i wonder how jason (tryablade) determines the 10 blades that go into his Top Ten Sampler ... his sales or some other metric
Yep, his list is most popular by his order history. My list is most popular based on forum members' recommendations. There are tons of blades on his site that I have ordered just to try, but I've never really seen them recommended...
PM me a link, please. I'm about out of Johnson Creek and don't particularly like what's available locally.
Two more cents. Be sure to include a Big Ben or two from Tryablade. Smooth and mild but effective. If not sharp enough, about the only direction to go sharp-wise is up.
Your kit is an excellent starter kit. Did your VDH kit come with a VDH boar or badger brush? I got a VDH boar when I first started and now my son is using it. It you'd like to try a very inexpensive brush that I have used, very happily, for the last few years check out a bestshave.net #6 horse(?) hair brush. Mine makes great lather and loses very few hairs. Another cheap product, that's works great for me at least, is Corn Huskers Lotion for a preshave oil. While slick it's not at all greasy and it contains alot glycerin.
I think people forget to mention Amazon. They have some great sampler packages, and when you find the blade that works on your face, they seem to have some of the better prices I've found. I just bought 200 Derbys for 16 bucks and some change.
Try having a peek here, just a rough guide for some but not all blades may http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/education/double-edge-shaving/48-choosing-the-right-blade.html
You may want to check out Amazon (along with some shaving-specific online stores) Most have good sampler packs available. I am not familiar with Tryablade.com; but it looks like a great place to start for comparison shopping. My only caveat is that you should get at least 3 - 5 of each blade you want to try. Every blade (and the face it touches) is unique and I think you need more than one blade to give it a fair shake (IMO / YMMV).
The Top 10 Sampler is dynamically determined by the top ten blades by sales. I highly doubt it will change any time soon, based on how high the sales of those ten are.
I would look at the largest sample pack your budget allows. I would not invest in single blades for trying simply because you may end up with a bad blade and you are unable to make an accurate judgment of that brand of blade. I do believe try a blade has sample packs as does maggord razors. I am still working through my sample pack and what I have found out is Im liking Russian or German/Swill made blades better than others, but then YMMV...Good luck
Some folks give Rapira Super Stainless a bad rap, but I love 'em. I find it to be a "forgiving" blade. Not super sharp, but that's what I want. It gives me a great shave after two passes. Zero weepers.
Thanks for the tips. I made my own sampler from try a blade. I got a few popular brands two each just in case I did get a bad blade. Still waiting on my safety razor though
