What DE Blades Have the Best Edge Retention?

[CMP]

While we all know that blade use/feel/results are highly variable, there is a fair amount of consensus on things like sharpness (we all -- more or less -- agree that Feather are the sharpest, while Derby Extra are amongst the dullest, etc.).

I'm wondering if there is some consensus on which blades have the best edge retention... or just what blades you guys have found to stay sharp the longest. Also curious to hear thoughts on consistency, meaning not just how long the blade stays sharp, but how gradual the changes are to sharpness of the blade.

Cheers,

CMP

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

I like the older (sadly discontinued) blades for long term consistency. I just got 50 shaves from a NOS Schick Super Chromium and it's decline was gradual.

 

[sharpstar90]

I have *heard* that the original Wilkinson Sword Light Brigade blades had the best edge retention. They are long discontinued, though. The closest thing to them, supposedly, are Polsilver-Wizamet Iridium blades. A friend sent me a tuck of them and I am testing them out this week.

Other than that, I believe the current Wilkinson's are still some of the best. Though whether that's the Indian or German version of the brand, I cannot say.

My personal experience is that German Wilkinson's are the most consistent. However, I have one of the coarsest beards around, so nothing stays very sharp after I shave.

 

[Ron R]

Vintage DE blades folks seem to liked the Wilkinson Sword blades made in England, Gillette spoiler and Personna 74 were all good blades for longevity and edge.
Today I find most DE blades give me 5-7 shaves comfortably so I seldom go pass 6 because it averages out that way. Good blades for edge retention seem to be Personna red, Gillette Astra super platinum & Gillette Nacet and all are sharp and smooth also .

 

[Invicta]

GSBs seem to keep a good edge and are smooth for ~3 weeks. Astra SP are not too far behind. You will not get consensus though. Have a look at this thread; Which blade did you toss today? After how many uses? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/which-blade-did-you-toss-today-after-how-many-uses.429987/page-388#post-10708142

 

[Old Hippie]

I finally bought in a load of Astra SP because as @Ron R says, sharp and smooth. And yeah, that 6th shave can be a bugger. It can also be pretty good, depending more on the razor and how long I went between shaves.

Both the RazoRock Wunderbar and the Above the Tie S2 seem to wring one more shave out of whatever blade I put in them.

O.H.

 

[JCarr]

This is a great thread topic. I have recently decided to ditch a blade after only two or three uses. Was a personal decision, but there it is. Prior to that decision though I would try to get 6-10 shaves out of a blade. Had been using Astra SP's exclusively but am now fishing around for other possibilities. Astra SP's did seem to withstand at least six shaves without much issue.

 

[jmudrick]

No there is no consensus.

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[Ridpath]

Maybe do a historical survey of the posts in the Excalibur club thread? Sorry I can’t offer any personal experience, I toss each blade after 1-2 uses.

 

[glm38]

Gillette silver blues last the longest for me.

 

[Mountain Grown]

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.

Razor Blade Sharpness Summary with Comparison Chart

This post is to serve as a quick reference as a Razor Blade Sharpness Summary which includes a Razor Blade Sharpness Comparison Chart. To see more in depth how the testing works, check out Razor Bl…

www.refinedshave.com

 

[CMP]

Maybe do a historical survey of the posts in the Excalibur club thread?

That thread focuses on devices/methods for keeping shave count; not on which blade they are counting.

 

[CMP]

GSBs seem to keep a good edge and are smooth for ~3 weeks. Astra SP are not too far behind. You will not get consensus though. Have a look at this thread; Which blade did you toss today? After how many uses? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/which-blade-did-you-toss-today-after-how-many-uses.429987/page-388#post-10708142

This is it though. That thread would be an amazing resource if there was a way to extract and chart all the data. Moutain Grown's link is interesting as well. I'm going to have to make another pot of coffee. Thanks!

 

[jmudrick]

This is it though. That thread would be an amazing resource if there was a way to extract and chart all the data. Moutain Grown's link is interesting as well. I'm going to have to make another pot of coffee. Thanks!

It becomes less amazing when you consider the variance in shaver's beard's/heads, shaving techniques, and tools. If I tell you "I get 4 shaves from a BIC Chromium" and you know nothing about what I shave, how I shave, my beard and skin condition, how often I shave, what razors I use, my skill level.... You really know nothing useful in my opinion.



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[CMP]

@jmudrick, it's not about opinions, it's about the data set. While one shaver's info would indeed be useless, given the fact that a very large majority of the shavers here use a relatively small group of the same brands of blades, the nearly 400 pages of responses on that thread would very likely give us some idea of which blades people are getting the most shaves from. Which would be an interesting/useful indictor for which blades might have the best edge retention, which is indeed the subject of this very thread. Unfortunately, I doubt anyone is going to go through all 400 pages and chart them by hand.

 

[emwolf]

The GSB's seem to last for me, as do the German Wilkinsons. They aren't my favorites, but that's neither here nor there. But that is just one man's opinion. They are

 

[GaryTha]

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

This blade seems to be mentioned most often on the Excalibur thread by people who get over 100 shaves on a blade. There may be bias as it's also the most popular DE blade on Amazon.

Consensus implies everyone agrees. And everyone agrees using Williams Mug Soap is the most important factor in blade longevity.

 

[gablett]

I get great long term results from GSB. Seems to get sharper for the first several shaves.


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[Balthier]

And everyone agrees using Williams Mug Soap is the most important factor in blade longevity.

Why would williams soap be important the ingredients list looks very plain?

 

[RayClem]

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.

Razor Blade Sharpness Summary with Comparison Chart

This post is to serve as a quick reference as a Razor Blade Sharpness Summary which includes a Razor Blade Sharpness Comparison Chart. To see more in depth how the testing works, check out Razor Bl…

www.refinedshave.com

I rely on the sharpness data as it has proven to be a good guide for my beard and facial characteristics. However, the data for edge retention only look at two head+face shaves.
I rarely get more than 3-4 four-pass shaves out of any blade. For those who get several weeks of shaves from a blade, the Refined Shave data do not prove to be very useful. The one piece of data I can confirm, however, is that Feather blades, which quite sharp initially, degrade very quickly. I can't even get through three good shave using them.