how do i choose a blade?

[praetorian2000]

i'm new here and have been reading tons of info on de shaving. i've begun using a brush and soap which has made cartridge shaving much more bearable. no pain or irritation. i wanna perfect using the brush and soap while i work on getting a razor and blade.
what i'd like to know is...what do i look for in a blade? most everyone says try a sampler pack. BUT are there particular qualities i should look for in a blade? are there things good/bad i can tell about a blade by it's description? OR is the decision based strictly on how it works on the face?

one thought i had was to go to walgreens, grab a pack of gilette which costs less than a sunday paper try them and when those are finished try antoher brand or variety (blades are insanely cheap).

also, could store brand blades be an option or should i just avoid them?

 

[Bertilak]

Try a sample pack of blades.

There are several places to get them, but one of these ought to do: http://westcoastshaving.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2. I'd skip the first one but any of the others should help.

 

[talibeard]

I'll second the sampler pack; best way to get you started.

Advice on blades is next to useless; it is every man for himself here and I've seen horrible reviews on some of my favourite blades and suffered from equally horrible shaves with blades that were highly praised by others.

 

[DSB]

I'll third the suggestion for a sampler pack.

 

[Slamarche]

It is an endless search until you either accept the best you have found or regroup and forge on.

 

[bill mcdill]

A sampler pack is the only way to really find out what works for you. Turns out that I really enjoy the shave of sharp blades (bluebirds and feathers), while more forgiving blades (crystals and derbys) don't work so good for me. Wouldn't know this without a sampler.

 

[Luc]

Another vote for the sample pack.

What you should look in a blade? Smoothness, sharpness, confortable shave. You will know it when you try it. I think that when you will find 'the blade', you will have some kind of moment that will be 'That's the one!'.

 

[Jonnie]

I'll second the sampler pack; best way to get you started.

Advice on blades is next to useless; it is every man for himself here and I've seen horrible reviews on some of my favourite blades and suffered from equally horrible shaves with blades that were highly praised by others.

+1

I completely agree with a sampler since just looking at the blade won't tell you anything about how it will work for your beard/razor/technique combination.

However, one of the things you also will see mentioned is that since you are just starting to shave with a DE you need to get your technique down first. The problem is: until you try different blades you don't know which will work for you but until you get your technique down you don't know if the blade is bad for you or your technique is causing a bad shave experience.

From my experience and lots of reading here, a good suggestion is to get a sampler pack and search for the general "rating" of each blade. Then write down a list of your blades as to mild/forgiving through aggressive/unforgiving. Start with a mild blade that has 10 in the package and try to stick with it for at least 5 blades to get your technique settled in some. DE shaving is different than cartridge shaving so don't expect BBS or even DFS for the first several shaves at least. If after a few days you just don't seem to be getting any kind of shave at all and you are pretty sure you are using the right angle and stuff - then try a different blade to see if it's the blade.

I lucked out and started with a blade that worked well for me. I now have tried a few others that are horrible for me and if I had started with one of them as my first blade I would have thought that DE shaving was all hype and given up. I wonder how many of the posts you read from guys about how horrible DE shaving is for them is just because they happened to start with a blade that didn't work for them.

Best luck to you and the start of your DE journey! There's some trial and error to get things dialed in but once you do you can (will!) be able to look forward to a life of good shaves.

 

[luvmysuper]

No single topic will gather more difference of opinion that what is the "best" blade to use.

Store brands are available, and a lot of people do just fine with them, myself included. Other people simply must shave exclusively with "their" brand.

It's all up to your skin and hair type, and no one, I mean NO ONE, can tell you what will work best for you. You have to find out for yourself.

Should you try the store brands, and see if they do well for you? Sure - it's a resource that is readily available and pretty darn cheap.

Should you try a sampler pack to see if your blade bliss choice is in there? Absolutely!!

Experimentation is the only thing that is going to tell you which to use ultimately.