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Well-regarded DE blade for stash?

Greetings,

I plan to learn to DE shave with one blade brand for a long enough time to develop a "baseline" before trying the recommended variety pack to find what my beard requires. This procedure could take quite some time.

In the interim I would like to buy a hundred or so of an inexpensive, well-regarded, versatile brand until I find my favorite, which I will then horde in earnest.

I was thinking of 'Derby'. Any opinions would be greatly welcomed. If my logic here is flawed, please let me know as well.

Thanks,
S
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I would refrain from buying a blade brand in large quantity unless you already tried it and love it with your current razor. The blade that you like at the moment might need to be replaced for a different razor if you switch razor down the way. I would say for now, buy what you need until you get the technique right. You will probably want to try a different razor afterward, which will required trying at least 2-3 blades...

Sticking to the same setup for a while is the best way to learn.
 
I understand the thinking behind this, but I'd advise you rather to just dive right into the sample pack (our own "ntguy" Sam does a good sample pack - for an extra couple of bucks he'll even throw in a pack of Feathers, which makes the sample pack a lot more useful as a gauge of blade performance). While it's a good idea to eliminate variables early on, your choice of blade is one variable that IMHO you can and should be working the hell out of, right from the outset.
 
Most sample packs have 5 or 10 of each blade. With each blade lasting 4 or 5 shaves, you can get at least 3 straight weeks from each brand. That's more than enough to get yourself settled and comfortable with it.
 
M

magelsen

I also agree with the sample pack what others liked didn't work for me. I'm not really fond of Derby's, Feathers were harsh on my face, but Astra Platinum's were just right.
 
See everyone is different. For me Feathers are very smooth, but Astras gave me loads of problems. Getting the sample pack was the best move I ever made as a noobie. You can't really judge blade performance from another person's face.
 
I agree with most of the gents here. I advise against buying a large quantity of any blade until you have tried at least one of them and know it's a good blade for you.
 
I would also hold off on a bulk purchase until you've tried a bunch.

When I started out, I also wanted to stick with one blade until I got my technique down. I went through a couple packs of Wal-Mart Personnas, which worked fine. It was tough to stick with them once my sampler pack arrived, but getting confident with your technique is worth it.
 
Here is what I normally recommend to friends looking to start DE shaving.

Buy 10 each of Derby, Personna Red, Gillette Yellow, and Feather.

Shave 3 times with a blade and throw it away (even if it could probably last longer). You are trying to pick a blade and work on technique, you don't need the extra hassle generated by a dull blade.

Shave through 2 Derby blades (6 shaves).
If you slice yourself up and it still feels tender to the touch the next morning, take a day off. Any shave will be a bad shave if your neck is already irritated when you start.
Repeat with Personna Reds
Repeat with Gillette Yellows
Repeat with Feathers (only if you are now comfortable with your technique and are getting no more than the most mild of irritation)

Decide which blade you like amongst these 4 brands. Depending on if you shave everyday or everyother day, it will take 1-2 months to get this far.

Now order 30 of the blade you like most and the largest sampler pack you can find.

Start alternating blades between the samplers and your preferred blade.
Shave 3 times with favorite blade, then 3 times with a blade from the sampler pack. If you get a horrible shave from a sampler blade, throw the blade away immediately and finish the 3 shaves with a different blade (it might be a bad blade). If the replacement blade gives a bad shave as well, this is not the blade for you. If you find one you thing is better than your favorite, do another rotation to your favorite, and then your sampler again to make sure you like it before ordering any more. Sooner or later you will find the magic combination and at the end of this, you will be ready to actually stock up on something.
 
@doublebucklemonk:

Excellent post. That should be a sticky, or at least included in one. Thank you for the thoughtful information, and obviously an excellent procedure. I will do it this way.

The main reason that I posted was that I'm uneasy about not being stocked up at least a little bit while I'm blade testing, in case of shaveaggedon :biggrin1:
 
Go with a sample pack. If you buy in bulk and don't like them, I'm sure you will have no trouble selling here.
 
Establishing a universal 'baseline' with blades is like establishing the same with beer; it ain't gonna happen my friend! :001_smile


+1 on sampler pack in order for you to get acclimated with what is out there.
 
Go for the sample pack asap. In many ways that defines everything that is great about B&B. We discuss different blades with the understanding that we all agree to disagree about performance because it truly does differ from person to person. For instance, I had expected to love Derby blades from all the good stuff I had read about them when I first joined. They were just OK. I tried Bic next and could not get a good shave, which was odd because I swear by Bic metal disposables to this day. The real trouble started with Gillette "Swedes" which were still available at the time. Once I tried them, I never got to try the feather blades because I had found "The One". Unfortunately they no longer make Swedes, but I did manage to hoard a few. Maybe there is still a chance that I will try a feather blade someday, but I am glad that I tried as many different blades as I did. Sampler pack my friend! It's the only way to go.
 
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