African-American blade choice

I would like to get an idea of the blades that other African-Americans use with good results. Currently using Derby's and my shaves have begun to go downhill . The only other blades I have tried are the WalMart Personnas and Dorcos. For some reason I don't want to work through a sampler pack.

its going to be almost impossible to suggest a blade with such a small sample. you really shoudl try a sampler. keep in mind that you'll be able to sell teh blades you dont use from the sampler, so you should be able to keep costs down if thats a concern (it was for me)

This is tough task as blades can vary for individuals and if you have bumpy skin, this make it even more difficult. You'll need a smooth and a forgiving blade. Derby's are a smooth (at least the "vertical" format I'm used to) and forgiving but you are having trouble with this blade so it is out. If forced to provide an answer I think IP blades are smooth as well and fairly sharp so you'll avoid tugging at your beard. Astra Superior Platinums are fairly smooth as well and a good blade. I find Blue Birds to be a smooth and forgiving blade. However, as with many things, YMMV.

One of my good African-American friends who is a DE shaver tells me that basically he doesn't want to get a close shave, since when he does, he always gets ingrown hairs. He said his hair grows out too curly, so he just does a one-pass shave and leaves it at that.

I don't really have any blade advice though... I second the sampler idea.

Personally, I like the sharpest blades. Feather, Kai, etc.

Personna Super Plus Platinum is going to be your huckleberry.

You are looking for a coated blade. Not the personna red packs.

DE Shaver said:

This is tough task as blades can vary for individuals and if you have bumpy skin, this make it even more difficult. You'll need a smooth and a forgiving blade. Derby's are a smooth (at least the "vertical" format I'm used to) and forgiving but you are having trouble with this blade so it is out. If forced to provide an answer I think IP blades are smooth as well and fairly sharp so you'll avoid tugging at your beard. Astra Superior Platinums are fairly smooth as well and a good blade. I find Blue Birds to be a smooth and forgiving blade. However, as with many things, YMMV.

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I don't have bumpy skin. None of the blades I have tried have irritated my skin. The Derby's started out good but now I don't know what happened. I'm having the problems others have had with them.

I've also found inconsistencies in Derby blades. I also recommend trying a sampler pack. You never really know what works for you until you run through a few different brands.

Get a sampler pack if you haven't already. I've chosen the Red Pack Israelis b/c I get a DFS with them w/ little to no irritation.

Gillette yellows, iridiums, astras and Derbys all gave me dam near BBS, but I was irritated on my neck. If you're not having irritation problems wink2:congrats!) I would go with the blades that give you the closest shave.

I am going to add my vote for the sampler pack.
A little more information would be helpful though.
How many shaves have you been getting or trying to get from the Derby's? How many passes do you typically do in a shave?
I found that Derby's were not for me after going through 5 blades, averaging 3 shaves at 2 passes per shave.

Not African American but I have more than my share of ingrown difficulties. DE blades that currently work best for me in no particular order are

Kai
Feather
Shark SuperChrome
Red IP
Lord Platinum

Of these the Feathers are the only ones that seem razor specific to me, the rest I can get a decent shave out of any old razor, more or less. What's working best for me is careful prep, Shave Secret or Noxzema Plus as preshave, a good tallow soap lather, and two WTG passes only. Follow up is alum block, then WH, then the Gentlemen's Refinery unscented balm. I'm also changing blades fairly frequently, which seems to help as well.

This seems like the best plan I can find for my rotten old mug. So far, anyway. As always ymmv.

Pm me your address and I'll send you some Red IP's and some Bluebirds.

I think the Bluebirds might be the best choice but, you'll have to determine that.

Also the general consensus is that the Derby Horizontal pack is good, and the Derby Vertical pack is prone to having some bad blades... Check which one you have.

Maul555 said:

Also the general consensus is that the Derby Horizontal pack is good, and the Derby Vertical pack is prone to having some bad blades... Check which one you have.

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I have the horizontal pack. Derby Extra in all caps.

ProphetNoir said:

I am going to add my vote for the sampler pack.
A little more information would be helpful though.
How many shaves have you been getting or trying to get from the Derby's? How many passes do you typically do in a shave?
I found that Derby's were not for me after going through 5 blades, averaging 3 shaves at 2 passes per shave.

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i head shave also. i can usually get 1 head shave and 2 face shaves before the blade starts to tug. i usually go 1 wtg, xtg, and 1 atg on face and head.
i shave 2x per week. before i started wetshaving i was getting the same
# of shaves from m3's and later fusions(i thought 5 blades had to be better than 3 ) but the cost was kicking my ***. derby's started out good but about halfway through a 100 pack i'm getting blades that are dull fresh out of the pack. i'll toss it and the next blade will be fine.

I started with Derby's and liked them but then...something changed. I have been having great success with Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and super iridiums using an EJ DE89L. Even Feathers semmed to be tamed by this razor. The shaves have been very smooth with no irritation or ingrown hairs. I typically go for at least a DFS (3 to 4 passes) and achieve BBS most of the time. I have found good prep, a good moisturizing soap or cream, and minimal pressure are as important as the blade. Also, I never use a blade for more than 3 or 4 shaves. Hope this helps.

Verbal Kint said:

I would like to get an idea of the blades that other African-Americans use with good results. Currently using Derby's and my shaves have begun to go downhill . The only other blades I have tried are the WalMart Personnas and Dorcos. For some reason I don't want to work through a sampler pack.

Click to expand...

What razor are you using your blades in?

I'm not African-American, but if you think you might need a less close, or less aggressive shave (like the Bump Fighter razors are supposed to do), maybe look at which DE razor you are using and how you are using it.

But, I find Feathers to work very well. Derby works for me, but you mentioned your shaves are going downhill... Maybe try an Astra - they are rated fairly high and fairly smooth, and are easy to come by.

I've been using Derby EXTRA for a while and having no problems at all, but this morning pulled the black Feathers from the sample pack and WOOHOOO what a smooth shave. I have a non-aggressive razor, the Weishi, and get superb results with it.

OP, not African American, but my growth is difficult to shave. I've had been getting really lousy shaves with Derby blades, and the Personna, Crystal, etc were just not sharp enough. For now, i've settled on Gillette 7 o'clock sharp (yellow pack) blades. If it's just a matter of having difficulty cutting your beard I would recommend trying some of these. They are not quite as sharp as Feathers, but for me, have a bit more longevity; a good combination.

macabrem said:

What razor are you using your blades in?

I'm not African-American, but if you think you might need a less close, or less aggressive shave (like the Bump Fighter razors are supposed to do), maybe look at which DE razor you are using and how you are using it.

But, I find Feathers to work very well. Derby works for me, but you mentioned your shaves are going downhill... Maybe try an Astra - they are rated fairly high and fairly smooth, and are easy to come by.

Click to expand...

I use a Merkur 23(long handle). Years ago I tried the Bump Fighter's but was not impressed. Thanks to mrbear, I now have some Feathers, Blue Birds, Sharks, and red pack Personnas. After my first shave with a Shark... bye bye Derby.

I could tell from the first pass with a Shark that they were much sharper than the Derby and left no irritation. I received my wetshaving set up as a gift. I got the long handle Merkur and the 100 pack of Derby's off Amazon. I now realize that I should have gotten a sample pack instead of buying bulk but I didn't know any better. But thanks to mrbear, he sent me 4 different brands(including Feather's) for free, I have some Derby's to get rid of(for free).