Over the last month I have found a happy place with DE shaving. I found that Astra Superior blades work well for me in my SS, 1951 Aristocrat , single ring and Fatboy. I bought a 1930's Aristocrat and tonight I put a brand new Astra in it to try it out. It felt like I was pulling a rusty Merkur blade over my face. I realise that this model is more aggressive than the SS, but so is my single ring and Astra's have worked well in that razor. Is it possible that I got a bad blade, or that the razor/blade combination may be wrong? Any ideas would be appreciated. Pete
I don't think I have ever had a bad blade but I have had bad combos. The astra never worked as well for me in a Merkur HD as it did other razors. I don't know why, but the shave quality was always worse in the HD.
I have tried Astras in most of my DE and never got a bad shave or bad combination with any of the razors.Maybe you got a bad blade.Try the same combo with a new Astra blade to see how it goes this time.
This would be the way to know for certain. I've had one Astra blade that was less than perfect after going through almost 5 packs (1 blade left in pack 5). Even a "bad" blade was as good as most others, I only noticed something was off when I applied alum. I'm not certain it was the blade as I received it, as I could have slightly mess up the edge installing the blade.
Astra Superior Platinum has been good for me in my Gillette OC razors. Try a different blade. I've never had a bad one, but I suppose it's possible. I've never tried an Astra in a Merkur razor. I'll be interested to know if it's a bad blade or like Justin, a bad combo.
Thanks to all for your replies. it looks as though it was simply a 'dud' blade, I tried another brand new one and it seems MUCH better. Pete
Glad to hear it went better! The Astras are pretty good blades and a good value when bought in bulk. I tried the stainless Astras (blue/white pkg) and they were not as good for me. The platinum (olive/white pkg) gets it done.
They are good value, I bought 100 of the Astra superiors for about $26 AUD which was less than half of what a 100 pack of Feathers cost. Pete
I have the Feather blades too and find the Astra to be as sharp. I get 100 Astras for 17.00 USD shipped.
I need to check my stash and see if I have any samples of the Astra's. They sound like a decent blade and I'm still on the prowl to find something to replace my Swedes once I run out.
They aren't Swedes, but the Swedes are doing a disapearing act fast. If you don't have an Astra or 2, let me know and I'd be happy to fix that for you.