I am interested in how you test razor blades, this year is the year to test blades (last year was boar brushes). I have many blades I have not tried before and some I have, I have completed testing about 7 blades so far. I rotate about 5 to 6 soaps and I will shave 5 to 6 times per week. I randomly selected a blade for each given week and plan to shave with the blade 5 times. That week. For razors I will use the futur on 2.5, mergress on 2.5 and a merkur 37 slant. I rotate lots if brushes but the ones I use I have send for a while. I score (1 to 5) each shave on how sharp the blade is (usually if it's not tugging or dragging much), irritation during shave, closeness of shave, irritation post shave (amount of alum sting, neck redness, nicks or presence of razor burn). I usually don't shave on Sunday so Monday is normal 3 pass, the rest of the days are 2 pass (xtg, agt) touch up if need be (but must be a clear need, this is partially how I score shave closeness, how close to bbs without touch up). At the end I average the scores in excel to determine if the blade gets to stay. I'm not sure what to do with blades I don't get along with. I tried the dorco blade twice and it tore my face up so I just chucked it and used an Astra SS to finish the week up do yo you think I should continue with blades I struggle with I test them first in the futur and I never had a blade work in the futur that didn't work in any of my other razors?
I would say if a particular blade isn't working for you toss it. Although I would keep the remaining of that brand to revisit at a later date (maybe in another razor). If they still aren't for you then PIF them away.
Nothing special, just make sure I've showered prior to shaving so that my whiskers are good and softened up for the blade to do its magic. If the blade struggles, then something isn't working.
My baseline razors are my Fatboy and Progress, and I always use a tallow-based soap. I'm a one-and-done head and face shaver, so longevity isn't an issue for me. I try a blade once in one of those two razors. If it went ok or well, then I'll try a few more shaves in other razors, including my R41, and then form an opinion. If it doesn't go well, I'll set it aside for a few months, then come back and try a fresh blade in one of the two baseline razors again. If that experience is the same, I give up on the blades and set them aside for PIFs. I've pared down my preferred blades to about 6, and I've bought 3 of them in bulk now, and I've got two others in bulk via PIF. The more I rotate through only those 5 blades, the more they seem to separate themselves. I think I'm about to put one or two of those back on the "Don't Buy" list. Not because they aren't good, but because they consistently aren't as good as the others in my current rotation.
I like how once you get a short list you fine tune it that is kind of response I've was looking for. I originally tested two blades in my muhle r 41 a big mistake lol. I will leave it for when I get a short list.
I know a lot of people find that certain blades really only work well for them in certain razors. I've never found that to be true for me, and even if it was, it makes it way too much of a pain to keep stock of a blade around to use with just one razor. If a blade works well for me on one razor, it's likely to work well for me in all razors. I've had anomalies on the positive side, but rarely on the negative. I've rarely had a blade perform poorly for 1 or 2 shaves and then come back to it later and have it be wonderful. I have had the opposite experience. I had a couple of really good shaves with an ST-301 blade, then came back to them later and couldn't even get a decent shave out of one. Same with Derby and a couple of other brands. I'll occasionally get a good shave out of one, but never consistently. But blades that never really worked for me continue to not work for me.
I like to use my Gillette Tech to test new blades because I am most familiar with this razor. I know what to expect from it. Also would recommend using a soap that you are familiar with, I have made the mistake of not knowing what caused the bad shave due to too many variables. If I get a smooth shave with little or no irritation then the blade is good enough, I'm not too picky when it comes to blades.
I don't change anything in my shave to test blades...I just toss it in whatever razor I decide to use that morning and if a blade sucks for me ounce...it's not gonna suck for me twice.
Generally I set them all in a row and put a general knowledge exam in front of them. It has been four months and I am still waiting for at least one blade to write an answer down.
I have a small pocketbook and keep tally of each shave with a particular blade. I just put a hash mark down, after each shave. I don't worry about the date, or soap, but sometimes I will mark down a new type of razor, to test a tried and true blade type. Simple, and effective.
