Astra Super Platinum

**bbarton713** · 09-17-2010, 08:07 AM

I tried this blade for the first time today in my Feather AS. I've been wanting to try it and when I looked through a sample of blades I got a while back I found one!

I did my standard prep of showering, using conditioner on my face, splashing hot water at the sink, and then rubbing the Mama Bear Awakening shave stick all over my face. I face lathered with my Simpson Polo 8 brush and went to work. I did a WTG, XTG, ATG and a little touchup and buffing for a DFS/BBS shave.

What amazed me was how sharp, yet very smooth, that blade was for me.

I'm getting a larger sampler today and I think it has five Astra blades in it so I can try it in some of my other razors.

**apino** · 09-17-2010, 08:28 AM

I really can't make up my mind if I like Astras or not. One day I get a wonderful shave, the other (like today) it was mediocre at best - even with the same razor. I don't get it. The quality should be top notch and consistent so it must be my inconsistent newbie technique. But why doesn't that ever happen with Feathers (which I love)?

**Cubits** · 09-17-2010, 08:40 AM

I love astras! I find them smooth, adequately sharp, consistent, and immune to ham-fistedness. :p

I've ripped myself up a couple of times with a feather, i find they're far more sensitive to angle and pressure.

I thought IP reds were good before i tried the astra sp. Now i find them a bit rough (but otherwise very similar).

**RichGem** · 09-17-2010, 08:44 AM

They're my favorite blade with about 300 in reserve for the Shavepocalypse.

**DE Shaver** · 09-17-2010, 09:36 AM

The Astra SP is a favourite of many on the board here. I find them to be quite acceptable and you can find them for a reasonable amount of money. I rate them roughly similar to Israeli Personnas (a.k.a. Super+ Platinum) blades.

**The Seeker** · 09-17-2010, 09:44 AM

A great blade; better than the Iridiums for me as I find them smoother.

**AnB_Daddy** · 09-17-2010, 11:51 AM

Not a good blade for me, felt very rough to the skin, but sharp.

**MoJoe** · 09-17-2010, 12:05 PM

Astras are not my go to blade but I have a very favorable opinion of them. Right now I'm using Feathers almost exclusively with an occasional Kai or Iridium thrown in. I put down my slant for a month and was using some alternative blades like Astras and Gillette yellows. Both were excellent but I still missed my go to set up of Featehrs in my sledghammer slant.

**David in Boston** · 09-17-2010, 01:27 PM

After trying many blades I settled for Astra.

While a blade must be sharp it also must be smooth.

And Astras are one "smooth" blade.

**rm71** · 09-17-2010, 04:29 PM

These used to be my go to blade, but know I can't decide whether i like them. Personnly I find Dorco ST 301 much better.

**Loric** · 09-17-2010, 04:35 PM

I have a big soft spot for Astra SP blades. They are sharp and smooth, though I do randomly get bad shaves from them too. I like the Astra packaging for some reason, its not fancy or elegant, but it just speaks to me. If they did not have the glue/wax dots they could easily be my go to blade. Right now I think I like SuperMax blades a bit more, they are cheaper and seem to be even smoother for me but still maintain a high level of sharpness.