My blade opinions so far

[ept000]

I have been working through a variety of blades and thought I would share some opinions.

For reference I am using an old Gillette fixed head on a longer Merkur handle, and C&E Sandlewood soap as a base line. I have used other soaps such as Mama Bear, but I will stick with one soap for my comparrison of blades.

Started with Wal Mart Personna because I couldn't wait for the mail man to bring better blades. I can actually snag the hair on my face and let the razor hang under it's own weight with these blades. It would be easier to shave with a pair of pliars!

Next was Crystals. Not bad. I can make six or eight passes with these blades without nicks or irritation, but I need to make that many passes to get a smooth shave.

Astra was next and as soon as the blade touched my face I could tell it was way sharper. The Astra cuts closer with fewer passes, does not give me any irritation or burn (unless I get really carried away), and is actually quieter (I believe it's because it's cutting easier). I like this blade a lot with the only exception being the dots of glue that seem to hold the paper wrapper. What the heck is that all about?

After the Astra I tried the Derby. The Derby feels like it is scraping the hair off my face and not cutting it. I tried three shaves with two different blades before I gave up on this one. Definitely better than the Wal Mart blades, but that's not saying much.

From the sample pack from West Coast I tried the Personnas. For me these do not work at all. I can shave with one until I'm actually tired and even though I will not have any burn, I will still have lots of stubble. (Are these the same as Wal Mart Personnas?)

Now I am using Feathers. These feel sharp like the Astra, but take a little more work to get my face as smooth as the Astra will, and they irritate my skin a bit. For me these make a good back up blade.

So far the Astras are a good choice for me. Theye seem to work consistently well with the C&E soap, MB soap, or the few creams I have tried. I will continue to try different blades, but if I find nothing better than the Astras, that's fine as other than the glue dots I like them quite well.

As always, YMMV, and this is just my opinions and what has worked for me.

Thanks for listening/reading.
Eric

 

[TheBigL]

I've had some similar experiences, however after I really gained some experience, the wal mart personnas were very usable- not the best, but not a problem blade.

My time with the Crystals was about the same; a lot of passes for an acceptable shave. I actually had to limit myself on the number of passes I took (and still try to do so).

I have only used one or two Derbies so far. It was very smooth starting out, but felt like it was giving up by the end of the first shave. The second shave barely started with that blade.

I tried several of the Red Personnas. They all just felt like they weren't cutting. They were good and smooth, but just not taking the stubble off.

Feathers I have not tried.

My current favorite and go to is the Astra line. I like the stainless and the platinum versions. Sharp, smooth, and long lasting.

 

[Mohillian]

Thanks for this post. I have similar results. So far I have only used Persona Reds, Astra and Crystal. I would say that I have had my 2 best shaves and 2 worst shaves with Astra. Reds give me decent shaves every time but after about 3 straight days it felt like I my skin was getting raw. Crystal gave me some really good shaves and a couple bad shaves. I think that Astra may be the best for me once I stop being stupid and getting greedy. The Crystal blades are the neutral blade here, I know I am not going to get chewed up but I probably wont have my best shave either.

Feathers just came in the mail but I had two days straight of terrible shaves (the two Astra shaves) so I am going to let my skin heal (BTW, the Astras are also the only blades to give me a BBS too)

 

[A-Man]

I pretty much have had the same experience as the OP.

Astras were the best overall.

Crystals I could get a nice shave, but it took some work.

Red IP were just not sharp enough.

Derbies could get pretty close shave, but a lot of nicks and irritation.

Wal Mart pesonnas...irritation, dull, bad.

I do have yet to try the feathers though, then I'll make my final judgement on the WCS sample pack.

 

[ept000]

After doing all my testing with C&E Sandalwood soap I tried the Astra last night with the C&E Sienna cream. This has to be as good as it can get! I will continue to try other blades, but I'm definitely going to order a bulk amount of Astras.


Eric

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

astras were the best overall.

+1

 

[Nils]

I found them to be rather disappointing. They gave me some irritation without making up for it by a closer shave. I have only used them in a Futur so far, maybe other razors will yield better results. At the moment the verdict would be: as close as Personnas but with irritation.

 

[DHoffmeyer]

I'm still a newbie, so what I like in a blade will change after I improve my technique. I'll take tomorrow off shaving because of the current red splotches on my cheek and chin...proof that I still don't know what the he77 I'm doing. My last two blades- a Dorco 301 and a Derby - have torn me up, and I feel so incredibly stupid.

 

[mongol]

I've shaved with Derbys, Feathers, and had my first shave with an Astra this morning. Jury's still out, but the single Astra shave probably felt best. But I'm still pretty new at this too, so time will tell.

 

[imahawki]

Wow, I've also had a very similar experience to the OP. Astras have been the best by a long margin. They immediately felt right and I tried something else and came back to them to make sure it wasn't just improved technique. The first blade I had a great shave with was actually a Derby but these do better with less irritation. I'll probably order several packs and stick with these for quite a while. For reference I'm using a Merkur #38C

 

[Pilky]

Totally agree, Astra is my favorite blade so far.

 

[A-Man]

Well today I finally tried the Feathers. After all the hype on the board was figuring they'd be amazingly sharp and saw right through my hair...they were not, and they did not.

The shave closeness was lesser than the Astra, equal to the Crystals, and a bit of irritation on my neck.

So out of the bunch it's officially Astra for the win.

 

[ept000]

Update: I have added a few more blades to my sample list and just thought I would continue to add my opinions.

I tried the Gillette 7 O'clock's the other night and the best way I can describe it is it feels like the Astra blade when I'm on it's last shave. I had to really slow down to finish the shave without a ton of irritation. Even then I had a pretty good sting for and hour or two after shaving. This is not the blade for me.

As always, this is my opinion, and what doesn't work for me may be the cat's pajamas for someone else. I should also add I have whiskers like tree bark. Even though the Astra are working the best for me, there is no way I can get three shaves out of a blade. Even the second shave is starting to push it.

I still have Lords and one other to try. Stay tuned for more opinions....