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Just finished my 7th shave with the Derby and DE89. Had another good shave with no nicks or irritation on 3 passes with touch up. No tugging either, but I won't go past 7 with a new brand. Definitely a blade I'll use again.
The Dreaded Derby Extra Blade
- Thread starter nelsonic21
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I so wonder if those orange label Derbs at Sally are a garbage blade sold for one and done shavette deals. Just like the Personna in the white dispenser. Not to compare but those are Barber blades and not the same as the labs and wondering if I am on to something. When I bought the green label they were leaps and bounds a better blade. I wonder if they really coat the blades with that kitchen sink of metals?
Derby is one of my favorite standby blades, I especially like the plastic packaging which includes a blade disposal slot. I have a few with old vertical labels but most were more than 10 years old with horizontal labels. I recently saw the Derby Premium with black labels; if these are a bit thinner (I was not sure if these were what @fast-shaver was referring to above) maybe they are even better.
This!
I bought my 100 when the now discontinued swedes and Derby Extra along with Russia yellow 7OC were the rage. I recollect reading a lot about how this blade needed to be corked for burrs and also this blade gave fantastic shaves after one or two break in shaves where the coatings would give way to the sharp blade. Most preferred to cork the blade out of the cover to break in the blade and people used to swear by its sharp and smooth shave!
Perhaps if someone looks back to the thread on "blade used for the day" and goes back say 7-8 years every other shaver uses to say derby!
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I started with Derby's, quickly moved onto better and sharper blades. I keep going back to them in the vain hope they work better for me but nope, my technique & gear is improving but my stubble is like mini tree trunks, I need a chainsaw(polsilver,GSB's et al) not a hacksaw. When I do use them its for a quick 1 pass clean up shave then chuck it, wouldn't dream of going against the grain with these, I'll leave BBSing to my agents from St Petersburg
I know it's been said before, but any Derby I've tried should be outlawed.
Derbys are a great blade. I've done several 30 Day One Blade challenges with a Derby.
Derby is still in my top 3, and still, if I could only have one blade type for all my razors, Derby Extra would be it.
How many shaves per blade? They seem to have a pretty narrow window of sharpness, starting out dull-as-a-rockwell, sharpening up, then quickly dulling again. At least according to the objective test at refinedshave. I prefer sharper blades myself.
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I havent tested longevity of them but I took one to 6 in my Grande. In my NEW SC 4.
They give me a great shave. I can use them in my Grande directly ATG first pass buffing but they can tug a bit in places. Normal shave is first pass N-S WTG/XTG. Second pass buffing directly ATG with a shallow angle and done for a BBS that lasts 6-8 hours. Thats a nice comfortable shave.
In my NEW SC they perform about the same but when I use it very shallow I get a BBS that lasts 4 hours. Using a very steep angle, all comb, the same shave gave me a 10 hour BBS.
I find them very smooth, easy on my skin and just sharp enough but no sharper.
Derby Extras are one of my go to blades. The smoothest blades I have tried in many razors. For me they work best in either mild razors EJ 89, Merkur 34C, or in razors that clamp the blade rigidly near the cutting edge as the 0.95 Timeless SS and Titanium do. I find Derby's tugging and harsh in more aggresive razors that do not clamp the edge like a Futur on 6 or the R 41. As always YMMV.
Derby Extras are one of the best blades on the market...IMO. indeed they are my daily go-to DE blade. Smooth and sharp.
We all have our preferences and it’s fun to have so many options - particularly as DE blades are cheap.
Personally I don’t find Derbys sharp. In fact they feel petty dull to me particularly on ATG passes. I generally use a feather, Gillette 7OC yellow, or GSB. All considerably sharper to me than a Derby.
Personally I don’t find Derbys sharp. In fact they feel petty dull to me particularly on ATG passes. I generally use a feather, Gillette 7OC yellow, or GSB. All considerably sharper to me than a Derby.
Interesting observation. That might be why I don’t like them.
I aquired some Derby blades a few years ago with a multi-buy situation. I recently tried them and found them to be quite smooth and gave me a excellent shave. I know that goes against the grain of some in the shaving community but I could use them daily if I had to. But since I have a (my) lifetime supply of other great blades like; Crystal, Voshkod, Plat Lux, and Israeli Reds to name I few, I don't anticipate the need to order any.
I easily get 10 shaves out of Derby Extra blades with my Fatip OC's. The blades weren't done, but I switch razors every two weeks starting with a fresh blade.
Derby blades really work well in rigid designs.
In a less rigid design I can see them tugging more.
In a less rigid design I can see them tugging more.
Using them this week in a prewar Tech. They do feel a little tuggy, but only on shave 2.
I'll go for a couple more to see if they improve.
It is a fairly rigid platform...
I'll go for a couple more to see if they improve.
It is a fairly rigid platform...
A Tech is a bit mild for them.
So....I went to change it out into something rigid with a touch more exposure.
Turns out it was a Treet Black Beauty, five shaves in.
I dunked it in alcohol to stave off the rust, and I'll try it tomorrow in a Merkur Bakelite.
I guess my Derby Extra review will be a bit delayed..
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