Hello everyone my name is Scott and i am kind of new to the de shave but gotta say i do love the feel. I do have a couple questions on blades i have been using the Merkur Super Platinums and they do a fantastic job but they are more forgiving than some of the others i have been researching. i was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the differences between the forgiving and the not. I would imagine that it has to do with sharpness but I'm not exactly sure. I am thinking of trying the gillette platinums any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
Welcome to TSD! Please sign up for the Newbie Give-Away HERE The best advice I can give you on blades is buy a blade sampler and try different ones. YMMV. Welcome! Kerry
yes some of them are sharper than others. the ones I would not recommend for a beginner is Feathers because they are very sharp and aggressive. I would recommend a blade sampler or buy a few individual packs from Maggard's or somewhere that sells ind. packs. that is the best way to find the brand that works for you. everyone has their own idea of what the best blades are but I have learned that because some people hate it doesn't mean it sucks. I am quite fond of Dorco Blues and a lot of people cant stand them. I have also been quite impressed with Big Bens lately. some of them I can get more shaves out of than others.
i tried the feathers and i did not like them as much as the Merkurs. They are supposed to be real aggressive but the Merkurs i feel like i get a closer shave that i why i was wondering the difference in the forgiving and aggressive. Thanks for the advice
. The first step with blades, broadly speaking, is to find one brand you can use reasonably comfortably and use that brand exclusively for 3o days to allow you to focus on technique with a minimum of other variables changing. Blade sampler packs are available from a wide variety of online retailers, from The Shave Den's own shop to West Coast Shaving to Italian Barber to Bullgoose to Maggards and more; there's also TryABlade, which basically has you customize your own sampler pack. The best advice on blades is to order the largest array of blades you can comfortably afford, and give each blade variety at least a couple of shaves with a couple of different individual blades. As ShaveWizard420 said, the fact that a given blade is generally popular, or generally unpopular, means very little for your individual preferences. GDCarrington (who will probably be along shortly) has a spreadsheet in his sig reviewing his own experience with a variety of blades; it's informative and potentially helpful, but what works for him won't necessarily work for you.
no problem. I haven't tried Merkurs but I wasn't as impressed with the Feathers as I thought I would be. some other brands that were more forgiving for me are: Astra SP, Gillette Wilkinson Sword, and Big Ben. but then again what works for me might not work for you. Your mileage may vary.
Glad that you landed here at TSD, Scott! It is a great community of shavers. Join us on The Shave of the Day thread. That is the place to post your daily shaves. It is fun, and you will see all kinds of products. And please Mark YOUR location on the TSD map - instructions here.
to TSD "Scott Guich" IMO what makes the difference between a forgiving blade and an unforgiving blade is simply the relationship between the blade(any blade), your face and your technique. That's why I always encourage new shavers, before and after you get your technique down, to get large sample packs, as many as you can afford and try as many blades as possible, try them on multiple occasions and even with different safety razors. Do this even if you find a GREAT blade the first time out. It would seem most blades would shave any face more or less the same way, at least in theory, but in real life they just don't. As far as I'm concerned there is no explanation for it, but it is a fact.. Sometimes you just have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. Don't worry about coated or uncoated, SS or carbon steel., American, Israeli, European, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Egyptian TRY THEM ALL!! Because once you find the correct blade, the one that fits your face. You WILL be a HAPPY, HAPPY shaver!!!
All advice given has been great. I will add that just cause a blade works in razor A doesn't mean it will work in razor B. That being said I'll say for a great all around blade for all the razors in my collection that is very inexpensive would b the Astra sp. it's just a fantastic all around blade. But as others have stated try all u can. I have stock in I believe 7 or 8 diff blades that can b thrown into any razor I have comfortably. But it took quite a bit of trial and error to dial these in. Good luck
Ive tried a couple different brands in my Muhle R89 Grande and it sounds like i just need to keep trying more and more.
Scott, welcome to The Shave Den! I can't give much advice on different blades, as I have stuck with Feathers. They smoothed out a lot for me as my shaving technique improved. It took a few months, but I'm a slow learner. They provide really nice, close shaves for me now. Keep us posted on your progress!
I agree with skinny rogers, try the Astra SP blade. Im currently trying it on my muhle r89 and am very impressed. Btw I'm new to de shaving. If you want a real mild shave try the shark razor, as suggested also try a sampler pack to see which one you like most. Welcome to TSD.
First, Hi! Welcome to the Den!! Gary has some great info on "aggression and mildness" of blades ---> *click* I put that in quotes because I don't believe that a blade can be forgiving. "Hey, better watch it there, Bud. I'll let it go this time, but try that again and I'll slice ya but good." says no blade. All blades are sharp and designed to cut. That's why we buy them. I do believe some blades can be sharper than others, and I do believe some blades can be smoother than others. But I do not believe ANY blade can be forgiving. I believe Gary, in the link above, does a great job explaining it.
I just got Rapira Platinum's and they were great. The feathers worked great on the initial shave, but tore my face apart against the grain, meaning I couldn't really get the shave I wanted as I have to go against the grain due to the way my hairs a so thick and just lie against my skin. with the rapira I can go against the grain not tear my face up and get baby smooth skin for the first time in my life. I couldn't even do that when I was single edge shaving with a brush and the whole nine yards.
