Starting a blade test

[MacBraun]

I am getting ready to try a few blades out and see what I prefer. I wish I had found B&B before I ordered my equipment because I might have changed things up a bit. For one thing, I might have ordered a sampler of blades before ordering two packs of blades that are almost always in the samplers. So I put together my own small sampler pack. I read through this thread and took some suggestions from it to order some blades.
The blades I currently have for testing are:

Feather
Merkur
Gillette 7 O'clock yellow
Crystal
Red Israeli Personna
Iridium

I am trying to get some Personna Medical Prep blades to add in there but I don't want to order 100 and end up not liking them. My biggest problem is I do have fairly sensitive skin and my neck gets irritated real easily. If anyone has any blade recommendations I'm open to get some more in the rotation. Currently I have 3 razors but I have 2 more on the way. I will be testing each blade in each razor and trying to keep all other variables constant. I have a Merkur Barber pole, a Gillette ball-end tech, a Gillette fat-handle tech, and on the way are an Edwin Jagger 89 and a 40s Gillette Super Speed. I am planning to use Proraso aloe and green tea soap.

So after all this rambling, my questions. Anyone have any suggestions for any part of the process? Anyone have any other blades I should be trying? Soaps or creams? I am planning to run a week with each blade/razor combo. I know this will make my test run for several months but I think it will give me the best results.

Thank you for time/ideas.

[DE Shaver]

I can tell already that you're going to have a hard time determining the blade that's right for you. You have a number of razors that you are going to want to try them and mix them up with different blades. My advice is as follows:

- Pick a blade (my recommendation is start with the Crystals as the are fairly forgiving)
- Pick a razor that isn't too aggressive (the Edwin Jagger DE89 is a great razor)
- Master your wet shaving technique (which includes generating lather) with the razor/blade combination

Do this for a while and then when you have the confidence, you can switch it up with other razors and blades. If anything happens that indicates a significant shaving problem (e.g. big time razor burn and cuts), then switch to something else. Otherwise, stick with a combination for while until you are proficient. At a minimum, go through the entire package of blades before switching to a new blade brand. Since you already have a decent soap, there is no need to experiment with others until you are comfortable with what you have.

[Drubbing]

My recommendation would be to slow down and don't introduce all those variables. This happens with enthusiastic new shavers all the time; they buy up lots of razors, blades and a few lather products and want to try them all.

I would suggest you find a razor that you really like and stick with it for a couple of months, so you can work on your technique. You can work through those blades with it. But I'd suggest only using the Merkur's for art and craft projects, or edging linoleum.

By throwing numerous razors in the mix for a week at a time, I think you're increasing the chances of taking a lot longer to learn good technique and address that sensitivity and irritation - which is often more self inflicted in the early days, than by the wrong products. Your approach could be counter productive.

[MacBraun]

I should have mentioned this but I have been wet shaving for about a month using the Merkur barber pole and Merkur blades. I won't say that I have the technique down but I have a feel for it.

[Boba Fett]

I should have mentioned this but I have been wet shaving for about a month using the Merkur barber pole and Merkur blades. I won't say that I have the technique down but I have a feel for it.

Only a month? You are changing an awful lot. I agree with the other two, cut down on the variable, and get really good with one setup before you start experimenting. Otherwise, you will probably start to see very bad results, but won't know if it is the blade, razor, lather, or technique.

[The Man]

Only a month? You are changing an awful lot. I agree with the other two, cut down on the variable, and get really good with one setup before you start experimenting. Otherwise, you will probably start to see very bad results, but won't know if it is the blade, razor, lather, or technique.

+1

It sounds to me that you are looking to experiment and find an excellent blade/razor combination.

In any experiment, your goal is to reduce the number of variables so you can isolate the results and correlate them to the variables that you control. That is the challenge you are up against right now.

If you are taking one razor/blade combination a day... could you be certain that your excellent shave with razor/blade Combo A vs the subpar shave with razor/blade Combo B if you have not elminated the other variables? Maybe you had an excellent lather on combo A and a bad lather on combo B. Perhaps you did a better job preparing your beard/skin with Combo A than with Combo B.

You could perhaps reduce some variables by first choosing one razor to work with for a while. Maybe try them all with the Crystals and check to see what felt the best. Then move forward using one or two razors to test the different blades out.

Ultimately, technique will likely trump equipment. It's true that certain razors or blades will just not work well for you. But I would rather have an excellent lather, nice prep and good technique on an a slightly subpar blade/razor combination than an slightly subpar lather, prep, technique on a great blade razor combination.

[franstjohn]

Welcome!
You are getting a lot of good advice and I second it all. The more constants you have, the easier it will be to acquire the technique you need. I have been shaving a very long time. When I recently returned to DE shaving, I went crazy and purchased three razors-two Merkurs and a Parker. As soon as I nicked myself with one, I would immediately move to another and blame the razor or the soap. It certainly couldn't be me! That was the point when I got the same advice you are receiving.

I put the Parker and the adjustable Merkur away for a period and concentrated on my Merkur 23C, an excellent and somewhat mild shaver that gives me an excellent shave. After a few weeks, I found that the 23C was getting better. It certainly couldn't be me!

I am now at a point where I am getting really good shaves with the 23C and I am now in the process of testing a blade sampler pack. So far, the Merkur blades are in the lead over the Shark blades. However, I am trying to be careful to follow and refine my technique as I go. I want this test to reflect the quality of the blades. It certainly couldn't be me!

[MacBraun]

If you are taking one razor/blade combination a day... could you be certain that your excellent shave with razor/blade Combo A vs the subpar shave with razor/blade Combo B if you have not elminated the other variables? Maybe you had an excellent lather on combo A and a bad lather on combo B. Perhaps you did a better job preparing your beard/skin with Combo A than with Combo B.

My original plan was to use a blade/razor combo for a week. This would try to rule out a bad lather job one day and a better lather another day.

You could perhaps reduce some variables by first choosing one razor to work with for a while. Maybe try them all with the Crystals and check to see what felt the best. Then move forward using one or two razors to test the different blades out.

Ultimately, technique will likely trump equipment. It's true that certain razors or blades will just not work well for you. But I would rather have an excellent lather, nice prep and good technique on an a slightly subpar blade/razor combination than an slightly subpar lather, prep, technique on a great blade razor combination.

I agree with this and will probably revisit my experiment. Like I said earlier, I was feeling fairly comfortable with my technique and I always take a few test shots at a new soap or cream to see how it lathers. That feels somewhat wasteful but I know it gives me better results when actually shaving. I also shave in the evening so I can take my time and make sure I'm doing it right. I will probably get the crystals, the EJ89 and spend a few blades on them and my technique. Then take another shot at the experiment. Should I use the entire pack of 10 Crystals, 1 week per blade, before trying this again?

Like I said, I was planning to do a week for each combo, so that's 5 shaves on a blade in one razor. Should I do more than that, say 5 blades of one brand per razor with a week on each blade?

[BigSlick]

The one thing that I would suggest is to map the direction of hair growth on your neck (since you said this is where you are getting irritation). I I used to get irritation on my neck as well. I discovered that the hair on the lower part of my neck grows somewhat from S-N while the hair above that grows from N-S. In other words, if I shaved from N-S from my cheeks to the bottom of my neck the last 2-3 inches were against the grain and was causing irritation. If I were you I would skip any ATG passes until you get you technique down. (I don't do any ATG passes, just not worth it to me)

[MacBraun]

The one thing that I would suggest is to map the direction of hair growth on your neck (since you said this is where you are getting irritation). I I used to get irritation on my neck as well. I discovered that the hair on the lower part of my neck grows somewhat from S-N while the hair above that grows from N-S. In other words, if I shaved from N-S from my cheeks to the bottom of my neck the last 2-3 inches were against the grain and was causing irritation. If I were you I would skip any ATG passes until you get you technique down. (I don't do any ATG passes, just not worth it to me)

I have done this as well and the hair on my neck grows S-N. The fun part is where it meets the N-S growth from my face, it goes toward my ears, either E-W or W-E. I have actually gotten ATG passes on my neck with no irritation with my safety razor a couple of times. (ATG for the rest of my beard is no problem most of the time.)

[The Man]

I also shave in the evening so I can take my time and make sure I'm doing it right. I will probably get the crystals, the EJ89 and spend a few blades on them and my technique. Then take another shot at the experiment. Should I use the entire pack of 10 Crystals, 1 week per blade, before trying this again?

Like I said, I was planning to do a week for each combo, so that's 5 shaves on a blade in one razor. Should I do more than that, say 5 blades of one brand per razor with a week on each blade?

Oh crap. There are times when a man gets an idea in his head... and the best thing he can do is figure out where it will lead him. This sound like one of those moment.

Sit down and come up with a plan for your experiment. If you want to make it 5 days per combo, make it 5 days per combo. Write it down, graph it out, come up with a scoring system for your shaves. Be creative. Maybe come up with a system for rating your preparation, lather, quality of shave, and enjoyment of said shave. Then go out and try it.

Worst case scenario, the experiment will flop... but you will gain experience from it all and the satisfaction that you came up with something crazy and at least were willing to try it.

And who knows, maybe you will be back here posting in 6 months some cool excel spreadsheet charting your shaves and you will start a trend.

Oh, one last recommendation... if you really hate a particular combination... don't force yourself to go the full 5 days. Maybe that razor just isn't for you.

Good Luck!

[MacBraun]

Sit down and come up with a plan for your experiment. If you want to make it 5 days per combo, make it 5 days per combo. Write it down, graph it out, come up with a scoring system for your shaves. Be creative. Maybe come up with a system for rating your preparation, lather, quality of shave, and enjoyment of said shave. Then go out and try it.

Worst case scenario, the experiment will flop... but you will gain experience from it all and the satisfaction that you came up with something crazy and at least were willing to try it.

And who knows, maybe you will be back here posting in 6 months some cool excel spreadsheet charting your shaves and you will start a trend.

Oh, one last recommendation... if you really hate a particular combination... don't force yourself to go the full 5 days. Maybe that razor just isn't for you.

Good Luck!

Wow, there's another good idea. I had planned to write down experiences so I could go back and see. Especially since the end will be months after the beginning, I won't remember the first blade from the last, unless it was exceptionally good or bad. I like the excel idea, and I think I may just use it. I am known to over-use the computer with things I do. Hmm.. more ideas. Thanks again!