Need Blade Advice

[FarmerTan]

PolSilver Super Iridium and GSBs.

+2. I would add that the Astra SS is kinder to my face than the SS, and lasts me 10 or more shaves on my incredibly handsome face that has medium coarse beard hairs.

 

[steffenapelz]

Went with the Nacet this morning in my GC68 and it was a really excellent blade. Very sharp and very smooth. Not quite as good as the Rapira Plat Lux, but better than my AstraSPs and significantly better than the Personna Reds that I haven't been able to get to work just right.

Tomorrow, same Nacet blade in my SLOC. I have high hopes.

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[FarmerTan]

+2. I would add that the Astra SS is kinder to my face than the SS, and lasts me 10 or more shaves on my incredibly handsome face that has medium coarse beard hairs.

What a confusing post!

I like Astra SS better than SP. Much better.

 

[Esox]

I found Nacet very sharp too, but not as smooth as a Rapira Plat Lux. It felt more like an Astra SP and Kai to me, but sharper than both.

I liked Astra SS better than SP too. They became very smooth after the first shave and felt to me the same as a Gillette Yellow.

 

[FarmerTan]

I found Nacet very sharp too, but not as smooth as a Rapira Plat Lux. It felt more like an Astra SP and Kai to me, but sharper than both.

I liked Astra SS better than SP too. They became very smooth after the first shave and felt to me the same as a Gillette Yellow.

You know we are Astra freaks, right?

 

[steffenapelz]

I found Nacet very sharp too, but not as smooth as a Rapira Plat Lux. It felt more like an Astra SP and Kai to me, but sharper than both.

I liked Astra SS better than SP too. They became very smooth after the first shave and felt to me the same as a Gillette Yellow.

Exactly what I thought after first use.

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[steffenapelz]

Nacet in SLOC gave good results. Better than Personna Red, but not quite as good as AstraSP...definitely not as good as the Rapira Plat Lux for me.

Next blade going into the GC68 tomorrow.

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[Esox]

You know we are Astra freaks, right?

I never claimed to be 'normal' lol.

I had to go back through my journal and see what I wrote about that blade. It appears I liked it even more than I remembered.

I'd not used this blade in any razor until today. It didnt seem like a popular blade and is little talked about. I found Astra SP an "adequate" blade but no better really and honestly I didnt expect much more from this one. Knowing the experience rabidus has, and his guidance thus far, I should have known better. I do now...

Lather up and start in on my right cheek ATG. No tugging, no harshness, same "bare blade" feel as the SP, but that went away, quickly.

After two strokes up my cheek I didnt hear the blade cutting anything. What the hell, I cant be done already? Check the angle, adjust the angle, no feedback at all. Those were overlapping buffing strokes from my jawline to the top of my cheek. I shrugged it off and started buffing along my jawline and continued my shave as I always do, listening and feeling for any feedback and moving on when I didnt get any. I did go back over the sides of my mouth, jawline, face of my chin and neck feeling between strokes to get them a little closer. At that point the only thing I had on my skin was water and I didnt feel the blade at all. The shave was so close there was nothing to feel the blade contacting.

I finished that pass, wet my hand and felt around. How, in, the, hell? I was completely BBS everywhere but my two swirls.

Painted lather, swiped to my opposite chest and done. I did have light irritation and a very small weeper right side swirl. This blade shaved me very close, but so did the Astra SP. I noticed this morning that I had less stubble than usual.

This is a very good blade. It is similar in feel to the SP at first, but as soon as the majority of the stubble was gone, so was all the blade feel. I cant understand that. It turned from an Astra SP into a Gillette Yellow in smoothness and sharpness in the space of 1/2 a pass.

 

[steffenapelz]

Went with the Astra SS this morning and OH MY!!!! This might be the best blade I have ever used. Much better than Nacet for me. And maybe a touch better than the RPL and even more slightly ahead of AstraSP. And blows Personna Red out of the water. Tomorrow, this blade is going into the SLOC and I expect magic. If I am right, the third use will go into my Fatip Gentile. Major win.

 

[Razor_Ramone]

So given that I love the Rapira Plat Lux (beautiful combo of smooth and sharp) and now avoid the Personna Reds (not sharp enough and slightly tuggy), what blades do you recommend I try?

Try Gillette Wilkinson Sword or Dorco Primes. Also most of the Gillette 7 o'clocks are good as well.

 

[StratMan]

blades are quite dependent on the razor and face to lesser extent... then again some work in all razors

for me a feather works in the timeless 0.95 and R41 but much better in the GC JAWS, by better I mean smoother, somehow the JAWS tames it. The feather also works well in a Edwin Jagger DE89

a nacet for me ONLY works in the JAWS, tried in both Timeless and R41 and could barely finish the shave, but in the JAWS was quite nice

a polsilver works in every razor i have tried, and to me, is the smoothest most comfortable blade i have ever tried... Its my #1 favorite

I also like the persona platinum blades but only tried them in the Rockwell 6C so far

 

[Esox]

Went with the Astra SS this morning and OH MY!!!! This might be the best blade I have ever used. Much better than Nacet for me. And maybe a touch better than the RPL and even more slightly ahead of AstraSP. And blows Personna Red out of the water. Tomorrow, this blade is going into the SLOC and I expect magic. If I am right, the third use will go into my Fatip Gentile. Major win.

I can hardly wait to see what you think of the rest.

I didnt even have my Grande when I got the Astra SS but I was digging through my blade box tonight for a Lord Platinum and found my last one. I did see a tuck of Astra SS in there. Maybe I'll try that combo soon too.

 

[HereticHermit]

Went with the Astra SS this morning and OH MY!!!! This might be the best blade I have ever used. Much better than Nacet for me. And maybe a touch better than the RPL and even more slightly ahead of AstraSP. And blows Personna Red out of the water. Tomorrow, this blade is going into the SLOC and I expect magic. If I am right, the third use will go into my Fatip Gentile. Major win.

Wait till you get to the Gillette Plats and/or Black Ninjas. I am thinking you are ready to move to sharper blades.

 

[steffenapelz]

I can hardly wait to see what you think of the rest.

I didnt even have my Grande when I got the Astra SS but I was digging through my blade box tonight for a Lord Platinum and found my last one. I did see a tuck of Astra SS in there. Maybe I'll try that combo soon too.

I think that is one of the exciting spects of this blade testing....that I may find blades that will work great with some razors I have been sidelining (like my Grande and even my Mambas to lesser extent).

 

[steffenapelz]

Wait till you get to the Gillette Plats and/or Black Ninjas. I am thinking you are ready to move to sharper blades.

For sure. I think that 3+ years in, I finally have a fair number of great razors that really work well for me in general. And my technique is really hitting its stride. Now I just have to find the right 2-3 kinds of blade and I am in a fantastic spot.

 

[steffenapelz]

Update on the AstraSS. Used it in the SLOC this morning and while it was REALLY good, it was not quite as good in the SLOC as my RPLs. So in the GC68 it was better than the RPL and in the SLOC it was just slightly behind.

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[Esox]

I think that is one of the exciting spects of this blade testing....that I may find blades that will work great with some razors I have been sidelining (like my Grande and even my Mambas to lesser extent).

In trying the 30+ different blades in my razors, my top blades work well in all of my razors. Some vary slightly but few of my razors are blade dependent. My Gillette Regent Tech, which has little gap and as much blade exposure as my Grande and R41 has a distinct preference for Perma-Sharp Super. Its the best blade in that razor, by far.

The only other razor I have that needs a particular blade is my R41. It uses Feather and only Feather, and then for only one shave. Because of the lack of baseplate support in that razor only the sharpest blade need apply and Feather is it.

My top 5 are, in order; Derby Extra, Polsilver, Gillette Yellow, Gillette Black and Perma-Sharp Super. I can use any of them in any of my DE's, with the exception of the R41, and have a great shave. All of my razors, with the exception of the R41, are rigid designs with little to no gap.

When it comes to DE blades I believe its the coatings that make the difference. I dont think that anyones best blades should tug, feel harsh or irritate the skin, assuming a solid technique. Thats something Gillette explored a long time ago and called the "Drag Theory".

"After discovering in his test lab that shavers could not tell the difference in blade sharpness, he was responsible for break-thru research that determined that blade sharpness was not a critical factor in receiving a good shave; rather a reduction in drag by hair clinging to the blade causing pulling was needed. This Drag Theory lead to the development of coated razor blades and specifically the Organosiloxane Gel coated Super Blue Blade (1959)."

Everyones hair composition is different and thusly, we all have our own personal favorites. Finding those favorites however, can be a challenge.

Thats also the only way I can understand why Derby Extra works so well for me in so many different razors. If I was forced to pick a single blade, even now two years later to use in all my DE's, it would still be Derby Extra. All 270 of mine are the old pre 2015 version that most dislike. For me, they work. In my Grande they work very well, but they only last 4 shaves.

 

[Tostig]

For me, a Polsilver, Yellow (SharpEdge), or Gillette Platinum works in any razor, and on any reasonable setting in an adjustable. Pretty much the same flexibility with the GSB, although not as much as the aforementioned 3.

 

[Robknock31]

Personna reds have been a bit hit and miss for me. Improving as my shaving improves. They are kind of my "benchmark" blade at the moment. Currently working my way through about 14 different blade types.
Only used a Feather in a Gillette Tech and it was the best blade I've tried in that razor.

 

[steffenapelz]

A few updates...the PermaSharps did not work for me in either the GC68 or SLOC. While the blade was plenty sharp, it was also a bit rough. More weepers with this blade than usual.

The Gillette Yellows on the other hand have proven to be excellent in the GC68. Retesting in the SLOC tomorrow and I expect it to do very well.

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