I've used both. I don't like either. The st300 were not as good as the st301. That said, they weren't bad blades.
worst blade as time progresses I have gotten my technique down. I try to revisit blades used in the past. I noticed that they aren't bad at all. but I definitely stay away from blades that pull my hair. at the first sign of that I just chuck them. for me its the Merkur and Spotnik.
hands down a Merkur blade. I was reading some reviews of this blade and several people kept talking about how much longer it lasted them than others. Mine stayed in the razor for about 3 passes before I stopped, shave cream still on my face, and discarded the blade. They make a great razor, but their blades are a waste of steel!
Why is that Steve? Can't decide? Or perhaps you don't want to deter folks from trying something that may work for them based on the fact that it didn't work for you? I have only tried the one Merkur that came with my Classic and the Personnas that I get at CVS. Of those two, the Merkur was definitely the poorer performer. The first shave was good and that was it.
Zorrik, Supermax, Sharp - bad blades for me. I bought 100 Tiger from Gio's store . They are very sharp , I like that, but as Chemerik is saying every shave with them produces one cut for me. They are good but inconsistent I find.
Oh, I have tried blades that just don't work for me. One has been mentioned numerous times through out this thread alone. I've come across many items that I like and that I don't like. I make my opinions known in the threads as the occasion presents itself. I just choose to stay out of, textually, that is, these types of posts. Since you asked, honestly, the reason I don't post in "Favorites" is two fold - 1) Picking a favorite among all my shave items is difficult. 2) Not to sound harsh, but I'm getting tired of these types of threads. I really would like to see the mods would make a sticky at the top of each category - "MY FAVORITE...". Then these types of posts wouldn't pop up constantly. I do read out of some curiosity, but do not post. To those who post, I say sincerely, enjoy! That's the whole reason for these forums - to share thoughts and opinions. I simply choose not to get involved in "Your Favorite" or "Hate the Most" type threads.
Worst Blade... The worst blade by far that I have ever tried was a NOS GEM Double-Edge blade. It came with a Gold Gem Micromatic which came in it's original leather(?) case with five individually wrapped double-edged blades, circa I believe would be the 1930's when GEM was attempting to compete with Gillette in the double-edge department. I believe the blades would have been much better if used when they came out, because I read somewhere on the net that NOS blades can suffer from years of oxidization. The blade played tug-of war with my face and I decided to give in after a couple of inches using it. On top of that, I had to find a way to dispose of the blade. So I wrapped several layers of toilet paper over it. Being the safety conscious person that I am, I pressed on the toilet paper to see if there were enough layers on the blade so as to have enough layers on it for protection against slicing through. Well, I forgot to dry my hands from shaving with it causing the toilet paper to weaken, and well, the blade was still more than sharp enough to cut right through the layers of toilet paper AND my right index finger causing a miniature blood bath. I'm glad that I soaked the blade in 70% rubbing alcohol before I tried to use it, and there was no visible rust on it. Band Aid Time!
The biggest disappointment I have had was from the highly regarded Feather. Yes, they are sharp, but so much that my face was burning and I got a serious case of neckburger. The second shave was a great improvement, but I had too much drag by the third shave and the blade was toast by number four.
Astra Plats. i think i may have gotten a bad pack since 2 out of the 5 blades felt good but the other three were like jagged soda cans.
that reminds me- I did try out a NOS GEM micromatic SE blade. duller than dull. I think I completed the shave with it but it wasn't pleasant. I got the blade from a friend and told him I'd used it. He had a good chuckle. He'd meant the gift as a display only kind of thing.
Personal worst? I bought a Treet Del-rin razor to have as a backup/travel piece. I'm very happy with the razor; its parts are well-mated and the handle is a good size for my paws and the heft is right. I use it in rotation. The Treet blade supplied with it was not for me, to put it plainly. It was stainless, not carbon, but that was irrelevant. An uncomfortable shave and I chucked the blade when I finished. The razor itself has worked fine with a 7 A.M. and a U.S. Personna in a RiteAid package and I don't think I'll be going back to Treet at all. I have yet to work my way through my samples to the Nacets and Derbys. I used a ST-301 and it worked well; quality control is something only time will teach me about. The blade supplied with my Merkur 178 was nothing special; but they're awfully pricey compared to other blades out there. I haven't been DE shaving for very long, but those U.S. Personnas have been uniformly good.
Count me in with the Merkur haters. For whatever reason I can never get a bbs with them. They are in my "Oh carp, I'm out of x emergency drawer".
Three contenders: 1) Treet Classics: managed to nick me and give a poor shave; 2) Bluebirds: gave a decent shave, but resulted in terrible razor burn; 3) 7 A.M.: not brutal like the other two, but dulls too quickly to even get a complete shave in for me.
Never had that problem with the plats, but I have with the Astra Keramiks. On the SE side, I just had to toss a pack of carbon steel Pal (ASR brand) blades that were so dull they pulled but did not substantially cut. Not sure it's a problem with the brand or with carbon steel blades generally. If the stock is old or has not been well stored (dry!) by the vendor, then they become unusable. By contrast, I have some Gem Blue Star carbons (also an ASR brand and maybe the same blade in different packaging??) that are very sharp and smooth, if not particularly long-lasting.
