Derby blades

[uncarich]

I am curious why Derbys are the blade you love to hate. In the review section on this blog they did get pretty favorable post in the good old days. On Amazon they get very respectable reviews.
I have had some great shaves with a sample box I got with my Jagger de89. I wonder if blades go through fad stages just like a lot of other gear like golf clubs.

 

[TomTomTuning]

They're considered a "mild" blade and I guess a lot of shaves prefer a sharper blade. I personally like using a Derby from time to time. They're super cheap too. Plus I gift them to newbie DE shavers, I think it's the best "starter" blade.

 

[pdxshaver]

With my fatboy set on 3 and a derby it is super combo that is honestly hard to beat.

 

[demaro]

Derbys always give me a great shave and I love the price 200 for $15.00 on Amazon..

 

[Cacique]

In my case, they never gave me a good shave. From the start they pulled and tugged all over the place. Once I discovered Astra SP I didn't bother with Derbys, then after I got my technique down, out went the Astra SP. I guess they're just too dull for my beard.

 

[redrako]

There's certainly a "what's hot, what's not" aspect to shaving products. Then there are cases where products change over time, sometimes for the worse.

Derby blades were very popular about 4, 5, 6 years ago. Around that time Derby changed it's packaging and many devoted Derby users found that their once sharp, smooth blade had become a hit or miss, sometimes good, sometimes bad blade. They argued that Derby's were now rough blades or that Derby Quality control had degraded.

Personally I find them to be a pretty good blade, but one that commands respect. I particularly like them in Merkur HD's and Weber razors.

 

[Mandina]

While I now generally use sharper blades (Feathers, Gillette Yellows, Perma-sharp Supers), I still occasionally use a Derby (in my EJ89l) and get several good shaves. I once had a couple of consecutive clunker Derby blades, but just those two out of about 50+ blades.

 

[takisg]

I have about 80 Derby blades in my draw...just a mediocre blade, it does the job (with a bit tagging) when you run out of sharp blades.

 

[Szyman01]

I enjoy Derby, they seem to last long for me and give me a pleasant shave. I do not have a thick beard though.

 

[Mick]

It is price snobbery, plain and simple. If it is inexpensive it must not be as good as blades costing 2 - 3 times as much.

Derby blades are well made and sharp enough to cut your whiskers. What more do you want?

Go out looking for a shavette blade. Mostly what you will find are Derby. Why? They are sharp. They are cost effective in the commercial world of barbering. They just work

 

[Chadao]

I used them exclusively for about 18 months. Then I tried a Feather and lost interest. But...blades are so subjective, I cannot disagree with Turtle. Probably Oscroft's tests influenced me too.

 

[ackvil]

I have gotten decent shaves from them. I really don't understand the hatred of so many blades. I guess some folks think if they pay more they will get a better shave.

 

[zygalski]

I've tried about a dozen types of blade & for me Derby are the worst by some considerable amount.
I strongly disagree about price snobbery... I can get Personna platinum chromes for the same price & they shave fantastically!

 

[eezee]

It would seem to me that it is all dependent on the shaver and the face. I've only been wet shaving for 4 months and I can honestly say that all of the blades I have used, including Derby, were sharp enough to cut the whiskers and give me a pretty good shave. In all honesty the blade that tends to be the most "scratchy" with me are the Merkurs. They also tend to be the most inconsistent. At least for me. But they work and I'm not about to throw them out.

Thus far the blades that have given me the best shaves are Balzano, Croma, and Kai, with Kai being the winner in being "damn sharp." I'm about to try my first Red Personna and look forward to seeing what they are like.

What intrigues me are the razors!

I'm learning a lot about this hobby. Keep the comments coming!

EZ

 

[Shellbriar]

I like them. I set my Progress on 3 and life's great.

 

[uncarich]

Thanks for all the replies to my query.

 

[renewingmind]

I ordered about ten different brands of blades for my "pick your own" sampler. After trying all of them I bought 100 Gillette Silver Blues and 100 Derbys. Good blade for me.

Joel

 

[UK_Rich]

I don't mind derby, which is just as well as I got 100 when a newbie! I guess it is a common starter blade and therefore our technique is not as good as it is now. I am not sure if I would buy more of them when they run out, but since I probably have over 1000 blades of other makes left I should not be buying more of any blade really.

 

[tadas]

Technique isn't an issue for me - I've been shaving with DE's since the '70s, and soap-and-brush since 1979. I had a miserable shave with a Derby the other day (in a Mergress set at 3)- many cuts (which I *never* get). I had to use a Gillette Guard the next day (the Gillette Guard, marketed in India as the dirt-cheap "system razor" is oriented to "no injury" rather than "close cut") - great razor for "I killed my face but need to shave - a one pass SAS shave that makes a Gillette Tech seem like a straight razor.

I took the blade from the Mergress and put it into a Gillette Tech head on a Griest brass fat handle and had a fine shave with it today. I'd tried a different soap than usual on the bad shave, and that might have been it. I've got 200 of these suckers, so I'm not giving up, if I have a working combo.

 

[Cholli]

A good shave with Derby blades depends on the razor for me.
I get good shaves with my Futur and my Ibsen slant, but very unpleasant shaves with my Adjustable Slim.

I´ll try them in my new RazoRock Open Comb, soon.