So when I first started DE shaving, being naive I read up on DE shaving and purchased a 100-pack of Derby Extra blades. To that point, I hadn't understood the need to try a sampler pack and just thought that one blade was as good as another for every face. So I started shaving with my new Feather Popular, Nivea cream, and a Derby Extra, and it was (in a word) awful. Well, it's been a year, I've learned a lot, and my favorite razor is now a Henson AL13 and my favorite cream is Proraso Green. I have learned that I really like Wizamets, KCGs (although, too expensive), Sharks, Gillette 7 o'clock (greens) and Tatras. But on a whim, I decided to pull out a Derby Extra that I had tucked away and try it in combination with my favorite razor and cream as well as my vastly improved technique. Part way through the shave, I thought, "While this isn't the most smooth or sharp blade out there, it's not as bad as I remember so it must have been my technique and my choice of razor and cream back then." And then....I realized that I had spoken too soon. I ended up with several weepers that I never have anymore with my preferred blades. Now all of that being said, I am going to shave with this Derby Extra again to see if it sharpens up and how another shave goes with it, but I'm not very hopeful. And, end of the day, there are too many good blades out there to continue to suffer with sub-par shaves from a blade that I don't like. So if it doesn't get better, I'll likely ship the Derbys to someone who wants them.
The moral of the story really is YMMV. Sometimes, a bad match with a blade might be overcome with good technique and equipment, but sometimes it's just a bad match and you're better off moving on from that blade.
The moral of the story really is YMMV. Sometimes, a bad match with a blade might be overcome with good technique and equipment, but sometimes it's just a bad match and you're better off moving on from that blade.