Expect my first vintage Gillete DE razor, a flare tip Super Speed, to arrive in a day or two and am trying to line up a good starter blade. I have some Feather High Stainless on order and was about to order some Merkur blades but see Derby is well regarded by many on the "Den." So, HELP ME OUT, PLEASE. Thanks.
Definitely don't start with Feathers if you don't have a lot of DE experience. Derbys and Merkurs might be good to start out with if you have a lighter beard. If you have a very heavy beard they may not be very good for you. You'll really benefit from a sampler pack of blades, so that would probably be the best way to go.
Starting out with Feathers may not be your best bet as they are generally regarded as super sharp and as a blade for more advanced shavers. Derbys and Merkurs have their fans, but also many detractors, especially so the Merks. Astra SP and Gillette 7 o'clocks are well-regarded. But, blades are very much a personal thing. What works well for me, may not work well for you. So, your best bet is a sampler pack to find your own best blade.
Def get a sampler pack and try a different blade everytime you need to replace one. I find that sharks and Astra SP are more forgiving of skill. It may take an extra pass (or two) to get a DFS but it will help you get your technique down. There are some who say to start with feathers as it will teach you very fast to have a light touch and to refine your skill. Its almost like swimming. Either you slowly teach someone to swim with all the right techniques or you just throw them in and say sink or swim. But of course with blades, YMMV
Get a good sampler pack and try blades until you find out what initially works for you, then you really should apply THE 30 DAY RULE. What is THE 30 DAY RULE? It is a way to work on your technique which is the most important thing in traditional shaving. THE 30 DAY RULE. Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your face (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all.
I say start with any blade you want. Many will say start with blade xyz because it is a forgiving blade. What the heck does that mean, "a forgiving blade"? Does a forgiving blade give you a warning if your technique starts to get sloppy? "Better watch it there, bud. I won't slice ya this time, but you try that again and I won't be so quick to forgive you." All blades are sharp; they are designed to cut. That's why we buy them. I don't believe there is a blade out there that won't nick or cut you if you're not paying attention to your shave and let your technique get sloppy. Nicks and cuts are part of the learning process - they let you know real quick when you're doing it wrong. Pay attention to what you're doing, then if you get sliced, you'll know what you did and won't try that agian. Go slow, stay focused, and know that if you stick with it, you'll soon be getting those blood-free darn-near-BBS shaves before you know it. All that said, I will say not all blades will work for everyone. Some blades will feel smoother for this shaver and rougher for that shaver. But sharp is sharp and sloppy technique will be tolerated by no blade.
You know, I worried about all that stuff too. I had (thanks to my nephew) recovered my first razor, a 1966 Gillette adjustable, and figured I had to find the perfect blade/soap/setting combo, so got a TSD sampler and started out on a kind of modified 30 day plan. Well that was WAY to complicated for me, not only could I not tell the difference between blades, I couldn't even remember which blade I had in the razor. Then it occurred to me that my Dad had one razor and one brand of blades and that was fine, so I took the next obvious step in my quest for the perfect b/s/s and just gave up! Set the razor at 8, settled on Mikes soap and could not be happier. Now I am not in any way disparaging those that actually go through a 30 day plan, on the contrary I admire their tenacity, but it is not for me. Last night I got home from harvesting my corn crop and had to deal with with my 5 day beard. A long hot shower and grabbed my razor, having NO idea which blade was in it, or how many shaves were on it (hoping it was sharp, but if it didn't feel right, grab a new whatever from the ziploc bag and slap it in) lathered up and sliced off the growth that would have rendered a new 4 blade wonder razor a useless lump of plastic halfway through the first cheek. Three passes, BBS, slap on the Skin Bracer AHHHahhhhhhh a happy man. My advice, don't worry about it, just remember by the 50's and 60's DE razor technology had reached its peak and any of the blades in the SD sampler should do just fine. Have fun.
If you were not able to tell the difference, then you are indeed fortunate, because for most people, razors and blades have too much variation with their skin, as seen in thousands of posts on the various shaving forums. The 30 day plan takes affect after you select one razor and blade combination that suits you early on. That way, like a new golfer using a single set of clubs, you concentrate on the mechanics of the game rather than worrying about equipment issues.
I don't know that Derby is well regarded, as you say. They are one of the few I do not like. Feather is harsher in its sharpness for me, but works better in "milder" razors for me. Astra SP and Wilkinson Sword seem to work well, no matter what razor....for me.
