Help a new guy with some blade advice

[Phoenix.]

Hello guys I've started my journey into the wet shaving world a couple of weeks ago and have tried 3 blades,2of them available locally. So far i have tried:

Lord platinum: This one came with the razor and it might have been to my inexperience and barely first time shaving with a DE but did not find them to be any good. Since then i have switched razors to a more comfortable one for me and didn't give it another chan

american personna: I tried these ones and I nicked myself a couple of times, they seem a bit better than the lord platinum but again this may be due to inexperience on my part. I saved these one to give them a try later on

Walmart Wilkinsons (black Box); So far the best ones that i have tried maybe it's because my technique has been improving a bit. they still drag a bit on my side jaw but I think I'm being a bit aggressive around there. I will continue to use these one until i get my "sample pack" that I've order of of WCS.

This is what i ordered from them.

5 Astra Superior Platinum
5 Derby Extra
5 Red Personna Israeli
5 Shark Super Stainless
10 Crystal
5 Shark Super Chrome

So guys i know YMMV, but guys with your experience what can i expect from these blades?. Thanks for any feedback gentlemen.

 

[bryan1980]

Well, I've only tried the Derby's in that list so far, and I thought they were okay. A lot of people like the Astras, you might try that one next.

 

[xraygun]

Those are all pretty good blades. Just keep working on your technique and you'll find one you like more than the others.

 

[Neognosis]

I would say to not listen to anything anyone says so that you are not biased, and just try them out and see for yourself.


There are no constants in this thing.

 

[edgerunner]

Welcome to B&B!
Here's how I'd put the blades in order for you (they are not in order of my preference):

1. Shark SS
2. Red Personna
3. Astra SP
4. Derby
5. Crystal
6. Shark SC

* Don't judge any of the blades based on you first use or trying them in only one razor. Some blades behave very differently in different razors, like the Lord Platinum for example. You'll be surprised how different they'll behave when you re-visit them.

 

[dharasick]

This is a combination of how these blades rank for me and how I recommend them for you:

1. Astra SP (If these work, stick with them as long as possible)
2. Red Personna
3. Shark SS
4. Derby
5. Crystal
6. Shark SC

I say stick with Astra's as long as possible so you can continue to develop technique. Leave as much variation out as possible.

 

[Phoenix.]

Thank you for the recommendations guys, I was mainly interested in trying the sharks SS, derbys, Astras, and I threw in the other ones as i had heard some good things about them. Hopefully i find at least 2 to my liking

 

[Chester]

I would say to not listen to anything anyone says so that you are not biased, and just try them out and see for yourself.

No disrespect, but that's a big bucket of hooey, right there. There is a lot of experience, here, and some very helpful guidance to be had. Just reading his post, I can tell that his technique is off. He's coming in too steep. A more shallow angle and shorter, lighter, more purposeful strokes will help him a great deal. I don't see a blade problem here at all. We don't get any information about prep or lather, either, so there are more variables to consider apart from technique. Switching around to various blades is a fool's errand when you're new to DE shaving. Sticking with one brand of blade and one razor and (in my view) canned foam like barbasol for the first month is incredibly helpful. Maybe that's not an option here, but the fact that the man reports having such a bad time with so many good blades says that he's got some muscle memory to build, here, or some inconsistencies in lather to address, or maybe both.

All I can offer is encouragement to alter your angle a bit to be more shallow (head of the razor flatter to the face), to keep the strokes light, short and purposeful (mind the pressure!) and see how that goes. The lords and personnas should be pretty good... the former probably better than the latter. Finally, don't give up. Let your face rest (assuming you don't work where you -=must=- shave every day) and keep trying. It will click, eventually. The first month is always the toughest.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet

 

[Maxime D.]

Close your eyes and pick one.

 

[Mandina]

Welcome! Excellent range of blades. I suggest that you not take anybody's recommendation on which of these blades to focus on, but rather that you find which blade seems reasonably comfortable to you at this stage (whether it be a sharper blade, such as Astra's, or a more mild blade) and that you stick with that particular blade as much as possible (as well as keep everything else constant for 30 days or so) in order to work on your technique. There seems to be two schools of thought about starting-out blade selection: one school--start out by finding a reasonably comfortable blade for you and working with it for a solid period of time; another school--start out with one of the sharpest blades and work with it, which forces to develop precise technique. YMMV, but I myself am glad that I started out by minimizing the bloodshed. As always, though, have a great time doing what seems best for you!

 

[dcobranchi]

I'd suggest sticking with a single razor for at least several months. Then you'll stand a better chance of making sense of the various blades.

 

[Mike'sWorld]

My suggestion? Just have fun with your blades, you have a nice high quality selection.
Choose a blade that is comfortable and doesn't chew you up and order maybe 6 months worth of that blade.
Then go back and retry some of the blades that did not work out the first time around. You'll be surprised because some blade that you judged too harsh will now work very well for you.
It's because your technique and beard prep will be much better the second time around.
Good luck and good shaving!

 

[buma]

I'd suggest sticking with a single razor for at least several months. Then you'll stand a better chance of making sense of the various blades.

+1

too many variables will confuse the issue, especially right up front when everything is new. I'd say if you've purchased the blades already, take the one you've bought most of and use that exclusively until you run out in the same razor each and every shave, changing the blade every 2 or 3 shaves. This way, you can concentrate on your technique and not worry about other issues. Welcome to the fun and good luck!

 

[britewhiteram]

A good starter blade would be the astra

me... Ive tried a few different blades so far and I can honestly say the astras work good, as do the Personna Labs, the Feathers scare me so i need to work on technique before I buy a 100 pack of them, but I have about 50 blades left from my different sample packs so I will keep going through them and see how they fair..

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Phoenix:
My take on 'Shaving with the Sharks'?

Although I have used many, many blades over many, many years, Shark Super Chrome's are perfect for me (my one & only 'holy-grail go-to' blade), with no pulling or tugging, moderately sharp, very, very smooth, (albeit a 'weeper' now & then..but zero 'nicks'), very little to no irratation and no touch of razor burn that %99.9 of the time results in CCS's in 3 passes (WTG, CTG & ATG), with 2 great shaves per week (Saturdays are my shaving 'day off'),...and are very compatible with both of my Merkur 23C & 38C razors.

Enclosed below are Shark SS & SC razor blade Reveiws.

Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/s...-shark-has-2c-some-fine-shaves-dear-2c&cat=50


Also check out this Thread on Razor Blade Samplers;

Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/277972-How-to-attack-my-sample-pack?

“A razor [blade] can’t be sharpened on a piece of velvet”. Author Unknown

 

[Phoenix.]

Thank you everyone I've read through all your suggestions and you have given me great ones. The pack gets here tomorrow but i wont get a chance to try it til saturday or maybe even Sunday cause I work the weekends. I'm just gonna let the beard grow a bit and we'll go from there. Thanks guys, very much appreciated.

 

[DMT]

Lord platinum: This one came with the razor

Although I haven't tried them myself, I wouldn't dismiss the lords just yet. Shaving technique aside, any blade that comes with a razor can get rattled around in the box and might not necessarily be in the best condition when you go to use it

 

[GencoOliveOilCompany]

Welcome to B&B! The battle cry of the B&B forum is "YMMV"...and that is especially true with blades. For example, I think Lord Platinum Class blades are great; they just didn't work for you...which I understand. You have a nice selection of blades there, and you will eventually have the "Ahhhh!" shave. It takes experimentation, which is fine because blades are inexpensive. As for your list...the Astra SPs are mighty good. Buy some sampler packs, or continue buying one pack of various blades like you're doing. Buy some of the Gillette 7 O'Clock line up: Blacks, Yellows, Greens, and Blues. You'll get it figured out. Good luck!

 

[mo_zo]

What razor do you use ? Some blades do not behave same if placed in different beasts. I have r41 and know

 

[Phoenix.]

What razor do you use ? Some blades do not behave same if placed in different beasts. I have r41 and know

I was using the shaving factory razor but i've taken a liking to my lord L6 better so im using the L6 currently.