Have Derby blades changed in the past few years?

[eizan70]

I was just reading some reviews on various blades, and I noticed that in many of the older posts ~2007ish, there were lots of comparisons to being as sharp as derby's or feathers, and the smoothness of Derby's. While I know there are a lot of Derby fans out there, I just don't read the same types of comparisons being made today in regards to the Derby's. Derby's for me were not satisfactory as I didn't find them sharp or smooth, but maybe I need to revisit them, as it has been awhile since using them and I have greatly modified my shaving technique since joining this magnificent forum.

This is not intended to be a Derby bashing thread. To restate in different words, I was just reading old posts and noticing a somewhat different trend in Derby reference than I often see in more recent postings. I was just curious if this was in fact due to changes in the blades themselves, or could there be some other phenomenon going on; i.e. changing fashion, or the desire to use something different. Heaven knows that no one in this forum suffers from the need to buy different items

Has anyone else noticed this, or does anyone know the answer?

 

[TheBigL]

I did notice it, but I never mentioned it. When I joined B&B, Derbys were hot stuff. Now they don't seem to be that highly regarded. I have a few packs from several years ago, but never really used them. I hope they are the "good" old ones!

 

[ateace]

I did notice it, but I never mentioned it. When I joined B&B, Derbys were hot stuff. Now they don't seem to be that highly regarded. I have a few packs from several years ago, but never really used them. I hope they are the "good" old ones!

Same here. Derbys were all the rage when I joined. Because of that, they were my first bulk purchase and provided my major breakthrough in DE shaving.
Then, of course, I ventured off to try other blades and the whims of the forum went another way. I still have my stash of Derbys and revisit them from time to time.

 

[bryan1980]

I've had two encounters with the Derbys of today. The first was pretty good, the second was pretty bad. I chalk this up to shoddy quality control. If it were my technique, I would think my bad shave would have been the first time around.

Now it seems like Med Preps are the sweethearts right now. Did I hear someone say "YMMV"?

 

[mdevine]

I don't know if the blades have changed, or if the blade has fallen victim to the whims of fashion. When I started, they were one of the most recommended blades, particularly for beginners. It is one of five blades I've bought in bulk, and I find them comparable to my other favorite inexpensive blade, Astra SP. That said, the ones I have we're manufactured a few years ago, so maybe the blade quality has changed since then. I'd love to hear from a long time user, one who has tried both older and newer blades. It seems that, time wise, it was around when the packaging changed in early 2010 (the switch from the vertical to horizontal labeling) that the opinions on the blades changed. While I enjoy variety, and those I've bought in bulk include Iridium, Feather, Gillette Sharp Edge and Med Prep Personnas, there is something satisfying about using a $.07 blade. I'd like to think the true DE shaving bargains are still available.

Mike

 

[eizan70]

I've had two encounters with the Derbys of today. The first was pretty good, the second was pretty bad. I chalk this up to shoddy quality control. If it were my technique, I would think my bad shave would have been the first time around.

Now it seems like Med Preps are the sweethearts right now. Did I hear someone say "YMMV"?

This makes me wonder about the few references I see in current postings regarding sharp blades Derby's are not usually referred to in this category like they were a few years ago, so I am curious about the few current posts that do state Derby's as one of the sharper blades. Are these older stockpile blades, or new purchases. I have also read many comments about the QC of recently purchased Derby's, which again just begs the question in the OP.

 

[eizan70]

I don't know if the blades have changed, or if the blade has fallen victim to the whims of fashion. When I started, they were one of the most recommended blades, particularly for beginners. It is one of five blades I've bought in bulk, and I find them comparable to my other favorite inexpensive blade, Astra SP. That said, the ones I have we're manufactured a few years ago, so maybe the blade quality has changed since then. I'd love to hear from a long time user, one who has tried both older and newer blades. It seems that, time wise, it was around when the packaging changed in early 2010 (the switch from the vertical to horizontal labeling) that the opinions on the blades changed. While I enjoy variety, and include Iridium, Feathe, Gillette Sharp Edge and Med Prep Personnas, there is something satisfying about using a $.07 blade. I'd like to think the true DE shaving bargains are still available.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I think you were able to word my question/curiosity better than I did.

 

[jwilock]

These were the first DE blades I bought and used when I started about a year and half ago. Used a few of them before I began accumulating others. Now I've got close to 2000 blades, but still have close to 20 of the Derbys I first bought. I thought I give one another try since I haven't used one in over a year. What a pleasant surprise. I didn't have my Futur back then, and I wasn't as good at shaving as I am now. So, granted, things have changed since I last used one. But this shave was surprisingly nice. I remember thinking they were smooth and did not leave much after burn. But I don't remember the shave being as close as this one Goes to show you - when everything comes together right you (at least I) can get a good shave from lots of different products.

One particular change that is very new for me ... this is only the second time I've used my Musgo Real Glycerin Lime-oil soap. I washed my face with, then left the sudsy soap on my face and wrapped my face with a hot towel for a couple minutes. Then wiped it all off before applying the TOBS Lavender cream lather. I noticed that after I wiped off the Mrglo that my face was particularly "slippery". Maybe that contributed to this surprisingly nice shave. I'll have to study a bit more the affects of using, or not using, Mrglo before I shave.

 

[ia_james]

I think it's more a function of the FOTM (flavor of the month) obsession that quite a few around here have. There are probably 10s of thousands of perfectly happy Derby users in the world who shorten their whiskers daily and go about their business, rather than talking about a tug near the chin on the internet. Add in the echo chamber quotient of a small community and there you are.

 

[kosby]

I think it's more a function of the FOTM (flavor of the month) obsession that quite a few around here have. There are probably 10s of thousands of perfectly happy Derby users in the world who shorten their whiskers daily and go about their business, rather than talking about a tug near the chin on the internet. Add in the echo chamber quotient of a small community and there you are.

That

 

[JimK]

I never used Derby blades in the past. My first experience was after I read good reviews here. They work well for me. They are not my favorite blade, but they are comfortable enough in my razors that I bought a couple of hundred of them at stupidly low prices just to have them on hand. I continue to include them in my blade rotation, and they continue to be a very good blade for me.

Much to my surprise, the Astra SP has become my miracle blade in my favorite razor, and I bought a boatload of those for only a few cents more per blade than the Derby blades, but I still use the Derby's regularly when the absolute ultimate shave is not important for the day at hand. They work well enough, and stretch my supply of Astra blades for a couple more years.... Not to mention the endless lineup of other blades that keep my razors busy in testing for a week at a time.

Anyway, the Derby blades are cheaper than dirt, and work pretty well. Everyone who has a beard that agrees with a Derby shave should own a few hundred of them.....

 

[TheBigL]

This makes me wonder about the few references I see in current postings regarding sharp blades Derby's are not usually referred to in this category like they were a few years ago, so I am curious about the few current posts that do state Derby's as one of the sharper blades. Are these older stockpile blades, or new purchases. I have also read many comments about the QC of recently purchased Derby's, which again just begs the question in the OP.

It could be just my fuzzy memory (and I've never bought Derbys in bulk), but I seem to remember Derbys being more expensive a few years ago. It could be that we just have more access to foreign sellers now than before. I also seem to remember that blades that used to be cheap are more now.

 

[Mandina]

+1 on fashion whims as a big deal in influencing our blade preferences. Derby's were my first blade, and while I've come to prefer sharper blades, Derby's remain a valued part of my rotation. Someone described them as the old-time Chevy of DE blades, which is what they are to me: a solid-performing budget product.

 

[eizan70]

+1 on fashion whims as a big deal in influencing our blade preferences. Derby's were my first blade, and while I've come to prefer sharper blades, Derby's remain a valued part of my rotation. Someone described them as the old-time Chevy of DE blades, which is what they are to me: a solid-performing budget product.

I agree, I believe that there are always the fashion whims that will play a roll. I understand to that if everyone is using derby's then of course some of us will want to use something different. Even with this in mind though, I still noticed one thing that caught my eye and had me start this thread. Most of the current postings in favor even in this thread are referring to it as "a good performer" ,a "solid-performing blade", "comfortable", "work well" and are "smooth". At the same time it I often see the reference to not as sharp as brand X. Reading the reviews for ~2007, I noticed constant reference in blade reviews to Not as sharp or almost as sharp as Derby's and Feathers. With Derby's being frequently listed as one of the the sharper and smoother blades.

I see and agree with the concept of derby's falling victim to the whims of fashion in the wet shaving community, but am still curious if there was a physical change made to these blades somewhere down the line.