Anyone Gone Back to Their Blade Samplers and Found Something Works MUCH Better Later?

I've had recent success with this. I was hooked on Red IP's and gave Crystals a whirl after hearing them compared so often. I did not like them. I came back to them a few weeks ago and now I'm wondering what crack I was smoking! Very comparable to the Red IP's! Smooth shave, irritation free... but alas, no BBS.

I just tried a Bic Platinum Chrome, a blade in my sampler I never tried (I was turned off by the fact that they also make those cheap plastic pens... but hey, Gillette makes cheap plastic razors and they make good blades... so what's the difference?!) and I've got to say it's phenomenal. My skin was soft the whole time I shaved with it... it's a feeling I can't really describe, but no blade has ever felt this was before. A well-guided ATG pass and I'm full BBS! With astringent and ASB, my skin feels great.

I've got to say I am absolutely floored by this blade. If you've got this in your inventory and never tried it -- do it! My only concern was a few careless nicks around the chin... I think I simply underestimated it's sharpness. Qualities very similar to a Feather.

I also tried a Derby again, thinking it just wasn't too incredible and now really can get a DFS with it... nothing revolutionary, though.

Anyone else found an amazing discovery from a blade they simply passed over or even came back to later with much success?

I'm hoping that as my technique improves I can use a cheaper blade more effectively. Feathers and Iridiums are expensive as DE blades go but worth it for me at my stage of DE shaving.

This is not unusual. Quite often, as your technique improves, a blade that didn't seem all that good at first will now suddenly seem to be a pretty good blade. The only exception I've found is the Merkurs. Although they seem just a bit better, they're still a lousy blade, IMHO.

dpmtherrien said:

This is not unusual. Quite often, as your technique improves, a blade that didn't seem all that good at first will now suddenly seem to be a pretty good blade. The only exception I've found is the Merkurs. Although they seem just a bit better, they're still a lousy blade, IMHO.

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Yeah, and the reviews just prove your hypothesis. I wonder how they got out there in the spotlight and just simply are a bad blade?

Crystals did it for me. They were ho hum when I did my blade testing, but I ran across one that I hadn't used a few weeks back, stuck it in my Slim, and Zowee! Great shave. I believe that when I'm ready to buy more blades, Crystals will be at the top of the wish list...

Yup. I butchered myself with a Feather early on. Now it is the only blade I use when I use a DE (I primarily straight shave now). I get excellent, smooth shaves with them.

Very Very Common.

It's the same phenomenon that occurs when you leave home, and come back for a visit, only to be surprised at how much your parents have learned in such a short time.

I did and found that a straight works MUCH better.

Absolutely!

I now get an irritation free shave using Derby's and Astra's whereas in my humble beginnings they just didn't want to work with me!

Great post. Outstanding point.