I am on my 5th shave today with my Edwin Jagger DE89l. Up until this morning I had been using Derbys which were ok but let a bit of stubble. Got my Astra DPs in the mail yesterday and put one in this morning. Wow! What a difference! Much closer shave and ever BBS on my cheeks! I think I am sold!
The blade does make all the difference!
- Thread starter e-man67
- Start date
Astra blades are a great bargain in a sharp smooth blade.
They could easily be the only blade I uses (if I did not have thousands of others I MUST use)
They could easily be the only blade I uses (if I did not have thousands of others I MUST use)
- Thread starter
- #3
Turtle, do you do any specific blade prep on the Astra SPs prior to use? (Specifically the four wax/glue) spots on the blade?)
I usually either scrape them off with an old blade or wipe it off as well as possible with a tissue. Tried leaving it on a couple of times but the spots stuck on the razor head and were annoying. Last week the spots were bigger, all the way down onto the cutting edge. Didn't know what to do with that, just threw the blade in the bank and grabbed a Feather. Thanks,
I usually either scrape them off with an old blade or wipe it off as well as possible with a tissue. Tried leaving it on a couple of times but the spots stuck on the razor head and were annoying. Last week the spots were bigger, all the way down onto the cutting edge. Didn't know what to do with that, just threw the blade in the bank and grabbed a Feather. Thanks,
No, I just use them (wax and all).
I remove the blade from my razors after each shave as I will use a different razor and blade every day. So when I dry my razor off any wax that has gotten on the razor is easily removed with the towel.
I would not recommend wiping a DE blade for two reasons
1) they are sharp and you can get cut
2) they are coated and wiping them will remove the coating and make them harsher to use
Thanks Turtle!
Blades are such an individual thing, so congrats on finding a better one. Keep trying others though, and keep a record of each. You just might find an even better
one(s).
one(s).
Blades make a huge difference, but so does, I think, technique. I thought some blades were awful, set them aside for a couple months, and tried them again. They got better. Has happened too often for me to assume it was a case of a bad blade in a pack of good ones.
Blades do make a difference, but for me it depends on what razor they're in!
With my DE89 I prefer Red Personna but with my R41 I prefer Astra.
With my DE89 I prefer Red Personna but with my R41 I prefer Astra.
For me, Perma-Sharp Super blades are more suitable than Astra Superior Platinum with Mühle R89. Derby Extra performs terrible. But, Astra Superior Platinum is a decent alternative.
Astra SP's ROCK!!! 
Now try Feathers or Black 7s 
Congratulations and enjoy the blades!
Exactly the same impression I had when I switched the Derbys in my Edwin Jagger DE87 with the Astra DPs. It was like night and day. I did tend to nick myself with the Astra though. I am still rotating through the blades in my sampler pack. This week has been Wilkinson Sword. I'm not sure what I'll try next.
I can see they may be a problem with TTO razors and the silo doors may get stuck but for the 2 & 3 piece razors they are not an issue. Rapira stainless are a good alternative to the Astra blade and don't have the wax problem (if you could call it a problem).
I use Astra SP exclusively. The wax spots disappear by the time I am ready to change blades. I attribute that to the hot water rinse of my razor when I have finished shaving. I did find, however, that inserting the blade with the wax side down (away from the doors or top of the three-piece razor) reduced the amount of wax left in the razor. I have never had any trouble opening the doors of my Slim.
Last edited:
Feathers seem to work good on all my razors
This moment an Astra SP is in the Merkur 23C and up for the 9th shave tomorrow. It seems to stay sharp but it gave me some small nicks on the chin lately. But I blame the burger or two too many this week...
Similar threads
