New to DE, what order to use this variety blade pack?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Fly2High, Jan 31, 2017.

  1. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    SD gang,

    As is often recommended to new DE shavers, I purchased a variety pack. From various reviews, this pack contained the models I felt I most desired to try. It comes with 2 of each.

    Based on reviews and what not, I came up with this order to try them in my razors (34C HD, Fatboy, Slim). Not sure which razor will be used first, probably 34C.

    What do you think? The number next to the blade is a guesstimate of sharpness (bigger is sharper) from what reviews and comments I could find. I ordered them with the least sharpest first.

    Derby Extra. 1
    Shark Super Stainless 1.25
    Supermax Super Stainless 1.5
    Merkur Super Platinum 2
    Voskhod Teflon coated 2
    Dorco ST301 stainless 2.5
    Persona platinum (Red) 3
    Gillette Platinum 3
    BIC Chrome Platinum 3
    Wilkinson Sword 3.5
    Treet Platinum 4
    Gillette Silver Blue 4
    Polsilver Super Iridium 4.5
    Astra Super Platinum 4.5
    Feather Hi Stainless 5

    What are your thoughts?
     
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  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Many suggest alphabetically.
    Some say to get a few friends to help - Enie, Menie, Minie, and Moe.
    I say put 'em in a bag, shake 'em up, close yer eyes, reach in and grab one.

    Absolutely makes no difference. All blades are sharp, and designed cut. That's why we buy 'em. Any and all blades will slice you if you're not careful, if you don't pay attention, if your technique is bad, if you use too much pressure. Ain't a blade out there that will forgive sloppy technique.

    What ever way you choose, jot a few notes so when you come back to 'em later.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
  3. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    Pick one, any one. I kept a little journal of performance. As strange as it sounds some blades work better/worse in different razors.
     
  4. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    Since you have two of each, I would suggest going through your pack any which way, but only use one blade. Then, go through it again with the second blade. Keep notes on which you like, didn't like, irritated, and tugged. Revisiting blades after you improve techniques will give you different results, and you might find one you didn't care for the first time is a solid performer down the road.
     
  5. KAV

    KAV Well-Known Member

    Go for the ones with purty logos. I found this worked with women :happy097:
     
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  6. Linuxguile

    Linuxguile dating an unusual aristocrat

    Of the blades you have listed there are only two that I personally wouldn't use (and I wont tell you which because everyone's opinions of blades differ and they may very well work for you) . Truth is once you get a sold foundation of technique going most blades will give you a very nice shave. That being said I would suggest you start with a 30 day rule. Use the same razor, blade, soap, and brush for 30 days straight. This will give you a solid foundation of technique and experience to use as a baseline to compare your other gear to. If you like I will send you a tuck of 5 generally well thought of blades to use for your first month, and you can join us over at the 30 day thread to help you work on your technique.

    February 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
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  7. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    Looks almost like the sample pack I had. Having just gone through this exercise - my advice (for what it is worth) would be to use just one razor. I used the 34c. If you can stick with one soap that would be good too. You want to have the blade be the only variable in the experiment. Go through the entire list, recording (as others have said) the results and your thoughts. Once you have gone through them all and ranked them you can then try other razors. You will find that a good blade in the 34c may not be in one of the others. I found the 34c to be very forgiving and provided excellent results with a wide variety of blades. As your technique improves - and it will - you may want to go back and try some of the blades you thought were not so good. You will be surprised that suddenly they are not bad. As for the order - I don't think it matters - just grab one and start shaving. Although the Polsilver SI (my favorite) and Feather are both extremely sharp blades. You may want to let your technique develop a bit before using those two. Don't listen to us all that much - listen to your face. Enjoy the adventure.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
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  8. TCBENNETT55

    TCBENNETT55 Active Member

    Save the feather for last. Red Personna and BIC are about equal. Astra is about equal to Vokshod at least in my experience. Keep notes as to the what the shave is like. Technique is the key.

    Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
     
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  9. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I still haven't figured out why people suggest to save the Feathers for last. There have been many here at TSD who have started as a newbie with the Feather and it became their swear-by blade.

    And as far as I know, there has been no objective scientific testing of these blades for sharpness. It is all personal opinion.
    (Of course, wouldn't be the first time I was wrong.)

    Don't fear the Feather, or any blade; respect the blade, no matter what brand it is.
     
  10. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Welcome to our forum! Blades don't matter nearly as much as people like to think. I've had success with just about that whole list. The best thing to do as a newbie is pick anything and master it. Technique is 95% of the results in this game. In general, Russian made blades are the most consistent and best value. And like @swarden43 references above, don't fear Feather. Most of the knocks on Feather are from newbies who didn't understand correct angle and pressure. It's a great blade. Astra SP is the bang-for-buck champ, and Gillette Silver Blue is as as fine a blade as you'll find, Voskhod is also an excellent performer for its price.

    Rules of thumb:

    Angle and pressure determines outcome more than blade choice.

    Sharper blades work better in milder geometry razors and vice versa.

    All blades are sharp enough to cut hair.

    Have fun with it!
     
  11. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    +1 good advice here
     
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  12. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    Thank you everyone. I was looking at the blade bar on the 34C and Fatboy and was laying them down on the counter such that the blade bar and dome were in contact with the countertop. Is this the angle I should try to make with my skin?

    Also, I was surprised that the Merkur sat at about 45 degrees while the Gillette was more like 70 degrees as measured from the countertop through the handle. Little surprised they were so different.
     
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  13. KAV

    KAV Well-Known Member

    I used humor instead of the inevitable prejudices and favorites we all have. There may not be a 'scientific study; but Squire on SHAVE MY FACE photographed many blades under a microscope showing different grinds. Feathers have a fearsome reputation for either flaying users alive or providing wonderfull, if short lived tools. They are no thinner than others, but the metallurgy makes for a FLEXIBLE blade. If you put one in razors that allow flexing
    it will bite.
     
  14. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    Your tastes will change many times over time. All blades are sharp and will cut you if you are not careful. Just pick one and go with it.

    Just starting out, when I saw a shark on the blade wrapper, I figured they had to be good and bought 100 of them. True story.
     
  15. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Ride the cap!
     
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  16. KAV

    KAV Well-Known Member

    I started out; oblivious to shaving forum and bought 60 Merkurs with my HD. Wetshaving will never know how many customers it loses to these corrugated roof panels.
     
  17. Linuxguile

    Linuxguile dating an unusual aristocrat

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  18. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    "Riding the Cap" is good advice for any new razor, regardless of the experience of the shaver. As your technique improves, and your familiarity with equipment grows, you will likely dial into an angle that suits you best for each razor. But to start, riding that cap will get you the shallowest effective angle the razor is capable of, and give you more comfortable shaves. It is the best advice I could think of for a new shaver, followed closely by "One Razor, One Blade, One Brush, One Soap". Nearly all of the products and equipment discussed here on the forum are capable of giving you a great shave. Eliminating the variables and focusing on your skill at using them will get you faster progress.

    Now you can go enjoy shaving.
     
  19. Linuxguile

    Linuxguile dating an unusual aristocrat

    I did reply to your other thread, but let me tell you this. You will find very few positive reviews for the Merkur and the VdH blades.
     
  20. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    I haven't tried the VdH blades, but I like the Merkur blades. They are far too expensive when quality offerings are available for much less, but I traded for some and never had an issue. I think they get a bad name mostly because of new shavers using the banged up blade that comes with their new 34c when just starting out.
     
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