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What DE Blades Have the Best Edge Retention?

Sadly, I finally had to bin a Personna 74 blade after 40 shaves. It didn't start tugging but wasn't as sharp as before.


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I think I made it to 20 or so head and beard shaves (equivalent of 60+ beard) before I gave up and realized I hadn't enjoyed any of the shaves more than my cheap blades, especially the last 15 or so, so what was the point?? It's like the old joke "sure the food is terrible, but the portions...."[emoji2]

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Well, I have 133 shaves on an Astra SP, and there are still plenty of shaves left in the blade.

I mentioned the Super Iridiums, but I forgot about the Astra's indeed.
One of the few blades I have hundreds of.
Great blade, lasts forever indeed.
 
For me, the US Personna labs/barbers can last 8+ shaves without noticeable dullness, but I usually bin any blade after a week or so.
Israeli Personnas seem very similar to the US ones, but I have only used a couple so can't opine on them yet.
Gillette Silver Blues also can last a week or more for me.
Astra SPs usually last 4+ shaves for me.
Feathers seem to lose their legendary sharpness after 2 days for me.
Derby Extras (from a few years ago; might be different now) were one and done: shave 2 was impossible.
German Wilkinsons lasted about a week for me.
Treet Durasharp coated carbon blades give me 4 good shaves or so before rust approaching the edge makes me nervous, and I bin them.
 
It's interesting to read others blade use. I keep it simple, for the price per blade it is one and done for most of my daily blades. I will use the feather twice because I think the second shave is better than the first..
You can obviously do what you want with your own blades, but to me this is just wasteful. Mamy blades actually improve from shaves 2-4 for me. Your blade is in the bin before it is allowed to reach its full potential. Seems a shame.
 
You can obviously do what you want with your own blades, but to me this is just wasteful. Mamy blades actually improve from shaves 2-4 for me. Your blade is in the bin before it is allowed to reach its full potential. Seems a shame.
Most blades increase in objective sharpness after initial use, then lose that sharpness over time that varies from blade to blade and shaving conditions. Feather's initial and short lived sharpness does seem to represent its full potential for a whole lot of people, full potential being a subjective determination.

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AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Most blades increase in objective sharpness after initial use, then lose that sharpness over time that varies from blade to blade and shaving conditions. Feather's initial and short lived sharpness does seem to represent its full potential for a whole lot of people, full potential being a subjective determination.

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I find that Feathers tend to fade down to the level of sharpness that other blades start at, over the first 6 to 8 shaves, then hold that secondary level of sharpness for longer.
 
I find that Feathers tend to fade down to the level of sharpness that other blades start at, over the first 6 to 8 shaves, then hold that secondary level of sharpness for longer.

My subjective experience mirrors the refinedshave tests, that after one or two head and beard shaves my BICs are sharper than Feather and retain that for at least a couple more shaves. Since I pay $8/100 for the BICs I can't rationalize becoming a Feather guy even if for the first shave it's sharper as I've found over time sharpness less a factor in my blade choice than it once was.

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AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
My subjective experience mirrors the refinedshave tests, that after one or two head and beard shaves my BICs are sharper than Feather and retain that for at least a couple more shaves. Since I pay $8/100 for the BICs I can't rationalize becoming a Feather guy even if for the first shave it's sharper as I've found over time sharpness less a factor in my blade choice than it once was.

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I haven't tried BICs, but to nick your phrase, can't rationalise buying or trying other blades, as I don't think I'll be able to live long enough to finish the 30 year stash I already have. :)

I think there's only around 30 of those 600 blades that are Feathers, but based on the one I counted, that's 1000 shaves worth of Feathers.
 
My subjective experience mirrors the refinedshave tests, that after one or two head and beard shaves my BICs are sharper than Feather and retain that for at least a couple more shaves. Since I pay $8/100 for the BICs I can't rationalize becoming a Feather guy even if for the first shave it's sharper as I've found over time sharpness less a factor in my blade choice than it once was.

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I’m currently using a BIC and was a Feather user. If the Feather is sharper on the first shave, it’s not by much. It definitely is not sharper than the BIC on shaves 2-... I am on my fifth shave on the BIC, and I would have binned the Feather after the fourth shave. So to me the BIC is not only better than the Feather over the long haul, it’s a steal at a fraction of the price of a Feather.
 
A lot has happened since I've been gone. Count me in the camp that finds everyone's different takes fascinating. I find it amazing to hear so many people getting 4-5+ and even double digit shaves out of a single blade. My beard seems to wear them down lickety-split.
 
I just tried a SuperMax Platinum for the first time as my last blade. Super smooth and held a good edge for 4 shaves; I tossed it after the 5th....why tempt irritation? Found the edge faded little until that 4th shave.

I normally toss blades after 3 shaves as I have sensitive skin with lots of acne scarring. Anything other than a sharp blade causes irritation that takes about 4 days to settle down.
 
I don't accept this methodology as valid. Whiskers aren't threads. The first two shaves on a blade are a tiny percentage of the shaves I get. Matching the razor, blade, lathering product, and beard is important.

Reductionist studies such as this one seldom give any useful information. I would include this study as one of those.
In fact, it's not even a study.

A study would find an association between the results and shaving experience in a double-blind clinical trial.

Sorry, but I'll just keep using my Astra SP's. Everyone else can use what they like. We will anyway. :)

The study does not aim at investigating 'shaving experience', which involves psychology, and hence would have to involve trials with real people - as you correctly point out.

The methodology is clearly outlined. It gives results for exactly what is tested - cutting a piece of paper before, after one shave, and after two shaves. It says nothing about what happens after that.

It investigates sharpness by measuring the force that is required to cut paper. That is physics. It gives clear, reproducible data that can be relied on. No touchy feely stuff.

I am not aware of any reason why a blade that cuts paper with less force than another should not be sharper, or act differently when cutting hair. If there is a reason for that, the conclusions of the study are not valid for shaving har. But the study is still valid, and so is the methodology, for testing the sharpness with respect to paper. Of course you are entitled to have a different opinion, even if it is not based on facts. After all, there is freedom of religion! 😁
 
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The study does not aim at investigating 'shaving experience', which involves psychology, and hence would have to involve trials with real people - as you correctly point out.

The methodology is clearly outlined. It gives results for exactly what is tested - cutting a piece of paper before, after one shave, and after two shaves. It says nothing about what happens after that.

It investigates sharpness by measuring the force that is required to cut paper. That is physics. It gives clear, reproducible data that can be relied on. No touchy feely stuff.

I am not aware of any reason why a blade that cuts paper with less force than another should act differently when cutting hair. If there is a reason for that, the conclusions of the study are not valid for shaving. But the study is still valid and so is the methodology for testing the sharpness with respect to paper. Of course you are entitled to have a different opinion, but that opinion would not be based on facts.

The video said the blade cut thread. It's a trivial point.

Just because you aren't aware of a reason why a blade cuts paper or thread differently than hair doesn't mean there isn't one. The structure of whiskers is different than thread or paper.


I will agree the study is reproducible assuming the instrumentation is accurate enough. I have no reason to think it isn't. However, no link to the shaving experience has been scientifically shown.

Sharpness is not a critical factor for shaving. Sharp enough is.

"Of course you are entitled to have a different opinion, but that opinion would not be based on facts. After all, there is freedom of religion! 😁"

This ad hominin fallacy negates anything else you may have to say on the matter. Have a nice day.
 
The video said the blade cut thread. It's a trivial point.

Just because you aren't aware of a reason why a blade cuts paper or thread differently than hair doesn't mean there isn't one. The structure of whiskers is different than thread or paper.


I will agree the study is reproducible assuming the instrumentation is accurate enough. I have no reason to think it isn't. However, no link to the shaving experience has been scientifically shown.

Sharpness is not a critical factor for shaving. Sharp enough is.

"Of course you are entitled to have a different opinion, but that opinion would not be based on facts. After all, there is freedom of religion! 😁"

This ad hominin fallacy negates anything else you may have to say on the matter. Have a nice day.

Sorry about the thread/paper mix up. It's been a while since I read about the methodology, and I was too lazy to go back and double check.

You are implying that a blade cuts hair differently from thread, but you don't give a reason why, other than that the "structure" is different. What do you mean by structure, and why should that impact how the blade interacts with the material? Are there any other examples where a blade that is sharp while cutting one material is less sharp when cutting another?

As for the rest, I could not agree more with you. Sharpness is not all there is about shaving, and virtually all DE blades currently on the market are so sharp that it is not a critical issue. People get way too obsessed about sharpness.

As for the ad hominem, sorry, it wasn't meant to discredit you personally. It's about the common misconception that all opinions are equally valid, regardless whether or not they are based on fact. It's a pet peeve of mine. I guess I was "triggered" by your comment that the methodology is not valid - it is definitely valid - with regard to thread! 😁
 
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JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
The closest scientific answer to this I have found is on this thread. It covers all major blades on the market for sharpness and edge retention.


Can't thank you enough for this post and that link...wonderful information!
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
A lot has happened since I've been gone. Count me in the camp that finds everyone's different takes fascinating. I find it amazing to hear so many people getting 4-5+ and even double digit shaves out of a single blade. My beard seems to wear them down lickety-split.

I'm the same way. I'm always amazed at the prodigious numbers some shavers get. The best I could ever do with my beard was 7 days with a Med Prep. With the increase in white hairs I don't know if I could do that any more.

I find if I change the blade after 12 passes I virtually eliminate weepers, and at the price of blades I'd rather avoid the weeper.
 
You can obviously do what you want with your own blades, but to me this is just wasteful. Mamy blades actually improve from shaves 2-4 for me. Your blade is in the bin before it is allowed to reach its full potential. Seems a shame.
Interesting enough, it sounds like a lot of folks share your opinion on this. Not so sure why I am so adverse to the idea, but think it is a reasonable expectation to get the best shave on the first use. I do understand how some could consider binning after one use wasteful (perhaps it is). In my mind spending $8 -$13 for almost a year supply of blades is a huge savings from cart shaving. I don't want to guess what the magic number of shaves will be before I get the best one out of a blade.
 
The blades that I consistently get 40+ shaves with are:

Personna Platinum (Israeli Red)
Gillette Nacet
Schick Injector (Chicks)

Also worth noting in terms of longevity:
Gillette Wilkinson Sword (India)
Crown Super stainless
 
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