I'm following the 30 day rule pretty closely, now using my Merkur 34 C, pre shave oil (homemade) Proraso red cream and same badger brush, started changing just blades giving each brand a week or two to learn them. Oh, I've been working on riding the cap too and being very patient with my technique. Anyway Just loaded a dorco ST-301 today and it was sucked. two cuts, uncomfortable, felt like coarse sandpaper was rubbing my face. I was left not wanting to give it another chance. I had been consistently doing good, no cuts in weeks, and no real irritation having tried Treet, wilkenson sword, gilette blues and Lords (those last ones came in a sample pack). Think it was just one bad Dorco blade in the batch? Or with all the choices out there, just toss it and move on? Not the most pressing problem to solve in the world, but would welcome feedback. Thanks
I'd try a second one, and if you're having the same problems, move on. If that's the case, and you have more of the Dorco's, hang on to the rest of them. In the future, you could try them in a different razor, or find that your technique improves enough that they smooth out for you.
I would give it another shot, possibly with a second Dorco. As your technique continues to improve, I think you will find that you can get a good shave with just about any blade, as long as there isn't some sort of true defect.
I had a bad experience with the first Dorco 301 I tried. When I got back around to it in my sample pack I decided to try it again. Turned out great that time. Good enough that I decided to buy 100 of them at my local shop for $8.55. For the money, I think it is a hard blade to beat. I also have a 34C. Not sure why the first one was so bad. I have used about 10 of them so far and they have all been great since the bad experience with the first one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
While om not a fan of them, my wife likes them for her legs. This is a win - win. I get them with some of the razors, she likes them. I feel that a can get a good FIRST shave out of any(non defective) blade. Longevity and closeness being the factor on subsequent uses. Also i may nick myself if i underestimate the keenness.
OK, thanks all. I tossed the blade and used a new Dorco blade this morning. A little better, I paid closer attention to my technique. So-so first pass, better second, still got a little nic. Will stick with this blade two or so more times and another before passing final judgment.
I have used dorco blades quite a bit and find them to be pretty good. I initially thought they were garbage from what I have read. They are not bad at all. They aren't the sharpest but in a mild razor, they are smooth
It bears repeating that blades are probably the biggest area in Wet Shaving where YMMV holds sway. Except for fundamentally flawed blades like the Tiger and many Chinese blades, it is probably the case that for every person who says they don't have good luck with a particular blade, there are a dozen who list it as one of their favorites (and vice versa). In truth, there are too many variables which come into play such as razor geometry (exposure, gap, blade angle), the shaver's skin and beard type, and (of course) technique. I'm starting to think that there is a simple benchmark which is to ask a person how they feel about two blades: the Astra SP and the Derby Extra. Generally, I think most will prefer one or the other but not both. Further, based on which one they like, you can probably predict how they will feel about other common blades. Recently, I came to the personal conclusion that certain blades just don't do well with certain razors. In my case, it was the "Dollar Store" Dorco blade, the STD-301. While I liked the other Dorco blades, I could never get an enjoyable shave out of the Family Dollar blade. On a whim, I decided to try one in a post-War English Aluminium Tech, a razor that I also never got a pleasant shave out of. The combination was, in a word, "shocking". I wouldn't call it the best experience, but it was far better than I had gotten with either part singly. Literally, something in the odd geometry of that English Tech matched well with the cutting edge of that blade.
