Ok i'm looking to see what the more experienced guys here have to say. Ive been using Derby and Astra blades as it's all i have myfriend gave me some. A lot of guys love the derby's but i just shaved and drew some blade for the first time it seems like this blade is harsher to me anyone else feel this way? I will say that i did get a super smooth shave from this blade. But the astra seems easier on the face which blade is sharper of the two?
Derby vs. astra
- Thread starter vinniel
- Start date
I think Astra is a reasonably sharp blade with a good degree of smoothness. Only tried Derby a couple of times and prefer the Astra.
I prefer Astra over Derby but neither are in my top tier of blades.
- Thread starter
- #4
Derby is an alright blade. I have smoother and sharper blades, but I would never complain about having to use a derby.
I prefer astra superior platinum (Only ones I've tried) to derby because they are sharper.... and almost as smooth.
My Current favorites are Crystal IP's, but I want to try Shark's next since I've been hearing such great things about them
I prefer astra superior platinum (Only ones I've tried) to derby because they are sharper.... and almost as smooth.
My Current favorites are Crystal IP's, but I want to try Shark's next since I've been hearing such great things about them
Feathers, Red IPs, Wilkinson Sword (classics I think, they might be difficult to find), Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellows), and Bic Chrome Platinum. YMMV but Feathers and Red IPs seems to generally well though of. Red IPs are dirt cheap at westcoastshaving.com so that's a plus.
The Astra is much sharper and smoother than the Derby. This does not make the Derby a worse blade, just different. remember YMMV. In your case, it appears your face responds better to the Astra.
marty
marty
I have the same thing going on. Astra Superior Platinum feels much better than Derby. Having said that, Derby is a good blade. I would recommend to try it again in a few months, it's suprising how technique influences the perception of the blade... I had a 'wow' moment with Merkur...
- Thread starter
- #9
A) it's near impossible to say what a blade will or won't do for someone, so you have to try them out
B) you've already answered your question, and it's the same conclusion I came to - Astras are better for me than Derbys
sure, I can get an alright shave with Derbys, and a pretty good shave with them in one particular razor, but Astras are much better for me.
If we can draw the conclusion from this tiny sample, and say blades that are good for me may be good for you, then I'd suggest trying the Red IPs, the Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and blacks, and Feathers. I've gotten good shaves with the Bics and Wilkinson Swords, too.
Crystals, Derbys, Swedish Gillettes have given me pretty good shaves, too, but only in a specific razor (Sheraton).
best advice: get a sampler pack (or 2) of blades, westcoastshaving.com has some good packages, and there are others I can't recall right off the top of my head right now, but they're easy enough to find.
get as wide a selection of blades as you can, even if reviews aren't very favorable.
there are actually some people who exist that actually LIKE Merkur blades!
(nevermind these same folks coincidentally live next to a nuclear reactor made out of cardboard...
I kid, I kid!)
B) you've already answered your question, and it's the same conclusion I came to - Astras are better for me than Derbys
sure, I can get an alright shave with Derbys, and a pretty good shave with them in one particular razor, but Astras are much better for me.
If we can draw the conclusion from this tiny sample, and say blades that are good for me may be good for you, then I'd suggest trying the Red IPs, the Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and blacks, and Feathers. I've gotten good shaves with the Bics and Wilkinson Swords, too.
Crystals, Derbys, Swedish Gillettes have given me pretty good shaves, too, but only in a specific razor (Sheraton).
best advice: get a sampler pack (or 2) of blades, westcoastshaving.com has some good packages, and there are others I can't recall right off the top of my head right now, but they're easy enough to find.
get as wide a selection of blades as you can, even if reviews aren't very favorable.
there are actually some people who exist that actually LIKE Merkur blades!
(nevermind these same folks coincidentally live next to a nuclear reactor made out of cardboard...
I kid, I kid!)
I prefer the Astras to the Derbys but the Derbys are still a fine blade.
I prefer Derby to Astra by a small margin so there we go with YMMV. That's why sampler packs are the way to go.
- Thread starter
- #13
I prefer Astra Superiors over Derbys but Feathers are the only blade I use now... The Gillette 7 O'clock SharpEdge are about the same as Astra Superior in my opinion.
Cheers,
Cheers,
I regularly use them both in my rotation ... each blade is paired with a specific razor, and I choose which one I use depending on how long it's been since my last shave.
The Derby goes into my 34G, and I use that for a 1-day stubble. Its nice and gentle, easy to use, and gives me BBS in 3 passes.
The Astra-SP goes with my Pure-gress ... and I adjust the dial upward between 1.5~4.5 to deal with 2 or 3 days worth of whiskers.
I use Feather in my 39C, and the SlantHammer is called into play when I have 3 or more days of beard to harvest.
BTW, the Astra-SP is the most universal blade I have found ... it works well no matter what razor I try it in. Not all blades work with all razors, but the Astra will work with anything.
The Derby goes into my 34G, and I use that for a 1-day stubble. Its nice and gentle, easy to use, and gives me BBS in 3 passes.
The Astra-SP goes with my Pure-gress ... and I adjust the dial upward between 1.5~4.5 to deal with 2 or 3 days worth of whiskers.
I use Feather in my 39C, and the SlantHammer is called into play when I have 3 or more days of beard to harvest.
BTW, the Astra-SP is the most universal blade I have found ... it works well no matter what razor I try it in. Not all blades work with all razors, but the Astra will work with anything.
I thought the Keramiks worked far better than the Platinums, but they are more expensive and are getting hard to find since they stopped producing them.
Derby or Astra?
Like them both and don't really have a preference for one over the other.
Both give me a great shave plus I get them real cheap.
Like them both and don't really have a preference for one over the other.
Both give me a great shave plus I get them real cheap.
