Recommendations for coarse hair

[redgrandam]

Looking for blade recommendations to try for coarse hair (shaving head) mostly.
I’ve been using derby blades (bought a pack of 500 about 5 years ago and still lots left). They worked great when I just shaved my face, but now that I shave my head I don’t know they are the best option (feel pretty rough).
I was going to try Astra and personna platinum blades. But wondering if they might be basically the same as derby?
Should I be looking at something line feather blades?
I’m in Canada so limited where to buy them from. And the feathers are very very expensive compare to these other ones (derby, Astra, personna). Trying to keep this as affordable as possible.
Thanks!

 

[Atlantic59]

It's always difficult to recommend blades because people have very different experiences with them. The standard advise is to get a sampler pack and test drive them yourself.

Feathers are very sharp blades, but they have their downsides. They lose their wonderful initial sharpness more quickly than most and they are pretty expensive, as you noted.

Head shaving will wear out your blades sooner, so you will go through more blades. You want a blade that is sharp but more durable than Feather, and not too costly. Something like a Gillette Nacet or 7 O'clock Yellow might be the right ballpark. But there are many choices out there. One really inexpensive blade that many people seem to like is the Silver Star made by Lord in Egypt. Astra SS might work.

There are some services that will let you build your own sample pack of blades that you choose. I think that is your best way to go. Then you can buy in bulk and save money on your favorites.

 

[redgrandam]

It's always difficult to recommend blades because people have very different experiences with them. The standard advise is to get a sampler pack and test drive them yourself.

Feathers are very sharp blades, but they have their downsides. They lose their wonderful initial sharpness more quickly than most and they are pretty expensive, as you noted.

Head shaving will wear out your blades sooner, so you will go through more blades. You want a blade that is sharp but more durable than Feather, and not too costly. Something like a Gillette Nacet or 7 O'clock Yellow might be the right ballpark. But there are many choices out there. One really inexpensive blade that many people seem to like is the Silver Star made by Lord in Egypt. Astra SS might work.

There are some services that will let you build your own sample pack of blades that you choose. I think that is your best way to go. Then you can buy in bulk and save money on your favorites.

Thank you! Yes I intend to get a sample pack. I guess I am looking for tips like what you suggested so I can pick a couple specific ones to try. And not waste my money on expensive ones like feather that won’t hold their sharpness.
Currently I change places every time. (Which is fine if they are cheap enough)

 

[Esox]

I see you're in SW Ontario. I'm in London. If you happen to be close to Stratford theres this shop.

The Artful Badger – Classic Shaving Goods, Beard & Moustache Care, Men’s Grooming Products, and Other Gentlemanly Luxuries – Classic Shaving Goods, Beard & Moustache Care, Men’s Grooming Products, and Other Gentlemanly Luxuries. - https://artfulbadger.ca/

He has a pretty decent selection of blades by the tuck.

Theres also Try A Blade. You can buy as many or as few of any blade you want to try.

I'm not a head shaver, but it seems many move to SE razors because the blades are so much stiffer they cut through the more dense hair easier.

 

[RayClem]

Since you claim to have coarse hair, I am surprised the Derby Extra blades worked for you at all. They are too dull for me.

Since you are used to the mild Derby blades, you might want to be cautious about trying some of the sharpest blades (Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Permasharp Super, Nacets and 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Blacks. However, as your experience develops, you may love them.

There are a number of mid-sharp blades that are worth exploring.
Astra SP Green are sharper than Derby, but they still are not sharp enough for me. I prefer 7 O'Clock Yellow or Green, Astra SS Blue, Gillitte Silver Blue, Voskhod, Polsilver Iridium, Rapira Platinum Lux, German Wilkinson Sword, and Personna Israeli Reds. Although not as well known, I also like Shark Platinum, Dorco STP301 Prime Platinum, and SuperMax Blue Diamond.

I suggest picking up a sampler pack of various blades with about a dozen different tucks.

 

[Invicta]

I’ve been using derby blades (bought a pack of 500 about 5 years ago and still lots left). They worked great when I just shaved my face, but now that I shave my head I don’t know they are the best option (feel pretty rough).
I was going to try Astra and personna platinum blades. But wondering if they might be basically the same as derby?

Those are the old Derby Extra so not as good as the post 2016 batches.
Astra SP, Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge and GSB should be on your list to try; all better performers than the Derby.

 

[redgrandam]

Since you claim to have coarse hair, I am surprised the Derby Extra blades worked for you at all. They are too dull for me.

Since you are used to the mild Derby blades, you might want to be cautious about trying some of the sharpest blades (Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Permasharp Super, Nacets and 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Blacks. However, as your experience develops, you may love them.

There are a number of mid-sharp blades that are worth exploring.
Astra SP Green are sharper than Derby, but they still are not sharp enough for me. I prefer 7 O'Clock Yellow or Green, Astra SS Blue, Gillitte Silver Blue, Voskhod, Polsilver Iridium, Rapira Platinum Lux, German Wilkinson Sword, and Personna Israeli Reds. Although not as well known, I also like Shark Platinum, Dorco STP301 Prime Platinum, and SuperMax Blue Diamond.

I suggest picking up a sampler pack of various blades with about a dozen different tucks.

Thanks. I guess they were enough to get by with. I have never been 100% happy with the result and should have tried other blades years ago. But I’ve had a beard for several years now. So the limited shaving I have done (till I started head shaving) was good enough for me lol.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll make sure some of them are in my sample pack.

 

[redgrandam]

I see you're in SW Ontario. I'm in London. If you happen to be close to Stratford theres this shop.

The Artful Badger – Classic Shaving Goods, Beard & Moustache Care, Men’s Grooming Products, and Other Gentlemanly Luxuries – Classic Shaving Goods, Beard & Moustache Care, Men’s Grooming Products, and Other Gentlemanly Luxuries. - https://artfulbadger.ca/

He has a pretty decent selection of blades by the tuck.

Theres also Try A Blade. You can buy as many or as few of any blade you want to try.

I'm not a head shaver, but it seems many move to SE razors because the blades are so much stiffer they cut through the more dense hair easier.

Thanks. SE is probably a good route. But it still scares me. Lol. Eventually I think I’ll go that route. One day.
I’m in London almost daily, but can get to Stratford sometime. If I do I’ll check they place out. Didn’t know it was there! Have you found any places in London with a good selection by chance? I haven’t thus far.

 

[djh]

Don‘t forget that your choice of razor is as important as choice of blade. A mild razor will make it difficult to achieve good results if your hair is that coarse.

 

[BigJ]

Your best bet may be to order a sampler pack or two.

 

[Esox]

Thanks. SE is probably a good route. But it still scares me. Lol. Eventually I think I’ll go that route. One day.
I’m in London almost daily, but can get to Stratford sometime. If I do I’ll check they place out. Didn’t know it was there! Have you found any places in London with a good selection by chance? I haven’t thus far.

No I havent found any places in London that sell DE blades other than Wilkinson Sword at Shoppers and Walmart.

The Artful Badger is a nice shop and pretty well stocked. Nice guy to deal with too.

 

[Pattorashu]

I would absolutely try some Personna blades, I enjoy them and my beard is about medium coarse. Astra is another blade I enjoy.

I would also try supermax blades, they're apparently quite cheap, and I enjoyed the one I got with a PIF

I abhorr 7O'clock Yellows.

 

[Atlantic59]

There is an interesting website (maybe you have seen it) where a guy does razor blade testing for sharpness and durability. Not everyone agrees with the results, but it is at least interesting.

...I would also try supermax blades, they're apparently quite cheap, and I enjoyed the one I got with a PIF...

The problem with Supermax is they offer so many different blades, and some of them are not worth even the small amount they cost. Plus, they are named after a type of prison.

That said, I have been advised the Blue Diamond Titanium and Blue Diamond Platinum were two of the best blades Supermax makes.

@redgrandam, I don't know whether you would be interested or not, but there is a very inexpensive cartridge razor called the Gillette Guard with a swiveling head and single-blade, open comb design. You can buy it from the bay website since Gillette does not sell it here. Also, I think West Coast Shaving has it for a higher price. The Guard has been discussed a fair bit here on B&B.

 

[Pattorashu]

There is an interesting website (maybe you have seen it) where a guy does razor blade testing for sharpness and durability. Not everyone agrees with the results, but it is at least interesting.

The problem with Supermax is they offer so many different blades, and some of them are not worth even the small amount they cost. Plus, they are named after a type of prison.

That said, I have been advised the Blue Diamond Titanium and Blue Diamond Platinum were two of the best blades Supermax makes.

I didn't realize they made a bunch of different ones. The ones I tried were blue diamond platinum!

 

[VerbaVolant]

...I was going to try Astra and personna platinum blades. But wondering if they might be basically the same as derby?...

Razor blades are a big YMMV thing here. In my opinion and limited experience, ASTRA SP blades are very different than Derby. As in much, much better than Derby. Derby gives me a worry free shave but very tuggy, borderline unpleasant. That is during the shave. ASTRA SP is head and shoulders above Derby.

In case it wasn't obvious, I really like ASTRAs.

 

[RayClem]

There are two blades sold under the Astra brand. One is the Superior Platinum blade packaged in green. The other is the Superior Stainless blade packaged in blue. The Astra SP Green blades are one of the most popular blades, but some folks with coarse beards find they are not quite sharp enough, but certainly sharper than Derby.

The Astra SS Blue are significantly sharper than the SP blades. They are plenty sharp enough for my beard in most razors, but I still tend to prefer even sharper blades.

I refer to the Refined Shave web site frequently. Although some folks do not agree with his testing methods, I find that my experience shaving my coarse beard and sensitive skin tend to confirm the posted results. I tend to love blades that give test results averaging less than 40 grams force on the test medium. I tend to like blades that test between 41 and 45 grams, especially in aggressive razors. Blades that average 46 and above (including Astra SP), just do not work well for me. I cannot even shave with blades that test over 50 grams. However, those are my preferences based on may beard and my face. Others may not have the same experience I have.

The other reason I tend to confirm these results is that I detect the change in sharpness between shaves 1 and 2 that show up in the test data. For example, Personna Lab Blue blades average 40, but on shave 1 they start out at 48 which is not sharp enough for my beard. I always get a terrible first shave with Lab Blues, but after the coating wears off, I can get three wonderful shaves. I may try "corking" the blades to avoid the 1st shave experience.

 

[dmshaver]

If you PM me your address, I'll make up a sample pack of several blades & mail them to you. I'll tape them to the inside of a card so it will be mailed as a standard letter.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I never tried Derby blades but have very coarse facial hair growing out of skin that may as well belong to a little freckled Irish girl named Elizabeth. To date, the best I’ve tried is the Personna Platinum Chrome, also called the Israeli Red. Cuts through dense stubble in a medium aggressive razor and lasts me 4 shaves. Like anything else shaving related, you have to buy and try. I’d suggest a sampler. Rapira Super Stainless, Voskhod, GSB, the list goes on and on....

 

[redgrandam]

If you PM me your address, I'll make up a sample pack of several blades & mail them to you. I'll tape them to the inside of a card so it will be mailed as a standard letter.

Really? That’s super nice of you! And if you don’t mind mailing to Canada that would be amazing

 

[dmshaver]

Really? That’s super nice of you! And if you don’t mind mailing to Canada that would be amazing

I'm happy to help. Once I get your address I'll have them in the mail within a day or two.