Threw a blade in my Black Beauty that my other razors hate, a cheap o personna. I got a bbs in 3 passes with no buffing. My EJ hates that blade, never saw this coming. Can a blade REALY differ that much from razor to razor? I guess so. Hoodathunkit??
Comparing my SA and R89, the R89 has more blade flex and blade exposure. The EJ/Mühle is said to be mild, but in my opinion it's a very aggressive razor, not that user friendly. Hence a "bad" blade will be noticed more than the more user friendly SA head. Just a thought. It took my a week to not cut myself with the R89 when I got it. I was amazed how aggressive and difficult it was compared to the Merkur 15C i used prior.
Prior to getting my 69 super adjustable, my EJ 89 was my favorite. I still love it. My Gem mmoc, now there is an aggreessive beast. I love it and use it often but still, the potential for blood loss is there. I do the first 2 passes with the 69 on 5 and do the 3rd xtg on 9 . I like the feel of the blade on my skin.
I also love my R89 but I do feel I need to pay more attention than it's "being sold on". Not even my 37C is that aggresive. I blame blade flex. But what I was getting at, was that I think that's the difference you're experiencing between the two razors. I haven't used my SA that much but I can't wait to crank it up
I only use one razor, so I have no first hand experience with this phenomenon, but a lot of the guys here say that blade performance does, indeed vary with the razor.
Not only does a blades performance differ from razor to razor....but the way that performance is realized differs from person to person.....And we're talking 'Big Time' difference from razor to razor... I have a couple razors that are not 'blade sensitive' at all...I mean, anything you throw in there will shave great...Even an old blade that you had to change out...you put it in there and it's effortless...ha,ha. Funny thing is, there is no rhyme or reason to it....For some a really aggressive razor needs a milder more forgiving blade...For me, the more aggressive the razor, the sharper the blade needs to be...insures a light touch...and then some really mild razors also need a super sharp blade to achieve a BBS...or at least to insure fewer passes to insure less irritation....It's funny... Heres an example of the no 'Rhyme or Reason' I was talking about...My least blade sensitive razor I own is also one of the more aggressive razors I own....and it's also the most forgiving razor I own......Doesn't make sense... My Ever-Ready 1924, is one razor I see many crying about being too aggressive.....Yes it is efficient, but you can use such a light touch, that she'll give you effortless shaves all day with any old blade I throw in it....Of course with a new blade she'll definitely deliever that 'Hot Knife' through butter... This one defies definition daily...I don't know why, but I dig it... As far as the GEM OCMM goes...I find it definitely requires a super sharp blade...and I usually change blades sooner with this razor....But whats so cool about this one is...you almost lay it flat on your face like an injector...No room for error...It forces you to use the right angle...you just have to listen to her...Lay her down flat and raise the angle...Just off the skin...and you got it!....Little finger under tip and use NO Pressure....Very easy and foolproof....Just allow that sharp edge to do that Hot knife through butter thing...and the OCMM is sooo good at that! Shaves as close as a Str8, everytime...And that TTO mechanism predates any Gillette TTO by like 4 years...and the movement of the top is so sophisticated...the robotic way it slides back and then opens...a marvel of modern engineering...genius!
I get a vastly different performance out of a Bic in a Merkur 41c than I do when it's loaded in a FaTip Piccolo.
I put a Derby extra in my Merkur 15C and it literally feels like shaving with a paint scraper. (and not a sharp paint scraper...) The very same blade in the Fatip Piccolo is very smooth and is my weapon of choice when I've missed shaving for a couple days. Exactly the opposite is true with an Astra SP. Weird, but true.
Remember that traditional shaving is not a one size fits all method. Any item in the method, blades, razors, lather and preparation will make significant differences for the user. Blades and Razors are in my mind are a single system. That system has to be optimized to meet your skin and beard requirements.
Very true, I didnt however know the variance was so wide. Usually my EJ 89 is my rule, any blade that does well or bad will preform the same way in my other ones. Some variance was noticed but not to such an extent. It just still amazes me that the cheap o dollar store blades perform so well in my SA but so poorly in my EJ.
