I'm fairly happy with the Gillette Silver Blue blade on my Parker razor. But, being fairly new to DE, I am not sure I want to pull the trigger on 100 yet. I'd like something just a hair more aggressive, but the Astra is too much. Do you all have any recommendations for blades that are close to the Silver Blue? I feel like I'm close, but not perfect on the fit. Anything else I should try before going to the bulk order?
Step one: Go to tryablade.com Step two: Select 5 or 6 different brands. Step three: Purchase at least three of each. Step four: after a short wait for the postman, enjoy the exploration.
Right. Been there, done that. So, thus the question. I've explored about 8 different blades, finding the GSB as the best for me. But it's not quite perfect. Rather than exploring the thousands of blades blindly, I thought you fine folks could narrow it down to something close to the GSB that I can try. Let's gather the collective knowledge. Then, proceed as above. No sense in ordering blades that are not close just to find that out. I think the Astra SP is what was a bit too aggressive for me, but I'll double check my stash. Thanks for that recommendation.
GSB and Voskhod are both Teflon coated. Astra is platinum. But to answer your original question, GSB is pretty darn good.
Polsilvers, and Gillette 7 o'clock black and yellow are comparable in my book. Maybe also Derby if you are looking for something less aggressive. Come to think of it, the Personna Platinum Chrome might also be a candidate. But I have only used that for two shaves, so I make no guarantees
I've also used a few different blades from tryablade. I really liked the Polsilver SI, Personna Israeli Red and the infamous Feather and couldn't decide which. My first 100 blade buy? The GSB. A fantastic blade. And for $30AUD shipped, it made sense. Should be arriving any day now.....................
My top blades are Vikings Sword, Polsilver Super Iridium, Astra SP and 7'oclock greens and yellows. You should try the Vikings Sword blades for sure. They are made in the Personna plant in Israel and IMO give very efficient and pleasant shave. Their not overly expensive either.
See that's the problem. All you're going to get with the question you posed is a bunch of "my favorite blade is ____" answers. The blade is the biggest variable in the shave. Not only are they different in manufacturing, people percieve their performance differently as well. Thus, the answer. We could both use the exact same setup under controlled circumstances and we'll both have differing opinions on the performance of that setup. I'm a fan of the GSB, I'm a fan of most blades manufactured in Russia. I percieve their performance as similar. I personally think the GSB and the Astra are too close to call, and given the choice, would buy the Astra on price alone. It's possible there's a Pakistani brand of chin cleavers out there that are universally despised by this forum that you will love.
As @Omaney noted, you are just going to have to determine which work for you. Several people have done tests, based of course on their own faces and shaving styles, to determine which blades are "best" for them. Maybe these links will give you some inspiration on what to try next. @GDCarrington did an excellent chart of blade analysis and provided it here. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge-ii-addendum.33136/ Follow @NCoxSTL and his June Tournament of Blades here http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/june-2015-30-day-rule-focus-pic-discussion-thread.45265 Most of the suggestions I would have are already mentioned including the Voskhods, Personna Reds, and Polsilver. Take a look at the above links and then pick out a few more and give them a try.
In my humble opinion Gillette Platinum are a better version of GSB. I love both blades but I find that I get a smoother shave with Gillette Platinum blades. YMMV but if you like GSB then it might be worth trying out some Gillette platinum blades.
The Gillette Platinums are excellent as well yes. I prefer GSB but I tend to prefer teflon over platinum in most blades. For those who prefer platinum, the Gillette's are definitely a top blade.
