I had been going through my junk drawer and purging when I came across a number of DE blades with which I had been dissatisfied, nonplussed or had dismissed out of hand. So I thought to myself, "why not give them another chance"? Most of these blades are often poo-pooed by a majority of the forum, at least that's my impression. I'm going to give them another shot now that I'm comfortable with my shaving prowess. This will be an ongoing experiment with a few updates throughout the process. Some brands I've found in the drawer include: Derby, Shark SS, Racer and Zorrik. I'm using my trusty Gillette #66 and my Arko soap. My only prep is a shower. First up, the Derby.
Revisiting an old blade can be very useful. I tried a huge number of soaps, croaps, and creams when I was first starting. A good number of them were dismissed as being inadequate. The truth was that my technique was inadequate. The same held true for blades. If I hadn't gone back and revisited them, I would have missed a few good ones.
I still have so many blades I haven't tried yet. I would try until finding one that work and stick with it. Ha. But I have had some that were terrible for me. I should go back and re-visit them.
I did this too. Found out some of them it was technique on my part, and some of them just weren't for me.
Definitely let us know what you find. I tried Derby and Shark SS early on - one blade each - and PIF'ed the rest from my sampler. Probably should have saved them to try again later. I'm curious whether you think they're better now.
I was interrupted by work earlier. First up the Derby- I know I have used this blade in the past but passed on them for what I perceived to be superior brands. Number of uses 3. I found the Derby to be a more than adequate blade. After 3, three pass shaves, it performed well. No blood was drawn and no noticeable discomfort, like tugging or abrasion. I could easily use these daily with no complaints. I broke out the alum for even more feedback and all was quiet on that front. Use em or lose em? Use em. I'm currently on shave 2 with the Shark SS and will continue later.
Derby worked well for me. So far I have not used many brands. I give each blade brand and model at least 3 sequential shaves. Even the uncomfortable ones get two chances.
Blades and Razors for a system. The blade that works well in one razor may not work as well in another. Technique development also plays a role in revisiting a blade and razor combination again.
Raises and old question whose answer I've forgotten: anyone find one DE razor that plays well with the widest variety of blades? Mileage will vary, o'course... For me, an adjustable, for obvious reasons.
My Gillette Adjustables (Fatboy, Slim, BB) and Weber PH Classic play very nice with a variety of blades. Astra, Personna Israeli Reds, WS, Rapira Lux, Crystal,, there are a few others that are in the draw that I should probably retry.
I find this to be true but any good quality blade seems to shave fine for me. I prefer a superspeed and my FB or slim set to 3-5 shave well. Honestly I adjust my technique to the blade and razor quickly enough that I can make it give me a good shave. Sometimes I do have to check myself because my super aggressive senator feels like the superspeed but that's not a bad blade problem though with a bad blade it's going to do a very poor job. A big part of the fun is going back and revisiting all those soaps and blades. It's a worthwhile exercise.
Shark SS I'm nonplussed with this blade. Although the shave is adequate, I found that stubble manifested earlier in the day than is my norm. I experienced no tugging or irritation though and could easily be satisfied using them daily if I was stuck with them. I only used the Shark SS twice however, I wasn't going to deal with a third "just ok" shave. Verdict is in- I'll keep them, but they're not a top tier blade for me.
