So I keep a journal with my thoughts and ratings of each of the double edge take blades I've tried so far since I started wet shaving last month. I would like to share that with you guys, just as something interesting to read and perhaps give insights to the blades. As per usual your mileage will definitely vary. Feel free to weigh in. These are in the exact order of how I've used them, from the Merkur blade that came with my 34c HD to the Voskhod I'm getting ready to try. I only use the Merkur 34c HD right now, as it's the only razor I have for the moment. Edit: I now own three razors so I will post which one I used after each note.
BLADES JOURNAL Merkur Super Stainless - Junk blade. Dull. Lots of irritation. Couldn't even finish the first pass. Feather - Very good blade . Extremely sharp and can get close to BBS from just a couple passes. A very "hot" blade though, some irritation, possibly due to over zealous buffing. Used for three shaves. A favorite. Shark Stainless - Just OK. Needed three passes to get decent shave. Not as smooth as I'd like. Only used for one shave. Astra Superior Platinum - Fantastic blade. Very smooth shave. No irritation. Got three shaves. Absolute favorite. Derby Extra - Great blade. 3 passes for a near BBS shave. Pretty smooth, though not nearly as sharp as the Astra SP. No irritation. Got three shaves. Best value for the price for me. A favorite. Blue Bird - Decent blade. Some irritation with shave, seemed to lose it's edge quickly. Didn't live up to the hype in my opinion. Only used for one shave. Revisit in future. Astra Superior Stainless - OK blade. Very sharp, though not as smooth as it's platinum counterpart. Didn't like it. Only used for one shave. Super-Max Platinum - Very good blade. Almost as good as the Astra SP. Very sharp and smooth. A favorite. Second only to the Astra SP for me. Used for three shaves. Probably could've done a fourth but Russia is calling... Voskhod - A high quality blade. Very sharp but not quite as smooth as the Astra SP or Super-Max Platinum. Had some razor burn in my neck area. Not sure what the Teflon coating does for the shave but seems very similar to an Astra SS to me. Personna Lab - Very good blade. Very smooth, one of the smoothest I've tried so far. Pretty sharp, but could be sharper. No irritation or bleeding. A favorite. Used with a SS Flairtip. Used a second time with the Merkur 34c, and had the best shave of my life. So sharp, smooth, and an absolute favorite. Super-max Titanium - Used with the 'Crat. A good blade, sharp and smooth but had problems with my neck being irritated with this blade... Going to try it again with the Merkur. Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum (dark blue) - Used with the 'Crat. Once again, a platinum blade that I love. I'm starting to see a common thread here. This Russian blade was super sharp, forgiving, and smooth. A favorite. Pol-silver Super Iridium - used with the Merkur. I'll tell you what, another terrific blade. So sharp and smooth, and no tugging whatsoever. Another home run, except for the price. A real treat to shave with.
It's smart to keep a journal when you are testing blades. When you try numerous brands, it can be easy to forget which is which, otherwise.
When I shaved with a DE Voskhod was a favorite of mine. Also you should check out Red Personna blades as they're nice and smooth, and Treet DuraSharp carbon steel blades are another favorite of mine. Nice and sharp, but smooth at the same time.
If you have more than one razor, maybe a good idea to note which one you used too. Blades can feel a bit different in another razor. I've been keeping lots of notes on different blades and razors and it really does help. After a couple months, you will forget stuff. I agree with you on the Astra SP. I've been using one the past couple days after several weeks of injectors and trying a couple other DE blades. The Astra's are even better than I remembered them.
I couldn't agree more. I have tried around 15 different types of blades and some are better than others, but when the same blade is in a different razor it changes things completely. I found (my own personal experience) that SuperMax Super Platinum blades are the smoothest, sharpest most comfortable blades I've tried yet in all my razors. One blade started in a Weishi, then wet into: EJ DE89811 Merkur 25C Gillette NEW OC Gillette Slim Adjustable I wound up getting 6 perfect shaves from that blade on my face and head. again, YMMV.
Great idea keeping a journal, here are my comparisons just for interest: Merkur: Couldn't agree more.. Feather: Sharp,but I found them overly harsh. Astra SP: Wonderful shave and when you factor in the price a definate best buy. I have 300 of them. Derby: sucked for me. BlueBird: I got a good shave off of them,my first bulk (100 ct) purchase. Astra SS: On my list to try. SuperMax Platinum: On my list also, I'm trying the SuperMax Stainless this week in fact. Voskhod: Used first time this week,started ok but didn't seem to last long(I try to use a blade for a week) Blades you might want to consider: Any of the Personna's(Israeli or American) Any of the Gillette 7 'clocks,my favorites are the Yellow and Green packs. My "ABSOLUTE" favorite blade to shave with, but NOT to buy.. The PolSilver Super Iridium....Fantastic blade for me (sharp, smooth, completely irritation free and will last a week easy), I just don't know if the cost is really justified especially compared to the Astra SP's, I do like the SI's "VERY" much though... and I do have a 100 of them... Thanks for a great post, very thought provoking. Made me remember my first blades, think I'll do some revisiting in the upcoming months.... Might even give Derby another chance.... Thought I should add; My razor of choice an EJ 89 mated to a Weber SS BullDog handle. I also run a single shim on all of my blades, shave after my shower, use Corn Huskers as a preshave and make my lather mainly with "melt and pour" shave soap....
I have some 7 o'clock blades in my sampler pack, I'm gonna try them after a few more shaves with the Voskhod. Updated main post with Voskhod thoughts.
Absolutely.... when you first start out "traditional shaving" the "LARGE" amount of choices(blade and otherwise) over a canned goo and cart system, can be a little overwhelming. Once you get into it you find it's Fun,Interesting and kind of Amazing how different brands of blades work and feel on your face. Cart makers(you know who you are.. ) would have everyone believe all blades are the same(at least in their world) and should work the same on all faces... Something else I've found "VERY" interesting is how the same blade can in many cases work so "DIFFERENTLY" on individual faces..''
My notes on the blades that you and I have both tried: Merkur SS - I've only tried one blade, and it was the first blade I used, so I don't think it's a fair evaluation, but butchered my face with it. I have 10 more and plan on trying them again in the next few months to see how they work now that my technique is greatly improved. Even if I like them, though, they're too expensive to consider every buying in bulk. Shark Stainless - Not a good blade for me. Chewed up my face in my 38M, and could not get a close shave. Astra SP - very razor dependent for me. When they didn't work well in my first razor, the 38M, I wrote them off, but tried them in others finally and found they work well in my Tech and my Old Type. Derby - Only used them in my 38M and they tugged like crazy. I'll try them in other razors in the next couple of months. Super Max Platinum - A fantastic blade for me, even better than the Super Platinum. They work great in my 38M and NEW. I'm out of them now but am considering buying a few hundred from Ebay. Voskhod - Far and away my favorite. My only blade works great in an razor I use it in...38M, 42C, Old Type, NEW, Techs, and SuperSpeeds. Such an effortless cut, sometimes I can barely feel them in the razor. I nearly always get an exceptional shave with them with no irritation. I own 900 but am considering buying a few hundred more.
I am going on my third shave with the voskhod. It's definitely sharp, I just wish it were a tad smoother.
I am not sure there is a better all around blade produced than the Med/Labs. I had some in my first sampler and when I get tired of trying new blades, I will go back to them. You do a better job in your notes than I do. I basically categorize them into three classes: (1) Remarkably Worse - Undesirable (2) Unremarkably OK -Usable (3) Remarkably Better - Desirable Class 1 - Dorco Class 2 - Many Brands Class 3 - Feather, Med Prep, Personna 74
Yeah everyone has a system that works for them, for me I want to remember sharpness (or dullness) and most importantly for me, smoothness.
You have to be careful with the Dorco generalization, there are two different blades...the 300s that most people do not seem to like and the 301s which most people agree are a far better blade. I actually do OK with the 300s, but I much prefer the 301s.
Pol-Silver Super Iridiums are an AWESOME blade. I also like the 7'oclock Blacks and Isreali Red Personna's
