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Mildest Blade?

I prefer a mild razor and a blade that is sharp enough but smooth too. My go to razor is a Karve B plate. I have over 13,000 DE blades in my collection so I've tried a bunch searching for the perfect blade for 'me'. Just to name a few good ones on the top of my list are Wizamet, Voskhod, Perma-Sharp Super, Gillette Wilkinson Sword (Saloon Pack - made in India version).

However, recently I tried one that I had very low expectations for and was blown away. Super-Max Super Stainless. Sooo smooth, NO nicks, cuts, irritation and a great shave. Just perfect. You never hear about this blade and they are very affordable. I bought 200 for $15 delivered on Amazon. It's one of my favorites and a perfect match for my Karve.
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Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
As one would expect, much of the response focuses on the importance of technique. While improving one's technique provides rich rewards, sometimes someone just wants a piece of equipment that will help address the issues they have with shaving. I have generally found Personna and Crystal Platinums both to provide low irritation shaves. A number of folk recommend Feather. I have had some pretty gnarly shaves with Feathers pushed beyond a second shave or used in anything the least bit aggressive at other than an incredibly deliberate pace. OTOH a Feather blade in a very mild razor like the AS-D2 can be used easily and yield mild shaves. I know various folk tout how mild certain other razors are, but I find Feather razors much more mild than anything else. A Personna or Crystal Platinum in an AS-D2 feels as mild as a kid's toy plastic razor yet, with attention to angle, will yield BBS. My personal view is that for true mildness the razor is probably more important than the blade.
 
Carbon blades are by far the smoothest for me. Treet Black Beauties most of all. Their Teflon coated carbon blades are harsher for the first few shaves then mellow and get smooth like the black beauties after the Teflon has worn off.

Stainless blades- Kai is by far the smoothest stainless blade for me. It's as if it can't scrape or cut flesh. I suspect this is because they have a higher carbon content and lower stainless components. That and they're stiffer because they're tempered differently than other blades. Whatever the reason, they walk that line betwixt sharpness and smoothness better than any other stainless blade I've used.
 
After trying a dozen different blades in my AS-D2 razor, I came up with a guess that only the Merkur blade is right for me. Daily after each shave my skin is incredibly soft with only 2 passes. Feather, Shark, Derby, Gillette, Astra etc all give me redness and I have to limit myself to one pass shaves and I can't get BBS.
 
I prefer a mild razor and a blade that is sharp enough but smooth too. My go to razor is a Karve B plate. I have over 13,000 DE blades in my collection so I've tried a bunch searching for the perfect blade for 'me'. Just to name a few good ones on the top of my list are Wizamet, Voskhod, Perma-Sharp Super, Gillette Wilkinson Sword (Saloon Pack - made in India version).

However, recently I tried one that I had very low expectations for and was blown away. Super-Max Super Stainless. Sooo smooth, NO nicks, cuts, irritation and a great shave. Just perfect. You never hear about this blade and they are very affordable. I bought 200 for $15 delivered on Amazon. It's one of my favorites and a perfect match for my Karve.
View attachment 1246424
Thanks. I have a tuck in a sample pack...will have to try them!
 
This is just a ball park photo chart of blades that I used and compared to the Gillette Astra SP(my Standard) and I would suggest the Rapira lux, Derby premium or Voskod those are a little better than the Derby extra.(click on photo to enlarge)
View attachment 1246642
Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
Interesting chart! Thanks!
 
Carbon blades are by far the smoothest for me. Treet Black Beauties most of all. Their Teflon coated carbon blades are harsher for the first few shaves then mellow and get smooth like the black beauties after the Teflon has worn off.

Stainless blades- Kai is by far the smoothest stainless blade for me. It's as if it can't scrape or cut flesh. I suspect this is because they have a higher carbon content and lower stainless components. That and they're stiffer because they're tempered differently than other blades. Whatever the reason, they walk that line betwixt sharpness and smoothness better than any other stainless blade I've used.
Why not? 100 for $7! Let’s give it a shot!
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A Treet 🇵🇰 for my face 😉
 
Any of my preferred is irritation-free: Feather, Personna Med, Tiger Platinum, Voskhod. I find the Rapiras also good, but like all non-USA Personnas very inconsistent, so this year's was my last reorder of Rapira Platinum Lux + Swedish Supersteel. According to the manufacturer, they use a different steel supplier for the Voskhod, maybe that is the reason.
 
Any of my preferred is irritation-free: Feather, Personna Med, Tiger Platinum, Voskhod. I find the Rapiras also good, but like all non-USA Personnas very inconsistent, so this year's was my last reorder of Rapira Platinum Lux + Swedish Supersteel. According to the manufacturer, they use a different steel supplier for the Voskhod, maybe that is the reason.
I love the Feather and Personna Med...but for some reason, I find the Voshkod harsh (I know I'm in the minority...most guys around here consider Voshkod the best razor ever!).

I never even heard of the Tiger 🐯 but I will definitely look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Wait...I see that they also have a carbon Tiger 🐯What's your opinion on that blade? How does it compare to the platinum? Thanks!
P.S. Looks like Kensurfs says the black, "round" Tiger (carbon?) blades drag a little 🤔
 
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Wait...I see that they also have a carbon Tiger 🐯What's your opinion on that blade? How does it compare to the platinum?

I have tried the following Czech blades: Tiger carbon, Tiger Platinum. The plats cut it, the carbon doesn't cut it for me. When I finish my current stash I will try out the Stainless and also Tatras, which are arguably the same. Tiger Platinum feels similar to most of Mostochlegmash blades, but slightly more expensive and so far Feather-like consistent (not to be confused with Feather-sharp).
 
I have tried the following Czech blades: Tiger carbon, Tiger Platinum. The plats cut it, the carbon doesn't cut it for me. When I finish my current stash I will try out the Stainless and also Tatras, which are arguably the same. Tiger Platinum feels similar to most of Mostochlegmash blades, but slightly more expensive and so far Feather-like consistent (not to be confused with Feather-sharp).
I hear the Tatra blades are even better than the Tiger 🐯
 
The mildest blade for me is "persistence". After 10 daily shaves with the same razor and blade pairing, I've found the difference between blades I used to loath and one's I used to love starts to blur, and I'm getting irritation free shaves regardless.

I started to notice this after my first Excaliber club attempt. That blade was a PermaSharp that started out sharp as a Feather, and finished duller than a Derby sixty shaves later. They were all great shaves.
 
Well at least now @Kennyg2019 has a comparison between 60 shaves with a blade vs. new shave = fresh edge (i.e. 2 shaves per blade at most). I don't remember what a used but usable blade feels anymore and don't intend to rediscover the feeling.
The last time I tried to measure the life span of a blade (ca. 2015) I had to shave in a hurry with a blade at least 2 weeks old and got my fair shave of looks by colleagues* that same day. Also the alum stung like a light burn.

* a mixture of amused and worried
 

DoctorShavegood

"A Boy Named Sue"
To each his own really. You have to run through a number of different blades etc. to find the one that is in your sweet spot. For me it is the Gillette platinum and the Personna med prep. I find them just easy. I prefer the med Prep because it’s made here in the United States.
 
I usually gravitate towards very sharp, but the mildest, most efficient blades I’ve tried are German Wilkinson Sword. They are Schick branded in South America.
 
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