Pulled the trigger and bought my first safety razor!

Congrats! This is the best hobby you could join, although your wallet might not think so. To beat a dead horse, I also recommend a sampler pack, but give this suggestion: if you get a sampler pack, stick with one type of blade for several shaves to get a feel for the blade, and also to work on technique. At the start, there are so many variables (technique, razor, soap, blade) that are all new, so it's very difficult to tell if you actually don't like a blade, or if it's one of the other variables. Just stick with it (it gets easier), don't use pressure, and have fun!

 

I'm a newbie as well and I see you starting down the same path I ventured upon when I started:

"The Path of Misdirection"

I haven't tried all of the blades you've mentioned so I'll concede that they all have different degrees of "aggressiveness". I've found, though, that if you place your attention on how sharp a particular blade is, you'll underestimate how important it is to use ALL of these blades in the same manner when used with your razor. The manner with which I speak is:

APPLY NO PRESSURE.

As you master the art of APPLYING NO PRESSURE to the razor (as you ALLOW the blade to skim across the surface of your face), you increase the probability of getting close shaves, with no nicks or facial irritation, REGARDLESS of what blade you use.

For the record, I've purchased Feathers. They DO tend to be sharper than the Dorco and Personna blades in my cabinet. But they're SUPPOSED to be sharp. They're RAZOR BLADES, fer crissakes.

Treat them ALL in the same manner you would ANY sharp object in close proximity to your face...

...very very gently.

 

I started not to long ago as well and like many of the other members said, it's all opinion based. I happen to love personna blades but some people don't get great shaves with it compared to other blades. I would recommend getting a blade sample pack from tryablade.com Or another site like bullgooseshaving.com
both of which have sample packs. From there just buy blades you would like to try. Also don't be afraid to cut yourself a little when you start, until you get the hang of not using pressure it is unavoidable on those sensitive areas. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have grown to. I see shaving as a hobby now instead of a hassle, as do many of us here at TSD

 

Well, had my first shave today with my kit.
Decided to go with the Gillettes first and in the following order: Super Stainless, Platinum, Silver Blue and then the Feathers.

As I am rocking the bald and bearded look, I used the safety razor on the top and sides of my head and on my neck. For my head, I tried 1 WTG pass and 1 ATG pass. Still had to do a ATG with my Extreme 3 to get my usual smoothness. I'm thinking that the more I practice, the smoother I'll get.
On my neck, I did 1 WTG and one XTG. I normally just do WTG on my neck and was pleased with the results. As good as my usual shave with the Extreme 3.
No blood but 2 spots on my noggin where I peeled a bit of skin off.

All in all it was a good experience and I can't wait to shave again!!

 

Welcome to the Den. Enjoy your adventure.

 

My first de shave in 40 years was with a Feather. It was not pretty, but that was my technique, not the blade. After using disposables for all those years, I simply couldn't get past the "no pressure" thing. Now, using a Feather in my Super-Speed is a real pleasure.

 

Blood spots are a sign that you shave like a gentleman.