Bluebirds

Discussion in 'Blade Reviews' started by fishgutmartyr, Jan 27, 2010.

  1. fishgutmartyr

    fishgutmartyr Member

    I was really hoping to like these. Reasonably priced, nice appearance, pretty easy to find. It would have been nice.

    My razor of choice is a black slim adjustable. My comfort zone is a setting of 4, with an occasional foray into 5. I used Cella as a soap and the lather wasn't an issue.

    Somehow, this blade manages to give me terrible razor burn while still giving me an unsatisfactory shave. The WTG was nice the first use, and I thought I was in for a good ride. The ATG pass seemed all right, and I stopped there. Not 15 minutes after the shave, I felt like I went to the beach with the burn I had on my neck and lower jaw--and that was after applying balm. Ironically, the area with the worst burn also had the worst stubble: you would think that at least I would get a smooth neck.

    The second shave I had weepers.

    So on the next blade, I dropped the adjustable down to 3. No razor burn, but nothing approaching a close shave, either.

    My longevity score may not be fair. My skin can't tolerate the blade beyond two shaves.

    I've seen reviews on other sites that rave about these things. But for me, these blades were a huge disappointment.
     
  2. Shaving.ie

    Shaving.ie New Member

    For some these are an excellent blade. Almost certainly made by Derby but some are convinced they outperform them. I don't find much difference myself. I have wondered whether these were just a newer batch meeting tighter quality controls or use better raw materials. Perfectly good and seem to hit a sweet spot on the second and third shave. Its worth taking a punt on these as they may well become a regular in your rotation.
    ________

     
  3. puffulufogous

    puffulufogous New Member

    I have been using them out of a sampler. Not a bad blade. Although not as sharp as feathers, I can get 7 shaves out of them with some stropping. They don't irritate me too badly either.
     
  4. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    I've said it before: I know you're not supposed to judge a brand based on just one blade but, based on this one, I'm now in that group. I just found an old sample pack I was PIF'd when I first started with DE. I do not recall using it before but I'm sure that, if I tried it, my lack of technique at the time made me blame the blade. Now it's very different.

    I don't know if these are made by Derby or whoever but performance-wise, the Blue Bird I just used knocks Derby's hat in the creek. Shaved very well in three different adjustables (all on 5; I typically run 3-4) and felt more comfortable than Voshkod and possibly even Astra. No nicks...a bit of irritation but I think that's only because I haven't slapped on my usual WH/menthol.

    I'm just hoping these are still made because I want a few more.
     
  5. Smott

    Smott Chew your shave. Slowly.

    [​IMG]

    I'm a firm believer in the principle of YMMV and think it's really cool that such a cruel, malicious, violent, sadistic, warmonger-of-a-blade has decided to play favorites with other forum members and treat you with the kind of dignity it so unscrupulously withheld from my face. I guess you just never know when and where you'll find the perfect match for you! Congrats.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  6. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Let me modify that. It just occurred to me that I've grown pretty used to using unstropped carbons, so my judgment on what is a smooth stainless blade is probably akin to a rotgut liquor drunk posing as a high-end wine critic (you'll pardon the analogy). I'm not Ben Grimm but smooth to me may be likely is less than smooth to others because I use 1955 Rexalls with no problem.
     
  7. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    BTW, if you happen to have any laying around that you hate, we can work out something. :)
     
  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I had some laying around, but I found them to be wonderful, perfect, flawless blades...for scraping paint overspray off my windows.
     
  9. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Well now that you have a sharpener that makes some difference in stainless, you can do something about that!
     
  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    But you should start with good source material. For me Bluebirds...well...lets just say they can fly away over the rainbow. And stay there.:)
     

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