Agreed! At first I was turned off by the "uneventful-ness" of the shave...but then I saw the results. Again, magic has to play some role in the make-up of this blade!
Shave 19: Dorco (Orange Wrapper): Shave 2 with the Dorco...results were disappointing... Pre-Shave: Warm water in bowl; soaked brush Hot shower Clearasil daily face wash Running low on TBS SO, decided not to use it today Created a nice velvety lather from TBS MR SC Shave: 1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - I actually got a really nice first pass. For a second, I contemplated not doing a 2nd, but decided that I should at least do 2 passes. Rinsed and re-lathered 2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - Now this is when things got not-so-good. After my 2nd pass, I had about 2-3 weepers. I didn't use pressure and I didn't do too many passes over the same area. Rinsed and re-lathered 3rd pass - ATG: I admit that there was very little stubble left after my 3rd pass, BUT for the first time in like...10 (or more) shaves, I got a few weepers. No nicks, just those pesky weepers. No Touch-ups for fear of shaving my face off Post-Shave: Warm water rinse Applied EMJ post shave lotion - I still sing the praises of Every Man Jack! Conclusion: This blade is the ninja of all blades. I barely heard it cutting and to be honest, even with weepers, I didn't really feel any resistance on the blade while shaving. Again, I had to check if my angle was right, because it didn't sing like the other blades I've tried. Maybe it was my omission of shave oil that contributed to my unfortunate weeper situation. But all in all, I still got a good shave, just not as good as the first. Final Thought: This blade confuses me. A very smooth shave, hardly any sound, but I ended up with minute blood loss. No big deal, but for me, I'd rather feel the blade - know its cutting, hear it cutting and be left with a damn near BBS shave with no weepers to boot. I got 1 shave left with the Dorco, I think I'll stash one for later and give the other away.
You say this blade confuses you. Actually, I'm a little confused by your post - you say it's the ninja of all blade, a very smooth shave, no resistance, can't feel the blade, it didn't "sing". To me that sounds like every bit of what a blade should be - just mowin' down the whiskers like they're not even there. If I'm feeling the blade, it's usually because there is resistance, tugging, and pulling - all signs of a less than stellar blade. But that's me.
I'm headed to the post office right now. I put two packs of Rapiras Sputniks, one pack of Voskhod, and as a special treat, a pack of Feathers in the envelope too...considered by many to be the finest DE blade ever made. You thought those Dorcos were ninja blades? You don't know what a true ninja blade is. ...You will soon. Edit: Don't know why I keep confusing those two.
Isn't that what Shave Den friends are for?. .... Notice it's a question yet really a statement. Very nice PLANofMAN!
Now that I think about it, both the Rapiras Sputniks and the Voskhod blades were part of gift packs that were sent to me. One gentleman sent me 200 Rapiras Sputniks as a Christmas present that he felt he "owed" me, and 100 Voskhod blades were included (as a gift) when I purchased a razor from a member here. I'm pretty used to this forum operating like a gift exchange.
Shave 20: Dorco (Orange Wrapper): The final shave with the Dorco blade...goooooooood riddance!Pre-Shave: Warm water in bowl; soaked brushHot showerClearasil daily face wash Out of TBS MR shave oil - need to find another shave oil...or make my ownDorco blade (3rd shave, no stropping) COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap Shave: 1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - best pass out of the 3...Rinsed and re-lathered 2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - oh the tugging and skipping! For me, the blade's sharpness has seemed to fade over the last 2 shaves.Rinsed and re-lathered3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - razor burn, ugh!Touch-ups definitely required Post-Shave: Warm water rinse Thank God for EMJ!Conclusion: I'm a little disappointed in the progression of shaves with the Dorco blade. Although my first shave was an almost magical experience, the 2nd shave was less than stellar and then my final shave was just...terrible. I felt like the blade was dull by my 3rd shave. This was the first time I eperienced such a big difference in blade sharpness/dullness over a 3 shave trial. All the other blades (well, most...) I've trialed, stayed fairly sharp with very little notice of dulling by the last shave. In the end, for me, the Dorco left me (razor) burned and very little left to be desired. Final Thought: I wish all my Dorco shaves were as good as the first. There was little to no deviation in my prep routine while trialing this blade. Unfortunately, the amazing 1st shave was short lived and by the last shave, I was ready to "bank" it and before my last pass was through, I was already thinking of what blade I will try next. I probably won't keep the remaining blades for myself at the end of my blade tour. Sounds like a PIF in the making! Next blade up - Treet!
I'm interested in your Treet review. I have read that people either love them or hate them based on how their faces feel using a carbon steel blade. Anticipation
Shave 21: Sptnik: Okay...I know I promised immobileman a Treet blade review, but a new Den friend sent me a couple of packs of Sputniks and I was just dying to try them out, since they were compared favorably to Voskhods - which are my favorite blades thus far. So, immobileman, a Treet blade first impression is coming soon!! But the next 3 shaves are with the Sputnik and they are out of this world. Pre-Shave: Warm water in bowl; soaked brush Hot shower Clearasil daily face wash Managed to get the LAST 2.5 squirts out of the little pump of TBS MR shave oil - need to find another shave oil...or make my own Sputnik blade COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap Shave: 1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - Damn that's a sharp blade! Rinsed and re-lathered 2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - To me this is where this blade shines. The WTG pass was nice, sharp and smooth. But it was the the XTG pass that did most of the reduction. Rinsed and re-lathered 3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - I did find that the blade worked flawlessly on the upstroke. Touch-ups required, but only in my usual trouble spots Post-Shave: Warm water rinse Thank God for EMJ! Conclusion: I had high hopes for this razor, because it has been placed high on the list when compared to a Voskhod. I am happy to report that this blade is ALL that it is cracked up to be. It's edge is very sharp and there was no tugging or skipping going XTG or ATG like I experiences with the previous Dorco blade. Final Thought: I am excited about shave 2 with this blade, now that I'e settled in and it's settled in I think my next shave could be awesome! Thanks to POM for hooking a fellow Oregonian up!
You are welcome. I'm glad you like them. If you decide you want more, I suggest eBay as a starting point. They are sold in the states, but usually for about $30 per hundred + shipping. http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/catalog/double-edge-razor-blades/sputnik-blades http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...10745264643&item=310745264643&vectorid=229466 The price here is much better, but shipping can take 4-7 weeks, so if you order from them you may want to buy several packages. The Voskhod blades are more common than Sputniks around The Shave Den due to a huge group buy a while back. I personally don't see much of a difference between the two. The Sputniks may be slightly sharper; or it could be all in my head.
A someone new to DE shaving, I'm really appreciating the reviews you are giving, and congrats on your wedding.
Thanks for the advice. I swear POM, you're like the gift that keeps on giving Thanks for the well wishes Ty, I appreciate it! I'm glad that my "first impressions" are helpful to someone. I don't call them reviews, because I'm not qualified to review anything, I'm a newbie - just like you. Anywho, I hope you're finding TSD to be a great resource in your wet shaving endeavors! SHAVE ON!
Don't read too much into blade reviews... Blades are very much a YMMV thing. Best thing to do is try a bunch, figure out which ones you like, then find someone who likes those blades too, and read their reviews of other blades. The exception is Merkur blades. They are garbage. Even the people that don't mind them use other cheaper blades. I've yet to meet anyone who uses Merkur blades as their blade of choice. I've met one other person who has the exact same tastes preferences and dislikes in blades as me on these forums. That's like a 1 in a 1,000 chance.
I'm starting to see that there is a lot of YMMV with DE shaving. It is still nice to read other ex with specific products. Well if you don't want to call them reviews, we can call them "user evaluation and opinion/experience when following a consistent testing routine". Either way, you are more then qualified to share your testing result
Shave 22: Sptnik (Bachelor Party Night): Alright, 2nd installment of my "first impression" of the Sputnik razor blade. I'm doing this write up 2 days later, having shaved on Friday evening before my bachelor party. I didn't have time to do a write up immediately after I shaved, and then I spent the ENTIRE next day recovering. Forgot I'm not 25, and still tried to drink like I was. Damn those awesome friends who enabled it! Pre-Shave: Warm water in bowl; soaked brush Hot shower Clearasil daily face wash Completely out of Pre-Shave Oil, still have not found a replacement. I do miss the added slippery-ness! Sputnik blade (shave 2) COB Shaving cream + VDH glycerin soap Shave: 1st pass WTG: From ears to chin along jaw line, then lips to chin and lastly down the neck - Good beard reduction on the first pass. I noticed no tugging or skipping. I believe the smoothness of this blade to be a contribution fromt the Teflon coating. The smoothness of this blade is reminiscent of the smoothness of the Voskhod. Rinsed and re-lathered 2nd pass XTG: Going in opposite directions - My 2nd pass for the most part took m beard down to nothing, with the usual "troble spots" requiring touch-up. No complaints, but I did opt for a 3rd pass to make my shave experience complete. Rinsed and re-lathered 3rd pass - ATG: starting on my neck, moving up to my nose - I got too cocky and underestimated the unforgiving-ness of any razor blade. Nicked myself on the up stroke while shaving my upper lip, right at that fleshy spot between the nostrils (no idea what that is called). Touch-ups required, but only in my usual trouble spots Post-Shave: Warm water rinse Thank God for EMJ! Nice menthol kick from the COB. Left me ready for my "last night" on the town. Conclusion: There are 2 parts to my conclusion. First, this blade shaves extremely smoothly and for the most part the beard reduction that it offers is very good and comparable to other more common blades that I have tried in the past weeks. However, in my observation, I did find that pot shave, I did have a lot of re-growth, fairly early on. Meaning, that I felt stubble more quickly than I have with other blades. This is where my view of this blade changes. I noticed it after my 1st shave with it as well, but attributed the stubble to bad technique. But again, with other blades, the "smooth face" feel lasted longer and I had less shaving experience. I'm torn. Final Thought: I am in no way bad mouthing this blade, just expressing my true findings of the blade and the shave I was able to produce. I highlight the Teflon coating, as I believe Teflon coated blades to offer some very smooth "blade to face" shaves. The cutting was nice and it had no problems reducing my beard without tugging or skipping. However, maybe just for me, it does not keep me smooth as long as other blades I have tried like say the Voskhod and the Astra SP. Again, I am getting great shaves out of the Sputnik, I'm just longing for the longevity of a shave like I've experienced with other blades. 2 shaves down, 1 to go...SHAVE ON!
This has been a most interesting read. I am in the process of testing blades myself, but I have to admit that I am tempted to let you do all the testing, and just let me enjoy the benefit by reading this thread. And like Mr. PLANofMAN, I am eager to read your experience with the Feather blade. Although not a fan of the Feathers myself they are after all the benchmark of blade sharpness in the wet shaving world. (right?) Congratulations with your upcoming wedding. I wish you a great day, with friends, family and with an excellent shave
Smart move having the bachelor party that early! Keep a clear head on those shoulders to appreciate the exciting day to come. Keep writing as we will keep reading. I appreciate the time you have put into this.
