Razor Blade Comparison: Astra Superior Platinum vs Derby Extra

I state that I am a great admirer of the blades Derby, but 'I want you to know your personal opinion on these two blades, which in my view, are quite identical, and certainly much loved by those who use DE. What do you think are the pros and cons of these blades? Thanks in advance.

 

Clearly a case of YMMV as I don't find these blades anything alike. The Astra SP is a favorite that's smooth and sharp. The Derby tugs and irritates on me. Both seem to be blades with diverse opinions, so the only way to know how they work for you is to try them for yourself.

 

My experience(limited as it is) so far is exactly the same... the derbys pulled terribly, while the astras have become my daily blade. I'm sure there are better out there, but the astras are good enough to hone my skills with.

 

Well.. ymmv and all...

however, I buy Astras buy the hundreds and use them frequently. I won't buy another Derby.

I can get a week of comfortable shaves on the Astra Superior Platinums... I can get 2-3 days of meh shaves on a Derby.

 

Exactly. I love the Astra SP. I can't stand the Derby.

 

I like both, but like the Astra better. It's definitely sharper than the Derby. I like the Derby in aggressive razors-I used it in a Slant the other day and it was a very nice match. In a Superspeed today, it tugged a bit. The Astra, for this mug, seems to work well with any razor.

 

Thanks for the replies! The two blades on my skin have the same effect, and that means' good ... Of course, as always, and what 'subjective from person to person. It 'nice to know others' opinions about these things, so ' you can also know the little secrets of these blades ...

 

I've found Derby's to give consistent performance in different razors. It's a great blade for me to use when I try a different razor. When I first started d/e derb's were the go to. Astra's on the other hand, I've found to be a real picky blade. Astra's for me work great but only in the right razor. For me an Astra in a SS is Nirvana (I used to hate Astra's and super speeds, until I put them together) but put that Astra in a New or Merkur slant and It gives me nothing but trouble. It's a very finicky blade where as a derb is a derb no matter what razor it is in. As with blades YMMV.

 

I've had good results with both blades. I find Astra's to be sharper than the Derby's, and much more durable. I get can 5-7 shaves from a Derby blade, and 7-10 shaves from an Astra.

 

flip side

haha; I take the opposite view: Love my Derby Extras, but can't seem to get along with the Astras. I'll be loading an Astra tomorrow just to give it another shot, but my hopes are limited.

The Derby has become my daily driver.

 

dislike the derby tugging , astra a decent blade , not in my top 3 blades though

 

+1 My experience precisely. Both share a similarity that they can be rough on my neck if I am not extra careful. I like Derby best in my Fatboy or Slim cranked to 7 or 8. Astra seems to be a sharper-somewhat smoother version of a Derby, so I understand the comparison being made between the two. Have used them both a lot in the past. Neither are in my top 3 today.

 

Again, this thread is another example that blades are such a YMMV kinda thing, and you just need to try 'em out and find what works for you.

 

I haven't tried the platinum coated Astra's just the Superior Stainless, shave 1 is like using a Red Pack IP, shave 2 is like using a 2 day old Wilkinson...

Are the Platinum Astra's that much better?

 

See Bill's answer.

 

I agree with the other posts, derby are very low quality compared to the astra's, the derby start to pull and tug on my second 3 pass shave and is almost unbearable on the 3rd shave, the astra's though I can get 3 or 4 shave from before they start to tug, and both of those are shaving everyday with my slowish growth.

 

Well, I got an excellent shave out of my 2nd Astra Superior Stainless, maybe the first one was just a bad one. :signs131

 

Really goes to show you how YMMV.

They are chalk and cheese for me, Astras are a top 3 blade where as derb's (and lasers) would make me switch back to carts.

 

I found that Astra platinums worked great in my Parker, but then when I got my '56 SS I didn't like them so much and tried the Derbys and loved it. Now, a few months later I'm not liking the Derbys so much and have since switched back to the Astras and I'm getting the best shave I've had since entering the DE arena.

 

To all who love Astra, but can't stand Derby, what other blades you think are top notch?
Right now I have two blades that work well enough for me that I'd consider buying a large pack of: Astra Superior Stainless (blue packaging), Gillette 7 O'clock super stainless. These two are probably the same one. Both have superior platinum versions, and are made at the same place.

Blades that absolutely don't work for me: Derby (tugging), Bluebird (tugging). Again probably the same one.

Shark, Lord, Supermax are not great (at best), and I wouldn't be buying them in bulk.