Help a newbie, 28 different blades

[PlutoViola]

You've made some excellent choices already. I too have what I consider a fairly coarse beard and very sensitive tender skin (seems to be VERY common). This is what led me to swear off cartridge razors of any description.

I seem to be in the minority on this, but I'd suggest not being afraid of the feather or Kai. They are in my top 3 and were actually the first blades I used in my jump into DE shaving. The Kai is wider edge to edge than most blades so it seems to effectively increase blade exposure on the razor, but if you respect it instead of fearing it you may find it's a stellar blade. I still like feather better by a small margin. Both are top quality for sure and are at the top of the range in terms of sharpness.

Of the blades you have, I agree with others in trying some middle of the road blades first. Personna and silver blue are great and are popular with good reason. Nacet is also one to be sure to try. Very sharp but very smooth. The polsilver is another winner, though I personally find it not worth the price compared to other blades I like a bit better.

At any point if you feel tugging with a blade, go for a sharper one. Sharp blades can sound scary, but for me they perform far better. Less effort to cut the whiskers = less strokes and less/no irritation. My favorite blade is the Bic chrome platinum. Extremely sharp, extremely smooth, and very durable (I get 7 to 12 shaves from each one).

In the end, blade choice is a 100% personal choice. What works for one person is sure to not work for someone else. Figure out what works for you by trying different things. Usually you should be able to tell pretty quickly if a blade just isn't going to work for you. Figuring out your favorite will likely take more time with multiple blades each having a more lengthy trial. Enjoy.

Edited to add this: I just saw that you plan to shave around a full beard. For this I also suggest you try derby extra. They seem to be a love it or hate it blade, but if it cuts your whiskers, you'll probably find it to be extremely smooth. It is by no means the most efficient blade around, but it's very gentle on places like the neck.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

 

[BigD]

Welcome. Those are a lot of blades. Start out slow. Maybe just doing with the grain passes. Maybe an across the grain once in a blue moon.

You'll find as you get better and more familiar with your technique it will be harder to tell the difference between blades.

 

[Steelerfan]

Try the blades for yourself to find the ones you like and work for you. As your technique improves over time, don't hesitate to try the blades again to see if you like the blades even better. Try at least 2 examples of each blade before passing a final judgement.

 

[Ron R]

Here is a small sampling if it helps. To many blades almost makes it complicated but fun trying them.

Have some great shaves!

 

[pk_]

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) neckline. Any specific technique? Different gripping of the razor?

First tip: Grow your beard long enough that no one can see your neckline! Then you don't have to cut your throat up lol.

Seriously, go to a barber and have them cut the line, then just maintain it. It's worth it if you can find a good barber that only charges $15 for a trim every 6 weeks or so. I also use a shavette(straight razor that holds disposable blades) on my cheeks. It's easier to carve the line. You can use any DE blade, you just snap them in half. You can get a shavette for cheap.

On my neck, I use my free hand to hold the beard up and just go really slow, protecting the line with my finger. The neckline is more forgiving than the cheek line.

 

[Pattorashu]

TLR this thread, but! I have a mid coarse beard and I absolutely love a mild razor with a sharp blade.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[persistent analyst]

I find voskhod to be very smooth and forgiving, which I think would be good for learning. I'm experimenting a bit with technique as I learn, and find that if I stuff up too much (eg cuts, irritation) I can't recover with a sharper blade (daily shaver). Once I recover with the voskhod, I move back to my sharper favourites (Gillette platinum, Bic chrome platinum, feather).

 

[sailor18]

You've made some excellent choices already. I too have what I consider a fairly coarse beard and very sensitive tender skin (seems to be VERY common). This is what led me to swear off cartridge razors of any description.

I seem to be in the minority on this, but I'd suggest not being afraid of the feather or Kai. They are in my top 3 and were actually the first blades I used in my jump into DE shaving. The Kai is wider edge to edge than most blades so it seems to effectively increase blade exposure on the razor, but if you respect it instead of fearing it you may find it's a stellar blade. I still like feather better by a small margin. Both are top quality for sure and are at the top of the range in terms of sharpness.

Of the blades you have, I agree with others in trying some middle of the road blades first. Personna and silver blue are great and are popular with good reason. Nacet is also one to be sure to try. Very sharp but very smooth. The polsilver is another winner, though I personally find it not worth the price compared to other blades I like a bit better.

At any point if you feel tugging with a blade, go for a sharper one. Sharp blades can sound scary, but for me they perform far better. Less effort to cut the whiskers = less strokes and less/no irritation. My favorite blade is the Bic chrome platinum. Extremely sharp, extremely smooth, and very durable (I get 7 to 12 shaves from each one).

In the end, blade choice is a 100% personal choice. What works for one person is sure to not work for someone else. Figure out what works for you by trying different things. Usually you should be able to tell pretty quickly if a blade just isn't going to work for you. Figuring out your favorite will likely take more time with multiple blades each having a more lengthy trial. Enjoy.

Edited to add this: I just saw that you plan to shave around a full beard. For this I also suggest you try derby extra. They seem to be a love it or hate it blade, but if it cuts your whiskers, you'll probably find it to be extremely smooth. It is by no means the most efficient blade around, but it's very gentle on places like the neck.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

Appreciate your response! I have seen a few others on the forum and on youtube also advocating that feathers and kai's could suit a beginner. However, just as you and others already have pointed out I think I will start with some fairly sharp but still smooth blades to begin with.

About the Derby....not sure how much of a difference technique and shavette vs DE razor does but I have had two shaves at the barbershop with Derbys in a shavette. NOT a pleasant experience, extreme tugging and my neck was not happy at all. Perhaps poorly execution by the barber but this has made me reluctant to try them on my own.

 

[sailor18]

Welcome. Those are a lot of blades. Start out slow. Maybe just doing with the grain passes. Maybe an across the grain once in a blue moon.

You'll find as you get better and more familiar with your technique it will be harder to tell the difference between blades.

Thank you! Yeah I might have gotten a tiny bit excited while browsing all the available brands and types . I will definitely keep it to with the grain passes to start out with and see how my skin holds up.

 

[sailor18]

Try the blades for yourself to find the ones you like and work for you. As your technique improves over time, don't hesitate to try the blades again to see if you like the blades even better. Try at least 2 examples of each blade before passing a final judgement.

Appreciate the tip, will do!

 

[sailor18]

Here is a small sampling if it helps. To many blades almost makes it complicated but fun trying them.
View attachment 1045319
Have some great shaves!

Greatly appreciated! Just to make sure I understand the outline correctly; lets say that Gilette Silver Blue is the reference mark.

Rapira Platinum Lux would then be less sharp but also more smooth?
Astra SP would be tiny bit less sharp but also tiny bit more smooth?
Gilette 7 O'clock SS would be the same as Polsilver in terms of sharpness and smoothness?

 

[sailor18]

....."Protecting the line with my finger"

Great tip! I will make sure to keep this in mind!

 

[sailor18]

TLR this thread, but! I have a mid coarse beard and I absolutely love a mild razor with a sharp blade.

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you!

 

[sailor18]

I find voskhod to be very smooth and forgiving, which I think would be good for learning. I'm experimenting a bit with technique as I learn, and find that if I stuff up too much (eg cuts, irritation) I can't recover with a sharper blade (daily shaver). Once I recover with the voskhod, I move back to my sharper favourites (Gillette platinum, Bic chrome platinum, feather).

I have read very good things about the Voskhod's so I am afraid I will be a bit biased when trying them out but hey, if they work they work

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum. You have some very good blades there. I would just enjoy trying them out and see what works for you. You could start a Diary or Journal in the Diary and Journals Forum to keep tabs on how the blades work for you.

 

[Ron R]

Greatly appreciated! Just to make sure I understand the outline correctly; lets say that Gilette Silver Blue is the reference mark.

Rapira Platinum Lux would then be less sharp but also more smooth?
Astra SP would be tiny bit less sharp but also tiny bit more smooth?
Gilette 7 O'clock SS would be the same as Polsilver in terms of sharpness and smoothness?

Yes you are correct, remember IMO but it's easily in the ballpark from my experiences. I have a few more to add, I have been using SE lately and find it more enjoyable for comfort.

 

[sm29]

Blades are so individually liked or disliked. For me starting with an Israeli Personna or an Astra SP might be a good start. Both are sufficiently sharp and forgiving.

IMHO, very light or no pressure when shaving is more important and that’s where I would first concentrate.

After that the universe of St. Petersburg blades works well for me and then try a Feather but only after you are comfortable with your technique. As your technique improves, more and more products will get better.

 

[sailor18]

Welcome to the forum. You have some very good blades there. I would just enjoy trying them out and see what works for you. You could start a Diary or Journal in the Diary and Journals Forum to keep tabs on how the blades work for you.

Thank you! I will definitely keep a record of my experience in a notebook. If I feel that it could contribute to the forum and help someone else I will post my impressions when I have tried them all

 

[sailor18]

Blades are so individually liked or disliked. For me starting with an Israeli Personna or an Astra SP might be a good start. Both are sufficiently sharp and forgiving.

IMHO, very light or no pressure when shaving is more important and that’s where I would first concentrate.

After that the universe of St. Petersburg blades works well for me and then try a Feather but only after you are comfortable with your technique. As your technique improves, more and more products will get better.

Astra seems to be a good start according to many, I think SS or SP will be my first!

 

[Tostig]

You have a lot of great blades in that sample pack. No doubt already embedded in that pack are the 4-5 blades that will become, eventually, your personal best blades ever. The trick is just to find them through experimentation.

As far as my thoughts on the matter, you know how back in the ole' days they used to say "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM". Meaning for purchasing managers making capital investments; IBM was the safe, predictable, high quality, nearly universally accepted choice you could never be faulted for making.

Well, the blade that kind of plays the role of IBM is ... Gillette Silver Blue. Nearly every other blade has its passionate lovers and loathing haters, but with GSB, the armed camps pretty much boil down to "best blade ever" vs. "pretty good blade but not my absolute favorite". Practically no one dislikes the GSB, whereas for many it's their # 1 blade. It's very sharp -- not quite as sharp as the ultra-sharps in your sample pack, the Feather, Kai, Nacet, and Perma-Sharp Super, but sharper than the mid-sharp blades which most of the others are.

For me, GSB isn't # 1 but is definitely always top 5. The GSB is my reference blade - the first thing that goes in a new razor to test the razor, and also the one I use on the left side of my face when I'm using another blade on the right side for the first time to decide how I feel about it.

Bottom line for me is, Gillette just got something right with the GSB. It's a 9 for sharpness and a 9 for smoothness and maybe an 8 for longevity, and whereas you can always find a blade that knocks the cover off the ball and scores a perfect 10 in one of those three categories, you may not find a better overall balanced blade.

From there, I'd delve into the Gillette Platinum, which is kinda similar to the GSB, a little less sharp and a little more forgiving - making it an exceptional "starter" blade. The Platinum is just super super easy to shave with, very tolerant of mistakes, very unlikely to leave you irritated.

From there, on to the Polsilver or Wizamet (they are the exact same blade), which are in fact Gillette products made in the same plant as GSBs, and not all that different from the GSB. Wizamets have a cult following and I'm definitely in it. It's my # 1 blade. Once you've had 5 or 10 shaves with the GSB, you'll be equipped to decide if you like the Wizamet/Polsilver better or worse. Some say the Wizamet/Polsilver is sharper and less smooth; others that it is smoother and less sharp. In my opinion the Wizamet is a skootch less sharp and more smooth than a GSB, making it a super-comfortable daily blade while still having enough cutting power for a true BBS shave.

So to sum up what I've got to say on these blades:

Blade Sharpness Smoothness Longevity
GSB 9 9 8
Polsilver / Wizamet 8.5 9.5 9
Platinum 7 10 9

As you can see from my totally made up numbers above, to me they are all tippy-top top tier blades.

Two more blades in your list I will comment on are the Gillette SharpEdge and the Astra SP. The SharpEdge is similar to the GSB, maybe as sharp but perhaps not quite as smooth/forgiving. I have 200 SharpEdge and really like them. The Astra SP, also a Gillette blade out of the same factory, is a more debatable blade. It's inexpensive, but some (including me) might say it isn't as sharp or smooth as a GSB. To me it just doesn't feel as refined or good to shave with as a GSB/Polsilver/Platinum/SharpEdge, though it's perfectly acceptable to me for a shave if one is lying around. But there are more than a few people for whom the Astra SP is their favorite blade of all time, so it's definitely a YMMV thing.

Special shout out to the Rapira PL. I've become such a Gillette guy with the blades that I rarely use other brands, but the Rapira has definitely won a place in my heart. I really like it.