Suppliers Personna Pathology Blades for the Durham Duplex?

pjgh said:

Curious ... even with a light touch, I can clear my face and I have a tough beard. Give it some pressure? Contrary to all we've been conditioned to do, DDs can and do enjoy a little pressure.

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I've tried pressure with no luck. Is there any trick with the blade angle against the skin? Is there anything I'm missing when it comes to loading a blade in this razor? I'm happy to be exposed as a complete moron if it leads me to getting these razors to produce a good shave....

The only moronic thing would be NOT to ask when you're struggling ...

Hmmm ... angle? Put the cap directly against your face and give it a gentle angle. The blade is quite rigid and not curved by the tightening as DEs are. You may already be doing this, so the only other trick I can tell you is to perform a diagonal slide or slice with the motion.

If all that fails, you'll have to send me one of those blades and I'll see if they're dud.

pjgh said:

The only moronic thing would be NOT to ask when you're struggling ...

Hmmm ... angle? Put the cap directly against your face and give it a gentle angle. The blade is quite rigid and not curved by the tightening as DEs are. You may already be doing this, so the only other trick I can tell you is to perform a diagonal slide or slice with the motion.

If all that fails, you'll have to send me one of those blades and I'll see if they're dud.

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Well, looks like the only dud was me. I shaved with the 300 keeping the cap flat to the skin with minimal angling and a considerable amount of pressure and I achieved a BBS in three passes! There weren't any nicks or redness, but I sure felt the La Toja aftershave! Quite pleased. I think it's just going to take some practice.



Another question. What is the approximate lifespan of a Dog Dresser blade. And stropping and honing, would they be able to prolong the use of the blades indefinitely?

My usual routine with those blades is three two pass shaves (remember, my beard is tough but I don't like BBS as I have oily skin and risk ingrowers) ... where were we? Yes, three two pass shaves and then a good strop for each shave thereafter ... perhaps another three shaves. That feels about right.

Since the original thread was about Pathology blades, my regimen for those is strop first as they are surgically sharp! No, really? Strop first, four, even five shaves but the last couple are squeezing the last drops out of the bottle. Stropping does not seem to bring them back. If folks are familiar with Feather blades, consider these the Feather of the slotted blades.

Back to you, Harvid. Super! So, success at last. It is very curious, isn't it, why there is no irritation post-shave despite doing everything seemingly wrong? La Toja was an excellent choice and I'd say to carry on with that routine until you're finding it more natural. Also, don't beat yourself up about not catching the early train on this one ... I could never get injectors to work for me, despite doing exactly what folks were screaming at me: "top of the cap flat against your face and draw down ...". Nope, nothing, nada. Anyway ...

All this Durham talk forced me to accumulate a few along with some Pathology blades. I used the Duplex safety razor first with a fresh blade. It required a very shallow angle, but I must admit it was rather pleasant. The wide head makes for some quick passes and can be a bit tricky under the nose and around the jawline. My usual three pass shave resulted in a DFS without any irritation. I think I will use the same razor tomorrow and move on to the Dorset and then finally the shavette style Duplex and Demonstrator. If all goes well I may have to pick up some carpet blades for a comparison. Thanks for all the tips and encouragement gentlemen!

Super! Another Durham convert ...

blzrfn said:

If all goes well I may have to pick up some carpet blades for a comparison.

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I'll be curious to hear what you think of the pathology blades versus the carpet blades. I used the round-corner Personna ArmorEdge blades (61-0417) from Home Depot with success, though I have no point of comparison.

Another very good shave today with the 300 (I skipped shaving on Sunday). It is a very difficult razor to cut yourself with, even with the pressure being put on the blade. And the slide stroke does increase the efficiency of each pass. No significant burn when I applied the La Toja aftershave, so I must be getting the hang of these.

I may look into getting some of ArmorEdge blades for Christmas from my inlaws. The ideal stocking stuffer for the Durham fan.

I know I've said it before, but I find the re-growth in between shaves with a Durham razor to be softer. Great to hear you're getting some success now.

pjgh said:

I know I've said it before, but I find the re-growth in between shaves with a Durham razor to be softer. Great to hear you're getting some success now.

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+1
I notice very different regrowth from different razors and blades.
The Durhams create some of the best stubble in town!

Four days into the Durham experience and I am a bit surprised with the results. The first two shaves were with the Duplex DE style razor and the last two have been with a plastic handle Dorset. Both razors have given me the same results, DFS, which I attribute to the rather mild mannered nature. Whether that is the blade or the razors' design I am unsure. I will be using the aluminum handle Dorset tomorrow and then my Demonstrator and Duplex shavettes over the weekend. I am going to grab a fresh blade for tomorrow, even though I don't feel any real need to, just to make sure the first blade wasn't somehow defective. If I can't get a BBS by Sunday with the new blade I will go grab some carpet blades to see if they are any sharper. I have a strict rule that I won't keep any razor that I can't get a BBS with so the early results are a bit disappointing.

On a side note I am experiencing rust on the blade where it rests up against the razor parts. I'm not sure if it is the grade of stainless they used for these blades or something coming from the razor itself, but the rust is on the surface only and appears on the blade, not the razor. I will keep an eye on this situation as well.

Rust is normal. You're supposed to take it part and pat (not rub) the blade and razor dry and store them disassembled, which will help reduce rust.

My DD 300 seems to be working well, now that I've sorted the angle and increased level of pressure to be applied. It does give a very nice shave with good prep. Still working with the Dorset, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of that one.

Now, time to order some more blades. I may try the Personna ArmorEdge carpet blades...

Personally, I find the Dorset the toughest to get on with ... as well as the 300 (the combed guard on a stick), I have a 201 which is a Dorset-like head on a black plastic handle. At first appearance, you'd think the head is the same as the Dorset but it is just that little bit different ... that's my favourite of the T-shaped Durhams.

I'm still intrigued over these ArmorEdge blades. We simply don't have them over here (Britain, perhaps not Europe) ...

I used a Personna ArmorEdge last night. I also tried using pressure as suggested earlier in the thread. At first I was surprised how well it shaved...then I got to my neck, where it chewed me up a bit before getting down to SAS. DFS on the cheeks though, with minimal pink lather there.

pjgh said:

Personally, I find the Dorset the toughest to get on with ... as well as the 300 (the combed guard on a stick), I have a 201 which is a Dorset-like head on a black plastic handle. At first appearance, you'd think the head is the same as the Dorset but it is just that little bit different ... that's my favourite of the T-shaped Durhams.

I'm still intrigued over these ArmorEdge blades. We simply don't have them over here (Britain, perhaps not Europe) ...

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Well we don't get those blades here in Canada, but my inlaws are in upstate NY and are coming here for Christmas, so I thought they could bring me a pack to try.

As for the Dorset, it just clicked today and got an awesome shave with only one little nick. Looks like it is working for me.

So there is a 201? Well, now something new to hunt after!

The Dorset is listed as a 200 in the catalogue, the 300 being referred to as a "T Type" ... the 201 is this one:

I tried the carpet blades in the 300. I could not perceive any significant difference from the Dog Dresser blades. Got a great shave. Now I need to find a 201....

When I contacted Durham Duplex themselves about the claim on their website that the carpet cutter were the self-same specification as their old shaving blades, the story came a little more clear ... it would appear that Durham Duplex no longer make their own blades, but import them. Best guess is Personna, given how they've been Personna in EVERY pack of Durham Duplex branded hair trimmer and dog dresser pack I've found from current stock.

So, we could make that leap of assumption that the carpet cutters are suitable for our shaving needs. I've yet to try that type.

Well, the carpet cutters I got weren't even ArmorEdge. They were Personna, but with a different ID number than the ArmorEdge (the ArmorEdge weren't available at Home Depot in the US when my father-in-law picked these up for me 2 weeks ago). A 10 pack of the blades was about $3 USD with taxes. I think the 100 pack is about $15, so I'll likely invest in one of these.

Another question, though. I picked up a vintage Ingersoll stropper for the DD blades (still en route from that big auction site). Any experience with these in prolonging blade life?

I'm just happy that I've brought the Dorset into use. It's such a beautiful razor, that it just deserves to be used.