether it's how far from the edge or how tightly the blade is held or something else, but I do have one razor that's been wonderful with several different brands of blades, and another razor where one brand of blade is great and another is not.

I have real doubts about a lot of subjective reporting on blades, I'll just leave it at that. My BIC and Treet Platinums work well enough for me despite being quite different in measured sharpness, I feel no need to go looking for differences in blade/razor matching imagined or otherwise.

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I don't doubt that different people have different experiences with different blades, but I'd like to know more about why this is so. There are also so many variables.

If I use brand A blades in brand B razor with brand C soap, what can I learn from someone else's experiences with brand A blades in brand Y razor with brand Z soap? My face, beard, technique, and maybe even the hardness of my water could be completely different. Which factors are most important and which are not?

 

[vartik]

I have never tried Derby Extra, but Derby Premiums are one of my top 3 blades (along with Astra SP and yellow Gilette 7'Oclock).

 

[RayClem]

I've been thinking something similar to this. I don't know whether it's how far from the edge or how tightly the blade is held or something else, but I do have one razor that's been wonderful with several different brands of blades, and another razor where one brand of blade is great and another is not.




I don't doubt that different people have different experiences with different blades, but I'd like to know more about why this is so. There are also so many variables.

If I use brand A blades in brand B razor with brand C soap, what can I learn from someone else's experiences with brand A blades in brand Y razor with brand Z soap? My face, beard, technique, and maybe even the hardness of my water could be completely different. Which factors are most important and which are not?

All the factors are important. That is why there is such variability in responses.

 

[stuartshaver]

All the factors are important. That is why there is such variability in responses.

I think there could well be other reasons for the variability in responses, and I don't think that all factors are equally important.

 

[RayClem]

I think there could well be other reasons for the variability in responses, and I don't think that all factors are equally important.

They may not be EQUALLY important, but all do play a role.

 

[cwsnc]

Derby was the first blade I used, with proper prep and the right razor it's not a bad blade, the Derby Premiums are a pretty decent blade and perform great in the 6C.

 

[RayClem]

For those whose beard is not too tough, Derby can be a good blade. Generally, when we are young and just starting to shave, our beards are very fine (peach fuzz). As we age, our beards normally get tougher so that some of us who have been shaving for fifty years or more may have a beard like steel wool. Thus, you may well find that blades that worked for you when you were young, might no longer work when you get older.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I find that Derbys work great in the shavette, where having a blade that is wicked sharp isnt really something you always want.
Anyone who thinks that all Derbys are trash really need to try the Premiums. They may just change your mind about Derbys.

 

[Pippirull]

I think Derby's are ok. I feel that they are not as sharp as many other, but the results are great.
I do however agree that it's probably very razor depending, my Rockwell 6s can take almost any blade and still deliver great. Only exception so far is their own blade that was absolutely horrible.

 

[FireDragon76]

I get tugging with Derby's. They are very much dependent on the right razor and the right technique. They weren't so good in a Shick Krona but they worked OK in a Gillette Tech. You have to ride the cap, not the bar, as they like a shallow angle.

 

[Pippirull]

Just realized that I usually shave with the razor twisted a bit, almost like a slant. That might help a little bit to make most blades work for me.

 

[Steelerfan]

It is all about trying a blade for yourself to see if it works for you.

 

[Umma2gumma]

Derby Premiums are average (not in a bad way) in most of my razors, really good in Razorock German 37 slant.

I have an unopened 5-blade sampler of Derby Extras, don’t think I will open it anytime soon, based on reviews.

Given that Derby Premiums - in my experience at least - are just a little less sharp than Astra SP, about the same smoothness, yet cost a little more, I don’t think I am going to buy them again.

 

[dreadpirate]

10 years ago, Derby was the go-to default blade for those just starting out with DE shaving. Now it's Astra. I don't know what happened to Derby.