Favorite Blade Format

[never-stop-learning]

What is your favorite replaceable blade format? Your "go to" when you want your best & most comfortable shave?

AC? DE? GEM? Half DE? Injector? Something else?

My personal preferences have evolved over time. My favorite replaceable blade format is now the Artist Club (AC) blade. My top two AC blade razors (Blackland Razors Vector and Colonial Razors The General) provide a level of performance and comfort that I am finding more and more addictive.

How about you? What is your favorite blade format?

Additional comments are most appreciated?

 

[rbscebu]

Other - replaceable blade straight razor (RBSR), normally with a Feather DE half-blade.

 

[dmshaver]

I ventured into several AC blade razors (Vector, General, & others) & loved the shaves! The Vector is a magnificent razor. But then I made a decision to focus my energies on one style, & that one style I'm focused on now is de. It's an enjoyable journey learning the nuances of the various razors & see how my wants & needs in a razor change with time.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

What is your favorite replaceable blade format? Your "go to" when you want your best & most comfortable shave?

AC? DE? GEM? Half DE? Injector? Something else?

My personal preferences have evolved over time. My favorite replaceable blade format is now the Artist Club (AC) blade. My top two AC blade razors (Blackland Razors Vector and Colonial Razors The General) provide a level of performance and comfort that I am finding more and more addictive.

How about you? What is your favorite blade format?

Additional comments are most appreciated?

I love answering these poles, cause when I get to see the results, it always validates that I am normal. Yes, I can be a wet shaving connoisseur, spiral far down into the rabbit hole, I will never get out of it. But as long as I am answering these poles correctly, and I find I am part of the majority, I will take that normalcy as a win doggone!

Yes, I do find that DE provides me the most comfortable shave, but primarily so, when I am using Nacet's. Yes, brand of blade is important to. So, I hope you find my additional comment informative, or enlightening. Cool beans

 

[Phoenixkh]

I started this journey (after one try with a Lupo DE aluminum razor) with an AC razor. That was it for me. I'm content with that decision. For me, it was just dumb luck since I knew next to nothing about wet shaving. However, David, the Poll-meister, showed me the most beautiful handles I've ever seen.... so I now have two Timeless Titanium Crown handles: polished and matte.

But don't worry... there was a black hole just waiting for me. I got a few nice soaps.. fine.... but brushes... oh, the brushes. <eg>

 

[Ted A]

Double edge got the vote. But I don’t think I have arrived at best, favorite and most comfortable format yet. I haven’t tried an AC yet.

 

[Shaveprentice]

I really like AC razors and blades and I have had some very good shaves with them. However I chose the DE blade format because the huge variety of DE razors and blades available allows me to consistently get superb shaves and vary the aggressiveness, smoothness, efficiency, etc.. to an endless degree which I really enjoy experimenting with. Overall my very best shaves so far have been with DE razors and blades.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I really like AC razors and blades and I have had some very good shaves with them. However I chose the DE blade format because the huge variety of DE razors and blades available allows me to consistently get superb shaves and vary the aggressiveness, smoothness, efficiency, etc.. to an endless degree which I really enjoy experimenting with. Overall my very best shaves so far have been with DE razors and blades.

I do enjoy watching the various DE razor and blade journeys here. As you said, there are dozens of great razor companies and someone here totaled the number of DE blades available and came up with 109. I have no way to verify that or I should say, I'll just take their word for it.

It makes interesting reading for me. Only a handful of people here are using the razor that sort of found me. Initially, I thought that was unfortunate but now, I've relaxed a little. I read about what works for one person but doesn't work for another. I didn't think shaving could be this subjective but it sure seems to be. I was surprised to read that several people tried AC razors and didn't have the best experiences. If they only tried a SE AC razor from AliExpress, that could explain it.

 

[thombrogan]

@rbscebu , half-DE is the fourth one down. I believe that includes half Feather DE blades, but clarification is always welcomed.

I love answering these poles, cause when I get to see the results, it always validates that I am normal.

That must be sweet. I’m coming up on half a century of “that boy ain’t right” and can’t imagine how awesome feeling normal and not hearing “bless your heart” when speaking in public — in New England! — must be.

I haven’t tried an AC yet.

The day is still young. If you avoid the Vincent PSI VT306B, you should be fine. So many awesome barber razors and safety razors use the blade type.

I wish my favorite was AC format or GEM style, but a (RazoRock) JAWS and a Shark (Super Stainless) is a walk in the park.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Other - replaceable blade straight razor (RBSR), normally with a Feather DE half-blade.

@rbscebu , half-DE is the fourth one down. I believe that includes half Feather DE blades, but clarification is always welcomed.

@thombrogan is correct. The RBSR can easily fit in the Half DE category.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I prefer DE, specifically DE Open Comb shaving.

I think that OC razors are more efficient than a Solid Bar razor, in that a good proportion of the whiskers that have already been raised by the lather will be cut by the blade directly, whereas the solid bar will push them down. Those that the OC misses you can always get with the second pass, etc.

The Fatip Piccolo was a complete revelation to me, and it was confirmed when I was lucky enough to obtain an Otto Roth New Long Comb.


Two Open Comb razors having a chat.

My usage of OC razors has confirmed (to me anyway) their superb efficiency. I managed a 10+ hour-long smooth result yesterday from using the Roth, on a 2+ day growth. Only now, some 20 hours later, is some baby stubble beginning to visibly re-appear. That was off a blade with 15 trips.

Honourable mention must go to the Gillette adjustables, whose higher settings 7-9 I assume are meant to mimic a Red Tip, and are excellent in that guise. And the superb SE 1912 GEM/Ever Ready which is a total joy to use and is ruthlessly efficient, yet a complete puddy cat to my skin.

I love all my razors, and they all give fantastic results, if I do my part well.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I started this journey (after one try with a Lupo DE aluminum razor) with an AC razor. That was it for me. I'm content with that decision. For me, it was just dumb luck since I knew next to nothing about wet shaving. However, David, the Poll-meister, showed me the most beautiful handles I've ever seen.... so I now have two Timeless Titanium Crown handles: polished and matte.

But don't worry... there was a black hole just waiting for me. I got a few nice soaps.. fine.... but brushes... oh, the brushes. <eg>

Oh I was never worried about a thing, I knew you would find yourself to the rabbit hole, everybody does. And just when I thought I was smarter then the rabbit hole, it expanded in size and I fell into it. Its where every good wet shaver ends up, resistance is futile.

 

[Happy Jack]

I started this journey (after one try with a Lupo DE aluminum razor) with an AC razor. That was it for me.

If the Lupo Aluminium had been my first DE razor then I would probably have given up on DE shaving too. A dreadful shave. Love the handles though!

 

[sarimento1]

you can probably guess my personal fav...

 

[Butch Waxx]

you can probably guess my personal fav...

View attachment 1460657

Quick question Sarmiento…..When I zoom in on your blade, I am seeing these tiny notches, (I must assume are the guards). Do you feel those when shaving?

 

[Phoenixkh]

If the Lupo Aluminium had been my first DE razor then I would probably have given up on DE shaving too. A dreadful shave. Love the handles though!

LOL... it was a gift from our youngest son... so I'm keeping it around, though I don't plan to ever use it again. <Eg>

 

[sarimento1]

Quick question Sarmiento…..When I zoom in on your blade, I am seeing these tiny notches, (I must assume are the guards). Do you feel those when shaving?

no, never feel the guards at all; they are microscopic smooth-edged.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Quick question Sarmiento…..When I zoom in on your blade, I am seeing these tiny notches, (I must assume are the guards). Do you feel those when shaving?

I use (mostly) Kai Proguard MG and (sometimes) Feather Proguard guarded blades in my Feather Japanese Straight and Feather Folding Straight. On my face, skin & beard, I do not feel the guard.

 

[NoScrubs]

DE, only because it expands razor and blade choice. However, if I had to shave with the same razor and blade every day it is the AC Proline mounted on the Vector.

 

[never-stop-learning]

DE, only because it expands razor and blade choice. However, if I had to shave with the same razor and blade every day it is the AC Proline mounted on the Vector.

The Vector SB + Schick Proline + Timeless or TiBam Ti Handle. Favorite kit!