Derby. Wow. they really are bad!

[zygalski]

I currently have a blade sample sesh going on & I have to say these stand out as being utter, utter garbage.
The first shave feels like a Feather that's been used a couple of times more than it should & then it just gets rougher & rougher from there.
How can people rate these as anything other than awful? They seem to have reasonable reviews on amazon. I had to hack away at my face to get anything like a normal 2 pass shave with anything else. Now I have the inevitable fire.
Here's how I've rated them:

Price/VFM = 3/5
Sharpness = 2/5
Longevity = 2/5
Smoothness = 3/5
Irritation/Tugging/Pulling = 3/5
Total = 13
Comments:
Blunt. Tugging/pulling/hacking. Really cheap, nasty blade

To give some comparison here are some other totals, all using DE89 & TOBS coconut cream with WTG/XTG/ATG passes:
Personna Barber = 22
Personna Platinum Chrome = 22
Feather = 23
Shark Super Chrome = 22

I have about 7 or 8 more blades to try. Derby are the worst. Awful in every sense.

 

[Haegar]

How can people rate these as anything other than awful?

I guess their mileage varies from your's.

Sooner or later I'll have to try them to check out my own mileage. Packs of 5 are dropping in as I buy new and also used razors...

BTW, which razor(s) were you using?

 

[Beeman]

Opinion

 

[Ashley Rosser]

I too found them feeling rough ATG but found the results very smooth and no irritation, weird blade for me; but I'll use the ones I have.

 

[platon951]

maybe fake derbys ??

 

[Darkbulb]

My limited experience;
Derby: tugged a bit, no razor burn, good shave,
Astra: very smooth shave, terrible razor burn (its now 5 hours after the Astra shave and my face is still tender/hot).

Note; I'm a n00b and all could be due to technique but those are my humble findings so far.

 

[John Pseudonym]

There was a thread a week or so ago with people claiming Derby quality crashed about six months ago. Right when the package logo went from horizontal to vertical. I tried Derbys three months ago and totally agree with you. My vertical logo blades were awful. Apparently they were better last year?

 

[nehpets4627]

I had the exact same experience early on. The Derby was actually my first blade and I convinced myself to stick with it through a full 5 pack assuming my technique was simply in need of improvement. My second blade, after the first 5 pack of Derby was a Gillette SharpEdge (Yellow, Russia) and it was a night-and-day difference, regardless of only having around 15 shaves under my belt.

I decided to revisit the Derby a handful of times, usually expecting months of technique improvement to yield it usable... to date, 2.5 years into DE shaving, it still is nothing but dull and irritating for me in a wide selection of razors. This, and the very similar Blue Bird, are about as bad as it gets for me.

 

[rand77]

Never liked Derby until I tried it in an R41. That razor makes Derby shine.

 

[MicBaldy]

To each his own, I suppose. They always work great for me.

 

[Resante]

Derbys work great for me in the Krona. Very smooth, similar to the 7oclock yellow.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...That razor makes Derby shine.

I would rather use a flashlight.

 

[mikelz777]

I've revisited Derbys recently and I've found them to be solid, above-average performers. There's a lot of blades out there that I like more because they are smoother but Derby's aren't anything I'm wary of or that I'm disappointed in. They work fine for me. It's one of those YMMV things I suppose.

 

[zygalski]

maybe fake derbys ??

They were the ones sold with my DE89 which I bought last year.

 

[Okla1911]

For me they were alright, neither good nor bad. I'll use up what I have, but wouldn't put them on a 100 unit short list by any means.

 

[merkur59]

Thing about blade is that mostly, they work differently in different razors.
Nonetheless, for the price, I can get better blades (astra)

 

[BubblesTGB]

My beard isn't too tough and I have never had an issue with the Derby blade. Works fine for me. But, as always, the mileage varies.

 

[mindofsummer]

I've never used Derbys but am always amused at the different impressions other people have of them. I understand YMMV, but this is crazy. Or maybe it's just hyperbole.

 

[Chadao]

Nondescript for me. I used them a long while not really aware there was any difference and not trying any others. My next blade was a Feather and I found such a difference I gave the rest of my Derbys away. I never thought of them as bad, but my face deserved the best. My top three now are Gillette Yellow, Personna "Lab," and Feather.

 

[Cacique]

I think my beard is somewhat on the rougher side and when I tried Derbys when I got my EJ DE89 they chewed my face up so bad I swore to never pick another one up after I was done with the first blade. Every time I see the pack I'm tempted, then haunted by the horrible razor burn and cuts.