What is the mildest blade for a beginner

[oldhickory]

Hey gents,
This week I'm finally getting my first DE Razor Edwin Jagger DE 89. My question is what is a good beginner blade I should try out. I know some are much more aggressive than others and want to start mild before moving up. Thanks guys

-Old Hickory

 

[Toothpick]

Astra SP is the standard recommended blade for beginners.

 

[Mick]

As Jason has recommended..... Astra, whether for beginner or experienced pro.

It is a good blade and one that you should have as one of your options when deciding what to use that day.

http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Prem...=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1371440247&sr=1-1

 

[Chadao]

Heed those above in this post and in wisdom. Astra SP.

 

[mhdena]

Israeli crystals were recommended to me when I started, and I believe those are milder than Astras.

Crystals would be my 1st choice

 

[OkieStubble]

Israeli Red Personnas. Smooth and forgiving.

 

[John Von Wuggz]

Astra SP

 

[chilliman64]

I love the Astra SP but the Derby Extra is a milder blade, some like it and some do not - ymmv - best of luck!

 

[rotto66]

Astra SP are a great blade and if you look around on Amazon you can find them for under $10 for a hundred blades. I think they are a much better blade than the Derby Extra but as always ymmv.

 

[edgerunner]

Astra SP is my go-to blade, but I think Astra SS, Gillette 7 O'clock SS Green, Lord SS (not Platinum), Personna Red, Barber Personna, Bic, Indian Wilkinson Saloon Pack, are smooth more forgiving blades better suitable for beginners. Derby are forgiving too but the first two shaves with them are rougher in most razors.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Astra SP

 

[ArNav]

Israeli Red Personnas. Smooth and forgiving.

+1

 

[Useless shaver]

Israeli Red Personnas. Smooth and forgiving.

+1

IMHO, YMMV of course.

 

[Toothpick]

Funny how times change. Five years ago, which isn't even that long really, when I was new to wet shaving Derby's were the go to blade recommended for beginners. Derby blades in a Merkur HD razor. That's what was the popular "forum' thing at the time. I still agree with that. I know many don't like Derby's but for beginners I think they're great. I'm surprised to see Astra's recommended as a beginner blade since I find them to be a bit more advanced. I get as good a shave out of them as I do with Feather. Feathers are definitely sharper but I think Astra's are much sharper than Derby's. I think on a one to ten scale 1 being Derby and 10 a Feather I see the Astra a 7 or 8.

You might be on to something here.

I think everyone recommends Astras because there are very few negative reviews and experiences associated with them. Everyone tends to agree that Astra's are a darn good blade.

Derbys on the other hand are the blade everyone pokes fun of. They have a reputation for being a poor blade around here. This could very well be a new thing.

 

[EloquentRune]

For how inexpensive and surprisingly sharp they are (at least better than Merkur blades) Wilkinson Sword's from Wallyworld are a decent blade to begin with IMHO.

 

[The Dean]

I guess I'm not quite sure what is meant by a "mild" blade.

 

[Jeff_H]

Even though I just joined the forum recently, I lurked and searched the forum for info for 2 years. When I hear the term "mild blade" I think of something that cuts well but is not so sharp that it cuts off the top of any little bump or slices me the moment my attention wavers. No tugging. Also, a mild blade should give minimal irritation and feel like it glides smoothly. Now, this may be different for everyone, but there are a handful of blades deemed by the "average" shaver, or by "most" people as being mild. Astra is one of them. It falls in the middle of the standard bell curve.

I recall Derby being highly rated for beginners even 2 years ago. Very mild, very smooth were the 2 terms I recall the most. Perhaps something has changed in the manufacturing of Derby blades. I'm not sure, and I couldn't tell you for sure when this change occured....but now it's Astra as the default beginner blade.

Don't get me wrong, Astra's are fantastic blades, and they are very smooth and forgiving...easy to shave with. But they are sharp. If I had it to do over again, I'd pick no more than 3 blades to learn with, and commit to 30 days with each blade, while refining my technique. I would get recommendations from people here, read reviews here and other places about blades and then make my selection.

Astra would be one for me. Derby would likely be another. For me, when I began with a sampler pack, the Bic Chrome Platinum quickly stood out of my pack. I had Astra and Derby in my sampler pack as well. I got the least amount of nicks and irritation with the Bic and quickly ditched everything else for over a year. I bought 100 and just stuck with them. If it felt dull after 2 shaves, I threw it away. If one went 6 shaves, I went with it. I did one razor and one blade until that 100 pack was nearly gone. That really helped get my technique down with that razor.

 

[wrinkles2]

Crystal Blades and Astras.

 

[MidAg_BlackGold]

Another vote for the red personnas. Astra SP's were a little rough on me. Granted, my opinion of the blades is a little "against the grain" here but I was thoroughly unimpressed. The red personnas have always been smooth and very forgiving in my experience. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to order ~ 10 of each and use one type for a couple of weeks then switch? I would imagine one, of not both, will be more than satisfactory.

 

[The Dean]

Even though I just joined the forum recently, I lurked and searched the forum for info for 2 years. When I hear the term "mild blade" I think of something that cuts well but is not so sharp that it cuts off the top of any little bump or slices me the moment my attention wavers. No tugging. Also, a mild blade should give minimal irritation and feel like it glides smoothly.

That seems like a great explanation. Thanks.