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Trying out Derby Extra with newly acquired razors

Day 1: Micro Touch One, B&M Velvet, Omega 10049

DFS right around the adam's apple, BBS elswhere. No nicks, weepers or irritation.

Day 2: Gillette New, Pacific Shaving Minipod, anonymous brush (appears to be a VDH or maybe a Surrey boar)

Today's shave was about the same as yesterday's. DFS right around the adam's apple, a bit closer than yesterday, but not q u i t e BBS. BBS everywhere else. No nicks, weepers or irritation.

Day 3: Gillette (triangular slots - pre-war?) Fat Handle Tech, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Omega10049

Nothing but net! BBS overall with no nicks, weepers, or irritation.

Day 4: Gillette (triangular slots - pre-war?) Ball End Tech, Mitchell's Wool Fat, brass handle 18mm boar

Same blade & soap, different razor & brush, same result. BBS overall with no nicks, weepers, or irritation.

Conclusion: The Derby Extra seems to be a blade that's more smooth than sharp. As such, it would pair well with an aggressive razor like the Fendrihan or the higher settings on the adjustable. When paired with milder razors it may leave a little stubble behind. Since I bought 100 of these for $6.00USD last Black Friday, I can heartily recommend it, especially with a more aggressive razor.

Sharpness 7/10
Smoothness 9/10
Overall 8/10
 
I tried one, for the first time, in a Fatip Grande. A great shave, almost into "New" territory.
I found it comfortable, but underwhelming in my Weishi this morning.
 
I tried one, for the first time, in a Fatip Grande. A great shave, almost into "New" territory.
I found it comfortable, but underwhelming in my Weishi this morning.

Since I believe the MTO is really a Weishi, that makes sense. That was a decent shave for me, but the poorest of the four. The New did a little better, and then the Techs just picked up the ball and ran with it. Just my experience. Others may feel differently. Oh, it was a New Derby (>2016).
 
Since I believe the MTO is really a Weishi, that makes sense. That was a decent shave for me, but the poorest of the four. The New did a little better, and then the Techs just picked up the ball and ran with it. Just my experience. Others may feel differently. Oh, it was a New Derby (>2016).
I'll need to give the Techs a try, then. Thanks for the tip.
 
I just bought a Maggard V3A and threw the one Derby I had from a sampler on it, figuring I would pair the aggressive head with a mild blade. Let me tell you, it was the best shave I've had so far. No irritation, no pulling, problem areas were BBS for the first time. It was a 2 pass shave with a 3rd to clean up a couple of areas. Derby's will be in my stable from now on.
 
Since I believe the MTO is really a Weishi, that makes sense. That was a decent shave for me, but the poorest of the four. The New did a little better, and then the Techs just picked up the ball and ran with it. Just my experience. Others may feel differently. Oh, it was a New Derby (>2016).

From some googling, it appears that the MTO is a slightly lighter Weishi model. Mantic calls it "knock off of a knock off" and says it's slightly lighter than his Weishi and i found someone else, in youtube review, where in the comments, he says it weighs 58g. My Weishi F weighs 63g (while the FL goes for 75g). Which would agree with Mantic's comment. But looking at it, to me it's obvious that it's a Weishi. Maybe they just saved some cents for making it a bit lighter, but to the eye, it's Weishi alright.

Thanks for the review, i might start using the Derbies exclusively on the EJ DE89, since it's more aggressive.
 
I just bought a Maggard V3A and threw the one Derby I had from a sampler on it, figuring I would pair the aggressive head with a mild blade. Let me tell you, it was the best shave I've had so far. No irritation, no pulling, problem areas were BBS for the first time. It was a 2 pass shave with a 3rd to clean up a couple of areas. Derby's will be in my stable from now on.
Congrats on that one. I have a v3 and derby is the one blade I will never use again but your proof that everyone is different.
 
I've been trying out the derby extras with 3 new razors I recently acquired as well. I'm learning that this blade is just not for me. The only type of razor that these blades are just OK with are my slant head. But even with my most mild razors I can't avoid getting irritation or cuts. Good thing I only have a sample pack of 5 and not bound to more.


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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I just got 200 Derby Extra in the mail. For me in my Brit Rocket it's a toss up which blade I prefer, Polsilver or Derby. I think the Polsilver is slightly sharper and the Derby slightly smoother so a bit of a trade off. I think they're very nice blades. Eventually I'll get around to trying them in my other razors. Looking forward to one in a NEW SC.
 
I just got 200 Derby Extra in the mail. For me in my Brit Rocket it's a toss up which blade I prefer, Polsilver or Derby. I think the Polsilver is slightly sharper and the Derby slightly smoother so a bit of a trade off. I think they're very nice blades. Eventually I'll get around to trying them in my other razors. Looking forward to one in a NEW SC.

I think this confirms my suspicions about the existence of a sort of threshold in perception. When someone requires a relative low cutting power for his beard, it is hard to discern great differences in sharpness. Because, past a point, any blade is overkill, so the difference in sharpness diminishes drastically. While someone who has very tough beard and say, is comfortable with a Feather, will find an abyss of sharpness difference between Derby and Polsilver.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I think this confirms my suspicions about the existence of a sort of threshold in perception. When someone requires a relative low cutting power for his beard, it is hard to discern great differences in sharpness. Because, past a point, any blade is overkill, so the difference in sharpness diminishes drastically. While someone who has very tough beard and say, is comfortable with a Feather, will find an abyss of sharpness difference between Derby and Polsilver.

I think the more telling difference for me, and this has stood out as accurate with all the blades I've used so far, is using a razor that holds the blade rigidly. I cannot get a BBS shave on my neck with a NEW LC with any blade I've used and I have roughly 30 different types, but in a rigid razor, Brit Rocket, NEW SC, post war Tech, blade choice really isnt as much of an issue. Derby's shave me fine and so do Polsilvers, and now that I've used one, SuperMax Titanium. I used a fresh Feather the other day because I wanted to see if I really wanted 100 of them and yes sharp, but not nearly as smooth as either a Polsilver or a Derby. There comes a point where comfort matters more than efficiency and for me, Derby is right up there. SuperMax may change my mind though, too soon to say.
 
I found the Extra to be razor finicky , sharp , but not as sharp or smooth as the new Premium.

I would agree with that assessment. Derby Extra was the first DE blade I ever used, and I've used more of those than any other, so it's my goto for the first shave with any new razor. The Premium seems a bit better all around but I'm not as familiar with it.
 
I think the more telling difference for me, and this has stood out as accurate with all the blades I've used so far, is using a razor that holds the blade rigidly. I cannot get a BBS shave on my neck with a NEW LC with any blade I've used and I have roughly 30 different types, but in a rigid razor, Brit Rocket, NEW SC, post war Tech, blade choice really isnt as much of an issue. Derby's shave me fine and so do Polsilvers, and now that I've used one, SuperMax Titanium. I used a fresh Feather the other day because I wanted to see if I really wanted 100 of them and yes sharp, but not nearly as smooth as either a Polsilver or a Derby. There comes a point where comfort matters more than efficiency and for me, Derby is right up there. SuperMax may change my mind though, too soon to say.

Interesting. I never gave much thought to rigidity. Personally, I love both Feathers in a mild razor like a late 1940's Tech and Derbys in aggressive razors like the V3A and a Fendrihan MK II.
 
I think the more telling difference for me, and this has stood out as accurate with all the blades I've used so far, is using a razor that holds the blade rigidly. I cannot get a BBS shave on my neck with a NEW LC with any blade I've used and I have roughly 30 different types, but in a rigid razor, Brit Rocket, NEW SC, post war Tech, blade choice really isnt as much of an issue. Derby's shave me fine and so do Polsilvers, and now that I've used one, SuperMax Titanium. I used a fresh Feather the other day because I wanted to see if I really wanted 100 of them and yes sharp, but not nearly as smooth as either a Polsilver or a Derby. There comes a point where comfort matters more than efficiency and for me, Derby is right up there. SuperMax may change my mind though, too soon to say.

Oh yes, i remember you saying this before! However, having only 2 razor types (plus the Wilki classic), i can't test this theory. Maybe you should open a new thread, so that people with many razors, including rigid types, could do tests and see if they have the same results. It would be most interesting!
 
Got inspired by you that revisited the derby, so I loaded my Gillette New long comb today with a new derby. Haven't used them much at all, most of them I have gifted away, and the last time was probably somewhere around new year's eve when I was still very new to de-shaving.
Since then I have used a mix of feathers, a bunch of different Russian blades and personnas.
I have to admit, the derby is tuggy on my face, but still it gave me a damn good shave, bbs on most parts of my face.
I think I have to order a 100 or 200 pack of them and use them more regularly. Will try the blade a couple of more times to see how it's longevity is.

Edit: only to celebrate the dfs from the derby, I ordered a Fine l'orange soap and aftershave :)
 
Got inspired by you that revisited the derby, so I loaded my Gillette New long comb today with a new derby. Haven't used them much at all, most of them I have gifted away, and the last time was probably somewhere around new year's eve when I was still very new to de-shaving.
Since then I have used a mix of feathers, a bunch of different Russian blades and personnas.
I have to admit, the derby is tuggy on my face, but still it gave me a damn good shave, bbs on most parts of my face.
I think I have to order a 100 or 200 pack of them and use them more regularly. Will try the blade a couple of more times to see how it's longevity is.

Edit: only to celebrate the dfs from the derby, I ordered a Fine l'orange soap and aftershave :)

Congrats! Making peace with Derby does call for celebration! :thumbup:
 
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