Stainless steel blades. Worth the extra $

I'm about to order 100ct blades from http://shavetools.com/cart.php?m=pr...rice=&viewAll=undefined&customListIds=&venID=

Choice is down to 100ct Astra Platinum for $15 or 100ct Astra Stainless for $18.99. Is it worth the extra $4 to get the stainless version?

I currently buy 5ct generic blades at $5.99.

 

My advice - never buy any blade in bulk that you have not tried.

As to the question, are they worth the extra $? Only your face can tell you that. And if you drop $19 + shipping only to have your face tell you they ain't workin', your out.

My recommendation - get a sample pack of blades. Then after you find what works, order those in bulk.

From TSD Shop
From BullGoose
From Shoebox Shave Shop
From West Coast Shaving
From Connaught Shaving
From Shave Tools

And those are just a few.

 

What Steve said... never buy 100 if you don't know how the blade works for you.

And you can get Astra SPs for about $10/100 (or less) if you play it right on Amazon or on bestshave.net (prices fluctuate due to currency exchange).

Astra SPs are well respected around here, but might not be the blade for you. I have over 1000 of them. <blush> YMMV.

 

I don't have quite that many, but they are the only blade I buy in bulk.

 

Remember the Shavepocalypse!

 

I like best shave and get my Permasharps and Sharks from them. Astras. Yuck, I am not a fan of that blade.

Buy a sampler and if something doesnt work for you now, put it in a drawer and revisit it in a few months. It is amazing how skills and tastes change over time.

 

I will also add that even when you do find a blade you like enough to buy in bulk, dont buy a bunch at a time. I bought 2000 Voskhod blades and one day, they started to make my face red, like I developed an allergy to the teflon or something. Now We have a bunch of blades that don't get much use.

 

Agreed...Also, chances are that you will find another blade that works even better for you some time down the line. Astra SP were the first that my face really liked and I bought 100. After going through about 4 additional blades I found that I like the Silver Blue best (so far)...

 

And we know not the hour nor the day.

 

But, woe unto that shaver whom the lathermaster, upon his return, finds unprepared.

 

PREACH IT, BROTHER! PREACH IT!!

 

AMEN!

 

*ahem* Sorry, Admiral. Just got a little carried away.
No, Sir. It won't happen again.... today

 

If only the winkies worked.
(wait, that's a different thread)

 

So, what's the difference between Platinum and Stainless Astras? Does the Stainless last longer?

 

I think the SPs have a different coating. Or a coating period. As to which is better, most seem to prefer the SPs by a hair, but some others say stainless. It's up to you to see what's best for you.

 

I found the stainless to be a bit more harsh than the SP's. I hope this helps...but then again you may find stainless superior, one doesn not know until one tries

 

Personally, I like the Stainless blades better, but there's not a huge difference.

I agree with the others that you should not buy blades in bulk until you've tried a small sample of them first. Try www.razorbladesandmore.com.

I'm also a fan of the PermaSharp Super.

 

Astra SP ("Superior Platinum") blades have a platinum-plated edge & are available from more vendors. Both the SP & the SS varieties have fans who prefer one over the other. Feedback over the years suggests that neither variety lasts "longer" than the other, but some feel the platinum coating gives a smoother shave. For my shaves, the performance is exactly the same.

Another reason not to buy in bulk before having experience with a blade is that many people have sensitivity to blades that are coated, whether with platinum or a polymer like PTFE (Teflon)

 

"...reason to buy in bulk," or "...reason not to buy in bulk"?