Sampler Packs versus Honing One's Technique: Pros and Cons

In a few threads recently I've seen some debate about the effectiveness of sampler packs to find the right blade for new shavers versus simply improving one's technique. There is merit to both arguments, but I'd like to see them presented here to gauge what the rest of the forum thinks.

Pro-Sampler Argument:

This is by no means comprehensive, and I don't want to waste a bunch of time rehashing what others have said or try to carry an argument. I'm simply giving my opinion based on my own research and experience. Yours may differ, and that's fine.

In my opinion, sampler packs are a good way to learn what blade brands will best work in your razor as you improve your technique. Blades are not all created equally. Different companies use different materials and coatings, which determine how sharp an edge they take and for how long.

Other factors must be considered including skin sensitivity, whisker coarseness, lather, what if any pre-shave lubrication is used, and what post-shave treatment is utilized (alcohol-based or non). In my own experience, different blade brands will perform more optimally in some razors than in others. For instance, although Astra Superior Platinum gave me an irritation-free shave with no nicks in my Van Der Hagen-Weishi 9306, it wasn't as close as it could have been because of the small gap between blade and comb. In my Merkur 34c, however, the sharpness of the blades was more fully realized by the slightly heavier design and wider blade gap.

I am awaiting a Gillette Fatboy adjustable and will likely be using that to run out the remainder of my small sampler, which includes Treet Carbon Steel, Voskhod, Rapira Stainless, Rapira Platinum (now in use) Personna Lab, Gillette Silver Blue, PolSilver Super Iridium, and Feather.

I recommend trying out different blades to get a feel for what will be more forgiving to your skin as you develop your technique. Again, not all blades are made of the same stuff or manufactured to the same standards. The blades produced from the famous St. Petersburg plant in Russia and the Feathers out of Japan all have excellent reputations for quality, but there are others that might better fit your pocketbook or be easier to acquire. I found the Treets to be good and sharp, but their carbon steel construction means they are more prone to rust and require more effort in order to keep dry. For me, this puts them on the lower end of what I prefer to use. The Merkur blades, as I understand it through inquiries made to the company, are made from a zinc alloy, which means they generally don't take as good an edge as they otherwise could. This combined with their higher price also makes them a less likely investment.

Improve Technique Argument:

According to this line of reasoning, inconsistencies in shaves, nicks, and irritation are all due to user error and can be reduced or eradicated simply by improving one's technique with a given razor. It is preferred to stick with one blade brand and learn how to better utilize the razor that houses it, and in so doing this will not only provide for nick- and irritation-free shaving, but extend the longevity of the blade as well.

Speaking only for myself, I can't really say that there's anything inherently wrong with this argument. I do think people should hone their technique by learning their razors inside and out and finding the best method to get the best out of it. And really, I don't see how the two arguments are incompatible with one another. But knowing something of metallurgy and blade manufacture, I can't honestly put all the blame on lack of proper technique.

So, thoughts?

 

Pick a safe blade, Astra, Personna Lab Blue and go at it. Having a variety is a nice thing but that should come after about a month.

 

the longer I shave the more I'm convinced that technique is everything. Once I learned to have soft hands and ride the edge by feel, everything seems to work. Sometimes I must adjust a bit for different equipment, sometimes I don't concentrate enough to get spectacular shaves, but I'm better shaved than before and I liked getting here. And believe me, there is not much difference in blades, their all sharp(their razor blades, duh). But I doubt I could identify any single brand in a blind test. Aside from someone having chrome allergies or Teflon, I'd say pick a reputable name, with a cool looking packaging, find a sale price within your means. There you go, start there. By the time you've used them up, you'll have learned enough to make a more educated choice.

 

I agree with @RaZorBurn123. While I won’t say that a blade is a blade, I don’t find that there’s a huge difference between blades. A difference, yes. Monumental difference, no. I’ve gotten great shaves from everything between Dorcos to Feathers. I’ve also gotten crappy shaves from all of them too. The difference there is technique. If I do my job properly, I’ll get a great shave - regardless of what blade is in the razor. An Astra or Personna is a fine choice for a newbie - or for about anyone, for that matter. They’re both “fan favorites “. Many, many people love them and use them regularly.


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I'll partly back that up by saying that the Van Der Hagen and Dorco Prime Platinum really pulled and tugged at my face, leaving it nicked and irritated, whereas neither the Astra SPs or the sampler blades I've used so far have given me any trouble. And bear in mind I was already shaving for over a month by the time I got my Astras. Could the bad experiences have come from still being new? Sure, I suppose. But I had the same problem with the blade used for my Merkur Mustache and Eyebrow Razor (a neat little gem despite their blades' dullness) and not on any of the other blades. So I do think manufacture factors into part of the overall equation. I happen to think there are multiple elements involved, with the blades being the most variable because of so many having different experiences.

 

I’m not a fan of the VDH blades either. As far as the Astras giving you trouble, I can’t fully answer that. What I can tell you, that might be of some merit, I still have “off days” with my technique. I’ve been at this for just shy of a year. Every so often, I’ll give myself some weepers. Normally this happens when I’m going ATG. That can, and has, happened with any blade.

As far as manufacturing blades, I’m merely speculating, but I can’t imagine that all the blades that come out of the St. Petersburg plant in Russia each have their own production line. Maybe they do...but I kinda have my doubts. My guess is that the steel may vary and, of course , the coatings will vary. But I’d almost bet that the stamping, grinding and polishing happen on the same equipment for several “brands” that they produce. It wouldn’t be cost effective to have a complete line for each brand, given their low profit margin.

For what it’s worth, I’ve noticed my lather makes a bigger difference in my shaves. If I make a crappy lather, it usually equals a crappier shave. It’ll feel rough, even if I’m using a new blade. With a good, slick lather, even a week old blade glides smoothly.

There really are a number of variables. Take my thoughts for whatever they’re worth. I’m certainly not an expert, just a dude who shaves. I do think that many people, especially newbies, overthink the whole process. Been there myself.
If you feel a blade is giving you an issue, sit it aside. Once you find a blade you like, stick with it for awhile. When you feel your shaving technique is consistent, bring your “problem blade” back out again and see how it goes. You might be surprised.


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Yeah, like I said, different blades will perform better in some razors than others. Because of the smaller gap between blade edge and comb in the Super Speeds and Weishis, this naturally means that you won't get as close a shave without doing more passes than three. On the other hand, in my Merkur 34c, the Astra did a splendid job of giving me a close, smooth shave in three passes with some touch-ups. That I chalk up to the more efficient design of the German razor.

 

I honestly think that there is a difference in hardware. But one of the biggest mistakes I see newbies make (I did it too) is to bounce from product to product, always blaming the gear and not how they use it.

I think that if you take any decent razor, blade, soap and brush, you can get a good shave if you give it some time and effort. All of these categories can be refined, but 99% of the gear we talk about on here is good stuff. That is why @Bama Samurai came up with the 30 Day Rule/Focus. It works. And a lot of guys have proved it, with sometimes less than stellar gear.




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Yeah, when I got my Merkur in the mail on Christmas Eve I began doing comparison shaves using it and my Weishi to see how the different blade brands performed in each razor. Overall I give the edge (no pun intended—okay, pun intended) to Merkur, but the Treet blades, surprisingly, fared somewhat better in my Weishi on consecutive shaves. By that time I'd been using safeties for a few months and had refined my technique enough that nicking was not a problem. I do believe in pushing a given blade to its limit rather than tossing it after three or four shaves as many tend to do. Basically, until I start to feel that pulling and tugging, I keep using the same blade. My poor '74 Super Speed, on the other hand, failed to perform well at all, due I think to its lighter weight and practically nonexistent blade gap. Little exposure means more passes, so I put the blade back in my Merkur. I'll hang on to my Super as a birth year collectible, but I don't think I'll be using it in my rotation unless something happens to my VDH-Weishi.

 

A lot of people will say that blade choice doesn't matter and that technique trumps tools. That might be true but by that logic, you should be able to get a perfect shave from a rusty can as long as your technique is on point. Perhaps it could be done but why bother when you could be using a blade that is more efficient and works better with your skin and hair type?

With this in mind, I feel that blade choice is definitely important and matters very much, at least for me personally. Coming up on two years since making the switch to safety razors, technique has helped tremendously with giving me the best shaves of my life, but I also owe a lot to my excellent blades and an an amazing razor.

I strongly agree with PickledNorthern's statement:

Therefore, I think that the best solution is get a sample pack with several duplicates. Once you understand the basics of using your razor, go through the sample pack. Find something you like and stick with it for a long time (several months at the very least). Then revisit the blades when you're consistently getting decent shaves. It doesn't have to be one or the other - you don't have go through a sample pack just once when you're inexperienced, and you don't have to wait until you're nearly a pro to start experimenting with new blades. Experiment, practice, experiment again. That's what I would do if I could start all over again.

 

As I pointed out in another thread, my logic is to get two sets of blades - one from each end of the 'generally accepted' spectrum, such as Astra and Derby. Work on technique, yes, but I keep seeing, over and over again, that some people get great results from Derby - but not Astra, and vice versa. Also Dorco and, say, Nacet.

Flipping between a dozen different blades won't help you learn anything - that's more useful once you've decided on THE razor to use, and you know how to use it with ANY blade.

 

I can honestly say I have never had a bad shave that I knew was caused by the brand or type of blade I was using. That goes for both de and se. I'm sure I couldn't tell the difference between my Feathers or Dorcos in any of my des or my Ted Pellas or CVS in either of my ses. The only thing any of my blades have communicated to me is when they are used enough to replace. I have, however, made mistakes that I knew of even while I made them that have caused me issues. I guess I'm just lucky that way.

 

Once I decided on giving traditional wet shaving a try, I bought some stuff to start my ShaveQuest including a sample blade pack. I'm about a month in and think I have the combination I want to use to learn how to shave. So far, I end my shaves 'close enough' and without injury. I will be following the 30 day rule, maybe more before I start testing stuff again. During this period I'll probably go 3 shaves per blade to limit that variable. For what its worth, I think any of the blades from my sample pack would have worked, but I'm pretty sure my '30 day rule' tolerance would have dropped to 2 on a couple.

Thanks to the fine folks here!

 

I fully agree with this. My personal opinion is that anyone would get a good start by first getting a tuck each of Voskhod, Astra SP, GSB and Feather. After finding a favorite among those, one should stick to it until technique is a bit more developed. I think these four brands give newbies a chance to try blades of different level of aggressiveness, as after all we have different level of coarseness and different skin. As soon as some kind of technique has been developed one could begin experimenting with other blades, if one wants.

 

Like I said, blades are not all made the same, and how coarse one's whiskers are and how aggressive a given razor is will determine how long a given blade will last. Did you go a week without shaving? Are you using an adjustable on a higher setting? Things like this will reduce the life of any blade, and a Feather or an Astra will probably last much longer than a Merkur under the same conditions. Everybody's whisker type is different, for example, just enough of my Cherokee ancestors' coarse hair and beard whiskers came through in my genetic makeup that while I have fine, straight hair, it grows to become thick and layered when long, my beard is coarse, scraggly, and the dark whiskers spaced too far apart to make a decent one (doesn't help that my beard is multi-colored or that the whiskers are darker at the edges than at the root).

 

Technique will adjust for the things that are a bit different in blades or razors or your face. There is no big difference in things really. Coatings and such are way over rated. Learn to shave..get the techniques down. Use a sharp blade.(merkurs are trash to start with) and pick a razor to learn with. Once your technique improves you will see that blade choice is not near as big a deal as some think. A mild feeling raxor can give just as good a shave as an aggressive one....no matter your beard type. Getting a bunch of different blades and jumping around to find the best will do no good until you know good technique.
The VI will be along shortly to chime in on this post.

 

who are the vi? I've missed something.

 

You have not missed anything. The people that is for know what it means.

 

It's an editor - the main competitor to EMACS

 

To that I will respond by pointing you here:

In my opinion, yes, technique is important and solves a lot of problems for beginners, but I think it's only half the equation. Different guys have different whisker types that are better handled by some blades than others. There are so many variables to consider in wet shaving that I simply don't think one can wholly put faith in one school of thought or the other. In short, I think both trains of thought are correct.