How many blades before you move on in a sampler?

[Blackbeard's Delight]

I started out wet-shaving using the Wilkinson Sword blade 10-pack from Walmart. I got to the last blade and quickly ordered the 'everything' blade sampler from West Coast Shaving.

I got the package and opened the first brand of blades- a 5 pack of Derby Platinums. The first couple days were good, closer than the Wilkinsons. The fifth day it tugged and pulled like crazy, which I wasn't expecting. The Wilkinsons were a decent shave, not as close as the Derbys, but they had greater endurance... I could get 7 days easy out of the Wilkys. I actually went longer once because I just forgot to replace the blade.

The Derbys also seemed to cause more nicks... which could be my fault, since I am still refining my technique. But I did have significantly less with the Wilkinsons... I could go a shave or two without any. With the Derbys I had at least one or two pinhole nicks every shave minimum, even if they went away with the cold water rinse & AS Balm... I did have to take out the styptic pen a couple times over the 5 days.

So yesterday's shave I loaded up a Lord blade... partially because I wasn't super impressed with the Derby's, because that day 5 shave was awful, and because I am impatiently excited to try all the blades in the sampler!

Anyway, how many blades from a new package do people use before giving up on a brand?

I know it will be different for everyone... I was feeling guilty half way through my Lord shave that I already gave up on the Derby Platinums, maybe I had a dud blade? I know a lot of people replace blades every 5 shaves... so the endurance issue may be in my head. But day 5 was terrible, and it was a lot of weepers...

There were 5 blades in the pack... should I try every one before moving on? Or do people here know when it just isn't working? And also, for people that found "their" blade, did you know with the first blade it was perfect for you?

Thanks in advance for your opinions. Cheers!

 

[dcobranchi]

Assuming you're sticking with a single razor (which you probably should), I'd give it two blades of maybe four shaves each. Then circle back around six months from now. I'll bet that blades you thought were crap will have magically improved while aging in your den.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

My humble advice is to try 2,3,4 or 5 blades (however which amount per blade brand), before moving on to the next blade (my one & only 'go-to' blade is Shark Super Chrome

).

However, long ago when I received my Sampler, I started a Thread entitled "In what Order should I test these Sampler Razor Blades?", and the best advice was from member Optometrist a.k.a David who stated;

"I say jump straight in with the Feathers [and then the KAI's]. Yes, they are sharp, but you learn very quickly to let the weight of the razor do the work for you. If you can get the feather right, then it's plain sailing with the others. A few nicks and cuts early on are nothing to worry about and stand you in good stead. Start with a lesser blade and it's a continual learning process as you step up the level of sharpness".

Also, member Npsarros stated, "Keep a spreadsheet with every shave [you], have taken, rating each blade as [you], go along". My spread data ratings reads in columns as follows;

a) Razor Blade / Country / Type

b) Sharpness? (aggressive, moderate sharpness, mild sharpness, tugging or pulling, ect...).

c) Closeness of Shave? (DFS, CCS, BBS, ect...).

d) Smoothness/Roughness of Shave? (moderately smooth, very smooth, very,very smooth, ect...).

e) Comfort of Shave? (no irratation, slight irratation, touch of burn, itching, ect...).

f) Overall Rating? (awesome, great, passable or unpleasant).

g) Compatible with your Razor(s)? (yes or no).

PM me with your e-mail address and I will send you my workable spread sheet example.

"A razor [blade] can't be sharpened on a piece of velvet." Author Unknown

 

[tbress]

I'm working my way through a blade sampler right now. I've been following three rules that are working for me:
1. If a blade is truly awful, just stop after two blades. This happened with Bic blades for me. I cut myself up on the first blade, tried a second just to make sure I didn't have a dud and the same thing happened. Fool me twice, no more than that.
2. I a blade seems good, try one blade and then move on
3. Once you've tried all the blades, circle back and pick the ones you liked the least. Work your way through the entire pack, then move on to the next pack you like least.

This system has worked for me. It weeded out the obvious bad ones for me (YMMV). Then I got a chance to do a rough sort on which blades I liked and which I didn't. Then when I circled back and started working through entire packs I got a better feel for each blade. Sometimes I would change my mind on a blade, sometimes my initial impression was confirmed.

My hope is that I can generate three categories of blades: awful, mediocre and good. The awful ones I will probably never try again, the mediocre ones I could use but probably will not purchase, and the good ones will be on my "watch list" for good bargains.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I've tried one of each while working through my sampler. Some of the blades didn't even get a full shave before I decided they weren't going to be a good fit for me. It seems to me you can tell pretty quickly whether or not they should end up in the keep or go pile and then I can circle back to the keepers to pick a favorite(s).

 

[pipskicks]

My humble advice is to try 2,3,4 or 5 blades (however which amount per blade brand), before moving on to the next blade (my one & only 'go-to' blade is Shark Super Chrome

).

However, long ago when I received my Sampler, I started a Thread entitled "In what Order should I test these Sampler Razor Blades?", and the best advice was from member Optometrist a.k.a David who stated;

"I say jump straight in with the Feathers [and then the KAI's]. Yes, they are sharp, but you learn very quickly to let the weight of the razor do the work for you. If you can get the feather right, then it's plain sailing with the others. A few nicks and cuts early on are nothing to worry about and stand you in good stead. Start with a lesser blade and it's a continual learning process as you step up the level of sharpness".

Also, member Npsarros stated, "Keep a spreadsheet with every shave [you], have taken, rating each blade as [you], go along". My spread data ratings reads in columns as follows;

a) Razor Blade / Country / Type

b) Sharpness? (aggressive, moderate sharpness, mild sharpness, tugging or pulling, ect...).

c) Closeness of Shave? (DFS, CCS, BBS, ect...).

d) Smoothness/Roughness of Shave? (moderately smooth, very smooth, very,very smooth, ect...).

e) Comfort of Shave? (no irratation, slight irratation, touch of burn, itching, ect...).

f) Overall Rating? (awesome, great, passable or unpleasant).

g) Compatible with your Razor(s)? (yes or no).

PM me with your e-mail address and I will send you my workable spread sheet example.

"A razor [blade] can't be sharpened on a piece of velvet." Author Unknown

Great resources and advice all over here.

I'll just add that I was "wasteful." I say that because I used 2-3 shaves MAX for each blade. My thought being, I have 5 so even at 2x I have enough to make a decision. Also, I wanted to keep as many variables down, so I kept them all even.

I don't know a lot about Derby, or about stretching blades since I usually don't wait for the pain, Astras are cheap and that's why I switched from carts, for a better experience. But I think if I were you I'd separate the blade's performance and longevity. While I think performance is much more important than how many shaves you get, if you try some expensive blades you can try to stretch them out to see what the best economical way to use them is. Pretty sure Derbys are cheap though

 

[5savages]

Assuming you're sticking with a single razor (which you probably should), I'd give it two blades of maybe four shaves each. Then circle back around six months from now. I'll bet that blades you thought were crap will have magically improved while aging in your den.

This is what I do, except I only go 3 shaves per blade. One blade may be a dud, but if I get two duds in a row, I'm not going to be buying those blades anyway.

I know I can get more than 3 shaves from many blades, but I'm anxious to get through my samples quicker. Once I pick the top 3 or 4 blades (out of the 30 to 35 different kinds I have), then I can go back and evaluate longevity vs. cost.

Another thing I do, once I find a blade that works great, is to go back and visit that bald between blades I'm still sampling. Right now my favorite blade is the Voskhod, so after I try two new blades for the first time, I'll go back and use one Voskhod for 3 shaves before trying out the next blade. This way I'm always have my top baseline shave fresh in my mind.

I also keep a spread sheet to evaluate each shave based on shave comfort (sharpness, tugging, etc), post-shave comfort (razor burn, weepers, etc) and finally the closeness of the shave. I average these number to rank my blades.

 

[mikey]

Two out of three shaves for two out of three blades should give you a good idea of how a blade performs.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

Wow, I was really thinking of making a spreadsheet to track the blade progress, but I thought it may be a bit too much... though it looks like I am not the only one to consider going down that road! (I have made excel spreadsheets for christmas shopping, oh the shame of it all!) I think I may start over the next time I switch out the blade and track it that way. The big thing is that I have a terrible memory... so when I look back I will have trouble remembering if the Derby's started out with lasted longer or caused more nicks, etc, versus the new blade being tested.

Oh, yeah I am using the same safety razor for all the shaving, a Gillette Aristocrat (That I found in the basement and cleaned up!) and will probably stay with it. Unless I happen across an adjustable somewhere... we'll see.

That's another thing that blows my mind... once I find the perfect blade, if I get another style of safety razor, the whole thing starts again! Yeesh! There are days I wish I could shave twice in the same day just to speed things up... which is something I would never have found myself saying just a few months ago, when I hated every shave, every day.

So I will make a spreadsheet and start tracking results the next time I switch blades. I like that idea a lot.

 

[LegionPrime]

What I did was tried 2-3 blades per pack and stuck to 4 shaves per blade. This way I got at least a week on each blade, and trying more than one gives them a better chance in case one is a dud. You give yourself time to get used to the different blades, while still leaving a couple spares so you can go back and try them again later. Sticking to 4 shaves helps with keeping it subjective, if I don't get all that great a shave with a blade I don't want to try and tell myself to go with it just because I get twice the shaves that another blade gives me. They really are cheap enough that I'm willing to sacrifice longevity for a good comfortable shave (and yes I do prefer Feather). The real fun begins when you have more than one razor in rotation, no really! *LOL*

 

[dharasick]

I can usually tell after a few strokes if I like the blade or not. If it's really bad or I suspect it may be a dud blade I'll try another blade out, but because I have a few blades I like, I know what "good" feels like. Unfortunately, I also know what "bad" and "meh" is, and experiencing that is no fun, and by no means will I give myself repeat shaves with a bad blade.

 

[Retiredgene]

Great resources and advice all over here.

I'll just add that I was "wasteful." I say that because I used 2-3 shaves MAX for each blade. My thought being, I have 5 so even at 2x I have enough to make a decision. Also, I wanted to keep as many variables down, so I kept them all even.

While I think performance is much more important than how many shaves you get, if you try some expensive blades you can try to stretch them out to see what the best economical way to use them is. Pretty sure Derbys are cheap though

+1 So much good advice here, I'll just summarized what I did from the various posts:

1. I used same razor - EJde89l to work through my purchased samplers from months of reading this blade thread
2. Each blade used for 3 shaves 1st time through
3. I posted what was used for each shave since I can't remember what I had for breakfast let alone what I used for a shave 1, 2 or 3 weeks ago
4. So far I have used 12 different blades out of 15 purchased
5. When I found a blade that was smooth, comfortable or super sharp and I felt excellent for me (YMMV) for at least 2 or more blades & 3 shaves, I bought a 100 pack when I found a good price
6. So far I purchased Feathers, Nacet, Astra, Derby, Med Prep & Red IP

Next up is to circle back since technique has noticeably improved & revisit a few and do some longevity testing on a few!

Gene

 

[Speedwell68]

I try and work my way through the entire packet.

 

[vocalistbob]

I was impatient - and new to wet shaving - when I went through a large sampler. I really wanted to like Feathers, but they tore my face up. After getting cut up by the sharper blades and not being impressed by most of the others, I decided to stay with Derbys because they were mild and gave me a pretty good shave.

Fast forward 10 months and my 100 blade package of Derbys is gathering dust. After improving my technique, I find that most of the middle-of-the-road blades (referring to sharpness) dont work well for me, although the Super-Max isnt bad in my most aggressive razors. The bottom line right now is that Feather is the best blade for me in almost all of my razors, BUT...lately I have been thinking that it is time to revisit some of the blades I rejected early on - especially a couple of the Gillettes.