Surprisingly poor and somewhat painful Astra SP shaves

[UnCL3]

I am only about 6 weeks into DE shaving (used a cart with shave soap and badger for 25 years, tho). So I've tried a few blades; German Wilkies (meh), 7 O'clock yellows (nice, a little pricey), Personna reds and Crystals (ok), Derby (yuk, expected), Feather (very nice but pricey), Personna Lab blues (very nice and a great value), and finally the Astra SP's (not comfortable and dreaded making the 2nd pass).

I was surprised at the shaves I got using Astra SP's with a DE89L, Maggard's glycerin pre-shave, and super-lather with Conk's and TOBS. Really poor...painful...burning and general irritation...1 blade with 2 shaves, and another shave with a new blade. Classic case of YMMV.

Anyway, purchased 100 Personna Lab blues for $12.75 shipped. These worked really well for me and delivered 4 days worth each of the 2 blades I tried. Hopefully, these will be consistently good for me

Cheers!

 

[nemo]

Astra SP blades have always worked for me, but then again so do Derby blades. Classic YMMV.

Try them again in a year or two, your viewpoint (and mileage) may change.

 

[olschoolsteel]

I didn't like either of the Astras either. The blue one pulled and scratched. The green was a little sharper, but not by much, and rewarded me with shaving bumps on my chin and neck. First brand that did this to me in this manner. The only blade more painful to me was the vintage black/red Gillette Thin blade.

With the plethora of other blades out there, there isn't a reason for me to try to make them work again later in my life.

 

[UnCL3]

I didn't like either of the Astras either. The blue one pulled and scratched. The green was a little sharper, but not by much, and rewarded me with shaving bumps on my chin and neck. First brand that did this to me in this manner. The only blade more painful to me was the vintage black/red Gillette Thin blade.

With the plethora of other blades out there, there isn't a reason for me to try to make them work again later in my life.

I only got a few, so they'll probably be on the blade exchange soon.
My curiosity has petered out on these.

 

[Jeff_H]

Wow, surprising the Astra's don't work for you, but it's nice that you have found something that does work so well. It's so funny how blades vary by person. I am one of those people that finds most of the blades from St. Petersberg work really well for me. Astra, GSB, Polisilver SI and a couple more I am forgetting. However, the Personna's have not worked well for me. I have received several of the lab blades in trades or some were included in BST purchases I made and they just didn't work for me. But they do for a lot of folks.

I'd like to try the Med Preps to see if they are really as different as some people say, but at the price point they sell for I can buy almost 200 of some of my favorite blades. We are very fortunate that so many wonderful blades are available to us at such reasonable prices overall. I know we all long for the "good old days" of DE shaving, but the availability of blades was not as good back then, nor was the quality. The carbon steel blades sound downright painful and it wasn't until stainless steel blades came out that the quality of shaves really improved.

Anyhow, really glad you found a blade that works for you. Now that you have a good stash of your favorite you can try others in small batches. Maybe you will find 3-4 blades that work well for you. I feel fortunate to have found 4 different blades that work for me. Our fathers and grandfathers didn't have it so good. They got whatever was in the grocery store or pharmacy. If there was a world class blade being made in England or in Sweden, it might as well have been on the moon. They had no way of getting it, living in Wichita Kansas working at the Boeing factory 10 hours a day with no internet.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...Really poor...painful...burning and general irritation...

Not saying this is your case but many things can go the painful way during a shave. And many people blame the blade. I have seen blades with damaged edge (more or less visible with the naked eye) and poor lathers. Both will give anyone the results you described.

Good news is that it seems you found blades that work for you.

 

[RVshave]

Astra SP's have always worked for me in my razors and my son loves them also, but I've heard same blades perform differently in different razors.

 

[Jasman]

I'm with you, in the minority, finding that Astra blades are not a comfortable shave for my face. It's wonderful that so many people find them a solid, affordable option, but for us, it's even better that there are other blades that are more comfortable and efficient.

Glad you found a blade you can use comfortably, OP.

 

[Richie]

I get a lot better results with the Astra SS blades.....but that's just me.

 

[olschoolsteel]

I have to agree. Especially the middle paragraph. As a cart convert, if I would have tried this in 1995 or so, I would have turned my back on this thing I love now. The vintage blades I have tried were just as horrid. 5 minutes online and we can place an order to a handful of stateside shops that bring items from around the world to us. Using this and seeing the praise for Astra, I decided to give them a try. Thank goodness other blades are just as accessible with the same methods.

Wow, surprising the Astra's don't work for you, but it's nice that you have found something that does work so well. It's so funny how blades vary by person. I am one of those people that finds most of the blades from St. Petersberg work really well for me. Astra, GSB, Polisilver SI and a couple more I am forgetting. However, the Personna's have not worked well for me. I have received several of the lab blades in trades or some were included in BST purchases I made and they just didn't work for me. But they do for a lot of folks.

I'd like to try the Med Preps to see if they are really as different as some people say, but at the price point they sell for I can buy almost 200 of some of my favorite blades. We are very fortunate that so many wonderful blades are available to us at such reasonable prices overall. I know we all long for the "good old days" of DE shaving, but the availability of blades was not as good back then, nor was the quality. The carbon steel blades sound downright painful and it wasn't until stainless steel blades came out that the quality of shaves really improved.

Anyhow, really glad you found a blade that works for you. Now that you have a good stash of your favorite you can try others in small batches. Maybe you will find 3-4 blades that work well for you. I feel fortunate to have found 4 different blades that work for me. Our fathers and grandfathers didn't have it so good. They got whatever was in the grocery store or pharmacy. If there was a world class blade being made in England or in Sweden, it might as well have been on the moon. They had no way of getting it, living in Wichita Kansas working at the Boeing factory 10 hours a day with no internet.

 

[UnCL3]

Wow, surprising the Astra's don't work for you, but it's nice that you have found something that does work so well. It's so funny how blades vary by person. I am one of those people that finds most of the blades from St. Petersberg work really well for me. Astra, GSB, Polisilver SI and a couple more I am forgetting. However, the Personna's have not worked well for me. I have received several of the lab blades in trades or some were included in BST purchases I made and they just didn't work for me. But they do for a lot of folks.

I'd like to try the Med Preps to see if they are really as different as some people say, but at the price point they sell for I can buy almost 200 of some of my favorite blades. We are very fortunate that so many wonderful blades are available to us at such reasonable prices overall. I know we all long for the "good old days" of DE shaving, but the availability of blades was not as good back then, nor was the quality. The carbon steel blades sound downright painful and it wasn't until stainless steel blades came out that the quality of shaves really improved.

Anyhow, really glad you found a blade that works for you. Now that you have a good stash of your favorite you can try others in small batches. Maybe you will find 3-4 blades that work well for you. I feel fortunate to have found 4 different blades that work for me. Our fathers and grandfathers didn't have it so good. They got whatever was in the grocery store or pharmacy. If there was a world class blade being made in England or in Sweden, it might as well have been on the moon. They had no way of getting it, living in Wichita Kansas working at the Boeing factory 10 hours a day with no internet.

The 7 O'clocks at this point are my second favorites, but they are around $18 - $20 in bulk 100 packs; the lab blues were $13.00. That's not going to break the bank or anything, but what the heck? My original quest was to get a good shave for less money than the Fusions. So far I've invested in a Parker 99R (too mild), a DE89L (love it), and am waiting on a couple vintage Gillettes (a 1919 old, and a slim handle mid 60's adjustable not sure the exact model), a set from Robert Becker (scuttle, shaver caddy, and puck holder), assorted soaps, creams, after-shaves, ETC. ETC.!!!!

In short, I found a new hobby LOL. I'm not convinced at this point I am going to save any $$, but I sure look forward to shaving these days

Cheers!

 

[UnCL3]

Not saying this is your case but many things can go the painful way during a shave. And many people blame the blade. I have seen blades with damaged edge (more or less visible with the naked eye) and poor lathers. Both will give anyone the results you described.

Good news is that it seems you found blades that work for you.

The first blade was so bad I figured it had to be a bad one. The 2nd was just as bad; maybe a sub-par run? I dunno. I am rather new to DE, but with most blades I got decent results (Derby not so much).

Maybe I'll snag a couple from the blade exchange and revisit them sometime, and eliminate the "bad run" possibility.

 

[Pattorashu]

You're not alone, I hated the Astra SP... The SS was better for me but not by much. Blades are definitely a YMMV thing.

 

[Eeyore]

I'm not surprised at all that he didn't like Astras ... I did not like them either. Blades are a case of YMMV.

Feathers and Personna Reds are my favorites, it is about time that I'm going to try the Personna Labs.

 

[KLF]

The Astra SP are giving such bad irritation I can't stand them, in every razor I tried. I really wanted to like them since everyone is raving about them.

 

[fuzinboston]

I'm not a fan of Astras either, but they are held in high regard by other members here. Consider a PIF for your remaining blades or sell them on the BST and enjoy the Labs!

 

[fuzinboston]

Wow, surprising the Astra's don't work for you, but it's nice that you have found something that does work so well. It's so funny how blades vary by person. I am one of those people that finds most of the blades from St. Petersberg work really well for me. Astra, GSB, Polisilver SI and a couple more I am forgetting. However, the Personna's have not worked well for me. I have received several of the lab blades in trades or some were included in BST purchases I made and they just didn't work for me. But they do for a lot of folks.

I'd like to try the Med Preps to see if they are really as different as some people say, but at the price point they sell for I can buy almost 200 of some of my favorite blades. We are very fortunate that so many wonderful blades are available to us at such reasonable prices overall. I know we all long for the "good old days" of DE shaving, but the availability of blades was not as good back then, nor was the quality. The carbon steel blades sound downright painful and it wasn't until stainless steel blades came out that the quality of shaves really improved.

Anyhow, really glad you found a blade that works for you. Now that you have a good stash of your favorite you can try others in small batches. Maybe you will find 3-4 blades that work well for you. I feel fortunate to have found 4 different blades that work for me. Our fathers and grandfathers didn't have it so good. They got whatever was in the grocery store or pharmacy. If there was a world class blade being made in England or in Sweden, it might as well have been on the moon. They had no way of getting it, living in Wichita Kansas working at the Boeing factory 10 hours a day with no internet.

PM me your address and I'll send a few Med Preps your way. Those are the only blades I use and have enough to last well in to 2015.

 

[Icebear]

I tried the Astra SP's (green) early on and these were so much better than Merkurs .
I would rank them on par with the Red Personnas.
I got some Astra blue and I'm not crazy about these, pull and tuck, not recommended .

 

[pdxshaver]

I second putting them away for a while. You might just find in a few weeks or months that it was user induced problems. Refine your routine and try them again.
I had a similar concern with Astra sp blades with a new to me fatboy
As I learned to use the fatboy I have been able to use them with very good results.

 

[nemo]

I second putting them away for a while. You might just find in a few weeks or months that it was user induced problems. Refine your routine and try them again.
I had a similar concern with Astra sp blades with a new to me fatboy
As I learned to use the fatboy I have been able to use them with very good results.

I mention this because I hear it over and over again. As one develops better technique and improved prep things can turn around.

By the way, you should have tried the crummy blades I shaved with 44 years ago.