Pulled out a loose Astra blade last night & loaded it in my '41 Ranger Tech. Maybe it's my using Clubman as a base to slicken things up a bit, but I got a good, smooth shave with no pinpricks or irritation. Not as clean as a Voskhod, but a good shave all the same. I'd always considered Astra to be a low-end blade (after my first experience), but I may have to move them up a bit. I reckon I'll try another Derby tonight and see what happens.
I've had good luck with Astra SP blades. Out of all the blades I've tried they are my favorite. I have a set rotation between Astra SP, Personna Red, Voskhod and Rapira. From my experience some blades work better (or worse) in certain razors than others. I'm trying a Shark blade this week and it seems fine. Didn't like Lords, Derbys or Feathers. Blades may be the king of YMMV.
Interesting, I consider Astra to be the "standard" blade that I compare other blades against. Some I think better, others worse but I will use any blade that I rate "as good as" Astra. Curious how others choose. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
There is definitely good razor/blade combos. Shark Super Chrome work great in my DE89BL(I'm using it this week), but not in my other razors. Vive la difference
I like the Astra blade. I used an Astra SP blade in my Gillette Adjustable Tuesday. I previously used a Pol Silver blade in my adjustable but to compare Astra to PolSilver, I feel Astra is much better. PolSilver didn't do much of a good job as the Astra did.
Yes, this is certainly true, razor and blade pairing is very important - what works well for one razor may not be so great for another. IMHO, Astra's just seem to be "pretty good" across the board and on average, usually a safe bet. Personally, I've been using Polsilver's lately and Voskhod's before that, really like both of those but would have no hesitation recommending Astra's to anyone, especially those just starting out.
I've been getting this quite a bit lately and it's the first time I ever saw someone else mention this sensation. What exactly causes the pinpricks? Sometimes it feels like the blade has a tiny microscopic jagged bit jutting out that occasionally pokes my skin but then quickly smooths out. It usually results in a nick and a lot of post-shave irritation for me.
astra sp are my comfort zone blade.this is the blade i own the most of and use for only a couple of shaves.also in my rotation i use voskhod and gsb.i am more frugal with the gsb because they are more pricy and harder to find.gsb blades are also my special shave blade.they are all top notch for me.they all work well in techs and rockets. this may change as i am waiting on gillette 7 oclock sharp edge yellows.
Astra's is low end blade on the price scale but, as with many things in shaving that have a modest cost, can produce high end results...
Actually, there is no perfect DE blade, you just use the one you're most happy with. For me, the Astra SP works well. All this time, even before getting my Adjustable razor I looked under my sink and I found other DE blade brands. Those brands are: Vokshod, Derby, Wilkson, and of course PolSilver. I forgot all about those other blades. Anxious to try those other blades in my adjustable razor and see which ones I like best. As for PolSilver, it is not my favorite.
swarden> It was an SP. I've had pretty good results with Shark chromes, not so mush with Lords (although I might try the platinums again in the Ranger).
So far I have found in my Merkur 34c I like the Voskhods and Astra SP and did not like as much the Gillette Silver Blues. I find the Astra SP to do a smoother and closer shave than the Voskhods and to be more reliable from blade to blade in quality. I had some great Voskhods but others from the same fold were not as good. Also, the Astra SP seem to last longer for me as well over the Volskhods. Just started using the Gillette SharpEdge yellows and they seem very good too. To each their own
Three schools of thought: A) It does nothing. Don't bother. 2) If it does work, blades are so cheap. Why bother? III) It smooths the edge and will give you a few more comfortable shaves. I'm in Class III. People strop stainless steel str8s, not just carbon blades, before every shave, why? For a smoother shave (stropping does not sharpen, it removes microscopic burrs and help align the edge). Why not strop DE and SE blades? I figure it can't hurt, might help. And I do believe it helps.