My DE Blade Sampler Pack from West Coast Shaving finally came.

[paganini9]

Hello all, my extended sample pack of razors from West Coast Shaving arrived this morning. I've been shaving with razors from CVS previously and didn't like the nicks and cuts from my shave. So my question is which blade should i try first? I'll be using C&E's Nomad Soap with a C&E's pure badger brush and a Gillette Fatboy today. Here are my options:

•Merkur Super Platinum (10 blades)
•Feather New Hi-Stainless Platinum (10 blades)
•Crystal or "Israeli" (10 blades)
•Derby Extra (5 blades) Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (5 blades)
•Astra Superior Platinum (5 blades)
•BIC Chrome Platinum (5 blades)
•DORCO Platinum ST-300 (10 blades)
•Red Pack Israeli (5 blades)

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Ant.

 

[Barbash]

I got the same pack and have found that I really like the Gillette 7 O'Clock. The Red Pack Israeli would also be a nice choice.

 

[pelicano]

Crystals have been the best for me, so far.
Then,
Astra
Feather
Red Personna.

Haven't tried the others.

 

[Monkeydad]

Shaved with a Red Personna this morning, very good results but my best-performing blade discovery has been Crystal.

Save the Feathers for last until your technique is perfected.

 

[Telecaster52]

astra or derby

both are good middle of the road blades

 

[MedicBill]

Crystals have been the best for me, so far.
Then,
Astra
Feather
Red Personna.

Haven't tried the others.

+1, love the Crystals.
I have also had luck with Feathers.

Enjoy the blades, keep your styptic handy.

 

[paganini9]

Excellent replies fellas, keep them coming and yes I have read enough message boards to be terrified of feather blades until I have proper technique lol.

 

[BillC]

Haven't tried all the blades in your pack, Crystals and Derbies have been great blades for me though.

With regards to the Feathers, I really like them as well. But as others have said, they do seem to be more aggressive than others. I use a Merkur Progress and with the razor adjusted a notch down from where I use it with Crystals/Derbies/Merkur I get a great shave with them. Opened up too much and I get nasty razor burn that I haven't gotten with any other blade.

 

[craig87c]

Red IP and Feather's work great for me in the Fatboy. Derby's only work in the 34C for me. Haven't really used too much else.

 

[TheScalpel]

the crystals were the smoothest in that pack for me... refine that technique before you load up a feather!

 

[Rev. Nathan]

That's the pack I started with, but it's inclusions have changed over time. Here's my two cents:

Merkur Super Platinum - I think I started with these. They are real smooth and nice, but I've gone back and can't go BBS with these. Probably the best to start with though in terms of comfort and minimal injury.

Feather - You don't have to end with these. I sure didn't. Just make sure you've got everything down pat before you do. These chaps aren't joking when they say these are sharp. I always have to dial down for these, but BBS is abound. A treat toward the end of your learning.

Crystal - I hated these? But you chums are saying they are great. I guess I got to go with these again. Let's say save it for a little ways in, when you get a grasp for how different razors react and decide.

Derby Extra - You can start with these, too. I love these in terms of smoothness, and BBS is easily possible from these. Make this or the Merkur your first run.

Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge - When I ordered this pack it was regular Gillettes, which were so insanely forgettable I think I threw them out. Don't know about these, so I won't say anything.

Astra Superior Platinum - These weren't in the pack either when I ordered it. I want to try them, though!

BIC Chrome Platinum - Never tried them. I mean, Bic? The people who make the pens that sit in the back of my drawer and those cheap disposables at the grocer? Has ANYONE tried these?

DORCO Platinum ST-300 - These are my favorites for sure. Sharp though, so wait until your comfy with other blades first. A different sharp than Feather, but BBS is assured with these, and dirt cheap.

Red Pack Israeli - Are these the Personnas? I think so. If so, these are great. Once you can shave against the grain without cuts or irritation from the Merkurs or Derbys, load these up. Comfy, BBS-accessable, cheap, and good. These I think are my second favorite.

Hope these helps. I learned on my Grandfather's old Gillette and then moved on to a Merkur Progress. The experience was about the same with each blade. Actually, I have that brush and C&E Sandalwood that I learned on, so our experiences inventory-wise isn't that different.

Also, those CVS blades are bad. They are going to rust up in about a month and you're going to have to throw them out.

Final thought: you can always take a blade out mid-shave if it is just too awful. You got so much variety that you can afford to do such a thing. Have fun!