Blade sample pack - Blade review by a newb

Hi all

Ok so im new to this, well 6 weeks or so. I purchased a blade sample pack and will update this thread as I work through it. I know blades are a personal choice and any views posted here are my own. The pack consists of: Derbys, Astra Superior platinums, Feathers, Personna Platinum Reds, Gillette 7 o clock sharpedge, Iridium Supers, Platinum Supers.

First Blade: Derby

The cheap and cheerfull turkish blades have had there run of bad press about blade consistency. I can agree with this, I used a pack of 5 (15 shaves worth) and can say some great shavers and some dreadfull ones, last blade was used for 2 shaves then binned.

Second Blade: Astra Superior Platinum

The only thing I can say in comparison to the Derby's is wow, first shave with the Astra today, and to me its superior to the derbys in smoothness, sharpness and didnt give me any irritation at all. Hope the rest of this 5 pack is as good as the first.

Ok so im on my second Astra blade, and I must say that I am a little dissapointed to be honest. First Astra blade lasted 3 shaves, first shave was awesome but the second shave had a marked deterioration in quality with the 3rd shave only just passing muster. Is it just me or do these blades lose their sharpness quite quickly, thats how it definitely seems to me.

I, too have had superior results with the Astra Superior Platinum blades. I haven't had the bad experiences with the Derbys that other guys have related here, though. I guess my mileage varied!

I have only used Derby's so far since I have nothing to compare to I'm satisfied. I have a sampler pack as well and maybe I should try something else then Derby's since there be some doubts on consistency in quality.
Last Derby blade went in the bin after 2 shaves only....

I so totally agree about the Derbys! I tried them out in a shavette and butchered my face big time. Next day I exchanged it for a IP and not a nick to be seen!!

You will love the astra's They are a great blade and the only one I use.

I've been shaving with a DE just over 9 weeks now.
In that time I switched soaps and creams many a time, but scaled back on the frequency of change to get a better impression of each.

As my technique has improved, I have also been cycling through different blades, so here are those I've been using (in order)
Perhaps somewhat in conjunction with experience I find as I go to each successive I typically get a better shave, but not in all cases.

Merkur - Began with these in a 10 pack and got 4 in before switching out. Not a bad shave, and far better than cartridge, but in hindsight my face tended to sting from razor burn, and felt tight and uncomfortably numbed.

Derby Extra - Better than the Merkurs with sharpness and comfort. A good blade I could live with.

Sharps - As the name states, sharper than the Derbys and nearly equal with comfort, but the edge felt uneven somehow as it tended to pull whiskers more than I liked. I also tended to get more facial breakouts than with previous blades.

Astra - Sharpest blade I've used to this point, but not as comfortable as the Derbys. Good blade though.

Shark - My current blade, and easily the best overall. I get a great shave in 2 passes with little or no irritation, no breakouts, and minimal razor burn (due more to multiple spot shaves than anything else). Very comfortable.

Soon to come... Feather, Wilkinson, Crystals, Dorco

Ive read about the sharks and they get a good write up, unfortunately it seems that they are not available here in the UK

Sharks (Super Chrome) and Astra's are my go to blades right now. Haven't had bad shaves from them to date.

Thanks for the post! It goes to show how blades are so much YMMV thing. I have been switching off for the past week between Shark Chrome and Astra platinum, and the Astra is winning for me. After reading so many threads and blade reviews, I am starting to believe that the blade is perhaps the biggest variable of all.

miamimoe said:

Thanks for the post! It goes to show how blades are so much YMMV thing. I have been switching off for the past week between Shark Chrome and Astra platinum, and the Astra is winning for me. After reading so many threads and blade reviews, I am starting to believe that the blade is perhaps the biggest variable of all.

Click to expand...

No problem, I will continue to update the post as I work my way through the blade sample pack.

Please share!!
Its comforting to know I've got a compatriot working and learning the process on a equal par
We'll swap stories on the final verdict

Update to original post, bump onto second astra blade, review of first there

Celticking said:

Hi all

Ok so im new to this, well 6 weeks or so. I purchased a blade sample pack and will update this thread as I work through it. I know blades are a personal choice and any views posted here are my own. The pack consists of: Derbys, Astra Superior platinums, Feathers, Personna Platinum Reds, Gillette 7 o clock sharpedge, Iridium Supers, Platinum Supers.

First Blade: Derby

The cheap and cheerfull turkish blades have had there run of bad press about blade consistency. I can agree with this, I used a pack of 5 (15 shaves worth) and can say some great shavers and some dreadfull ones, last blade was used for 2 shaves then binned.

Second Blade: Astra Superior Platinum

The only thing I can say in comparison to the Derby's is wow, first shave with the Astra today, and to me its superior to the derbys in smoothness, sharpness and didnt give me any irritation at all. Hope the rest of this 5 pack is as good as the first.

Ok so im on my second Astra blade, and I must say that I am a little dissapointed to be honest. First Astra blade lasted 3 shaves, first shave was awesome but the second shave had a marked deterioration in quality with the 3rd shave only just passing muster. Is it just me or do these blades lose their sharpness quite quickly, thats how it definitely seems to me.

Click to expand...

Your remarks about the mixed bag of results are the reason why I'm trying to make a go of the straight, which makes the user responsible for the kind of shave he gets. I have had a lifetime of dissatisfaction with shaving so I want to see if I can achieve a complete turnaround in results with practice.

I have had had some tough times and have had to supplement my shaving with DE razors on occasion. What I use are Personna Prep Double Edge blades. I figure that what is used prior to surgery should be about as good as it gets.

One thing I can say is that DE shaving is way better than the gimmicks on the market today. When we go to the typical store to buy shaving things it is so expensive and the blades either leave you with the scorched earth feel or give you a good shave and vary from cartridge to cartridge.

I'm a retro shaver for life!

Sooner or later, you will migrate to a feather...

Feathers are in the pack as well, will probably go for Personna Reds then irridiums and then the feather, will be keeping this up to date though

Ok Guys thats the Astras all gone, here is my summary:

Durability: 3 shaves maximum for me (Heavy Growth)
Smoothness: 1st shave amazing, 2nd shave good, 3rd only just acceptable
Sharpness: Shave 1 and 2 great 3 passes wtg, xtg and atg 3rd only wtg

Overall a good blade for shaves 1 and 2, 3 not so good.

Next up Iridiums

I tried Astra Platinum for the first time last week as well and had similar experience, Amazingly good firrst and second shave, with the 3rd shave being less than ideal.