Some blades I would suggest worth trying are: Polsilver Super Iridium Vikings Sword Astra SP Any of the 7 O'clocks (Yellow and Green are my favorites) Personna Red pack BlueBird Of course thanks to @NapalmCola, @NCoxSTL and @John Ruschmeyer now I have to try a Tiger blade just to see what it's like for me. They make it sound worse than a Derby which I find hard to believe.
I'm starting to wonder about the material and coating (or lack thereof) on the Tiger blades. Something I did not realize until a little while ago is that the Tiger blades a carbon steel, not stainless. Would that make a difference? On a different note, I was reading a PowerPoint deck I found on the internet about Czech Blades, the manufacturer of the Tiger blades. Apparently, like ASR in the US, their portfolio also includes blades for industrial applications like box cutters. I wonder if the problems with the Tiger 3H are similar to what happens when you try to use hardware store Gem blades to shave with. Interestingly, the same PowerPoint deck points to Nigeria as a major sales area for Tiger blades. Anybody have any insight as to the state of West African wet shaving? JR
Carbon blades do have a different feel and performance level but good ones still work. Treet makes several that are excellent performers. So the material alone doesn't explain it. They may be fudging on quality to avoid major changes when switching between shaving blades and industrial type. Although I'm not sure a Tiger would cut much at all. As far as the state of shaving where they mainly sell the blade? I shudder to think of how bad it must be.
I was think that it is no wonder that the Nigerian princes are all hitting us up for money... they want to buy better blades.
I decided to check the blade sampler that I never finished and discovered that I had a Derby. So, I decided to try it today- same setup as yesterday except for the blade. Some thoughts: Overall, there is a night and day difference between the Tiger and the Derby. I will concede that it was not the most comfortable shave, but there were never moments of genuine terror like I felt with the Tiger. Mostly, I just felt like I needed to stay with the basics and not push it with additional passes in odd directions. It's probably fair to say that, in my limited experience, the Derby is as far from the Tiger as the Astra SP is from the Derby. I think that some of my displeasure with the Derby may have to do with my choice of razor; I don't think it pairs well with the 20's Old Type and almost seemed to accentuate the primitiveness of the hardware- something I've never noticed before as I usually am impressed with its efficiency. I'm considering trying the Derby tomorrow with the Slim Adjustable to see how it does. At this point, I wouldn't touch the Tiger 3H again if it was the last blade on Earth. As for the Derby, my first impression is that I won't be running out to buy more, but would use them if that was my best option. They just remind me too much of the dollar store Vietnam blades. JR
I would use a tiger if it was the last blade on earth, after at least an hour with a barbers hone and a strop. Hard work could add an edge despite what the factory grind is.
I think you have it figured out well. The Derby is not top tier for me but it is possible to get a good shave with it. my wife uses it and loves it. It's not the sharpest but is smooth.
If I hadnt thrown it away I would work on it some with my pasted balsa wood strop and some leather. Science, right?
Are the made in Czech Republic Tiger blades still being made? Many of the auctions on ebay for the Czech blade list them as rare. Accepting that the blades are indeed terrible is $5.90 shipped off ebay for 10 blades an ok price? What did you guys pay? Has anyone ever tried honing one of the Tiger blades using the inside of a ceramic cup? The prices on ebay are all over the place on these blade from $2.99 plus $6.99 shipping or best offer for a single (1) blade from Montevideo(?). To $13.68 for a 100 blade box from Turkey and $49.49 BIN or make offer plus $7.99 shipping from Ukraine. Many of the auctions claim the blades are rare, none that I noticed said they were good shaving blades.
Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'm gong to order the 10 blade pack for $5.90 with free shipping out of Virginia off ebay. That way I'll have a couple blades to experiment with and the others I can add to my collection.
Give Rapira Platinum Lux, Gillette Platinum and Crystal a shot. I have a 7 razor rotation and have these in the mix. I find my Tech is better with a sharper blade.
I agree the difference between Tiger and Derby. I have found Derby to be blade that really changes based on the razor. More than most blades.
Also please don't confuse the Tiger 3H Cech blades with the Super-Max Tiger blades. I used the Super - Max this morning for a Flying Tiger Veterans Day shave to honor my wife's grandfather who was a true Flying Tiger. They are a very good blade.
After today's shave, I can see that. I decided this morning to try a second shave with the Derby, this time in my Slim Adjustable set to my usual '4'. I've only had this razor for a few days, but so far it seems to give the smoothest shaves of any that I own. Using the Derby instead of my regular Astra SP, I can definitely feel a difference. Just like yesterday with the 20's OT, I was definitely more aware of the blade. Looking back on the two shaves, though, I actually feel like the Derby shave was closer than the Astra shave, at least for the single pass shave that I normally do. @NCoxSTL describes the Derby as not the sharpest, but smooth. I don't think that I have enough experience to describe the Derby experience correctly, but I almost feel like those terms are reversed. My experience, so far, is a very close shave (sharp?) but one where the presence of the blade is always felt (not smooth?). I think this feeling of blade presence can be intimidating and mistaken for dullness and is why a lot of people rate the Derby low. Either way, I can see the Derby pairing better with a milder razor where the blade presence is less prominent.
