I am going to get a blade sampler pack shortly. I was curious if there was a listing someplace that quantified each of the popular blades on a scale of aggressiveness. Something that shows which are easy and forgiving for the beginning shaver and a scale to progress on until I find the perfect blade for me...?
Squire over at shave my face has a list of reviews on blades that include scores. Here is a link to his post. He has rated quite a few blades, not all of the blades that are on the market but still quite a few.
honestly, blades are too much person-by-person YMMV thing. many people love the Derby blades...they don't do well for me. Red Pack Personnas are in my top 3....there are quite a few folks who don't like them Dorcos and Merkurs...I'd rather use a 15 pound catfish, it would cut better for me, yet some folks find them their favorites now, someone over at badgerandblade took some blades to a hi-res camera and looked at the edges, can't remember what selection of blades he used, but the Merkurs looked like the edge of the Grand Canyon, while the Feather did quite resemble a samurai sword...I'll see if I can't find that discussion bottom line, there's too many variables with blades to even begin to compile a list of best and worst, unfortunately 1 2
Quoted for emphasis. That's why samplers come with a few of each blade, so you can try each one more than once, or in more than one razor to see which works best for you.
Very nice link. Thanks for looking up and sharing ! I would also like to add this link from SMF, called "Squire's Blade Reviews" He has very systematically reviewed along with the microscopic images. I have followed his reviews for all the brands I could lay my hands on and he is pretty damn accurate in his analysis.
On another forum i started a thread on how to quantify the attributes of a razor. Im thinking of a scientific way to measure the properties of blades and take some of the subjectivity out of it. My idea was to try and force a blade through a material of known hardness and measure the force required, similar to what mythbusters did in the "steak tenderizing" episode. Less force = sharper blade. Others posted that a good way would be to use artificial hair on a artificial skin to enable the friction of the blade on the skin to come into play. I know that the razor itself has alot to do with shave perfomance, but i figure that having this blade data combined with microscopic pictures of the edge profile would enable you to select similar blades with similar performance. What do you think? WHat do the major manufacturers use to measure their blades compare their blades to their competitors? This would have been a great science fair project in school
I just had my first DE shave today with no problems using Merkur HD and a Dorco ST300 blade. I got the "everything" blade sampler from westcoastshaving and from digging around this and several other sites know to try the Dorco and Derby blades first, 7O'Clock and Feather's very last after I have some experience. Seems like all the other blades are kind of in the middle like the Astra, Crystal, Personna, etc but not much idea of which to try next. I know YMMV and all but it would be kind of nice to have a listing of "generally speaking" this blade is sharper, more unforgiving than X so try X first until you get some experience. Since I want to try at least three or so blades in a row to get a feel for how the blade works with my beard, it will be quite a while until I could do a post of "here's what I would suggest" - I'll be sure to do that once I do get there.
I hate bringing up old threads, but I do not understand why there are never any reviews about the Merkur blades. I have only seen a few people say that they are the worst, as mentioned above. Since these are the only blades I have tried, I have nothing to compare them to. I know that I need to get a sample pack, but I am not 100% sure what pack to get and still have quite a few blades to use. I will probably get something that has some sharper blades, but not quite sure. Anyway, can someone please tell me why people do or do not like the Merkur blades? Thanks!
Most people (myself included) find Merkur blades to be very rough get irritated skin when shaving with them. A small percentage of people really like them, so I don't recommend everyone totally avoid them as some do, but I wouldn't recommend them to a beginner.
Hi there, That's actually a very good idea....just a sorta basic guideline for new DE shavers. That would be an easy enough list to make up, although some blades won't be universally agreed upon. Yeah, I'd put the Crystal and Red Personnas on the milder end, with the Iridium, 7 0'clock SharpEdge, and Feathers on the sharper side. Heh, it's the ones in the middle I'm not familiar with, although other members can comment on those. Maybe have a poll of some kind, with experienced members offering their votes on the sharpness of various blades. Have maybe 7-8 popular blades to rate from mild, medium, and sharpest. Seems like it would be a handy thread for new members to view. Thanks for suggesting that, Martin
I'm finishing up a 10 pack of Merkur blades and I can give you my final answer: I don't like them because they're dull. I like blades on the mild side- Crystals, Red Pack IP, etc... But all those are smooth. Merkurs are dull and rough. I get a ton of pulling when I shave my neck with one. And these are blades that came in a pack, not ones included with a razor. And they're overpriced for what you get. You can buy one or two packs of a Personna line blade for what you pay for a 10 pack of Merkurs.
that could be a valid argument...but what would be the explanation for why the ones from the normal package have the same performance as the freebie with the razor?
no difference for me. same tugging, pulling, scraping, irritation I've only had the opportunity to use one "free" one, but I have tried 4 others, with no discernable difference in quality, no matter the razor. 80 grit sandpaper comes to mind as a comparison
What is meant by "aggressiveness" in the original post? Does it refer to a combination of sharpness and efficiency?
spread all throughout. used the freebie after about 2 months of DE shaving, when I ordered my 38C. Used others a couple months later when I ordered a blade sampler pack from westcoast. Have given honest attempts at redeeming my opinion of the blades, but those attempts have proven unsuccessful. Last time to try was May, I believe. I corked the blade to see if that would help...I think it did, but it was still a shave to forget. I know my experience isn't everyone's, and I know 2 people personally who like the blades, but overall consensus seems to be they're the bottom of the list. But, as highly touted as Derbys are, they're not too far above Merkurs for me
