What are some of the sharper blades out there, other then Feather? around the shark/bluebird/derby price point.
Gillette 7o'clock yellows are comparable to Feathers. Also, the Gillette Ruby tend to be on a sharper side, but you'll probably won't be able to acquire them locally. Also, probably Moscow Rapira brand's Swedish Supersteel, but I can't confirm it yet.
Blades are a highly personal choice, but lately, if I am not reaching for a Feather, I reach for: Perma-Sharp Super Gillette Super Thin KAI
Those are not at the same price point, for the OP, the closest hes going to get to a ghetto feather is a Shark SS... To the OP, though if you have the dough, do try the Yellow 7 O'clocks or Super Iridums, Kai's are slightly sharper but not as smooth.
I find BlueBirds and Gillette Super Thins quite sharp, also not forgetting the NOS Gillette Bleue Extras of Flea Bay. T
Ty guys, I plan on starting at the bottom of the price barrel and working my way up. I'm hoping I will find something that makes me happy before the Feathers ect. price point.
I did not pay enough attention to the price part the first time around. The Gillette Super Thins are a very nice blade and can be bought from TSD Board member iamdarkangel2005 / David. 120 blades for $20.00 shipped is a pretty good price for a great blade. http://cgi.ebay.com/120-Gillette-Su...594278911?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_1232wt_754
I know you want quality, because you want sharp blades. But I have to tell you, honestly, that my twelve cent blades are very sharp, smooth, close-cutting experiences. I have Bangledeshi 7a.m.s, Indian SuperMaxs, south Korean Dorcos, Israeli "personnas" (didn't know they were personnas until I saw one of our blessed angels, Mantic's, videos), and assorted walmart, k-mart, supermarket, etc. 10 blade packs. They all deliver a good shave. The only difference, that I can tell, is that the Israeli blades can go 1-2 more shaves within the comfort range of a demanding shaver. That's it. It's making a lot out of a little. Granted, I've used 2 double-edged blades since February, because I'm into honing and shaving with straight edges, but my experiences with those double-edged blades remains. You can probably get a lot of bang for your buck with some of the cheaper blades, just figure out how many shaves you can safely manage with an edge, that's all. Once your technique improves you can eke out one or two more.
IMHO the sharpest, lower priced blades are the Astra Superior Platinum (OK, not the cheapest, but well below feather prices) and LORD platinum. I also find the modern Silver Star blades from LORD very sharp, but they're harder to find and price can vary widely.
+1 on the lord platinum blades. They're my everyday blade and will mow it down smoothly. Astra superior platinum is my backups. For the price lord gives the biggest bang for the buck IMO, shaveabuck sells them for $1.00 a pack or 100 blade bulk packs for $12.00
Astras is most YMMVariable blade They feel very tuggy for me and for at least five people here. Speaking of the sharpness, I just shave with Russian Rapira Swedish Supersteel and god this blade was smooth and sharp. It's a candidate to replace my go-to Gillette 7o'clock yellows.
Unless there is an unbiased scientific standard to measure sharpness, everyone is going to have their own opinion on what the sharpest blade is. One will say this one is, while another will say that one tugs and pulls. You just gotta try each blade and judge for yourself.
