I have been using a derby with my EJ DE8911 and I have noticed some tugging, I was wondering what blade might work better for me. I have got a sampler pack with: Derby extra Merkur super Personna red (I think the label is blue but the paper on the blades is red) Crystal and Feather What would be a good blade to try next?
Put one of each into a paper bag (leave the wrapper on ) Close your eyes. Reach in and grab one. Honestly, blades are the biggest YMMV item in the world of shaving. The only way you'll know if a blade is going to work for you is to try it yourself. Opinions are just that when it comes to blades. Check out this thread.
I have the ej DE89L I tend to like the feather over the derby (i did get some slight tugging with the derby last time, but derbys are normally ok for me), i have not tried persona reds in it yet.(I do have some persona reds, but only had the razor 2wks) I have also ordered some astra superior platinum, but they have not arived yet. But as steve says YMMV and its your shave. enjoy it your way
Like Steve said, the only way to find out is just grab one. Of the blades you list, I cannot use Derby, they tear me up. I never tried a Merkur (because people told me they were junk, but I have no experience) Personna Red - meh, it was okay for me, but I never got the hype Crystal - I may have tried, can't say for sure Feather - really nice blade for me, too expensive to use regularly Since you are from Texas, and I have formerly lived in Houston, PM me your address and I will send you a few blades to try that you have not listed, including Voskhod.
Nice offer Jeff! I've tried all the blades you listed and enjoyed all of them more than the Derby, which also tugs for me. I found the Merkur slightly rough, but not as bad as most reviews. The others all work very well for me. The post Steve made above about picking randomly is likely the best advice you'll get.
What is the best way to know when I need to change a blade? I usually do it after 5 or 6 shaves because I've been scared to push the limit.
When the blade starts to tug, or just feel uncomfortable, or tries to chew your face off leaving it looking like a warzone. If it leaves you with irritation afterwards. It might be time to change your blade If you can tell your age by the number of rings in the bathtub, you might be a redneck! I haven't been able to get past 3 shaves on any blade personally.
Derby is my go-to blade. They work well for me in all of my DE razors. I've gotten anywhere from 3 to 8 good shaves with one, depending on the razor and my prep. I like Feather but can't use them very often. Too expensive for my tastes, and not very forgiving. I agree with swarden43. Just pick one at random, and shave with it 3 times to see how you like it. Then pick another one at random, and repeat the process until you have used one each of the different blades in your sample. Racer blades work well for me, out of my EJ. Not worth a darn in my Gillette, but they're PFM in my EJ.
My experience is that even different blades of the same brand vary from blade to blade. One out of a pack will be unsatisfactory, and the next one out will be great. I've had good experiences with some of the lower priced ones and less so with some that receive generally good reviews.
There ya go. For me, I put a fresh, hand stropped DE blade in every Monday. After the first shave, I take it out, hand strop it, and put it into tomorrow's razor. I do that every day. After Friday's shave, I toss the blade. Could I get more shaves? Probably, but why push it? Saturdays are for my str8s. On the first Sunday of every month I put in a fresh, hand stropped SE blade. I follow the same procedure above every Sunday with my SEs. After my shave on the last Sunday of the month, I toss the blade. Again, I could get more shaves. I have, in fact. The above way of doing it is just how I do it. I'm getting old. I don't want to try and remember if a blade has 4 or 12 shaves on it. I don't ever want a bad (pulling, tugging, irritation caused by a dull blade) shave. Changing the blades out when I do assures that. As for hand stropping, there are three schools of thought... 1 - It works. I get a smoother shave. B - It doesn't work. Don't bother. Fourth - Even IF it does work, blades are so cheep I'm not going to waste my time. I'm in the first school. Check it out -
Happy Shaving TexasTech Cryptosolo! My learnin' to change blades was the sense of relief after I changed the blade and got a really nice shave...the thought repeated itself, wow, I should do that more often...until finally, my thinking now, is to check blade first and if I can't remember very specifically when I changed it, then I'm changing it. Afterall, I am very much worth an excellent shave every shave....
