Derby Extra blades

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by feeltheburn, Jan 21, 2023.

  1. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    When I started DE shaving about 10 years ago the Derby Extra was the first blade I tried. They were in the sampler back I got and lots of people recommended it as a good first blade to try. It was not great for me. Very tuggy when it cut whiskers at all. I think I must have thrown the rest of the pack away or PIF'ed it and haven't tried them again. I remember the next blade I tried being much better so I don't think it was all me.

    For Christmas, my wife got me a Razorock Baby Smooth razor and it came with a pack of Derby Extras. I threw them in the cabinet and thought maybe I'd give them another try at some point. Well this morning, I decided to do it. I put one in my ATT R1, a razor that's usually good with blades that are, shall we say, less sharp. Surprisingly, I got a pretty good shave. 3 passes, as close to BBS as I can usually get, and very little alum tingle afterward. I guess I'll shave with this blade until it gives out which I don't expect to be long but it's surprised me once, so we'll see.
     
    PanChango, PLANofMAN, Lancre and 2 others like this.
  2. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    If you like them and decide to get some more, I have 3 or 4 tucks that I probably won't use and can send them to you.
     
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  3. Lockback

    Lockback Well-Known Member

    My Edwin Jagger DE89 came with a tuck of Derby Extras, as well as another one in a blade sample pack I ordered.
    I was surprised when I read a lot of reviews claiming they're a mediocre blade. My limited experience with them has been very, very good.
     
    Lancre likes this.
  4. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the offer but I have so many blades, I'll have to live a good long time to use them all :).
     
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  5. sidpost

    sidpost Active Member

    How do the Derby (Black) Premium Double Edge Stainless Steel Razor Blades rate? I have seen some user reviews saying that they are much better than the Derby Extra.
     
  6. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I've never tried them personally but they're not terribly expensive and no matter what anyone else thinks, your face is the only one that'll know how they work for you. So give them a try if you're curious.
     
    Lancre likes this.
  7. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    2nd shave was pretty decent too. Maybe not quite as close as yesterday which might mean the blade's losing some sharpness but there was no alum feedback afterward so the smoothness is there. I'll give it another day and see how that goes.
     
    Lockback likes this.
  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I've never met a Derby blade I liked. I just avoid blades from Egypt on principle now.

    They also make Big Ben and Bluebird blades if I remember correctly. Bluebird has to be the worst DE blade I've ever used.

    Every face is different, and every razor has it's one blade that works well. They are just not for me.
     
  9. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I wouldn't say they're my new favorite blade or anything. Just that they seem to have improved since I tried them 10 years ago. I think they're made in Turkey but they do seem to have some similarities to the Egyptian blades. They're sort of just sharp enough to do the job but seem fairly smooth at least. The Egyptian blades are not what I'd call long-lasting, usually only being good enough for about 2 shaves for me. We'll see if the Derby can last any longer than 2 when I try it again tomorrow. There's also the question of consistency. The Egyptian blades aren't terribly consistent in my experience. I sort of expect these Derbys to be like that too but only time will tell.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  10. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    3rd shave was not quite as good as the first 2. The blade was noticeably duller, verging on tuggy and skipping over quite a few whiskers that I had to go back and hit again. There was only slight alum tingle afterward though so it's staying fairly smooth. I'd probably just shave with these blades twice and toss them based on this one example. That's on the low end of blade longevity for me but not exactly uncommon. I'd put these in the same "smooth but not that sharp or long-lasting" category as most of the Rapiras and some of the Egyptian blades like Crowns. They do seem to have improved the sharpness at least to a point where I can get a couple decent shaves from them now. There are still lots of better blades in the world though.
     
  11. brit

    brit in a box

    i 've had and tried derby extra,not for me.but i did get some derby premium to see if they were sharper.they were.smooth and sharper.
     
    feeltheburn likes this.
  12. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Might have to try those at some point but I need more blades like I need a hole in the head :).
     
    brit likes this.
  13. brit

    brit in a box

    :):eatdrink047:
     
  14. sidpost

    sidpost Active Member

    Derby is Turkish isn't it? The Derby shave products (soaps and shave cream mainly) I saw were shown as being made in Turkey.
     
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  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Yeah. My mess up.
     
    sidpost likes this.
  16. LaneP

    LaneP Well-Known Member

    Coincidentally, I have been working with my new Razorock Lupo aluminum this week, and didn't know the box containing the razor had a tuck of Derby Extra blades in the bottom until I'd already loaded the razor with a new Gillette Platinum. So the first three shaves were with the Gillette Platinum, and I would try the Derby Extra following that.

    I'll say the shaves with the Platinum were very good. The razor feels a little blade positive, but coupled with its light weight, it is ultra controllable and highly maneuverable. Three smooth, close shaves.

    But the shaves with the Derby Extra were not nearly as good. The blade doesn't feel as sharp, and it felt rough on the neck, leaving a couple small weepers each shave. After two shaves I tossed the blade, and that will be it for the Derby Extra in my Lupo. Maybe the Derby Extra will work better in some other razor, but it may be a good while before I get back to that evaluation. I think the last time I used a Derby Extra was over 5 years ago and it wasn't impressive then either.

    [​IMG]
     
    brit likes this.

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