Galaktus' razor blade journal

Well, fellow B&B'ers, I have accumulated a bunch of different brand razor blades so far in my wet shaving journey. I am trying to pare things down, anti-RAD, so to speak, but still want to give all these brands a fair shot. Here is what I have accumulated, from sample packs, B&B rave reviews, impulse buys, etc.
7 AM Hi Platinum
Astra SS
Astra SP
Balaka Carbon
Big Ben Super Stainless
Feather
Gillette Blue Blades (vintage)
Gillette Sharp Edge 7 O'clock Yellow
Gillette Silver Blue
Gillette Super Blue Blades
Gillette Super Platinum 7 O'clock Black
Goldtone (vintage)
Kai
Lord Platinum
Lord Super Stainless
PermaSharp
Personna Lab Blue
Personna Med Prep
PolSilver Super Iridium
Racer Super Stainless
Shamrock (vintage)
Shark Super Chrome
Shark Super Stainless
Sharp Hi Chromium Durablade
Sheffield MFG Co (vintage)
Sputnik
Star Double Edge (vintage)
SuperMax Super Stainless
SuperMax Platinum
SuperMax Titanium
Treet Black Beauty
Treet Dura Sharp
Trig Silver Edge Stainless
Unknown/unmarked in plastic container
Voskhod
Wilkinson Sword
Zorik Super Stainless

37 different brands total, 5 vintage. I don't think I will be testing the vintage blades, so 32 brands to test.
I will be doing these in list (alphabetical) order, 2 blades, 2 shaves with each blade. Some of these I have tried (about 1/3 of the list), but most I have not.
Unless noted in the individual test/reviews, here are the constants:
Prep will be pre-shower shave.
Razor will be Weber PH.
Soap will be Stirlings, I have 9 different sample pucks to go through, so I imagine that Stirlings will be used for the majority of the test unless on a whim I decide to use another soap or cream.
Brush will be an Omega 10049 or 10810.
Aftershave will be some form of Clubman. I like to evaluate the level of burn as part of my testing and review.
When I am done testing, I will PIF the entire lot (of my non top tiers) to a lucky winner. YMMV, so what may be bad for me can be a great blade to someone else.

Side note: Of the brands I have tried so far, there are two gold standards that are the best blades to me. Personna Med Preps and PolSilver SI.

I like to wait a few hours after my shave to fully evaluate it. Sometimes, I can feel stubble coming back after just a few short hours.
So, onto my first review:
7am Hi Platinum.
Prep was a few cold water face washes, a few minutes in between each one, give the whiskers time to soften up. Then I lathered up, and started shaving.
The shave went very well, no nicks or weepers, no pulling. I did my usual WTG, ATG, and on the neck, XTG both ways (ears to Adams Apple, then reverse). I did notice afterwards that I missed a few spots I could have used a touch up on. Aftershave was Clubman Special Reserve. Nice stuff. Slight burn under my jawline, but it went away quickly.
About 4 hours after my shave, I still felt nice smooth areas.
Some blades give me a very close shave, but my skin feels "rough". Some blades make my skin feel "rubbery smooth". The 7am Hi Platinum was in the middle.

Second shave with the 7am Hi Platinum. Shower prep. The shave seemed a bit smoother today, but I did get three small weepers on the right side of my neck. These were done on the third pass, the ear to throat XTG pass. Still a pretty good shave. Skin felt smooth but not rubbery after my skin dried. After shave was Clubman Special Reserve, and I would describe the feeling as between burn and tingle, if that makes sense. Stubble at a minimum 8 hours later. I am pleasantly surprised by this blade, I thought it was a low quality blade. So much for thinking. Would I buy this blade again? No, compared to my gold standards. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it's use.
In the interest of trying to keep my blade journals a bit more interesting, I am going to only do one blade for two days. Tomorrow, Astra Superior Stainless.

First shave with Astra SS. Shower prep, Stirling Lemony Orange soap whipped up with an Omega 10810. Four pass shave, WTG, ATG, and on the neck sideways both ways, One small weeper, right side of my neck. The shave was very smooth, the blade was very sharp. After shave, Clubman Special Reserve. The burn seemed to go away very quickly, and wasn't very "hot". More than a tingle, less than a full burn. Post shave, my skin felt smooth, but not rubbery. A few hours later, my neck still feels very smooth.
Looking forward to tomorrow.

Took a few days off this weekend, and back to shave #2 with the Astra SS. For some reason, I'm not sure, I only did three passes. One r to l pass on my neck. Felt pretty good after I did three passes, didn't think I'd need a fourth. After shave burn was very minimal, and pleasant. My skin was velvety smooth post shave.
Well a few hours later, chin and cheeks still smooth but neck, I can feel stubble. I'm kind of disappointed I didn't do my usual 4 pass shave. Oh well. I may come back and try the Astra SS again, after the first round is done . Would I buy the SS again? To be fair, I would have to test it again. Today's shave imperfections I feel were my fault, not the blades. Tomorrow is the Astra SP.

First shave with an Astra Superior Platinum. The blade was sharp, the shave smooth. Not quite as smooth as the SS, but close. Did my four pass shave. No weepers or nicks. After shave burn was a bit more than I remember from yesterday, used Clubman today. After my skin dried, my face was smooth but not velvety or rubbery.
A few hours post-shave, skin still smooth, but when I faceturbate, I can feel a slight irritation.

Second shave with an Astra SP. The shave went well, nothing spectacular. Two tiny weepers on the bottom of my neck. A good amount of after shave burn. A few hours later, and I feel stubble on my neck. This is one of those blades you want to like, but the performance says otherwise.

This is similar to what I doing with my blade sampler, but on a smaller scale. I am using all my razors, using a blade two times in each one. I have found that my Merkur likes different blades than my Gillettes, which likes different blades than my EJ89. It does get frustrating though, doesn't it? I want to try out so many blades, but can only shave once a day.

Keep up the good work.

Good idea to keep a sort of journal on your blades. I've learned only recently that there can be a significant difference in closeness between razors, so it's great to systematically weed out the ones you don't want, and concentrate on the ones that work with your razor.

The only one I'm aching to get is the UK Wilkinson Sword, but that's not being manufactured anymore.

I have few razors, but my Weber Is my "go-to" razor. Love the feel, the heft, everything about it. I also have a birth quarter Super Speed, an old tech, and a Merkur 25c open comb. But I love my Weber, so that;s the only one I'm using for this test.

First (and last) partial shave with Balaka blades: These are carbon steel, and I bought them on a whim from Shoebox Shave Shop. They say they are made from the same company that makes Sharp razor blades. I am not sure where they are made, though.
Usual prep was a shower. Swirled up some Stirling Electric Sheep with my Omega '49. Lathered up my face. All is good so far. The Balaka was pre-loaded into my Weber. Started, as usual with my right cheek. Damn! Nothing but pulling! Yes, the whiskers were being cut, but it was quite uncomfortable. Let me try my left cheek. Started at my sideburn, and got the same result. I could NOT see my dragging this blade across my neck, no pressure or not.
I know I am supposed to be reviewing these blades, but not at the risk of my skin. I took the blade out and went with the next blade on my list, Big Ben Super Stainless. I will wait a few hours for the Big Ben review.

First shave with a Big Ben Super Stainless. It was a close, comfortable, smooth shave. No nicks or weepers. And, not a trace of after shave burn! Amazing!
A few hours after, I can feel stubble returning. As close and comfortable the shave was, I'm actually surprised that I feel neck stubble only 4 hours later.

Second shave with the Big Ben Super Stainless. I used some Mitchells Wool Fat soap today. The shave was comfortable, no tugging or pulling. One small weeper on the very middle of my neck.
A bit of noticeable after shave burn.
A few hours post-shave, I feel irritation when I faceturbate.
It looks like I won't be buying these anymore.

The Fearsome Feather.
The shave proved to me again that the Feather is indeed very sharp. The shave went well, a few tiny weepers at various parts of my neck. Very little localized after shave burn, but it went away quickly.. After my skin dried, my face felt smooth but not rubbery or velvety. A few hours later, my skin is still smooth, and no stubble yet.
Yesterday's shave, with the Big Ben, I could feel irritation when I rubbed my face. Not so with a Feather. Still not my favorite blade, but an admirable blade anyway.

Second shave with the Feather blade. Used Palmolive lather cream today. A CCS. Slight burn when splashing with Clubman. After reading my last post of Feather shave #1, it was pretty much the same except for only one weeper. A little irritation when faceturbating on my neck.
Would I buy them again? Probably not.

Working my way through a blade sampler, I give the blades either a plus or a minus. There has only been two brands I've been impressed enough to give a ++. Most blades have gotten a plus. Two have been given a minus. What it boils down to is that most brands are adequate. Few are outstanding and a few are garbage. The trick is finding the outstanding blades for your face.

Keep trying those blades world eater.

SteveE1959 said:

What it boils down to is that most brands are adequate. Few are outstanding and a few are garbage. The trick is finding the outstanding blades for your face.
Keep trying those blades world eater.

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Yes, I seem to have come to this conclusion also. Most blades will shave you well, nothing to write home about though. Some blades are shaving Nirvana. And a few are kryptonite on your face. I kind of thought of a Bell Curve chart, with about 80% in the middle as adequate, and the other 20% evenly split on the "garbage" and outstanding" sides.

Take today's shave, first with a Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (yellow). Wow, rough shave. Probabaly have shed more blood with this blade than any other. Nicks in places I don't usually get them. But, the AS burn was almost non-existant (except where there were open cuts). First time I had to use a syptic pencil in a long while.
I am not going to use this same blade tomorrow, but I am going to put in a fresh one. I am assuming that I got a bad blade. Tomorrow will tell.

Second try with a Gillette SharpEdge (yellow). Today, I used it in my Super Speed, and had a wholly different experience. No nicks, smooth shave but not the closest. No after shave burn. Not impressed with this bade, going into the PIF bag. Tomorrow, the Gillette Silver Blue and back to the Weber.

Taking a day or two off from my regular blade sampler reviewing. Got a new Parker 26C and loaded it with a Med Prep. That's one of my go-to blades. I figure it wouldn't be a fair test if I used a brand new and unfamiliar razor for a review.

Derby is a blade with a bad reputation with many members here. However I found that for my head, they are perfectly okay. I acquired 100 of them on a deal I made. I can't seem to give them away, figuratively speaking. I've just resigned myself to using them on my head. But on my face, that a different matter.

Keep on shaving, as I am following your lead on this. Don't have as many different blades as you, but the ones I have I try after you do.