What Happened?

[htownmmm]

Is it just me or has the quality of Derby blades become hit or miss. I remember when I first started wetshaving and had joined this forum, Derby blades were highly respected and spoken of with fondness. Now however, they appear to have more detractors than carter has liver pills!

I am still using the original c-note of Derbys I picked up long ago. Now I start hearing that Bluebird blades are being made in the same factory and are sharper and smoother than Derby blades.

Did the manufacturer build up the initial quality of Derby blades to make a favorable impression on the market and then let QC wither? I have not been using them on a regular basis, but still get fine shaves from them. They were the best value(shave,sharpness,smoothness, and price) but I doubt if they are so now(as usual,YMMV).

Also, why is it that 100 Feather blades cost $45-50 dollars now, when I can recall buying them @ $25/hundred. I have noticed that as their price have gone up, the prices of the other top tier blades have risen also. Plus, the new Feather blades take up more space as they are now 5/pack rather than 10. Isn't it interesting that blades not as sharp as a Feather but smoother than it seem to only cost a little less?

Or is it that I have just become more curmudgeonly as I am looking @ my 49th year of life approaching?


marty

 

[mblakele]

I can't speak to the quality decline (if there has been any change), but I see $20/hundred at West Coast Shaving.

 

[Greybeard]

Is it just me or has the quality of Derby blades become hit or miss. I remember when I first started wetshaving and had joined this forum, Derby blades were highly respected and spoken of with fondness. Now however, they appear to have more detractors than carter has liver pills!

I don't think the quality has gone down. There are still a lot of people who regard them highly. There are also people who don't like them (myself included). Since you joined this forum the number of members has mushroomed and that's one of the reasons you see more negative comments. One of the other reasons is that there are a wider variety of blades available so that the Derbys are no longer such a bang for the buck. You also have the lure of the latest and greatest discovery like Bluebirds.

I am still using the original c-note of Derbys I picked up long ago. Now I start hearing that Bluebird blades are being made in the same factory and are sharper and smoother than Derby blades.

I've tried them and they are a little sharper and smoother than Derbys. I don't like them either as they irritate my face as much as Derbys. It is probable that they are being made to a different spec for Bluebird in the UAE by the Derby factory. It's like the difference between blades coming out of P&G's St. Petersburg factory.

Also, why is it that 100 Feather blades cost $45-50 dollars now, when I can recall buying them @ $25/hundred. I have noticed that as their price have gone up, the prices of the other top tier blades have risen also. Plus, the new Feather blades take up more space as they are now 5/pack rather than 10. Isn't it interesting that blades not as sharp as a Feather but smoother than it seem to only cost a little less?

Supply and demand?

Or is it that I have just become more curmudgeonly as I am looking @ my 49th year of life approaching?

Bah! You're too young to use that excuse. I'll be 60 in a couple of months and I'm looking forward to using that to justify my attitude.





- Peter