astra & gillette 7 o'clock razors

[gaseousclay]

just ordered these from WCS just so I have different blades in my rotation. what's everyone's opinions of them? am I correct in thinking the gillette's are just as sharp as Feathers?

[SnapperOrgans]

Gillette 7 O'clocks* are certainly my favourite so far from the sample pack - closely followed by the Astra's (Platinum(?) & Keramic). I'm loathe to use any more of them, lest I use them up too quickly.. :o) Certainly the 7 Oclocks are much more forgiving that the Feathers.

* Not to be confused with the travesty that are the diabolical 7am Blades. (in my opinion, of course. ymmv etc)

[Magicpixie]

I haven't found any blade to match a Feather for sharpness yet.

[Trius]

I also have not found anything equal to the Feather for sharpness, but I do like the Astra Superiors a lot. IME they are virtually as sharp, very smooth and so far quality control has been good. The last time I ordered blades other than a sampler pack, I got 50 Astras and 20 Feathers. That was just an economic decision, but you can read into that that I am comfortable enough with Astras for them to be my everyday blade and Feathers for "special'. Of course, that may change now that I have begun trying out some Bleue Extra blades from France...

[Bobtrumpet]

I haven't tried the Astra blades yet (they are on my list). I like the yellow Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge, but they are not quite as sharp as a Feather for me (in my limited experience with a Feather). I gave a couple to a fellow here at work who has been using Feathers for about a year - he feels they are just about as sharp but more smooth.

[Stubblefield]

Have shaved with both blades and like them both. Not sure which is sharper, the 7 O'clock or the Astra Platinum, but I prefer the Astra as it seems to yield a smoother shave with less irritation. I don't really like the non-platinum Astra.

The feathers are sharper of course, but I still get a better shave with the Astra. Sharpness is sometimes overrated.

[DunEdinRanger]

The Astras are great blades. They are a permanent part of my blade rotation.

[bonusmarple]

I like the 7 O'Clock Sharpedge. Yes they are not "Feather sharp" :001_rolle. So what, they are good blades that shave close with minimum irritation. Buy them.

[Wishoot]

I really like Astras and the Black 7 O'Clock's. They both do a wonderful job. I recently purchased 100 Astra's in fact.

Feathers are still my #1 choice.

[Magicpixie]

They're both decent blades; if I could get as good a shave with them, no dragging or pulling, as I do with the Feathers I would use them. It's a question of which blade(s) gets the job done best.

[rm71]

The Astras are great blades. They are a permanent part of my blade rotation.

Yep. Summed up nicely.

[dwestenk]

... opinions of them?

I like the Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge blades better than either the Astra Superior Platinums or Astra Keramiks because they seem to me to be smoother and sharper.

IMHO, the SharpEdge's are not as sharp as the Feathers, but they are darn close and seem more forgiving.

[Jake]

In my experience, the Feathers are the sharpest & least forgiving. The yellow & green 7 O'clocks are almost as sharp, but the yellows are smoother and give more shaves per blade. The black 7s are the least comfortable.