So if any of you are following my progress, so far I have tried astra, derbs, dorco 301 and a store brand blade. I do have another type in a plastic case that I got from Steve, not sure which brand it is and haven't tried it yet. Come to find out, a lot of people wouldn't recommend most of these. Knowing everybody has different skin and hair type, everyone recommends different blades. But still, does anybody have and recommendations or opinions on blades, what is good, what is bad, what has cut up people and worked for people?
The only DE blade that has worked for me so far has been a Feather. Keep in mind that I prefer aggressive razor and blade combos and my favorite razors are SEs. Blades are one of the most YMMV things in this art/hobby/obsession thing that we do!
Joe, the ones in the plastic case are ASR (American Safety Razor) Platinum Chrome. They supply most of the drug store brands you'll come across, i.e. CVS, Walgreen, etc. The ones I bought were packaged for sale at the military BX/PX. ASR also manufactures stainless steel blades. Here's something to think about - all three types of blades I sent you are platinum. They work well for me, and that's why I sent them. Didn't have any others at the time. Platinum blades may just not work for you. I believe the Derby is stainless steel. I can't stand 'em. Tears my neck up. Thinking about it, I can't honestly remember the last stainless steel blade I tried, so...
Possibly. Are the Ted Pellas/Gem coated? I'll have to check. Thickness of the blade may play a role, as well.
English people! I don't know all the terminology yet lol. Steve, thanks for the info, it seems based on what you said, I have the stainless steel version of the what you sent me for drug stores. They seemed ok my first few DE shaves ever, with an old open tooth razor, but I forgot all about them and can try them in the tech! These are what I got (sorry for the links all the time but my job blocks uploads on certain sites) http://www.jrwebfx.com/blades/1.jpg http://www.jrwebfx.com/blades/2.jpg
Red Personna's work good for me, seem to be a fairly mild blade. will they work for you? only one way to find out I'm afraid. Voskhods work good for a lot of people too.
Joe, try looking at this testing article that I worked on after I really got DE shaving under my belt. It may help you in terms of seeing that I went through about 23 blades in a one off testing regimen. There is a lot of data and information but each blade was tested thoroughly in a method of one and done, like a lot of new users trying a sampler pack. There are a few vintage blades (hard to obtain) but most are easily obtainable. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge.24881/
Joe, it's hard to give advice here as opinions vary widely and we have no idea what will work best for you until you try many blades. I can honestly only think of two blades I'd recommend skipping a try on: Dorco ST-300 and Tiger. I'm yet to find anyone who really likes the ST-300, though I and some others find them usable. The Tiger was the absolute worst blade I've used and was extremely rough leaving me with knicks and weepers all over.
I've actually had very good luck with Dollar General blades (Korean, but all plastic packaging, no metal cover.) Getting a sample pack from any one of the online shops would be a great way to see what works best though.
My razor came with Lord Platinum's those were great, and I bought some Feathers which have been great too. The Feathers get the hair under my jaw much closer and seem to cut like a hot knife through butter and have very little noise. The Lord's gave me a perfectly acceptable shave and they gave great auditory feedback at about 1/2 the price. I will buy both of them again in the future.
What are you using for lather? That makes a huge difference with blades too. I tried shave gel once with an Derby (which work well for me, your miles my vary [YMMV]) and it tore me up. Canned shave cream/gel just does not provide enough moisturizing properties to shave properly, especially with a DE. DE shaving does seem to work best when you use shave soap lathered and applied to your face with a brush. You can get a serviceable brush f0r starters, and a decent soap at most CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Marts under the VDH (Van der Hagen) brand. Try that and your estimation of many, if not all, of these blades will most likely change. The razor you use is another factor. With the exception of the Slim Adjustable, vintage Gillette razors don't work very well for me (unless I'm doing touch ups after a straight razor shave). It takes a great deal of experimentation to find the best razor and blade combinations for y0u. I feel, three and a half years into this hobby/obsession/etc. that I have finally figured out what works best for me. I don't think I could have said that a year ago, let alone 6 months in. Just my 2 cents.
Out of the ones you mentioned I have only tried the derby and they were awful. When it comes to DE shaving, I mostly use Red Personnas. I have others such as Feather, Lord Plat., Bolzanno, Vokshod, Astra Superior, and a few other misc. ones. The personna and feathers are what I use mostly. I could easily send you any of the listed...most I just have a few blades of...but you only need a couple to know for sure if they will work or not. Just let me know. Out of these the personnas and feathers work the best. The astra are very nice too!
Some blades that came highly recommended by several in the Shave Den over the years, which I tried on their recommendations and liked, are: Astra Superior, Supermax Stainless, Voskhod, Rapira, IP Reds and Crystals, Dorco 301, and 7-Oclock (yellow and black). Some blades that seem to be loved by some and hated by others are: Derby, Feather, Merkur I find when many Shave Den members I respect recommend a blade, I tend to get similar results. It is no guarantee of course, but it usually warrants giving a blade a tryout.
All these blade recommendations should be tried as well as a pre shave oil such that can be found at some Walmarts as Shave Secret. After washing and rinsing in hot hot water, apply 5 to 6 drops of this and give it a minute or 2 to set. Then try some quality lather and make a rich lather. Everytime that blade touches your face you should have lather on your skin. Try your different blades but take your time and enjoy! Listen to these guys, they are the most knowledgeable people around and soon you will be BBS and giggling about it!
