Sample pack verdict, what next?

[NZDavid]

I've spent a couple of months with the standard sampler pack from WCS. Here's my verdict:

Merkur: Came with the 12C, so have only tried it once. Initially seemed to skip but then I got a nice smooth shave from it, and it lasted a long time. I really can't see why people are agin it.

Feathers: Wafer thin, very sharp, sure, but I got more irritation and red marks, and it lasted just a few days. But I'll try it again.

Derby: Very smooth, good shave, reliable, lasts more than two days.

Crystal (Israeli): Very similar to the Derby, I am not sure which is better.

Astra: Or is it this one? Also very smooth, despite the machine-oil smell.

Dorco: Oh dear, A dreadful blade. It cuts, sort of, but not very well. Ten passes may make a difference to my coarse stubble, but sorry, this one isn't for me.

So which for refills? Derby or Astra or Crystal all seem very similar, possibly Derby has the edge. And I wouldn't mind giving Merkur another go.

Of course just my $0.02 IMHO and YMMV.

 

[Kyle Hyde]

I really like Israeli Red Pack Personnas. I don't like derbies.

 

[michiganlover]

The Merkur's are usually disliked, because they are not a top quality blade, but cost just about more than any other blade out there. Simply put there are far better blades, for far less money, so this makes the Merkur blade a rip off that is too be avoided.

I myself found them to also be absolutely wretched blades, that pulled, and skipped badly the first shave out. Now admittedly that was only about shave 10 into this journey, but considering the excessive cost of the Merkur blades, I have no desire to go back, and retest them.

 

[Shave Cat]

Merkur: Came with the 12C, so have only tried it once. Initially seemed to skip but then I got a nice smooth shave from it, and it lasted a long time. I really can't see why people are agin it.

Although I've never used a Merkur blade, it's been my observation that newbie shavers often dislike the first blade they try. Naturally, a new Merkur razor comes with a Merkur blade. The absolute newbie hasn't developed his lather making skills and doesn't have the best shaving technique. When he receives a poor shave, the newbie often blames the blade when his inexperience is the real culprit. He then buys a sample pack and shaves more often, improving his skills, never realising that those first blades he tried may not have been so bad after all. IMHO, a new shaver should start with a middle of the road blade, like Crystals or Derbys, and one good soap or cream and use them consistently until he has developed his shaving skills. He can then change products one at a time and see if he can improve the quality of his shaves. Of course, that's just my opinion.

-Clarke

 

[DE7]

I'd go with the Crystals. I can count on them to give me a good shave with no nicks or irritation.

The Dorcos tend to get a bad rap, and I didn't like how they performed in my 40s Gilette SS. However, I found they shaved rather well in my Slim set on 7. Having said that, I'm still not in a hurry to buy them again.

Mike

 

[r0ckrat]

I'd go with the Crystals. I can count on them to give me a good shave with no nicks or irritation.

The Dorcos tend to get a bad rap, and I didn't like how they performed in my 40s Gilette SS. However, I found they shaved rather well in my Slim set on 7. Having said that, I'm still not in a hurry to buy them again.

Mike

It also depends on which Dorco you get. I won't shave with the Dorco ST300 (Blue wrapper) ever again, but am quite happy with the Dorco ST301 (White/Red wrapper). Night and day difference between these two blades.

So, when saying "Dorco's suck" please be specific...

 

[NZDavid]

Yep, it was the Dorco blue and white ST300s. First pass is terrible, but it does get better after three or four more.

I'm still determined to give the Merkurs another go. Outrageously overpriced? At 50c a blade? Not compared to nearly $5 for those super-duper cartridges!
I'm not sure why they should be bad. I've got a made-in-Solingen chef's knife (Wüsthof) and it's brilliant. But I'm not about to use it for shaving.

Back to Derby Crystal or Astra next time.

----

<<The first cut is the deepest. The second and third can be pretty nasty, too.>>

 

[michiganlover]

Outrageously overpriced? At 50c a blade? Not compared to nearly $5 for those super-duper cartridges!

.50 cents per blade is not bad when compared to cartridges, however, the only other blade that regularly costs .50 per blade is a Feather. This is simply no way most people would argue that a Merkur blade is of the same quality as a Feather blade; hence I stand behind my original post: Merkur blades are a rip off.

 

[Cuttingboard]

I used Astra Superior's yesterday and today for the first time and received a couple of very smooth, irritation free 3 pass shaves. I was using Red Personna but believe these are my new favorites. I still have to shave with the Gillette 7 O'clocks and Feathers before I decide which are my favorites but right now I prefer Astras, followed by Red Personna, Derby, and Crystals.

 

[moonshine44]

Of the blades you mentioned, I personally like the Derbys. That having been said, IMHO the Derbys take second place to Gillette 7 o'clock greens...