Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette Rubie Sharp and smooth for 3 shaves.
Mild DE Blades
- Thread starter MikeAwesome
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Smooth maybe, but I would be a bit hesitant calling the SB's mild.
I am not sure what exactly you want to call "mild", but as far as I can tell, there are 3 factors that affect the "mildness" of a blade:
1. Sharpness - pretty obvious that a sharper blade can do some damage but I guess is the least "proportional" with mild term
2. Harshness - both a sharp and a dull blade can be harsh by simply not having a smooth enough grind, or a coating that is degraded quick
3. Closeness - there are blades that have such an angle, but ofc affected by razor, can shave not so close and others very close. The ones that shave the closest are the ones I could call aggressive, and combined with "harshness" they draw blood really bad. (bic blades in my case).
Smoothest blades are not my most forgiving(gillette black), most comfortable shaves aren't done by most smooth or sharp from the blades (personna lab), most close shaves don't come from sharpest ones (rapira), and a not so sharp blade doesn't need to be harsh (derby, YMMV ofc).
And on top of this, all those are slightly affected by razor used, so ye, it is a big YMMV thing.
However, if you define what you want from a mild blade, I am sure we can give more ideas.
What you do want to avoid though is a blade that has all of those: close shave + sharp blade+ harsh grind/coating = biggest damage
What you will want to get is a sharp enough blade for your hair, without being oversharp, a smooth enough grind coating for your taste, and to have the razor that will allow it to shave as close as it can.
A forgiving blade is one that is accepted by people even if doesn't shave close enough. A forgiving blade is my answer to your question, in my case represented by Gillette Black and Super Iridium. But the difference in "harshness" between those and my goto blades is so small, that it won't make such a difference to make me put them into main rotation. But yes, they are "milder" then my goto blades.
1. Sharpness - pretty obvious that a sharper blade can do some damage but I guess is the least "proportional" with mild term
2. Harshness - both a sharp and a dull blade can be harsh by simply not having a smooth enough grind, or a coating that is degraded quick
3. Closeness - there are blades that have such an angle, but ofc affected by razor, can shave not so close and others very close. The ones that shave the closest are the ones I could call aggressive, and combined with "harshness" they draw blood really bad. (bic blades in my case).
Smoothest blades are not my most forgiving(gillette black), most comfortable shaves aren't done by most smooth or sharp from the blades (personna lab), most close shaves don't come from sharpest ones (rapira), and a not so sharp blade doesn't need to be harsh (derby, YMMV ofc).
And on top of this, all those are slightly affected by razor used, so ye, it is a big YMMV thing.
However, if you define what you want from a mild blade, I am sure we can give more ideas.
What you do want to avoid though is a blade that has all of those: close shave + sharp blade+ harsh grind/coating = biggest damage
What you will want to get is a sharp enough blade for your hair, without being oversharp, a smooth enough grind coating for your taste, and to have the razor that will allow it to shave as close as it can.
A forgiving blade is one that is accepted by people even if doesn't shave close enough. A forgiving blade is my answer to your question, in my case represented by Gillette Black and Super Iridium. But the difference in "harshness" between those and my goto blades is so small, that it won't make such a difference to make me put them into main rotation. But yes, they are "milder" then my goto blades.
Personna Platinum Chrome, Astra Superior, Derby Extra
I completely agree with the poster above who, as with knives, thinks dull is dangerous.
Wilkinson Sword blades are surprisingly good. I went through a whole pack of them in about my second month of DE shaving without any irritation nor a single nick or weeper.
I found Derbys, Astras and Personna Reds very alike, in that they're not as sharp as a Feather, but still gave a comfortable shave. Not as comfortable as the WS blades though.
Wilkinson Sword blades are surprisingly good. I went through a whole pack of them in about my second month of DE shaving without any irritation nor a single nick or weeper.
I found Derbys, Astras and Personna Reds very alike, in that they're not as sharp as a Feather, but still gave a comfortable shave. Not as comfortable as the WS blades though.
Does mild = smooth, or something else? Like Cerbul I'm a bit confused. But others don't seem to be, so I will assume it is my problem.
No, mild does not at all = smooth. There are a number of mild blades that just suck in the smoothness category. The smoothest shaves I get are usually from 7oclock yellows and blacks and Feathers and others like Rapira Platinum Lux's.
You can put a Feather in a mild razor(such as a feather razor) and guess what you got.. a pretty mild blade experience. That's how I see it. So what razor are you using, OP?
Blades that are typically very forgiving are the IP Reds, Voskhods(teflon coated), Derby, Ladas(like an IP Red)..
I have a lot of Personna Labs and they are quite sharp.. or less forgiving..
You can put a Feather in a mild razor(such as a feather razor) and guess what you got.. a pretty mild blade experience. That's how I see it. So what razor are you using, OP?
Blades that are typically very forgiving are the IP Reds, Voskhods(teflon coated), Derby, Ladas(like an IP Red)..
I have a lot of Personna Labs and they are quite sharp.. or less forgiving..
My experience so far has been as follows:
Derby
Red Personna
Crystal
Merkur
The Red Personna gave the best shave in so far of the sampled blades. I would buy Red Personnas if I had to buy blades right now. I will probably have a different answer a year from now. Good luck and keep searching for the one you like.
Derby
Red Personna
Crystal
Merkur
The Red Personna gave the best shave in so far of the sampled blades. I would buy Red Personnas if I had to buy blades right now. I will probably have a different answer a year from now. Good luck and keep searching for the one you like.
I keep saying Red Personna is the smoothest and most forgiving out there. It might not be the most sharp or the most efficient but it gets the job done.
I don't know what "mild" is either. Most comfortable? In that case, my vote goes to the Personna Reds. I have tried Astras, Crystals, Merkurs, Derby, and Reds, and the latter ones give me the most easy and comfortable shave. Especially from the 2nd to the 4th day (I always discard them after four days).
So far in my experience, the mild blade that is best is a Wilkinson Sword. It's very smooth, comfortable, and shaves great for me. I can use it for at least 5 shaves. Love them.
The Personna red pack is the worst mild blade I have used. Only good for two shaves, and even new I am left with tugging, missed whiskers, and pretty heavy growth at the end of day.
My facial hair is almost as mild as it gets, and the Personna just doesn't cut it - pun intended!
For me, the most mild and comfortable blade is the Feather, because it is so sharp that it does the very best job, most efficiently.
The Personna red pack is the worst mild blade I have used. Only good for two shaves, and even new I am left with tugging, missed whiskers, and pretty heavy growth at the end of day.
My facial hair is almost as mild as it gets, and the Personna just doesn't cut it - pun intended!
For me, the most mild and comfortable blade is the Feather, because it is so sharp that it does the very best job, most efficiently.
OK, then what does "mild" mean to you? You say there are a number of mild blades that suck in smoothness. Can you name a couple and explain why you call them "mild"? Several people have called those smooth razors you site "mild"
I'm not being argumentative, I am genuinely confused.
It's counterintuitive, isn't it?
I would have assumed that the sharpest blade in the least aggressive razor would be the perfect setup - and for me, it seems to be. However, other sharp blades such as the Gillettes and BICs have really irritated, so it can't just be the sharpness. Maybe a combination of the sharpness, the blade coating, the angle of the edge and the shaving technique all combine which is why everyone is different.
Regarding mild razors - I gather (from reading here) that it's predominantly to do with the head design and how much of the blade is exposed. Hence the adjustableness of adjustables.
I would have assumed that the sharpest blade in the least aggressive razor would be the perfect setup - and for me, it seems to be. However, other sharp blades such as the Gillettes and BICs have really irritated, so it can't just be the sharpness. Maybe a combination of the sharpness, the blade coating, the angle of the edge and the shaving technique all combine which is why everyone is different.
Regarding mild razors - I gather (from reading here) that it's predominantly to do with the head design and how much of the blade is exposed. Hence the adjustableness of adjustables.
