I am new to wet shaving i have purchased a Parker 99r and a sample pack of blades which should i start with i have Shark super chrome (Egypt) , Astra platinum (Russia) , Gillette 7 o'clock green pack (Russia) , Chrystal platinum (Israel) , Feather (Japan) , Merkur super platinum (Germany).
My advice is to go in this order: 1. Merkur super platinum 2. Gillette 7 o'clock green 3. Shark super chrome 4. Astra platinum 5. Crystal platinum 6. Feather But that is just my selection pattern based on the fact that I have used all these blades and I am considering that you are starting out but after the rotation through you should then follow the 30 day rule. The 30 day rule is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade (one and only one) that will not cause issues with your face (that may take a few different blades in a sampler to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This tip was freely given to me when I started and it worked, so I freely give it to others in return. Good fortune.
I think GDCarrington's advice is absolutely right on. However, if I were to try to choose a personal preference order out of this, it'd be: 1. Crystal (one of my first blades) 2. Shark (I've found these to be a nice and gentle blade) 3. Gillette (I love Gillette blades, but not a big fan of the greens) 4. Feather (great, but need respect) 5. Astra (I just haven't tried 'em yet, but a lot of people like 'em) 6. Merkur (ouch) Blades are very subjective and learning proper technique is a huge part of the battle. That being said, I wouldn't touch those Merkur blades with a 10-foot pole. Feather blades need a little respect, which is why it's good to be more comfortable with technique before using them. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
GDCarrington has do alot of testing with blades, so my advise is try whathe say's and keep some note's
Having used all those blades in both the Merkur 34C and the Edwin Jagger DE89L, I agree with GDCarrington's recommendations.
Nope. Toss one of each in a bag, shake 'em up, reach in and grab one. Doesn't make a hoot of difference. Blades are the biggest "one man's trash is another man's treasure" item in shaving. Just keep notes, as has been advised.
Crystals or maybe the sharks woudl be my advice. If you have a very tough, wirey beard, mayeb try the astra, but be extra careful, as they are very sharp. feathers are great, but you probably won't want to START with one. Merkurs are one of the least popular blades out there, so I wouldn't start with that. the Green Gillettes don't get much press ( I thought they were from India, not Russia, though), so I'm not sure on them. of coruse, YMMV
I'm with Steve on this. Only exception I'd take is if the first blade is a feather. I find Feather blades will make you pay more for a mistake than most blades, so I'd wait until you've had a couple decent shaves before trying one. They're not anything to be scared of once you have basic technique down, just not what I'd recommend to start with.
I don't think it matters except that you keep notes. I do think Erik is dead-on with the Feathers though. Skip them until you get at least one blade's worth of experience under your belt. The Feathers are so sharp that you won't feel it when you are wrong and this isn't one of the times where that will be a nice thing. Let us know how it goes
I currently have 4 de shaves under my belt, and these have all been with Feather blades. Watched a lot of youtube vids and did a good amount of research before my first de shave, and it went pretty damn awesome with the Feather blade. These blades just take a little patience and getting use to and they can become your bffl. My first shave took me a good 25 minutes with 3 passes, but i'm slowly getting that time down. All this fear i see for Feather blades confuses me
There are a lot of variables that affect the blade preference. The aggressiveness of the razor itself and the combination of blade and razor is one. The most important variable is skin type. Some people have skin that can handle a lot of razor action. Some jokingly call that leatherface, but it seems that they can handle any blade in any razor. Some people have sensitive skin that cuts and or weeps easily. To those an aggressive razor or a Feather blade, or the combination, just does not work because they will develop weepers. Most people have skin types somewhere in between the two. Some people also have skin anomalies such as slight raised areas, moles, etc. that might also preclude them from using these blades. You will find out that there is a varied world of faces and skin types and one size of razor, blade lather, brush. does not fit all. With that being said, I am glad that you are doing well and enjoying your shaves. That is the name of the game. Good fortune!
Have you tried other blades yet? I take from your post that you have exclusively been using the Feathers. When/if you try other blades, you will, as most of us have, notice a HUGE difference in sharpness. This sharpness is not the easiest thing to get under control if you are switching over from cartridges since the pressure you use with a cart razor blended with the sharpness of a Feather is a bit more than what most newbies can keep all lined up right out of the gate. You appear to be having a good go of it . I've seen a whole lot of people, myself included, who didn't and (in my case) still don't with Feathers. It takes me about three tormented shaves on a Feather (so it will dull down enough) to start getting comfy shaves. For me it isn't worth it. It just goes to show you that YMMV and blades are the only hard and fast rule when it comes to blade choice.
Thank you my kind sir for the compliment, maybe one day I will try out some different brand of blades, but Feathers will do wonderfully for now. Ah ic what you mean about the skin types. Well I definitely don't have leather face. My skin's actually pretty sensitive, and I've had acne problems back in my younger days. I think the combination of razor and blade I've got is pretty good. Ordered it off amazon, a feather razor that came with two feather blades. Figured I'd start out with something light as a noob. But so far I feel like it can't get any better than this..I'm in heaven lol.
Ah I can imagine what you mean about the tormented shaves, I wonder why that is hm..I got my dad the same setup as me for Christmas as he's been using the multi blade cartridges for a while, and I don't think those feather blades did as good for him as they did for me Yea i will have to try some other brand of blades just to see a difference. What would you recommend I give a go at next?
When it comes to blades, I wish I could give everyone a sample of the Personna Med. Preps. Smooth and sharp, plus they have the longevity of a mental image of Rossie O'Donnell in a bikini. I get 6 shaves easy from a med. prep.
