Challenge PIF - Astra Superior Stainless Blades - Then And Now

[Chad3]

I know I’m not anywhere near as eloquent as others during these blade challenges but love to partake of them anyway. So thank you @Grundi and @Space_Cadet and for the opportunity. Past 8 shaves have been with vintage blade in a large gap large exposure razor that can shave with just about anything.
#6 shave was wonderful. It was smooth as can be with very little to no reaction to AS.
#7 shave wasn’t very smooth or enjoyable but job was adequate and skin was fine after an hour or so.
#8 back to a fine shave. Not great and definitely no where near as bad as the last one. I have no idea what the change or difference was.
I’ll keep going with this blade more so because of the fact that it’s so old and I’ll probably never get to shave with vintage like this again so I’m going to stick with them as long as I can. I will check back in in a few weeks with another 6+ shaves or earlier if I have to get rid of it.

 

[TheBigL]

I've been shaving less often here the past few weeks so I have really put these blades to the test on some long growth. I've found the Vintage to be great for me, right out of the box. The Modern does a good job but I'm often left with a nick or irritation.

However, the Vintage seems to last and last, probably twice as long as I would run a blade regularly.

 

[Demolition]

Nineteenth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Vintage) blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Classic 20mm Angel Hair
Soap: Vitos Classic Eucalyptus and Lanolin

Still going...

With its nineteenth use under its belt, this vintage blade has lasted more than three times as long as any of the modern Astra SS blades, so far. (As an aside, the jury is still out on the third modern blade, but I suspect that it will also meet its demise soon due to the inconsistency it has shown, lately.)

As for today's shave, all three passes were routine. There was no tugging or roughness. It still takes a bit more work to get a close shave, but this is a trait that I've noticed since this blade was new. As usual, there was no post-shave irritation, so no ASB was required.

I've been shaving less often here the past few weeks so I have really put these blades to the test on some long growth. I've found the Vintage to be great for me, right out of the box. The Modern does a good job but I'm often left with a nick or irritation.

However, the Vintage seems to last and last, probably twice as long as I would run a blade regularly.

This is also my experience, as noted above. My first vintage blade is still going, while the third modern blade might be on its last legs.

 

[BigJ]

ThunderDome Challenge, ‘Two Blades Enter, One Blade Leaves!’

Purpose: To pick a winner, no ties allowed!

Methods: No blinding. Wolfman WR1 (my ‘daily driver’) will be loaded with the test blade. Then I use my (whatever looks good this AM) rotation of (mostly) ‘tallow’ soaps, badger brushes and assorted splashes.

Each shave will be judged using my ‘10 point’ scale during a week of shaves. Then on to the next blade.

Not exactly ‘scientific’ but this is the best I can do these days!

Results:

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 10
Shave #3: 9
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 1
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9
Shave #3: 9.5
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 8.5
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 8.9

Astra SS (Modern Russian) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 9.5
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 2
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9
Shave #5: 9
Shave #6: 8.5
Shave #7: 8.5
Average: 9.1

Modern (Russian) Astra SS Blade 3
Shave #1: 9.5
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4

Vintage Astra SS (Czech) Blade 3
Shave #1: 9
Shave #2: 9.5
Shave #3: 10!!
Shave #4: 9.5
Shave #5: 9.5
Shave #6: 9
Shave #7: 9
Average: 9.4!!
Discussion: Epic battle!!

Fans are on their feet cheering as this one goes to the judges!!!

Blade 1 goes to the Modern. Blade 2 goes to the Modern. Blade 3 is rated a DRAW!!

The Moden Russian blade WINS!! But far closer than expected!!

 

[Demolition]

Fourth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia 24mm Fan-shaped Tuxedo
Soap: RazoRock Black Label

A fantastic shave! (However...)

Today's outing was completely effortless and trouble-free. Quite possibly the closest, most comfortable shave that I've had this year. All three of my usual passes were extremely smooth and lightning quick. No buffing or touchups were required.

I normally don't grade my shaves, but if I had to describe today's shave, I'd have to rate it as a BBS.

However, I do have some reservations about this third modern blade. So far, it has provided one awful shave, two decent shaves and, now, one absolutely amazing "autopilot" shave. This Jekyll-and-Hyde routine is rather disconcerting because I don't know what kind of shave I'll get tomorrow.

I've mentioned many times that consistency and predictability are my main concerns when rating a razor/blade pairing. Well, up to now, the FOCS/modern Astra SS has scored pretty low on those two counts. That's regardless of whether it occasionally provides a perfect shave. If it can't do it more than one-quarter of the time, then why bother?

Anyway, I'm curious to see if this kind of performance will continue or if this was just a fluke.

 

[Demolition]

Twentieth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Vintage) blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Blue Marble 26mm Timber Wolf
Soap: RazoRock Green Label

The end of the road for a great performer.

On this, its twentieth use, I'm finally retiring this blade. Despite receiving a close shave, I noticed some slight tugginess on the WTG pass, particularly under my bottom lip and along my jawline. This hadn't been a problem before, so I suspect that it has reached the point where its inherent smoothness can't overcome its increasing lack of sharpness.

It was a wonderful run and the only thing that I lament is that the vintage Astra SS are no longer in production. This is a blade that I would have paid for. (Once again, a big thumbs up to @Grundi and @Space_Cadet for allowing us to try them out!)

So, at the risk of repeating myself (for the fourth or fifth time?), the vintage Astra SS is still my Challenge Champion. Even though the third modern Astra SS is currently deliveringed some excellent results, I don't see it taking away the title.

 

[hairless wonder]

Last night's shave was brought to you by modern Astra Stainless Steel blades. New and improved steels for a new and improved shave!

Tools
Blade: Modern Astra Stainless (6th use)
Razor: Fendrihan Kingston on WCS 79BR
Brush: Van Der Hagen Night Star 3 Band
Cream: Proraso Blue
Splash: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue
Balm: Duke Cannon and Vital Care aloe vera gel
Alum: generic alum block from local Indian market
Bowl: Captain's Choice Seaworthy in Cobalt

Procedure
Soak brush in warm water while taking a warm shower
Use a knife to slice an almond sized sliver of shave soap and put into bowl, then add some hot water to warm up bowl
After showering, dump water from bowl into empty yogurt cup
Squeeze brush to remove excess water
Apply brush to soap in bowl and whip up into a lather, adding water from yogurt cup as necessary
Apply lather to face
Shave WTG
Apply more lather to face
Shave ATG
Apply more lather to areas to be buffed
Buff difficult areas ATG (make sure to stretch skin)
Rinse soap off face then apply alum
Clean brush, razor, and bowl
Rinse alum off face and dry face on towel
Apply splash
Apply balm
Apply aloe vera gel

Results
I got a BBS shave with a couple weepers.

The blade felt rougher than ever before. I wound up with some weepers from just my WTG pass. Fortunately, applying my alum block was sufficient to staunch the bleeding before I continued shaving. The weepers could not be blamed on the lather, as it was another slick and thick lather from the Proraso Blue.

Unlike with my last shave, I felt a sting from the alum block pretty much everywhere on my face. After the alum block dried, I washed it off then dried my face before applying the Aqua Velva. There was a lot of sting immediately on application. While the menthol in the Aqua Velva felt nice, the alcohol confirmed the alum block's diagnosis that the shave was pretty rough.

As before, after the splash dried down and disappeared, I applied the Duke Cannon balm. I opted to go with this last night because it was a really warm night and I needed the extra cooling. After that dried, I wound up applying some aloe vera gel, not so much because of the shave but because I got slightly sunburned while fishing earlier that day. The aloe vera gel was initially intended for the sunburned patch on my chest, but I had so much gel left over, I decided to apply some to my face.

This wasn't my worst shave ever, but it was one of the worst shaves I've had in a while. This blade has snuffed it. It isn't just pining for the fjords.

All in all, if my first shave with the modern Astra stainless steel blade was a 93/100, this shave would be about a 87/100.

 

[Demolition]

Fifth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Stout 24mm Angel Hair
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap Stick

A very good shave, but not quite up to expectations.

Although today's outing was reasonably smooth and comfortable, it couldn't match the near-perfect shave that I received on June 5. That shave would have scored close to 10 out of 10 if I was giving numerical grades.

However, today's shave displayed several small flaws that made it less enjoyable. The WTG and ATG passes were fairly routine, but the XTG pass was slightly rough, again. I also had to buff a few spots under my chin and on the sides of my neck. This is something new for any of the modern Astra SS that I've tried. Usually, I don't have to buff at all with these blades. Unfortunately, the extra attention on my chin and neck caused some post-shave irritation that required a few dabs of ASB to quell.

Anyway, the consistency issues still persist. I had high hopes for this blade, but it has been a bit of a let-down, so far.

 

[Demolition]

Sixth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Purple 24mm Mink
Soap: RazoRock Blue Label

Basically, the same shave as yesterday's.

That is, the WTG and ATG passes were trouble-free and the XTG pass was slightly rough. This time, it was also a bit tuggy. Once again, I had to buff along the jawline and under the chin and, like yesterday, I ended up with mild post-shave irritation in those areas.

So, I'm thinking that this blade might be kaput. The other two modern Astra SS blades gave up the ghost on their sixth uses, so I'm not surprised by this development. I might give it another try, tomorrow, just for the hell of it. Otherwise, this closes the chapter on the modern Astra SS for me.

 

[Demolition]

Seventh shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Maggard 18mm Timber Wolf, Travel-Size
Soap: Pré de Provence No. 63

Hmm, not bad.

I went into this shave with a lot of trepidation, but came out of it with a grudging respect for this blade. The end result was similar to yesterday's shave, i.e. a touch of post-shave irritation under the chin and along the jawline. However, the XTG pass felt much smoother and the tugging that I felt yesterday was almost undetectable, today.

So, against my better judgement, I'll try this blade again, tomorrow. I'm not sure if I should be expecting another increase in shave quality or bracing for disaster, instead!

 

[Demolition]

Eighth shave with the Astra Superior Stainless (Modern) blade #3

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Black Marble 24mm Silvertip Badger
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label

Another decent performance.

Today's outing was pretty much identical to yesterday's. That is, both the WTG and ATG passes were reasonably good, while the XTG pass was just slightly rough. Post-shave irritation is much reduced for a pleasant change. So, this blade doesn't seem to have gotten worse. It may have even gotten better.

However, the performance still isn't up to the standard set by the vintage Astra SS. Although the modern Astra SS provided several excellent shaves, it did so with frustrating inconsistency. One day, a perfect shave; the next day, tuggy and rough. Frankly, I don't want to deal with it anymore. Therefore, it's the end of the line for this blade.

What's next? Maybe I'll revisit the Viking's Sword or Kai. Or, I could try another vintage Astra SS. After all, I still have two of them!

 

[SharpieB]

@Grundi @Space_Cadet

My blades just arrived today in Canada. Do I win a prize?

I will try the older Astra tonight or in the AM.

Thanks for sending them.

 

[Demolition]

My blades just arrived today in Canada.

Wow, 55 days to travel from Maine to Ontario (~800 miles)!

That's worse than my wait for the blades from the Classic vs Modern Wilkinson Challenge PIF. That time, it only took 49 days to go from Maine to B.C. (~2600 miles).

Anyway, we're glad that they made it. Looking forward to your thoughts on these blades!

 

[SharpieB]

Wow, 55 days to travel from Maine to Ontario (~800 miles)!

That's worse than my wait for the blades from the Classic vs Modern Wilkinson Challenge PIF. That time, it only took 49 days to go from Maine to B.C. (~2600 miles).

Anyway, we're glad that they made it. Looking forward to your thoughts on these blades!

I did give up hope. Blame it on Canada Post and/or USPS. Probably down the side of my mailman’s truck seat for a month as well!

I have avoided reading the reviews here at least, so I will be able to review them without knowing what others think.

 

[Grundi]

Wow, 55 days to travel from Maine to Ontario (~800 miles)!

That's worse than my wait for the blades from the Classic vs Modern Wilkinson Challenge PIF. That time, it only took 49 days to go from Maine to B.C. (~2600 miles).

Anyway, we're glad that they made it. Looking forward to your thoughts on these blades!

@Grundi @Space_Cadet

My blades just arrived today in Canada. Do I win a prize?

I will try the older Astra tonight or in the AM.

Thanks for sending them.

I am so glad that the Blades finally arrived!! WOW!! I thought @Demolition would retain the Longest Delivery Time title!! But we have a new Champion?!?

I'm gearing up for the next Participation PIF; if I didn't think that either our side or your side would arrest me, then I just might drive up to the border and chuck them across.

 

[SharpieB]

First shave with the Czech Astra today. Used my trusty Rockwell 6S with plate 6 and Noble Otter Rawr soap and AS. 2 1/2 days growth which is rare for me as I tend to shave every day.

Excellent blade. SUPER smooth and deceptively sharp. Reminded me of the 2nd or 3rd shave with a modern super sharp blade that has just broken in. Cool. Almost BBS with a 3 pass shave. About as good as 90%+ of my shaves.

I normally get 2-3 shaves out of modern Astra, BIC, Feather, Nacet, etc. but I would be surprised if this “vintage” Astra doesn’t go much further.

After one shave, I am impressed. I would buy these if they were available for sure.

Move over Hammer!

 

[borwish]

Just an update. I did a second, completely informal test between the two. No regard was given to consistency of setup or number of uses. Random selection is how I typically roll, so that's what I followed. The modern was used until tossed and then the vintage was used. This leaves me with just my overall impression of the two blades. The Vintage Astra SS was again smoother overall. I'm still using it in fact. It's one of the better blades I've tried.

Someone posted a deal on the modern blade last night. I passed on it. If it had been the vintage I would have bought a couple or three boxes.

 

[Juijitsu2010]

Sorry about this, @Juijitsu2010, but the PIF Phase ended a little while ago. All the blade were spoken for. We're now in the Challenge Phase.

(Don't despair though, they'll be more of these to come)

Thanks Grundi!

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

 

[cwright]

Polsilver (1) RR BBS AS, Proraso Red Pre-Shave, MWF with a little Proraso Green, Stirling Splash, Proraso Balm. Close, comfortable, zero drama BBS shave. I keep trying other blades, some are close but not like these.

 

[cwright]

Polsilver (2) RR BBS AS, Proraso Red Pre-Shave, MWF with a little Proraso Green, Stirling Splash, Proraso Balm. Close, comfortable, Another zero drama BBS shave.