Finally the sample blades I ordered reached my door step. After one muhle and two Feather blades I got to shave with mild blade - Derby. It was fantastic! finally no blood or irritation at all. I head to go WTG + 3 * ATG + touch up in order to get BBS. The blade is not nearly as sharp as the Feather, so I had to use some pressure. At the final pass the blase started to bounce on my scalp, so I guess the blade wears out after only one face and head shave . I think the best for me should be somewhere between the Derby and the Feather. I have high hopes for Astra Superior and Personna Platinum. Will try them in the next few days.
Aye.. A lot of folks say that a blade doesn't change the Aggressiveness or Mildness of a Razor...I don't fall into that Camp.. Billy..
Are we confusing terms here? I always thought aggressive vs mild was about head geometry, and determined by radial curve of the head, blade gap and blade exposure. What I am reading here is the interplay between magnitude of sharpness in blades in terms of smooth versus harsh. And I agree with you that a really smooth blade like Derby can "tone down" an aggressive razor in terms of feel, and a mild razor really makes a sharper(harsher) blade shine. I don't mean to be argumentative about terms, but this is my understanding of the ideas.
Derby is less sharp than many other blades, and many newer shavers find it irritating because they tend to apply too much pressure with a mild razor. What razor are you using? That's going to guide blade selection more than anything.
Yeah..I agree..But as you said there are other Dynamics at play as well as head geometry & blade exposure for sure...You try shaving with some of the old lather catchers & SEs with a modern blade and they are far more aggressive than the original stropping or Hollow ground blades..Night & Day in some of them.. Billy..
SE is the one thing I really don't know much about. Do you think the SE bevels of yesterday were ground to different bevel specs?
Well ...That's a major issue ...Of course they were because they were designed for stropping..Different animals to modern blades...That said there is a bevel difference in modern blades as well..The Feather Pro Super has a different bevel from the Feather Pro for example..It has more blade exposure for sure but its also thicker as well & as I said has a different bevel.. Billy..
I am using muhle r89. I may no used the the best terms to describe the difference between the blades, but if I can refer to the action by its result using the Feather was aggressive to my face. I do recommend for newbies to start with Derby than Feather. Shaving with the Feather for the last few days made me frustrated to some point, even to rethink this move to safety razor. It is true that you will have to do more passes and pressure to get the same results, but you will not pay the high price of the Feather. I'm not referring to money, but to blood and irritation. Thoughts of a newbie YMMV.
On the other hand, when you decide to try other razors, your reliance on pressure will cause you grief down the road, and you will be forced to unlearn some of what you have learned. I personally do recommend Feathers to newbies on the basis that shaving with the sharpest DE blades will teach a person to use the lightest of touches faster than anything else. At the same time, I recognize that some people cannot tolerate Feathers in any razor. For you, Astra SP's might be the best compromise blade. I consider them a cheaper, longer lasting alternative to Feathers. Not quite as sharp, but smoother. A good choice for your next blade.
Second that. Astra SP is a fine choice for learning, it's one of the better performers and is a good price value.
It does teach you good technique, similar to how using a razor that's more on the aggressive side also teaches you good technique. The first few shaves can be rough, brutal even, but then you'll pretty much be able to shave with anything.
I couldn't agree with you more. Moving from Derby to Feather require adopting a new technique. It much more easy to move from Feather to Derby. But considering I almost gave up on Safety Razor due to the bad experiences at first, I stand by my recommendation to start with something that will certainly wouldn't harm you. My experience is based on face AND head shaving. I haven't yet succeeded to get to the BBS level I use to reach with my Mach 3 on my face with either blades. On my head I successfully reached the same BBS, but with the Derby it was blood free. Still have to learn and experience a lot.
I went with this philosophy as I am starting too. If I learn on Feathers, it will be easier to adjust (theoretically) to other blades. After a couple weeks of Feathers, I tried Astra SP's this weekend, but I can't say I notice a lot of difference. If anything, a little harsher because I couldn't get as close. I'm gonna go back to Feathers and work on technique, then do a blade trial in March.
If you've got your technique down, it doesn't matter much which kind of razor or blade you use; just use different levels or lightness. That said, an adjustable saves you a lot of time. You can adjust the razor to the blade and your beard. :wave:
