My 41c arrived today, at the same time as the separately ordered sampler pack of blades. 1 Merkur Super Platinum 10 Dorco Platinum 300 10 Dorco Platinum 301 10 Treet 5 Sharp Hi-Chromium Durablades 5 7am Plus Hi-Platinum 5 Bic Chrome Platinum 5 Shark Super Chrome 5 Derby Extra Super Stainless 5 Astra Superior Platinum Any recommendations on testing order, based on "most forgiving" to "most aggressive"?
Blades are not forgiving. I have never heard a blade say, "Hey, better watch it there, Buddy. I'll let it go this time, but try that move again and I'm gonna slice ya, but good." All blades are designed to cut, that's why we buy them. Fail to give any blade the respect it is due, or get sloppy with your technique, and it will bite you. I don't believe blades are mild or aggressive, either. Aggression, or lack of, is a result of the blade gap on the razor itself. All that being said, not all blades are created equal. Only YOUR face can tell you if a blade is acceptable or not. As for what order: - place one type of each blade in a small paper bag (leave the wrapper on, of course) - close bag and shake - close eyes - reach in and grab one - repeat until you have tried all the blades Be sure to keep notes on how each one does for you, what you like, what you don't like. Oh, and enjoy your new razor!
Just thought of a few other things regarding blades - Blade A in razor 1 and blade B in razor 2: both give lousy shaves. Swap and put blade B in razor 1 and blade A in razor 2 and the shaves are fantastic. Moral - don't be too quick to blame the blade or the razor. Try different combos. Strange, but that's how it goes. If you find a blade that isn't working, don't toss 'em. Put 'em up on the shelf for a few months and come back to them later. Often improved technique can turn a lousy blade (or razor, or soap, or ...) into a very good one.
You're right on with this theory! I tried a Derby blade in my Merkur 38C and it tore my face up. So I never thought about trying Derby's in any of my other razors until a few days ago. Tried a Derby in my Fat Boy and also in my Red Tip. Got a great shave with each. I'm glad I kept them.
Forget about the merkur *blade* all together, especially if it came with the razor. For that reason, it's likely to be dull from having bounced around in the package. Plus, they don't have a very good reputation to begin with. I, for one, find them to be a horrible blade. But, a few others somehow get good results with them.
UPDATE: As some of you may have noted, I started with the 7AM blades (not Gillette 7 o'clock). Definitely passable, if not outstanding. Tomorrow I'll try out the Sharp Hi-Chromium, for comparison.
My suggestion for the test order would be: Treet, Bic, Shark, Astra SP, The other blades I either haven't tried or in the case of Merkur,Derby and Dorco tried and disliked of course YMMV and you should try them all... When I was testing blades I'd try one blade a day and after 3 blades pick a winner,then the next three and so on until I got to my top 3,then I'd order them most to least favorite, so I always have 3 blade brands or types that I know I like...Although your favorite can change, at least mine have over time..Current favorites PolSilver Super Iridium,Astra SP and SS, Voskhod....
the 7AM is one of the dullest blades in production. If you can get a shave out of that, you can get a shave out of anything.
This at least partially explains why I 1) needed to use cartridge-level pressure to get a good shave from it and 2) accidentally attempted a tracheotomy this morning with the Sharp Hi-Chromium.
So far, I'd say the 7AM gets a B- (it's not very sharp, but because of that, it's easy to use injury-free), whereas the Sharp is getting a C+ (3 passes with less pressure than the 7AM resulted in no closer a shave, plus a weeper).
Just can't seem to get the Sharp to work on my neck without irritation, or to clean up certain trouble spots as much as I'd like. We'll see how the Treet, uh, treats me tomorrow.
This Treet Black Beauty was a revelation this morning. Two passes gave me arguably the best, most comfortable shave I've ever gotten. . . though it's possible the blade is benefiting from the immediate comparison to the Sharp.
The carbon steel blade of the Treet required me to change it out before completing a second full day with the same blade, which is my only complaint about these blades. Makes me wonder if there exists a carbon blade that doesn't need to be swapped out every day; I'd definitely be down for testing it.
I get the exact same result from the carbons. I LOVE carbon steel for a knife, but can't seem to get it to shave well.....feels like it is ripping the hairs instead of cutting them.
I know some folks will hone carbon blades on the inside of a glass to help extend the life. Tell ya what, if your serious about using carbon blades and plan on using them the majority of the time, send me a PM with your address. I have a vintage Speedway Razor Blade Sharpener I'll send you. Says it works with both double and single edge blades.
Let me work my way through the sample pack I have, but I may well end up taking you up on this most generous offer, Steve.
Hello there, I literally just joined this forum because I enjoyed this thread so much, I'm also new to old school wet shaving, in fact i just got my shaver (a weishi, hopefully not for long) about a week ago. I haven't purchased a starter pack but i have tried Persona, and Wilkinson Sword razors, i feel as though the Wilkinson wasn't as comfortable but i was going to give it a few more trys before I knocked it. Aside from this, I had a question. I purchased a black badger hair brush off amazon and I'm using it with Tailor of Old Bond Street sandalwood shaving soap and if the soap is on my lips for too long it starts to sting a little bit, not severely at all but its noticeably uncomfortable, and I was wondering if perhaps anyone has any advise for me. GLAD TO BE PART OF THE FORUM!!!
First, welcome to The Den! Second, it sounds like you may have a bit of sensitivity to something in the TOBS. It may not be anything to worry about since your lips are more sensitive than your face, but keep an eye out for it and certainly do your best to keep it off your lips; we do this old school thing to (hopefully) get away from painful/irritating shaves.
