Tried Astra Platinums for the first time last night..

[xivex]

So on my ever expanding adventure into DE land, I have now shaved with an Astra Platinum blade twice. I didn't think it was a bad blade, but I wouldn't call it particularly awesome either. I'd put it on par with the Red pack personnas. It seemed a bit duller than the Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow packs, but overall wasn't too bad...I did tend to get some irritation on the base of my neck, but that may have been user error as I was trying to force the BBS.

Thoughts on Astras?

X

 

[DE Shaver]

A fine blade, not exceptionally noteworthy, but an above average blade that can give close shaves. My own notes on them indicate they shave smoother than their stainless steel counterpart, but not by much. Also, they are sharp but not as sharp as a top tier blade such as a Feather or Super Iridium.

As a final note, I find Astras and 7 O'Clock blades from Russia a little "scratchy" during break-in (e.g. first shave). Try them again tomorrow and I'm sure you'll find them smoother.

 

[ateace]

They are good blades, but not as good as some others. Their discontinued cousins, the Astra Keramiks, are sharper and perform better.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

Decent blade and affordable. I like them better than Derby's

 

[fingas]

I did not find the Astra shaves particularly comfortable.

 

[tejasjeff]

Blades are so personal in nature, but I find the Astra a good economy blade.
My favorite is the Feather, but I payed half the price for the Astras.
I prefer it to Derbys, it seems to be a thicker ,stiffer blade imo.
I think it is a good value.

 

[raisindot]

For me, the Astras are the most overrated blade out there. Cut my face to shreds without cutting the whiskers. I'd even prefer using Derbys over them.

Jeff in Boston

 

[MoJoe]

I found them to be smooth and sharper than most blades with the exception of the very sharp blades like Feather, Iridium and Kai. For the price, they're excellent blades. The only problem that I had with them is that they're just not sharp enough for me to use in my slant (I tend to go for the 3 listed above in the slant). If I were still using my HD or Super Speed these would be in my blade rotation.

 

[barneyb]

Astra SP are My go to blade. I have had excellent results in my Gillette open combs(the best shaves to date). Feather's are sharper, but seem to be not as smooth. I do enjoy the Feather in my Tech and EJ 89l. The Astra SP are much smoother and for the price can't be beat(I only use the blade twice). I hope/will always have Astra SP, Feather and Iridiums in the den. As always YMMV....

 

[insomniac]

Astras are my current go-to blade.

They can be a little harsh if your technique isn't down, but I like them as much as the other Russian blades.

 

[xivex]

Tried the Astra blade again last night...not a big fan. Its alright, but I still found it duller and more irritating than the crystals, red pack personnas, or the gillette 7 O'Clock yellows. Left the shave with redness and irritation on my neck. Don't think it will be in my top 3 blade choices anytime soon.

X

 

[DE Shaver]

Tried the Astra blade again last night...not a big fan. Its alright, but I still found it duller and more irritating than the crystals, red pack personnas, or the gillette 7 O'Clock yellows. Left the shave with redness and irritation on my neck. Don't think it will be in my top 3 blade choices anytime soon.

X

Well, I guess I was incorrect about them being smoother for you on the second day. As usual with blades, YMMV.

 

[timj219]

I've only used the Astra Stainless blade - not the platinum. So far it's my least favorite but I only tried one blade - three shaves.