Comprehensive blade comparison

[JMan424]

Hi all

I've just done some searching of the forum and looked at the wiki page on blades and do not see any comprehensive comparison of blades. I am new enough to this I have only sampled two blades, Derby and Korean Dorco, and the only list (from westcoastshaving FAQ, below) is not only non-specific about the Dorcos (I have two types), but it also lacks many other blades I have in my my sampler.

If I may I would like, on behalf of all newbies like myself, ask to draw yet again on the experience of the community at large and try to see if there's a concensus on how to organize blades in terms of comfortable to sharp/aggressive, assuming such a concensus could exist. And also assuming a more comprehensive list doesn't already exist somewhere else I couldn't find.

The primary of purpose of this list for a newbie such as myself would be a rough guide of what order we should try blades in.

Current list:
Dorco
Merkur
Derby/Crystal
Red Pack Israeli
Swedish Gillette/Wilkinson Sword (UK)
Feather


To be added:
Personna Platinum
Lord
Treet Ultra Sharp
Trig Silver Edge
7 AM Platinum
Sharp Stainless
Super Platinum
Astra
Super Iridium
Gillette Silver Blue
Gillette 7 o'clock yellows
Gillette 7 o'clock green pack

Also TBD: Clarify whether "Dorco" means Korean Dorco, Dorco Platinum, or both, and if not both also add the other

Obviously there are loads more blades that could go on the list, the "to be added" are just the ones I have setting in front of me personally

Useful undertaking or useles idea?

(last edit: added beaker's TBD suggestions)

 

[tsmba]

Its such a personal thing that anything other than generalities would be pointless. For myself, I quickly learned that I didn't care for Merkur blades. I also went through a sampler or two before settling in on Red Packs and Wilkinson. These both give me a close, comfortable shave. Feathers are pretty much accepted as the sharpest, but may or may not be comfortable.

 

[Emmett]

Tom is right--of all wetshaving variables, blades are the most "YMMV". There's no consensus; making anything other than broad generalizations is not really possible.

This thread: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=104080

does comparisons, but again that data is specific to the fellow who created the chart.

I understand the need to categorize and follow a process, as I have that small compulsion as well. My advice is to channel it into other aspects of this hobby and not stress about whether you're using the "right" blade for your current experience level.

 

[guenron]

Hi all

...SNIP...

If I may I would like, on behalf of all newbies like myself, ask to draw yet again on the experience of the community at large and try to see if there's a concensus on how to organize blades in terms of comfortable to sharp/aggressive, assuming such a concensus could exist. And also assuming a more comprehensive list doesn't already exist somewhere else I couldn't find.

The primary of purpose of this list for a newbie such as myself would be a rough guide of what order we should try blades in.

...SNIP...

I must say a BIG +1 for Tom's and Emmet's responses. I would just add that not only do not stress, but remember something many overlook and that is different blades perform differently in different razors!

 

[JMan424]

I think what I will do then is try the blades I have multiples of earlier so that I can revisit them as my technique improves.

Thanks for the responses. While I understood the subjectivity of preference, I thought there was more concensus about which blades were generally considered sharper or more aggressive.

 

[tsmba]

I'm not sure what you mean by "aggressive" in relation to a blade. Feathers are considered to be the sharpest blade available in the US....however I have seen many complaints that they don't hold that sharpness.
Of course, if you get into method shaving, blade action takes on a whole new meaning.

 

[beaker]

You have not included any of the St Peterburg blades in your list, like Astra, Super Iridium, Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and green packs, all of which are pretty easy to come by. I would urge you to try these blades, as for me they are head and shoulders above all the others on your list.

As others have said above, your mileage may vary, and as a result even a subjective quality like sharpness becomes difficult to assess. For example, in MY case the popular Personna blades are merely average, while Feathers which are widely regarded as the sharpest blades going, FEEL utterly horrible on my skin -they are anything but smooth, and cause such severe razorburn, that they are relegated to my "avoid at all costs" category.

So is sharpness overrated? I would go for a smooth feeling blade every time, and to hell with any notion of how sharp it is supposed to be compared to another brand.

Unfortunately we can all make reccomendations of what works for US, but no-one here can tell you what is the best blade FOR YOU. So you are just going to have to keep on sampling, until you find the your own personal favourites. One thing is for sure - when you find them, you will know!

 

[Biffo]

snip * Unfortunately we can all make reccomendations of what works for US, but no-one here can tell you what is the best blade FOR YOU. So you are just going to have to keep on sampling, until you find the your own personal favourites. One thing is for sure - when you find them, you will know! *unsnip

+1 for this

Merkur blades generally get rubbished as being cr*p/bad/poor, yet I find they give me an excellent shave and are durable, good for 3 - 4 shaves, I will be buying new ones and some of the other brands that have been praised on here to high heaven I've tried in several different razors and have been been unimpressed to say the least, they won't get bought again, I'll keep sampling till I find the best blade for me, in all of my razors, then bulk buy knowing the search is over

 

[JMan424]

Indeed my list was not comprehensive. The idea was to make a more-or-less comprehensive list, and my "To adds" were only the blades I had in front of me. Your suggestions are a big reason why this reference would be useful to me and other newbies.

I also understand that different blades will feel more or less smooth to any given person, and the only approach to this is to try samples. My understanding was also that it was generally considered wise to advance from blades that are generally less sharp to more sharp ones. Thus this reference would also help me and other newbies have an idea of what order to try our samples in rather than picking them at random.

So the idea putting those two together, which I didn't explain very well, was to make a more-or-less comprehensive list of blades, roughly in order of sharpness, for people like me (who don't know the blades) to use as a reference as we try them (to find the blade that feels the smoothest) without massacring our faces by inadvertently using a very sharp blade before our technique is ready. It may also be useful to put a * by some common favorites (like Feather).

Another potentially useful thing for this reference is the blades aggressiveness. If my understanding is correct this absolutely can be measured objectively. I assume a blade aggressiveness corresponds directly to its width, edge to edge.

A couple examples- I have a Derby Extra here that measures 21.79mm according to my calipers, and a Korean Dorco that measures 21.94mm with the same calipers (both blades measuring consistently a few places across the length of the razor).

I'm sure I'm oversimplifying some considerations but for those of us starting from zilch even having a simplified view could be useful. But either I explained the idea poorly in the OP or I'm the only one who thinks so

 

[tsmba]

If I had it to do over again, I would have spent far less time sampling. I think RP's were the third blade I tried and I should have stayed with them. Once you find a comfortable blade, about the only improvement available is a better price.

 

[JMan424]

If I had it to do over again, I would have spent far less time sampling. I think RP's were the third blade I tried and I should have stayed with them. Once you find a comfortable blade, about the only improvement available is a better price.

I have some but haven't tried them yet.

I've tried to the two I measured (Korean Dorco and Derby Extra) and then today I tried a Feather for the first time. So far the Feather is far and away my favorite. This morning's shave was BBS over the majority of my face with 3 passes plus touchup.