I figured as I post this to Amazon, I may as well share here too. Enjoy! http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B004Q32BHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1425744941&sr=8-2&keywords=razor blades sampler&pi=SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41RPYf08L7L&ref=plSrch If you are new to shaving with a safety razor, you need this! My Edwin Jagger came with Derby blades, which I used a handful of times with reasonable success. First things first, the order to use these. I did a bit of research into this and found this is a good order of sharpness, from dullest to sharpest (similar sharpness are together): Shark Gillette 7 O'Clock / Nacet Bluebird / Astra Superior Stainless Bic Chrome Platinum / Gillette Silver Blue / Astra Superior Platinum Feather I have not used all of the blades yet, so I'll update this review as I go through them. Shark: Not a fan. I found these to be about the same sharpness as Derby, but without the smoothness. They tended to butcher my face. 7 O'Clock: These were very nice, sharp, but I found it did a great job of leaving lots of nicks. Nacet: I really enjoyed these. They were the sharpest so far, and very smooth across my face. They definitely did the least damage to this point. Bluebird: I could really stop here. These blades are awesome. They are very sharp and very smooth. Basically a sharper version of Derby, so a much closer shave with very little irritation and only a nick or two. Astra SS: I found these to be very similar to 7 O'Clock, which I guess makes sense since they are both non-coated stainless steel. They did an excellent job with the grain, but my 2nd pass against the grain wasn't great (I've only tried 3 pass once so far with Derby, and it was a nightmare). Left a few nicks and didn't get as smooth as the Bluebird, which are still my favourite. Bic Chrome Platinum: These were a very nice sharp shave, but not as smooth as the Bluebird. A few minor nicks and some irritation were leftover, and I noticed it dragged a bit in some areas around the neck that are often problematic for me (which was not a problem with Bluebird). I would definitely say they rank well in sharpness, per the order I sorted out, just slightly above or very close to the Astra SS. Definitely usable and won't be tossed, but not good enough to take the top spot from BB. Gillette Silver Blue: I found these to be very similar to Nacet, but a bit sharper. They did a slight butcher job on my face (nothing major) but it resulted in a very close shave. Almost no drag across my face, which was nice. Astra Superior Platinum: These definitely tied with the Bluebirds as my favourites so far. They were very sharp, ran across my face very smoothly, and left only a small amount of nicks. It's good news, because it looks like getting the Bluebirds are next to impossible. Feather: So I decided to do something risky and different with this last one. My holy grail of shaving is being able to shave daily. Truth be told, I'll likely only shave every two days anyway, but being able to shave daily would be nice. It's something I've never been able to do, due to the sensitivity of my skin. I've always felt that the "right" blade would allow me to this. Yesterday, I shaved using the Astra SP. Today, I shaved with the Feather. Wow. What a shave! I can see why people love Feathers. These things are damn sharp, but incredibly smooth. I was left with 2 tiny nicks, which is unheard of, and some slight irritation from the nicks I got from the SP yesterday. I almost did a 3rd pass, something I've only tried once before, but decided not to push my luck. I'll definitely be ordering up some Feather blades ASAP!
Astra SS: I found these to be very similar to 7 O'Clock, which I guess makes sense since they are both non-coated stainless steel. They did an excellent job with the grain, but my 2nd pass against the grain wasn't great (I've only tried 3 pass once so far with Derby, and it was a nightmare). Left a few nicks and didn't get as smooth as the Bluebird, which are still my favourite. (Also updating the initial post with these updates.)
Nice review. I don't remember anyone mentioning Bluebird blades before. Glad they worked out for you.
Don't stop until you try the Silver/Blues Based on your reviews we seem to have the same taste in blades. I bet the S/B's will be your favorite out of the whole lot. YMMV of course.....
These blades got a bad rap some years back but a few guys, myself included, found them exactly as you describe. In the Top 10 of all blades I've ever used. And ditto your findings on Derby.
Very well written review so far. I have used the Astra DD/SS blades, I got them with a couple of different razors that I have bought. They are a good blade.
Bic Chrome Platinum: These were a very nice sharp shave, but not as smooth as the Bluebird. A few minor nicks and some irritation were leftover, and I noticed it dragged a bit in some areas around the neck that are often problematic for me (which was not a problem with Bluebird). I would definitely say they rank well in sharpness, per the order I sorted out, just slightly above or very close to the Astra SS. Definitely usable and won't be tossed, but not good enough to take the top spot from BB.
Nice review. Thanks. I was looking into the Bluebirds after reading this post. They are not easy to find in large quantities.
Gillette Silver Blue: I found these to be very similar to Nacet, but a bit sharper. They did a slight butcher job on my face (nothing major) but it resulted in a very close shave. Almost no drag across my face, which was nice.
Astra Superior Platinum: These definitely tied with the Bluebirds as my favourites so far. They were very sharp, ran across my face very smoothly, and left only a small amount of nicks. It's good news, because it looks like getting the Bluebirds are next to impossible.
Feather: So I decided to do something risky and different with this last one. My holy grail of shaving is being able to shave daily. Truth be told, I'll likely only shave every two days anyway, but being able to shave daily would be nice. It's something I've never been able to do, due to the sensitivity of my skin. I've always felt that the "right" blade would allow me to this. Yesterday, I shaved using the Astra SP. Today, I shaved with the Feather. Wow. What a shave! I can see why people love Feathers. These things are damn sharp, but incredibly smooth. I was left with 2 tiny nicks, which is unheard of, and some slight irritation from the nicks I got from the SP yesterday. I almost did a 3rd pass, something I've only tried once before, but decided not to push my luck. I'll definitely be ordering up some Feather blades ASAP!
