Help a newbie, 28 different blades

[sailor18]

Hello everyone!

My first thread and day as a member here at B&B although I have been a reader for quite some time.

I am new into shaving with a DE-razor and for the last 4-5 years I have been using only a trimmer on my neck due to irritation from cartridge razors.

I was hoping to get some help with the choice of blades to start out with. Aware of the basics but not sure where to start. Is it always best to use a forgiving blade when you start out in order to practice your technique? Is it possible to categories the different blades by sharpness, smoothness

Bearing in mind other threads I know that a single blade can split this forum into 100 parties so I am not sure what to expect out of 28. Hopefully there can be some sort of consensus at least

These are the 28 different types of blade I have:

ASTRA - Superior Platinum
ASTRA - Superior Stainless
Feather - New Hi-Stainless
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - Permasharp Stainless
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - SharpEdge
Gillette - 7 o'Clock - Super Platinum
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - Super Stainless
Gillette - Nacet Stainless
Gillette - Platinum
Gillette - Rubie Platinum
Gillette - Silver Blue
Kai – Stainless Steel
Ladas - Super Stainless
Personna - Lab Blue
Personna - Platinum (Israeli Reds)
Polsilver - Super Iridium
Rapira - Platinum Lux
Rapira - Super Stainless
Rapira - Swedish Super Steel
Shark - Super Stainless
Shark - Super Chrome
Voskhod - Teflon Coated
Wilkinson - Sword (Germany)
Wizamet - Super Iridium
Perma-Sharp - Super
Wilkinson - Sword (Indian)
Dorco - Prime Platinum
Bolzano - Superinox Inossidabile

As for the rest of the set-up:

Razor: Merkur 34C (too mild for a coarse beard according to some but figured it would be a good start!)
Brush: Semogue 620
Shaving cream: Cella and Proraso
After shave: Nivea Sensitive
Styptic: Osma alum block
Skin/hair: Sensitive skin + Coarse beard


Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

 

[SuperMax_fan]

Welcome to the forums! Normally I would recommend Voskhod or the German Wilkinson Sword but if you have a tough beard you would be better off with Gillette Platinum, Astra SP or Shark Super Stainless. These strike a good balance between sharpness and smoothness, without being extremely sharp. Thus, they can be suitable for beginners as well.
Enjoy your journey!

 

[RigelDust]

Rapira SS and Swedish I think would also work well.
it might be better to rule out some then go from there. Feather and Kai are pretty unforgiving and invite you to make a mistake.

 

[RigelDust]

Oh and I particularly like Bolzano but that may just be me. I’m an easy shave with a not so course growth.

 

[BigJ]

First, welcome aboard!

Second, you picked some nice kit!

In answer to your question, I suggest starting with the Personna reds which I find very comfortable, sharp enough and rather ‘forgiving’ blades.

I would also save the Kai’s for last as these are the sharpest of the lot IMO.

Enjoy working your way through the options!!

 

[sailor18]

Welcome to the forums! Normally I would recommend Voskhod or the German Wilkinson Sword but if you have a tough beard you would be better off with Gillette Platinum, Astra SP or Shark Super Stainless. These strike a good balance between sharpness and smoothness, without being extremely sharp. Thus, they can be suitable for beginners as well.
Enjoy your journey!

Rapira SS and Swedish I think would also work well.
it might be better to rule out some then go from there. Feather and Kai are pretty unforgiving and invite you to make a mistake.

First, welcome aboard!

Second, you picked some nice kit!

In answer to your question, I suggest starting with the Personna reds which I find very comfortable, sharp enough and rather ‘forgiving’ blades.

I would also save the Kai’s for last as these are the sharpest of the lot IMO.

Enjoy working your way through the options!!

Thank you all for a warm welcoming!

I will make sure to put your suggestions at the top of the priority list and adjust as (hopefully) additional opinions arrive.

Appreciate the compliment BigJ, Kai's and Feather ----> bottom of the list

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome to the forums.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Jim K]

My beard is light like yours and I am an everyday shaver. My top 5 for me after around 9 months of doing this:

Gillette Silver Blue
Balzano
Astra Super Stainless. ( quite a bit of difference from Super Platinum)
Gillette 7'O Clock Green Super Stainless
Nacet

If I had to pick only two: Nacet and Silver Blue!

 

[Atlantic59]

...Hopefully there can be some sort of consensus at least ...
...These are the 28 different types of blade I have:..

Consensus, that's unlikely I'm afraid!

Since it seems 90% of people report having sensitive skin and coarse hair, it might be good to start with some good middle-of-the-road type blades and go from there.

Amazing how many brands of blades you have, so let's see.
How about Astra SS, Personna Lab Blue and Rapira Platinum Lux? Those are from three different companies.

 

[sailor18]

Welcome to the forums.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Thank you!

 

[sailor18]

My beard is light like yours and I am an everyday shaver. My top 5 for me after around 9 months of doing this:

Gillette Silver Blue
Balzano
Astra Super Stainless. ( quite a bit of difference from Super Platinum)
Gillette 7'O Clock Green Super Stainless
Nacet

If I had to pick only two: Nacet and Silver Blue!

Added to the list, thank you!

 

[sailor18]

Consensus, that's unlikely I'm afraid!

Since it seems 90% of people report having sensitive skin and coarse hair, it might be good to start with some good middle-of-the-road type blades and go from there.

Amazing how many brands of blades you have, so let's see.
How about Astra SS, Personna Lab Blue and Rapira Platinum Lux? Those are from three different companies.

I knew it was foolish to put faith in that... So far only 2 blades have been mentioned more than once (Astra SS and Bolzano).

I really do not understand that either. Some shaving guys on YouTube say that they have sensitive skin while their skin looks like rubber soles. They could probably shave with broken glass and nothing would happen. Myself....a tiny bit of pressure and my neck turns into a pizza margherita!

Appreciate the recommendations and will add them to the priority list!

 

[JoWolf]

Hello everyone!

My first thread and day as a member here at B&B although I have been a reader for quite some time.

I am new into shaving with a DE-razor and for the last 4-5 years I have been using only a trimmer on my neck due to irritation from cartridge razors.

I was hoping to get some help with the choice of blades to start out with. Aware of the basics but not sure where to start. Is it always best to use a forgiving blade when you start out in order to practice your technique? Is it possible to categories the different blades by sharpness, smoothness

Bearing in mind other threads I know that a single blade can split this forum into 100 parties so I am not sure what to expect out of 28. Hopefully there can be some sort of consensus at least

These are the 28 different types of blade I have:

ASTRA - Superior Platinum
ASTRA - Superior Stainless
Feather - New Hi-Stainless
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - Permasharp Stainless
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - SharpEdge
Gillette - 7 o'Clock - Super Platinum
Gillette - 7 0'Clock - Super Stainless
Gillette - Nacet Stainless
Gillette - Platinum
Gillette - Rubie Platinum
Gillette - Silver Blue
Kai – Stainless Steel
Ladas - Super Stainless
Personna - Lab Blue
Personna - Platinum (Israeli Reds)
Polsilver - Super Iridium
Rapira - Platinum Lux
Rapira - Super Stainless
Rapira - Swedish Super Steel
Shark - Super Stainless
Shark - Super Chrome
Voskhod - Teflon Coated
Wilkinson - Sword (Germany)
Wizamet - Super Iridium
Perma-Sharp - Super
Wilkinson - Sword (Indian)
Dorco - Prime Platinum
Bolzano - Superinox Inossidabile

As for the rest of the set-up:

Razor: Merkur 34C (too mild for a coarse beard according to some but figured it would be a good start!)
Brush: Semogue 620
Shaving cream: Cella and Proraso
After shave: Nivea Sensitive
Styptic: Osma alum block
Skin/hair: Sensitive skin + Coarse beard


Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

I divided mine, first all the platinums in one group which are the ones most favourably for me. All the stainless in the other group. I also read reviews on this site Refined Shave to help me select which I wanted to try first. My favs ended up being Astra Super Platinum, Voshkod, Gillette Silver Blues. My technique improved while I was getting my top three and now I’m ready to go back and try some of the sharper ones again like the Gillette 7 O’clock Blacks, Nacets, and Feathers, which did not agree with my first time around. Do not discard your non favourites as they may be a match with different razors you may acquire, like I have picked up seven more razors and if any of my favourites don’t work I have other blades to try. I have some of the blades in your group I haven’t tried yet and some time in the future I will. Merry Christmas.

 

[pk_]

Pick one and use it consistently. My first few shaves with a Derby were misery, but looking back that really had nothing to do with the blade. I can get a good shave with a Derby now that I've been through the process hundreds of times. I have tried at least half of the blades in your list and I am confident I can get a nice smooth shave with any of them because of PRACTICE! Focus on good technique. I think that is easier to do if you don't change all the variables over and over. So pick one and stick with it for a week or two before moving on! When your technique improves you will be able to feel the difference between blades better, and decide what you like.

That being said. Personally, I would pick Personna Lab Blue or Voskhod as good blades to learn with. I've worked through a full hundred pack of both of these blades and they produce nice smooth shaves for me.

One other thing. For my shave routine. I am a daily head shaver with a full beard. I use a different blade on my neck and cheeks than I use on my head. I seem to get the least neck irritation with Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum, but I don't like to use these blades to shave my head. Don't be afraid to use more than one blade in a shave to get results. This is a good excuse to get another razor!

Good luck.

 

[xiletero]

Nice, your sampler options seem very good. If I could only use one: Nacet!!

 

[02flhtci]

I like using one blade as a baseline to compare others. For me, it’s the Gillette Platinum. I’ll use this blade for a full week, shave with another blade the following week, then go back to the Platinum for a week, the entire time keeping razors and soap bases the same. This gives me a good comparison between a new blade and one I already know.

Just starting out, I suggest you do something similar- shave with one brand for a week, then try another brand. Pick what you feel to be the better of the 2 then compare that blade against something different. Keep notes of your likes/dislikes of each blade until you find the best combination for you.

Good luck with your search!

 

[sailor18]

I divided mine, first all the platinums in one group which are the ones most favourably for me. All the stainless in the other group. I also read reviews on this site Refined Shave to help me select which I wanted to try first. My favs ended up being Astra Super Platinum, Voshkod, Gillette Silver Blues. My technique improved while I was getting my top three and now I’m ready to go back and try some of the sharper ones again like the Gillette 7 O’clock Blacks, Nacets, and Feathers, which did not agree with my first time around. Do not discard your non favourites as they may be a match with different razors you may acquire, like I have picked up seven more razors and if any of my favourites don’t work I have other blades to try. I have some of the blades in your group I haven’t tried yet and some time in the future I will. Merry Christmas.

Thank you very much for the tips! I will definitely have a look at Refinedshave!

 

[sailor18]

Pick one and use it consistently. My first few shaves with a Derby were misery, but looking back that really had nothing to do with the blade. I can get a good shave with a Derby now that I've been through the process hundreds of times. I have tried at least half of the blades in your list and I am confident I can get a nice smooth shave with any of them because of PRACTICE! Focus on good technique. I think that is easier to do if you don't change all the variables over and over. So pick one and stick with it for a week or two before moving on! When your technique improves you will be able to feel the difference between blades better, and decide what you like.

That being said. Personally, I would pick Personna Lab Blue or Voskhod as good blades to learn with. I've worked through a full hundred pack of both of these blades and they produce nice smooth shaves for me.

One other thing. For my shave routine. I am a daily head shaver with a full beard. I use a different blade on my neck and cheeks than I use on my head. I seem to get the least neck irritation with Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum, but I don't like to use these blades to shave my head. Don't be afraid to use more than one blade in a shave to get results. This is a good excuse to get another razor!

Good luck.

Thanks a lot for the extensive and useful reply! As you and JoWold emphasize I think it is important to get the right technique at first and not discard a blade right away.

You mention that you have a full beard while shaving your neck and cheeks which is exactly what I intend to do. I was wondering if you had any tips or tricks when it comes to getting a good (straight) neck line. Any specific technique? Different gripping of the razor?

 

[sailor18]

Nice, your sampler options seem very good. If I could only use one: Nacet!!

Thank you! I handpicked a few that I have heard good things about and that I felt drawn to! Nacet noted!

 

[sailor18]

I like using one blade as a baseline to compare others. For me, it’s the Gillette Platinum. I’ll use this blade for a full week, shave with another blade the following week, then go back to the Platinum for a week, the entire time keeping razors and soap bases the same. This gives me a good comparison between a new blade and one I already know.

Just starting out, I suggest you do something similar- shave with one brand for a week, then try another brand. Pick what you feel to be the better of the 2 then compare that blade against something different. Keep notes of your likes/dislikes of each blade until you find the best combination for you.

Good luck with your search!

Thanks! Appreciate the tip about the notebook, will make short notes after each blade so that I will not forget. I imagine that things can get all mixed up with 28 blades when you are just starting out.