Hi there, For whatever the reason, I find the Gillette SharpEdge and the Iridium Super blades to work the best in the majority of the razors I use. Actually, the Iridium has the 'edge' over the other when it comes to matching up well with whatever it's in. Feathers don't work all that well for me in those assorted razors(not really sure why), but they are magical in a fatboy! A while back I was using only that blade in that razor for over a month,(my go to set up at the time) and it was a kick! It got to the point where there was zero need to pay any more attention while shaving than with any other blade. Really comfortable, quick, and close shave, once you spend some time with em. So those are the three I use now, although the SharpEdge is third in line(for now). Oh, you probably know that your experience with these blades may be the complete opposite of mine......heh. Funny thing about this 'hobby'. If I would suggest one blade to be sure and try, the Iridium would be it. A very forgiving blade that will whack whiskers with the best of em. These are the ones I put in a new to me razor as the 'control' blade. Have fun sliding down this very deep rabbit hole, Martin
+1 ... its taken me about a year and a half, and dozens of different razor/blade combos to find out what works best for me. When I have several days of stubble to harvest, I put a Feather in my Sledgehammer Slant. For a nice, gentle daily shave, its Derby in my Merkur HD. For a good, general purpose, all-around good shave, Astra-SP works well in every razor I've tried. Currently, it finds its most play in my Progress, with the enhanced knob by Pureslab. I'm still trying to figure out what works best in my Futur ... the jury is still out on that one. Blades come, blades go ... but these 3 brands (and the razors they go into) form the backbone of my rotation.
Hi there, the Merkurs were my first tried blades. To my mind they are becoming dull very fast. The Derby is a very good all day blade and it is really recommendable for beginners. PLEASE be carefull with a Feather! You can scalp yourself with this extremly sharp blade without even noticing it! I would not recommend a Feather blade for any starter in DE shaving. My favourite blade is the Rotbart. It is a German brand wich is produced by Gillette now. This blade is the perfect combination between Derby and Feather to me. Kind regards Michael!
I've gone through a bunch of different blades in a bunch of different razors, but I always seem to come back to the Feathers. They've worked great in almost every razor I have. The face eating monster mythos is completely overrated. Yes, they're sharp, but that tends to be the point of a razor. Every now and then I'll throw a Derby or an Astra in some of my razors for a change of pace, but that only lasts about two shaves before I go right back to the Feathers. I find the Derbys to be a little smoother in some of the open comb razors, but that could just be a mental thing. One thing that is completely and totally one hundred percent undeniable is that a Feather blade in a Tech razor is nothing short of magic. Talk about a blade that seems to be the perfect pairing for a razor. My only regret is not using that combo enough. It really is something praiseworthy. I wouldn't dream of putting any other blade in any of my Techs.
Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellow package), Super Iridium and as a last resort I got good mileage out of the Derby Extra. As for wiping them off between shaves. No need. Just rinse it in the razor and let it air dry. Some of us do hand strop the blade and put it back into the razor or as I do in the razor from my rotation that I will be using for my next DE shave.
My favorite overall blade is the Astra Superior Platinum. It is one of the best blades for every razor I own, something no other blade does for every razor. Depending on the razor, I also really like 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge, LORD classic, LORD Platinum, Dorco ST-301, and Crystal blades along with a few other harder to obtain blades. I only like feathers in a Fatboy, but not enough I'll every buy more than the 4 or 5 I have left. Derby's are great on the first pass, but they go dull very fast for me. Derby blades are a bit of a mystery to me as they work so well for some guys but just don't last through a single shave some of us.
