Choosing the Right Blade

Greetings. I must admit that as a man in my first year of DE Shaving one aspect of shaving I long found baffling was choosing a blade for my razor. I read dozens of threads discussing different blades but for some reason none of what I was reading clicked for me. I understood that blades work differently for different folks and that what works great for one is terrible for another, but I just couldn't get my head around why that would be? I hadn't read anything that adequately explained "the science" behind it I guess. That is until I read this article.

So I wanted to post the link above in case others out there are feeling as baffled as I once was. It's very well done, goes through several common blade brands and discussed their qualities and I hope it will answer your questions as it did mine. Happy shaving!

 

Thanks for that link, Mitch. The article is quite interesting and makes some good points. The advice to try different blades is definitely well taken. Skin sensitivity and beard coarseness are, as the author noted, two factors that explain why different men may get varying results from the same razor/blade combo. There are other factors affecting the shave, however. Each guy's face has unique contours and beard growth pattern. Different individuals will also use their own unique takes on recommended wetshaving technique. It is unlikely that everyone holds the razor in exactly the same way, at exactly the same angle and with exactly the same pressure. Each one of these factors is often affected by one or more of the others. There are probably many other variables, as well.

The blades are rated by sharpness, a valid measure of shaving efficacy. Blade smoothness is equally important, and does not always correlate directly with sharpness. It is possible to have a sharp blade that is very smooth and another blade, equally sharp, that is a little rougher and more irritating. I noticed the article linked to a suggested order in which the blades should be tried. In the not so distant past, it was recommended to try blades in a particular order. The idea was to try the least aggressive blades first, and then use increasingly aggressive blades over time. I wonder if that turned out to be useful to those trying samplers... It stands to reason that it would, at least for some.

 

Ahhh... excellent additions Shaver X. I hadn't thought of the different ways one holds the razor. Good point. Yeah, myself I didn't try my blades in any order, but then again in retrospect I probably didn't try as many different brands as I should have. There are still several blade brands I haven't attempted, but I've found some that work anyway. This article made me see it differently anyway as in retrospect I was thinking about it all wrong and like probably many newbies I was Googling blade brands, asking what's good, etc. and expecting to find an answer that way because I was thinking of blades the way you would think of some other product and thus thinking that it was just a matter of finding "a good brand" like buying a knife or a car or something. This took some of the mystery out of it for me. I also found the point about blade sharpness not always = best blade for some men interesting. That surprised me, but again in retrospect it all makes sense now.

 

Three simple words. Trial and Error. And I've had plenty of both over the past 50+ years of shaving.

 

As I just mentioned in another thread, what works for me is to first find a razor that is good for you. For me it is a 1950's SS with a Feather blade. This gives me true BBS without irritation. Next, I can now try different blades with that razor to determine if they are right for me.

 

Thank you for the link. I am still trying to figure out the best razor and blade for me and I am trying to keep from butchering my face or spending on something that will not work. I need to buy a large sampler pack and start to roll the dice.

 

I very much like that the writer in Mitch's link is rating blades on "sharpness" rather than "this one's better than that one." I've been trying blades that he would give a "1" rating to. (Derby, Wal-Mart Wilkinson, Rite-aid Personnas, etc) and I've found the one that works best for me in my go to razor. Now my face is adjusting to the new kind of shaving, and my technique is improving, so I'd like to begin trying the blades with a "3" rating. Sort of "medium sharp" blades. After I find the best "3" blade (in my SS, for me), I can try the next step up, (or not, whatever works). He calls the Red Personnas a "3", but what else is in that class of blade? I sort of can't believe that no individual or forum has compiled a larger list like this.

 

Personally I wouldn't find it of any use to me. I've seen folks who will rate two different brands as being similar; one will work for me, the other won't. I couldn't find them more dissimilar. It's just way too subjective.

 

I recently found a great sampler pack of blades but strangely they only offer 1 single blade per brand but 18 different brands which is neat! Do you folks think that is long enough to determine if you like a blade or should I steer toward the samplers that give a 5 pack for each brand? Thoughts.

 

Thanks for the advice, that's what I was thinking too. I was just enticed by them because it was 18 fairly exotic brands, most of which I had never heard of. I don't think I will go that route.