well for the last couple of shaves i have been trying the astra sp green and to be honest I'm not a fan . i find them to be a bit on the rough side even in comparison to the derby premium or gillette wilki's so they will be going to the " oh crap i run outa blades shelf " you know where you put stuff you hope you wont need but just encase .
not as good as i thought..
- Thread starter lurchbrian
- Start date
Are they rough just on the first few shaves and then smooth out or are they just rough? If they smooth out after a couple of shaves it may be the coating and you could try the Astra SS (blue) instead. Many here prefer them over the green for that very reason. If they do not plain work well there are plenty other fish in the pond.
- Thread starter
- #3
no chap they are rough right through 4 shaves onwards to me anyway cant say i didn't give them a chance for example today swapped the blade out after 3 shaves to a king gillette and it was like i wasn't shaving 2 pass smoooth comfortable no irritation clean shave . but hey im weird like that .
Oh well we cannot win them all right? Plenty of good blades out there though waiting to be discovered. What is your favorite blades at this time?
- Thread starter
- #5
meaning i like a good shave and not a bad scrape.
Blades got to be the most YMMV thing in wet shaving.
I swear by Astra SPs, they are my go-to blades. They can be a little more aggressive on the 1st shave, then super smooth for 3-4 shaves. However, I believe the other two blades you mentioned are both slightly less sharp, so perhaps Astra is just too aggressive for your tastes. How do you like Feathers or Perma-Sharps ?
I swear by Astra SPs, they are my go-to blades. They can be a little more aggressive on the 1st shave, then super smooth for 3-4 shaves. However, I believe the other two blades you mentioned are both slightly less sharp, so perhaps Astra is just too aggressive for your tastes. How do you like Feathers or Perma-Sharps ?
Try the blue ones. I never had luck with the greens but the blue ones (Russian production) are a staple with me.meaning i like a good shave and not a bad scrape.
There are plenty of blades that are much better than Astra SPs. They don’t much impress me.
Maybe get a trial tuck of Treet Platinum. I personally find it less jarring than Astra Superior Platinum.
If they are the Russian made ones, set them aside for a few years and you will probably be able to sell them fo $20 a tuck.
Can’t believe people are paying $20 for a puck of awful $.99 Williams Mug soap I tossed into the garbage.
I have had the same experience.
... And the opposite for me. Green Astras are my favorites, blue ones give me irritation. As I said, it's one of the most YMMV things.
$20 for Williams now is a sale price as it's regularly listed for $35 - $40 per puck these days. It was an excellent value at $.99 and agree there are far better choices today for a lot less than $20-$40 per puck.
Regarding the OP from @lurchbrian your experience with Astra SP green is a good example of YMMV. My Astra SP blades, Russian made and purchased 4+ years ago right after Gillette converted to laser engraving each blade, are excellent without any roughness. Curious as to when you purchased your Astras and where they were made? Wonder if this could be an issue with newer production blades now made in India or China?
I’m not a fan either despite having quite a few in my stash. SS Blues are sharper and smoother to me.
Greens are a little rough and bitey for me, despite not being the sharpest out there. I know, weird combination.
But my most surprising discovery was Treet platinum. Mild, smooth, sharp enough, long lasting and cheap.
Try it.
Greens are a little rough and bitey for me, despite not being the sharpest out there. I know, weird combination.
But my most surprising discovery was Treet platinum. Mild, smooth, sharp enough, long lasting and cheap.
Try it.
This is one of the most challenging parts of wet shaving - figuring out the mystery of ss vs platinum blades. Sometimes the super stainless is better than the platinum in the line up, and sometimes platinums are better.
