HUGE sampler log

[ofafeather]

Hi, All. A while ago I broke down and purchased the HUGE sampler. As recommended, I am starting from the bottom of the list. Prior to starting the sampler I was using Gillette Silver or Wilkinsons, both of which work great. Having finally settled on a razor for awhile (Merkur Progress) I thought I would turn my attention now to the blades. I should mention that I have been getting great shaves using Wilkinsons in the Progress dialed to 1.5. So, starting from the bottom of the list, here are my early experiences with this sampler. As always, YMMV.

Treet Classic - I thought that my first pass with this blade was really good. WTG was very smooth. Little did I know that it was really a terror. I had a few weepers but ended up with quite a bit of irritation. The alum stung a bit. On my second shave with this blade, the alum stung so badly over most of my face that I cursed and the shave wasn't even that close. Next.

Super Max Super Stainless - After my last shave with the Treet I was a bit hesitant with this blade and wasn't going to push my luck. I found it to be quite tuggy but after 2.5 passes had a tolerable shave. I wasn't going to push it so I had no nicks and no irritation. Alum wasn't bad at all. I'll try another shave with this blade but will most likely move on. It doesn't come close to the Wilkinson Classics.

I'll post more when I try the next blade or two.

[PeachyKleen]

I've always wanted to get the jumbo pack just for sheer variety of wrapper labels. Would make an interesting collection. Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences with the blades!

Chadd

[ofafeather]

I've always wanted to get the jumbo pack just for sheer variety of wrapper labels. Would make an interesting collection. Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences with the blades!

Chadd

I find them to be really cool, too. That's probably some of the draw. I doubt I'll collect them but haveing 30+ different packs of baldes is neat by itself.

[ofafeather]

Decided to do another shave with Super Max Super Stainless, but with a new blade. It was still pulling, but in the end, wasn't bad. I took it easy at first. I was a but leary at first, especially after the results from the Treet Classic. I was able to get a close shave, with very little irritation. No like the Wilkinsons, but if you're looking for a bargain, $.20 aint bad. I'll stick with the Wilkinsons for now. Dura Sharp Carbon are next, followed by Super-Max Platinum Chrome. Stay tuned.

[ofafeather]

Dura-Sharp Carbon should have new name - The Drag Queen. Wow, do they drag. One shave and out they go. I couldn't believe that a blade could drag so much, especially after good prep and a slick soap.

Super-Max Platinum are quite good. Smooth and easy, not wild and no drag. I'll put them in the keeper pile and advance them to the next round. I'm not sure what's next but I'll keep you posted.

[ofafeather]

Well, I pushed the Super-Max Platinum to a fourth shave and that was more than the blade, or my face, could handle. I think 3 is the max with Super-Max. It was a good shaver though.

Next was Treet Platinum Chrome. On the first WTG pass, I said, "Wow". This blade is super smooth. You don't even know it's there. Unortunately it also turned out to be supr-sharp and either unforgiving or erratic, I'm not sure which. I ended my shave with a slew of weepers and a few nicks, not something that usually happens these days. Another shave with the same results. I'll pass on this one.

Sharp Stainless are next. These blades are smooth and give a close shave, no irritation. I'll have to test the durability and get back to you. I have two shaves in on the same blade.

[Jarmo P]

What a a large selection of blades would serve I think is for someone who already has his fave blades, but would like to find out from more.

I think a traditional 5 diffrent blades serves a newbie shaver just well and allows him to learn his technique too. So I think you have learned already what are your fave blades. Then of course the only problem is having a lots of unused blades. But they dont take much space so that is not really a problem.

[ofafeather]

What a a large selection of blades would serve I think is for someone who already has his fave blades, but would like to find out from more.

I think a traditional 5 diffrent blades serves a newbie shaver just well and allows him to learn his technique too. So I think you have learned already what are your fave blades. Then of course the only problem is having a lots of unused blades. But they dont take much space so that is not really a problem.

I agree. I made sure that I had a blade that worked well for me and I used that exclusively for quite some time. That was the Gillette Silver. I also made sure that I had a couple of other brands to try in case one didn't work well. Merkur did not work for me. I find also that the Wilkinsons work quite well so those and the Gillette seem to be my baseline. I like large selection of the Huge sampler because it exposes you to many more options and you may find some good blades that cost a lot less. I agree that for a Newbie there should be a small sample of reliable brands so there is a chance of finding a good blade within the first few shaves. One strategy might be to buy a large sampler and instead of starting from the bottom, as is often recommended, start with one of the top 5 blades such as Israeli Personnas, Wilkinson Classics or one of the Gillettes. Find one that works reasonable well then stick with that for at least a month. That's my thought, anyway.

[ofafeather]

Sharp Stainless easily went five shaves without a problem. Next up was Trig Silver Edge. This is a stainless blade made by Treet and the first one by them that really worked for me. I don't have many shaves in on this blade yet because I wanted to try out my Slant, which I hadn't used yet. I've been using that with a Wilkinson since I wanted to use a blade that I know well with a new razor. I think the slant is going to be my go-to razor for a while so I'll try the Trig in there. You can get 100 blades for $17. Not bad.

[ofafeather]

Well, took some time off from posting to this log. Sorry 'bout that. I've been using my slant exclusively and it is truly fantastic for me. Next on the list were the Treet Blue Special and they were not great fir me. 7AM Platinum were okay but the Lord Classic and Israeli Personnas are both keepers. Smooth shaves and blades that hold an edge. Next, the Wikinson Economie were tuggy and irritating. Moving on from them. I've always liked the Wilkinson Classics and use them as my baseline, especially because they are the only brand I've been able to find regularly in local stores and the price is right. I'lll be trying the Dorco 300 Platinum next. We'll see how it goes.

[Darjeeling Express]

Good to have you back, ofafeather. We are all enjoying this thread.

[ofafeather]

Good to have you back, ofafeather. We are all enjoying this thread.
Thanks for the encouragement. I usually only shave every other day, unless I have to shave more. During the Summer months I tend to shave less as I'm a teacher and don't need to be at the workplace. A new experience for me is shaving my upper lip with a DE razor. I've had a mustache and gotee for almost nine years but have recently shave the mustache off, retaining the gotee. My slant makes light work of the upper lip stubble. One thing that is odd is using my shave brush to lather my upper lip. I still need some more practice to avoid getting it all over my nose and mouth. Good thing I use a small brush. Anyway, back to the blades..

Dorco 300, ouch. One shave and out it went. Tuggy and irritating with some blood, too. The 301 was a significant improvement and took down a 3-4 day beard with no fuss at all. Not my first choice but solid. Next came the Tiger. This is a fine blade, smooth as silk. By the fourth shave it was a bit wild, though, and left me with some cuts and bumps, so out it went. Crown is next. I had my first shave with it today, smooth and close. A couple of tiny spots of blood but I think my neck was still a bit rough from my last shave. I'll give it a few more shaves and see how it goes.