Had similar problem with my first go with the Sharks. I'm not sure if the razor burn came from unknowingly using pressure but once I came back to them with a year of technique under my belt, I found the Sharks gave me the best shave out of all the blades I have tried.
The Worst Blade
- Thread starter bonusmarple
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Had similar problem with my first go with the Sharks. I'm not sure if the razor burn came from unknowingly using pressure but once I came back to them with a year of technique under my belt, I found the Sharks gave me the best shave out of all the blades I have tried.
I started getting into DE shaving about 4-5 months ago. The first blade I ever used was the Derby Extra — cheap and readily available. As I had no other reference in terms of blades, I initially thought they did a good job and gave a reasonably comfortable shave. But after about two months of using the Derby's, I decided to try out some other blades so I bought some Personna Blue, Gillette Silver Blue and Feather blades.
And right off the bat it was clear just how inferior the Derby blades were. Trying out the Personna Blue first, it was a completely different shaving experience. It required much less effort to shave, it was both sharper and a lot smoother. With the Derby I always had to go over the same spot atleast twice before getting a satisfying result. And even with a brand new blade, it still felt as if it was tucking on the hair/skin a lot more than with any of the other blades.
In terms of sharpness, Feather is the clear cut winner. I was quite surprised how well this blade works for me. I primarily use my DE razor (still the Mühle R89 Twist) for head-shaving, so I was quite nervous about trying it for the first time. I did nick myself a couple of times, but it was surprisingly easy to handle — and not the monster some people make it out to be
. Since then I've been switching between Personna and Feather. The Gillette's are good too, but I prefer the other two. In terms of smoothness, Personna seems to be the blade of choice. While not quite as sharp as the Feather, the Personna also seems to last longer. With the Feather I only get about two or three head-shaves before it feels dull and becomes uncomfortable. Personna seems to give me four smooth shaves.
I ran out of Personna blades last week and had to order some new ones. Unfortunately they weren't in stock at the time, so I decided to give the Derby Extra another go, just for the heck of it. To make it a fair comparison, I did everything as I normally would. Shower first, MWF soap, Mühle synthetic brush and Proraso ASB. And man... While I didn't expect the Derby blade to do as well as the others, I certainly didn't expect it to perform this badly either. This was probably the most uncomfortable shave I've ever had. My scalp felt raw and was full of razor burn and bumps. I had to take a four day break from shaving, just to let my skin calm down and heal up.
So of the blades I've used so far, I guess my least favorite blade would be the Derby Extra.
And right off the bat it was clear just how inferior the Derby blades were. Trying out the Personna Blue first, it was a completely different shaving experience. It required much less effort to shave, it was both sharper and a lot smoother. With the Derby I always had to go over the same spot atleast twice before getting a satisfying result. And even with a brand new blade, it still felt as if it was tucking on the hair/skin a lot more than with any of the other blades.
In terms of sharpness, Feather is the clear cut winner. I was quite surprised how well this blade works for me. I primarily use my DE razor (still the Mühle R89 Twist) for head-shaving, so I was quite nervous about trying it for the first time. I did nick myself a couple of times, but it was surprisingly easy to handle — and not the monster some people make it out to be
. Since then I've been switching between Personna and Feather. The Gillette's are good too, but I prefer the other two. In terms of smoothness, Personna seems to be the blade of choice. While not quite as sharp as the Feather, the Personna also seems to last longer. With the Feather I only get about two or three head-shaves before it feels dull and becomes uncomfortable. Personna seems to give me four smooth shaves.I ran out of Personna blades last week and had to order some new ones. Unfortunately they weren't in stock at the time, so I decided to give the Derby Extra another go, just for the heck of it. To make it a fair comparison, I did everything as I normally would. Shower first, MWF soap, Mühle synthetic brush and Proraso ASB. And man... While I didn't expect the Derby blade to do as well as the others, I certainly didn't expect it to perform this badly either. This was probably the most uncomfortable shave I've ever had. My scalp felt raw and was full of razor burn and bumps. I had to take a four day break from shaving, just to let my skin calm down and heal up.
So of the blades I've used so far, I guess my least favorite blade would be the Derby Extra.
To be honest...I have tried Feather, Personna Labs, Rapira Platimum Lux and Astra SP. The all do a pretty good job. I have to admit though that there are heaps of samples left in my sample pack and some do scare me enough not to use - Derby, Shark and Bic Chrome Platinums. Next most feared are the Merkurs. I shouldn't **** on anything before I try it though should I? One man's meat is another's poison and abject hatred must be earned.
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You make a great point, the are sharp and not a good beginner blade, I get 7 great shaves out of them and do currently use them!
I've tried about 20 different blades in various razors and can honestly say, YMMV. What didn't work from me with a given razor on my face may be your favorite so it isn't for me to try to tell anyone what the worst blade is.
Realizing how subjective all this is, I am surprised at how often Derbys are mentioned as among the worst blades. Considering Derby along with, say, Super Max or Sharp seems entirely wrong to me. I have experienced quality control issues with Derbys, but when you get the right ones (which is most of the time) they are solid, middle-level blades. Nowhere near as good as, say, Feathers, but certainly not among the worst.
This week I began with a Muhle blade that came with my new R89. This is not the worst blade I have ever used, but it is mediocre at best. I pitched it after the third shave and switched to a Derby. The difference was huge. I wouldn't say I got a BBS with the Derby, but it was overall a smooth and effective shave.
This week I began with a Muhle blade that came with my new R89. This is not the worst blade I have ever used, but it is mediocre at best. I pitched it after the third shave and switched to a Derby. The difference was huge. I wouldn't say I got a BBS with the Derby, but it was overall a smooth and effective shave.
I have to nominate Blue Birds and the Korean Dorco blades. I've only tried one of each (and have several more, should I want to torture myself again) and I couldn't go continue after a few passes. The tugging and discomfort was ridiculous.
Derby. The ones I have tried are HORRIBLE, and DULL.
I am new to B&B but not new to wet shaving. I've been wet shaving for over 40 years and have used cartridge, DE, and straight. It's been quite a few years since I used a DE. Currently, I use a Dovo 6/8ths straight. But, I'm considering DE again. When I used DE, Gillette blue blades were my choice. I have never found a Wilkinson or Schick that I could tolerate. Of course, the many blades available now were not readily available for the average shaver in 1975. I can't even find Gillette Blue Blades now.
BTW, Gillette Blue Blades were the company's top selling product world wide in the 1990's. The manufacturing process was also very protected in terms of specific process times and velocities. What today compares to the old blue blades?
BTW, Gillette Blue Blades were the company's top selling product world wide in the 1990's. The manufacturing process was also very protected in terms of specific process times and velocities. What today compares to the old blue blades?
ASTRA SP. irritates my skins very easily....which goes against what people are saying about it being smooth. I experienced the opposite.
I had been using Astra SP blades; but over the past six months, just can't use them any longer: they feel harsh and scrape rather than shear, irritating my skin. I understand this means my skin, not the blade, has undergone a change. Regardless, searching for a new go-to blade and have ordered a custom sample pack from TryABlade.
Nonetheless, nothing is worse for me than Dorco and Derby.
Try an Astra SS. Can't stand SPs but SSs are amazing!
I kind of pride myself on being able to work with any blade...but yesterday tried a Topaz.
Well, did not used so many blades, but, for me, it must be Bic Astor Stainless. I actually ended up to throw away 3 unused blades. Tried out two of them in Muhle R106, thinking that the first one might have been faulty. Second one was the same. I actually tried to end a pass with it, and it was a pain. A lot of tugging, the hair pretty much remained there. At least they did not cut me, too dull even for that.
My worst blade was a Zorrick (alas poor Zorrick). These use sputter technology, where a thin layer of metal ions is sprayed onto a surface using electrostatic attraction. Why they bothered, I'm not sure. The blade is horrible. Other nasties are Dorca, Bic and Shark.
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