With apologies to all for my rant in another thread.......... When I got my new butterfly TTO razor, a sample pack of Shark DE blades came with it. I guess I should not have been surprised, and I have shaved with that blade for two days now. I noted in another thread that the angle of attack is different with this razor then with the one that I bought a week ago or so, but I also noticed that the shark blade seemed a bit more aggressive than the one that I have in my other razor, which I think was made by Gillette. I also noted, in yet another thread, that the angle of attack is different with this razor then with the one that I bought a week ago or so, but I also noticed that the shark blade seemed a bit more aggressive than the one that I have in my other raiser which I think was made by Gillette. What can anyone tell me about the Shark sbrand of double edge razor blades?
Sharks are made by Lord Blades in Egypt, for whatever that's worth. Shark is a well known brand as are the Lord blades. There are a lot of guys who like the Lords, and a couple of them I've tried haven't been terrible, I can say that. Shark has two different varieties. The Super Chrome and Super Stainless. The Chromes are usually the ones you run into. My experience with them is that they are certainly sharp but can be harsh. However, they are better than the Stainless by quite a bit. Not one of my favorite blades. I prefer Derby over Sharp if only because Derby is at least smooth, if a bit on the dull side. And, of course, I prefer almost every Russian to both. As always, your results may vary as blades are always a bit subjective. But that's my take on them.
I've had decent success with Shark blades, the super chrome blades mentioned by @NCoxSTL. But, to be honest I am finding that even blades I swore off of when I first started this traditional wet shaving journey now shave just fine. As I have developed more consistent technique, I find the actual tools have less impact on my shaves. Technique Trumps Tools, as is said around here quite a bit. If I may offer some advice: work on the technique before you switch up your tools. It eliminates as many variables as possible so that if you have varying quality of shaves, you can more easily identify the issue and correct. Once you have a solid technique, let the experimentation begin.
Blades are varying degrees of sharp versus smooth. Aggressive or mild refers only to geometry of the razor. Attack angle never changes. Bevel on skin at 20-25deg angle. Grip and presentation angle may change with a razor model. Blades don't matter anywhere near as much as people like to pretend that they do. You are delaying your own happiness and true success with all this switching.
First of all, I would dare say that I'm not switching near as much as the people in here who seem to use a different brush every day, a different razor every day...... I don't think there's any comparison whatsoever. Secondly I'm not gonna be going out and buying any more blades because I've got plenty that came as a sample pack. Enough to last me for quite a while. They happen to be different brands and that's fine all I'm interested in doing his shaving every day; one pass, and being done with it. All I asked was whether or not anybody had used blades that had the name shark on them because I was curious what people thought of them to me it seems like a very aggressive and sharp blade. I am by no means obsessing about this. Personally I'd rather have a full beard again, and I look forward to growing one again and never shaving. The only reason I'm shaving now is because I have a managerial position that requires a certain level of proper appearance and so I'm honoring that.
Just do whatever you like. I am starting to think that we are not smart enough to help you. I apologize for my inadequacy. Please forgive.
There is a forum thread dedicated to the 30 Day Rule (or focus). The Rule is pretty simple: use one razor, one blade, one brush, and one soap for 30 days. By the end of thirty days, you will have gotten the angles figured out for your razor, have the soap dialed in, and be familiar with that set up. Your technique will be on a solid foundation to further develop. After the 30 Day Rule, a lot of people continue with a Focus that changes up one variable in the shave to see how this affects the over experience. The idea behind the Rule and Focus is to use a structured approach improve your shaving technique. You certainly see a lot of people on this forum changing gear daily, but often these guys have spent time doing what I described above before they get to this point. Obviously everyone is different, and people learn differently, but it has been my experience that guys new to Traditional Wet Shaving that spend a lot of time switching equipment and soaps/creams do tend to take longer to get there, as they never know where the problems lie.
I've never been a fan of Sharks. I've tried them many times, and there are more blades out there, that do much better. If you are interested in favorites, just ask.
I have now had my goatee for, let's see, 13 years straight. I managed restaurants for many years and some would allow it, some wouldn't . Stupid rule, really. When I worked for one KFC franchise they didn't allow beards/goatees, changed franchisees and they did. Then went to Bob Evans who didn't, so off it came again, then three months later they changed the rule so I grew it back. Haven't had to change since, though I did leave the food biz so that may have helped. Any company that doesn't allow beards is really waaaayyy behind the times, but we all do what we must.
Steve, my .02. I use Shark Super Chrome blades in a couple of my razors. They work for me. The advice about the 30 Day Rule/Focus is good. I've only done Focus(blades). You might benefit from a Rule. I can say that by doing Focus shaves with the same razor but different blades my technique improved exponentially. Good luck and enjoy your shaves!
In the end, it's all about how we choose to appear, and what we need to do to get there. Isn't it amazing that we have such wonderful options to help us get there?! We live in a remarkable age!! Imagine what it'll be like fifty to one hundred years from now!! There will still likely be facial hair!! (lol)
