If it ain't broke... two out of three ain't bad, grass is always greener etc.

[muzichead]

DE blades come in a wide range of sharpness levels. Shark blades are on the milder end of the range with Feather blades at the extremely sharp end. I cannot use Shark blades as they are not sharp enough to cut my coarse beard. You are fortunate that you do not have such a coarse beard.

I've tried my share of different blades in different razors along my journey so far since 2016 and I think that in finding the blade, or blades, that work for an individual is more than a YMMV situation!! I started with 2 tucks of blades, Astra SP and Shark SS, and from that moment going forward that the Shark SS blade was the one for me... That was until I tried a Shark SC over a year ago and that has been the blade that all others have been judged by.

I have gotten the closest most efficient shaves from SC's since I first tried one and today I have narrowed my cabinet down to basically my Ti95DC OC/SB, Shark SC's, and Stirling soaps and aftershaves because I know that when I shave it will be the best I am going to get and I'm more than good with that!!

I will also add that the 3 blades I have received the worst shaves from and the most blood drawn are Feather's, Kai, and GSB!! They basically did nothing but skip across my beard and when it did catch it pulled my hair instead of cutting it, and on most occasions after it skipped it landed and drew blood!! Horrible blades for my beard in any razor I've ever put them in hands down....

 

[Legacoid]

Really appreciate the advice and shared experiences from everyone.

I think the cardinal mistake I made was experimenting with blades too early; I've still got a selection to try but I'll be sticking with the Shark SS for a few months until my technique is more solid (still find myself slipping into old cartridge shaver habits if I don't concentrate fully). When I do go back to trying other blades I'll be doing so from a stable and consistent platform.

I did succumb to the purchase of a couple of very cheap shaving sticks locally - Palmolive and Boots (UK chemist own brand) - and I've been shocked by how much better they are than the Wilkinson soap-in-a-bowl I'd been using previously. I couldn't give a monkey's (old UK expression) about scent as my nasal receptors have been permanently damaged by close proximity to Beagles for over decade, but I finally get what reviewers are talking about when they refer to protection, cushioning, residual slickness and so on. I'll definitely be trying Proraso (white most likely) in the near future.