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- #21
I've toyed around with different blades but haven't noticed TOO much of a difference. I will say that I haven't tried a lot of the "higher" tier samples I have yet, but I did enjoy the Feather, Voskhod, and Derby premium seemed decent. The RK blades that came with the razor are decent on the first shave, but they don't seem to like me too well.Before pulling the trigger on a new razor, have you tried different blades? I find that when I use my Henson + with a Feather or BIC, I can get as efficient a shave as I get with my Blackbird Lite with a Wizamet or Rapira Platinum Luxe.
I went a similar route as you. I started with a Merkur Slant with a Feather blade and did not love the combo. Switched to a Henson + with the RK blade. Better, but was not in love with it. Switched to a Henson ++ with the RK. Better still.
Then I started messing with blades. The Henson + with a Feather, BIC or PermaSharp is amazing - for me. In the ++, I really liked the PermaSharps, Nacets and 7'oclock Blacks. I went back to the Merkur with a Wizamet. Excellent shave.
Don't get me wrong, I love having a nice stable of razors, brushes, blades, soaps, et. al., but...with the right blade, you may be able to get an outstanding and efficient shave with an AL-13.
That said, my fourth razor was a Blackbird Lite. While there was a learning curve, it wasn't a painful one and I was getting great shaves with it on day 1. With that razor, I really like the German Personnas
I also picked up a Blackbird with SB and OC plates. The TiBird with OC plate and a Wizamet blade is probably my favorite DE shaving combo.
But that's just my experience...