Recommend DE blades

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Mar 15, 2008
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1,539
Hi,

After almost 30 years, I'm back to what I learned to shave with, a Gillette Adjustable DE. I found mine, well SWMBO did, in an old box of stuff. There was a partially used dispenser of Gillette Blue blades found with it.

I did find a pack of 10 blades at a a department store called SureFine or something like that. But searching around I see there are more types than I have available to me here, and for less money. So what should I look at after all these years?

dalee
 
Most people will recommend Derby blades. I personally found them too harsh for my face, but what I did find that works for me are Astra, Dorco ST301, and Persona Israeli Reds. The best suggestion I can give you is to but a sampler package from one of the larger online retailers and try them all. Look for something that offers the most brands of blades, I am positive that you would find something in the sampler that fits you like a glove. I am not sure where you are located but for USA sales look to West Coast Shaving and in Canada Fendrihan seem to be the most popular places to buy traditional wet shaving products.

I would stay away from Feather blades till you have some time in DE shaving. They are a sharp aggressive blade and not for everyone. I have been DE shaving for over a year now and still can't use a Feather blade because I feel like I shaved with nuclear lava after while other people can drop one in on their first try with a DE and have no problems:confused:
 
I have been using Merkur blades for the past 2 months, now. They are good: they're very sharp and seem to last a long time.

Today, though, was the first day I tried another type of blade. I tried Astras, from Russia. They are at least on par with the Merkurs, maybe a bit smoother in their shave. I obviously haven't had them long enough to comment on their longevity, but I should be able to see within the week.

I'll also be getting some Derby blades soon, so I'll be seeing how those stack up to Astras and Merkurs.
 
I recommend you try Dorco ST-301, Derby, BIC Chrome Platinum, and Feather.

West Coast Shaving offers sampler packs which are a good place to start.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the direction. Back in the day all I had was Gillette so when I went looking for blades I was a bit taken aback, the landscape has changed. And even the sampler packs were confusing. I will continue for a while with the 10 I picked up. They are made in India so I wonder about the consistency. So a sampler pack it will be.

Now I need to figure out if I want to go the shaving soap and brush route. Or just stick with plain soap. Like many things in life, there are complcations and nuances to be learned.

dalee
 
It takes a while to experiment and there will be a blade that suits you more than others.

I haven't found a blade that works better for me than Feather, they are the only ones that don't nick my face, draw blood or give a so-so shave. Derby and Bic are OK standbys for me but they are much less reliable. Feather cost a bit more but I've never had a poor shave from one and that's why i don't stray. I do realize that other people have very different experiences though.

It's the same with creams and soaps too.......You'll have a shed load before you know it!
 
I've been enjoying my Derby blades, though I always have to go a little lighter when I pop in a new blade or else I tend to nick myself easily--they start off a little on the aggressive side for me, but after the first shave they're golden.
 
My experiences.

Derby Extra: Pretty good all around blade. Not harsh, pretty smooth, while not the smoothest. Very comfortable shave that may require two passes to have that smooth shave.

Shark: Similar to the Derbys, found them slightly smoother, but not as close of a shave. Very comfortable with NO irritation with these blades but does require two or three passes.

Merkur: While I love my Merkur HD Saftey Razor, I do not care for these blades. They are very sharp feeling, but they feel kinda toothy. Not very smooth, kinda rough.

Feather: My favorite. Very sharp. Very smooth. Very comfortable and does not irritate my skin. I am actually irritated with the Derbys more(while I still like the Derbys). This blade gives me the best shave in one pass, and if I choose to do two passes it is super smooth. I really recommend them even if you are new to DE shaving. If you are comfortable with a cartridge and never cut yourself, the learning curve is not very hard as long as your skin isnt super sensitive.

I have heard great things about Israeli Personas and am anxious to try them.

The sample packs are a good idea because what works for me may be your worst enemy. The above I listed are very popular and most users go through these blades.
 
Of the blades I have used, the most comfortable have been the USA Personnas and the Feathers. I am now using the Feathers since the USA Personnas are more expensive (USA Personnas used to be cheap at Walmart). Still good, but noticeably less comfortable have been the Israeli Personnas. Usable but not acceptable to me have been the Dorco ST-300 and ST-301. Totally horrible have been the Wilkinsons from Walmart. Everybody seems to get different results, so trial and error is the key.
 
I use feather blades. I tried a dozen or so others but to me feather is the best. I use honeybee sue soaps. If you search for honeybee spa on ebay you will find her store. You can do a pick 3 soap pucks deal for a couple bucks each. They are great, lather well and last a long time. They smell nice too. People on badgerandblade.com recommend her soaps as well.
 
Of the blades I have used, the most comfortable have been the USA Personnas and the Feathers. I am now using the Feathers since the USA Personnas are more expensive (USA Personnas used to be cheap at Walmart). Still good, but noticeably less comfortable have been the Israeli Personnas. Usable but not acceptable to me have been the Dorco ST-300 and ST-301. Totally horrible have been the Wilkinsons from Walmart. Everybody seems to get different results, so trial and error is the key.

YMMV personified there:p I get my best results with the IP reds and Dorco ST-301 being a close second for comfort, all the more reason to try as many blades as possible to find the right one for you and your razor.
 
Hi,

I haven't gotten my roundtuit out yet to order some sampler blades. I'm very interested in the Feather blades. Seems they get uniformly good reviews. I will try the Dorco st-301 and Derby also.

Oddly enough, my wife brought me home a package of Wilkinson's from Wal-Mart today. Along with a VDH shaving soap and boar brush. I used them this evening after my shower. I thought the Wilkinson's did OK. I thought it was much better than the 30 year old USA Gillette blades I have, (I don't think I ever liked them even years ago), and a bit better than the no name Indian made ones I bought for twice the price of the Wilkinson's. The Wilkinson was pretty smooth but required a couple of passes in a few spots to get it done.

dalee
 
I have a package of Wilkinson Sword Classics and find that they are not very consistent from one blade to the next, the first one shave great the next couple were rough, almost dull feeling, and then I got a good one again. Just based on that one package I decided not to buy any more of them.

Every blade manufacture will put out the odd bad blade that makes it through QC, but out of the 30 or so IP Reds I have used I have gotten one bad one and even it wasn't that bad. I have used more Dorco ST-301 and have gotten maybe 2 bad blades out of them. To me the WS just don't have the consistency for me to buy them again.
 
Hi,

That's understandable. Consistency is very important to me too and one bad package can leave a bad taste. I will keep this in mind as I try a few of the Wilkinson's.

dalee
 
I like the Feather blades best and found a source where I was able to get 100 blades for $29.00. I don't think 29¢ for a week of shaving is too expensive.
 
I like the Feather blades best and found a source where I was able to get 100 blades for $29.00. I don't think 29¢ for a week of shaving is too expensive.

A Feather lasts 7 days? That's pretty good.
 
My experience has been four -- maybe five -- shaves from a Feather. But, the number of shaves a person will get from a blade depends on a lot of factors.
 
I'm finding that there is a lot of variation inside a brand, as well as between brands. The less expensive ones have more variation than the expensive ones. I've started with a brand new blade, and it felt like I had used it for a month already. I threw it in the garbage, put in the next one (same brand), and it was perfect. Sometimes one will slip through the QC.

I'm not finding a lot of differences, except that the more expensive ones last longer, and have less variation in sharpness. Almost all of them are good for at least 2 shaves, and the better ones I can get a week out of. But I don't have a thick beard, YMMV.
 
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