Blade Sampler recomendations wanted

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Lothar101, Jan 5, 2013.

  1. Lothar101

    Lothar101 Active Member

  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

  3. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    That doesn't seem to be a real bargain or anything. Steve's recommendations are better IMHO.
     
  4. Star

    Star Active Member

    :signs011:
     
  5. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    IMO Shoebox has some of the best selections for sampler packs. Great vendor too, I've ordered from him a few times and shipping was always quick.
     
  6. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    And don't forget, order one from TSD and you're helping to support the Den!
     
    JRod22 likes this.
  7. 5Savages

    5Savages Well-Known Member

    Definitely skip the Amazon sampler. 7 of the 14 blades included are rarely mentioned. they may work great for you, but I think you'd do best when starting out by sticking with blades that are commonly discussed. I also don't like that they only include a single blade of most brands. I think you should try at least 2 blades to get a good idea of how they work, but 3 is even better. Ideally you'd get full tucks (packs of 5 or 10) of each brand. Many folks advocate putting together your own sampler by buying individual tucks.

    Blades I would look for that are commonly loved are:

    Astra Super Platinum
    Personna Reds, Crystals, and Labs (or Meds)
    Voskhods
    Rapira
    Gillette 7 O'clocks, any color (NOT to be confused with 7 A.M's, which are horrible by most accounts)
    Derby
    Feathers
    Wilkinson Swords
    SuperMax Super Platinum or Platinum


    There are many, many others, but those get talked about quite a bit.
     
  8. Lothar101

    Lothar101 Active Member

    I made a mini sampler from West Coast Shaving as they were the only ones who offered me regular first class shipping.Wanted to go with shave den pack but $7.00 priority shipping seemed a little high for $11.99 sampler pack :) I got Astra SPs, Gillette 7'oclock (Blacks) , Feathers and Derbys for $14.08 delivered. All are tucks too! :rah:
     
  9. wquiles

    wquiles Active Member

    I went with this one the "Choice" sampler from West Coast Shaving. But I also got Gillette Blacks, Lord Super Chrome, and PolSilver SI. Keeping all other variables constant is important while evaluating various blades, but, what complicates maters somewhat is that some razors will do a little better with some blades. I think it is part of the "fun" of this "hobby" - experimentation ;)
     
  10. Lothar101

    Lothar101 Active Member

    My problem with keeping things constant is that I'm winning a slim adjustable on the bay right now...lol
     
  11. wquiles

    wquiles Active Member

    The Slim is a "very" good shaver. Mine is my b-day razor (1965), and although now-a-days I prefer the Merkur Progress, I don't think I will ever sell it - I rather keep it, and hope to hand down to my son for him to try out when he gets older ;)
     
  12. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    Oh definitely don't work with an adjustable + new blades at the same time, unless you're careful to not adjust your settings. Combining both changes are a gigantic pain in the backside to deal with, because each setting on an adjustable razor is like a new razor - what you like on number 3, you may hate on number 5, etc.
     
  13. Lothar101

    Lothar101 Active Member

    The one I'm bidding on is also a b-day razor an I-3 I have an I-3 Super Speed that I'm using for now, but I didn't realize changing setting would change it that much.I just thought whatever blade the razor liked it liked ...lol
     
  14. wquiles

    wquiles Active Member

    Well said. That is what I was trying to said above when I said to keep all other variables constant. And of course it is not just the razor - if you are also trying different lathering technique and/or different shaving cream/soap, then one can't really tell if blade "A" was better than blade "B". I think the best advice I got about the blade pack was to "not" mess with the various blades until after the first month (or two), to give one the chance to develop a routine, of that works and what does not work with the basics, such as the preparation stage, the all important blade angle, the importance of little/no pressure, etc.. - one needs to have a comfortable handle on the basics before trying to introduce additional variables :)
     
  15. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I've definitely noticed that as I'm starting out, it's tough to objectively judge blades. My technique is changing (hopefully improving) quickly enough that I can't really tell if the blade made a difference or if it was something else. My current strategy is just to try one blade from each pack in my sampler, keep some notes, when I've tried them all, I'll go back and try a 2nd blade of my top 3 to make sure I've got it right. Then order 100 and just work on my technique with an occasional new brand of blade.

    I've heard Slims with the adjustment right (maybe a 3 or so?) shave about the same as a Super Speed. I say try it when it comes but remember if you change more than one variable at a time, it's hard to know what caused an improvement or problem.
     
    Shaver X likes this.
  16. wquiles

    wquiles Active Member

    Yup, better to wait to buy 50x or 100x of a particular blade until you can tell that particular blade works for you - very smart ;)
     
  17. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Some very wise words.
     
  18. Lothar101

    Lothar101 Active Member

    Guess I'll stick with the Superspeed for now. Seeing as how the adjustable went to more than I wanted to pay for it :angry017: ...lol I know there are worse razors I could be stuck with. I think RAD may be starting to work on me :sad024:
     
  19. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I think RAD is inexpensive enough that it qualifies as a sound investment in your mental well-being :) Am I rationalizing? I guess I probably am.

    Oh well, I put in a couple bids on e-bay too. Last week I put in a pretty low bid on a Fat Boy that looked like it just needed some cleaning up. The auction closed in the middle of the night so I guess a bunch of the last second snipers were in bed. When I woke up, I saw that I got it! Still haven't received it but hopefully in the next day or two.
     
  20. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    The Gillette Slims are outstanding razors, but it really is easier to learn and develop one's technique on a fixed razor. There are zillions of Slims out there, and sooner or later you will find one you want at a price you like.


    Most blade samplers are just collections of complete blade packs, so you can easily assemble your own custom sampler by buying individual packs. The Shave Den and some of the Shoebox Shaveshop samplers are the only ones I have seen that offer a collection of two or three blades of each type.

    That seems like an excellent approach to me.
     

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