I used a fresh blade this morning and I really dislike it. It's the second brand I have tried. The first being Feather. I normally do 4 passes. WTG, XTG ear to nose, XTG nose to ear then ATG. Today I only did the first 3, and my skin is slightly irritated.
You have to try both....the horizontal and the verticals....When you stand the pack on it's long edge and the writting is parallel to the floor...those are the "Horozontals"....If you stand the pack on its short edge and the writting is parallel to the floor...these are the Verticals.... The Horozontals were the older style and many think the quality control was better then...I remember when the Horozontals were the norm, Derb's were famous for being sooo smooth...Not wicked sharp, but super smooth....I've had a Vertical Derby blade shave perfect for 4 shaves. But then find out that it was the only blade in the pack that did... Also don't judge the whole pack from one blade also....And also you might want to try hand stropping and try again, but if its still rough, trash it immediately and change blades...Don't force it and let it ruin your shave....
I never actually tried a Derby blade, but don't throw them away. Put them in a box for 6 months or a year and when you are bored, try another blade. It is amazing what difference some time and practice make. If you like it, great. If they still suck after a year, pitch them.
, and I'm practicing that because Derby's haven't worked well for me either..... yet. I haven't given up on them, but then again a feather is the only DE blade I've found so far has worked well for me and that was in a slim opened all the way up. If (more likely when) I get a new R41 I will try the Derby's again.
Agree totally on that. I went negative on Derbys many months ago. Tried it again today and got a super good shave. Therefore, there are 2 Derby universes: those that "love em or hate em," and those that "love em and hate em."
Just tried Derby's for the 1st time the other day. 1st impressions were good. Cut fairly smooth and all but after a couple of hours the burn really started. Gave it another shot today and it was rough cutting on the 1st pass. Lost its edge pretty quick.I'll be switching back to the feathers in the morning.
Growing up in DC I had a proplem with the Cowboys....but their cheerleaders were another matter all together...;=D Derbys?....too many other blades out there I really love....but I have gotten great shaves and not so great...for me too inconsistant...YMMV. I REMEMBER NOW !! When the printing on the blade was DARK and BOLD, I always got fabulous shaves with it....but when the printing was sloppy or thin forget it.....the last few packs I had only had one or two blades each with Dark and Bold printing....
I thought I'd give this blade another shot. I was very apprehensive at first, but I did. I was actually pleased with the results. It wasn't a close as a Feather, but it did the job. Then 2 days later, I tried pushing my luck again. Bad move! I looked like I lost a fight with a wolverine. I think I'll give up on them for now. I'll hang onto the blades in hopes to get in on the 2012 box of goodies.
Hi.. I get decent shaves from the Derbys but I think they put too much glue on them and I really hate that! Why put any?! The Derbys were great when I first started with the big boy deluxe. Astras were smooth but causing damage in that thing and the Derbys really saved the day. Now I'm giving Sharks a go and I find they're very similar so far. You might wanna try them later so hang on to them and see how it goes. They might be great for the heavy and or aggressive razor. Sharks may also work for you and with a lot less glue.. happy shaving...
I have tried the Derby and find them to work for me. They don't last nearly as long as the Feathers do, but for 2 or 3 shaves they are acceptable. I have discovered in my ventures that different razors perform with some blades differently. My vintage Gillette razors seem to work better with the lower priced blades ie. Wilkinson, Personna,etc. where my newer razors like my Merkur do better with Voshkod or Feather. I know there is no rhyme or reason to my claim, but this is what I have discovered. Blades are probably the most diverse and confusing subject matter in DE shaving it seems. Too many factors involved like thickness of your beard, did you prep or is it a cold shave. My son and I have had numerous discussions about the ever changing climate of prime results from shaving. There are some days that my beard feels naturally softer than other days. Sometimes it seems that my beard grows faster than other days. My most dependable blade is the Feather. Others can't stand them. Blade preference will always be a conundrum to wet shavers, because of the ever changing situations. One of the reasons I love this game of searching. Have fun in your searches!
I gave my before Christmas opinion above....Lately I've been getting outstanding shaves with them in my Senator... Someone told me there are some conterfeit Derbs around...So be sure to buy from someone you can trust to have the real deal...
The Derby Blade is so/so blade, depending on the razor you use. I would suggest that you give the Feather another try in couple months. I did not like at first either, retried about six months later I now enjoy the blade.
I used a Derby in a never used 1940 3 piece Tech for the first time this morning for my first pass and got no nicks or burns, but not a very close cut. This week I used Wilkonson Sword blades in my superadjustable black handle and they work fine. I've used Derby in other razors and thought they were okay. Feathers are sharp and long lasting and work well in my Merkurs.
I don't think I ever grasped the whole blade thing until I read this: Picking the blade for you Hope it helps.
I agree with Southern Scribbler about Feathers working with Merkur and definitely not with Gillette, at least not with my superadjustable. Even at the 1 setting, it's too sharp.
Derby's have been and continue to be my go-to blade. The first blade I tried when starting out was a Derby by pure chance, and so far I've tried about 4 or 5 different blades that came in that first sampler pack and every time I go back to the Derby. I'm going to be ordering a sampler pack with some 'higher quality' (i.e. more expensive) blades in it (including Shark, Feather, etc) very soon and it'll be interesting to see how the Derby stands up to those blades. But for now, comparing the Derby to the Big Ben's and Lord's of the world it has stood up quite well for me.
