Hey guys!
So I've been testing out some different DE blades over the last month or so to find one that would be both sharp and smooth. I've only been DE shaving for about 6 months and hadn't really tried many blades. When I first started I ordered a 100 pack of Shark SS, which were smooth for me, but they weren't that sharp. I wanted to find something that was a little sharper but also very smooth. I have sensitive skin and I didn't want to something too harsh. I ended up buy a few 5 packs to test out a some different blades. The blades were as follows - Gillette Silver Blue, Personna Lab Blue, Astra SP, and Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow. Going into testing them I thought the Personna and the Astra would be the best for me, based on what I had been reading on the forums, but I soon found out that blades are the ultimate YMMV. I found the GSB to be the harshest on my face. After a 2 pass shave - 1 WTG and 1 XTG - my face was burning. The Lab Blues and the Astra were similar...not as harsh but not smooth enough for what I was looking for. That leads to the Gillette Yellows, the winner among those I tried. I found it to be more than sharp enough for my beard, but it's also the smoothest of the four new ones I tried and pairs great with my DE89. I don't get any of the post shave burn like I did from the other 3. I would say, for me, it's as smooth as the Shark SS but much sharper too. I have one Yellow left that I'm going to use next, just to make sure they are as good as I think they are, and if all continues to go well I'll order quite a few of them.
To any other new DE shaver out there, listen when everyone says that blades are the ultimate YMMV - they are exactly right. If I would have just ordered 100 GSB because lots of people on here like them, I'd be regreting it. Grab a few and test them out to find what works for you. I'm glad I did!
Tim
So I've been testing out some different DE blades over the last month or so to find one that would be both sharp and smooth. I've only been DE shaving for about 6 months and hadn't really tried many blades. When I first started I ordered a 100 pack of Shark SS, which were smooth for me, but they weren't that sharp. I wanted to find something that was a little sharper but also very smooth. I have sensitive skin and I didn't want to something too harsh. I ended up buy a few 5 packs to test out a some different blades. The blades were as follows - Gillette Silver Blue, Personna Lab Blue, Astra SP, and Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow. Going into testing them I thought the Personna and the Astra would be the best for me, based on what I had been reading on the forums, but I soon found out that blades are the ultimate YMMV. I found the GSB to be the harshest on my face. After a 2 pass shave - 1 WTG and 1 XTG - my face was burning. The Lab Blues and the Astra were similar...not as harsh but not smooth enough for what I was looking for. That leads to the Gillette Yellows, the winner among those I tried. I found it to be more than sharp enough for my beard, but it's also the smoothest of the four new ones I tried and pairs great with my DE89. I don't get any of the post shave burn like I did from the other 3. I would say, for me, it's as smooth as the Shark SS but much sharper too. I have one Yellow left that I'm going to use next, just to make sure they are as good as I think they are, and if all continues to go well I'll order quite a few of them.
To any other new DE shaver out there, listen when everyone says that blades are the ultimate YMMV - they are exactly right. If I would have just ordered 100 GSB because lots of people on here like them, I'd be regreting it. Grab a few and test them out to find what works for you. I'm glad I did!
Tim
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