Can you recommend a few brands of your favorites for a newbie , sensitive skin as well.
BLADES for a NEWBIE
- Thread starter love_the_experience
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Space_Cadet
I don't have a funny description.
Sensitive skin...
Personna Red (most smooth)
Viking's Sword
Lord Platinum
Voskhod
Treet DuraSharp
Personna Red (most smooth)
Viking's Sword
Lord Platinum
Voskhod
Treet DuraSharp
Astra Superior Platinums. Very forgiving and excellent value.
Another vote for Personna red, aka Platinum Chrome.
You can get the Viking's Sword blade as part of a larger Israeli Personna blades with this sample pack:
http://liorfe.com/collections/sampl...uble-edge-blades-sample-pack-for-safety-razor
Astra SP, Gillette Silver Blue
I'm going to go against conventional wisdom and say not to get the Astra SP. I started with them and got OK shaves. Once I switched to a sharper blade, the Gillette Silver Blues, my shaves greatly improved. I've revisited the Astra's and they still don't work for me. My vote is for the GSB.
Astra SP. Cheap and effective, and easy on the skin. A friend has sensitive skin and they work for him, no razor burn.
Another vote for Astra. They're boring, which is sometimes just what I need. If I've shaved multiple days in a row and I want an uneventful but close shave, Astra SP in an EJ89 for me.
Space_Cadet
I don't have a funny description.
Astra didn't work for me. But in blades it is very YMMV.
One of my favorites is also one of the least expensive blades out there now; Rapira Platinum Lux. Gives a great sharp, smooth shave, and you can get 100 of them now on Ebay for $10, including shipping.
I think newbies should always have a range of blades from moderate to sharp because they never know what their real needs are. Also the blades should be weighted to the cheaper ones, so that if they can't tell a difference, not much money is wasted if they end up with several packs that they look upon later as inferior.
Given those constraints, I plump for Derby, Shark, Astra SP, Personna Lab, Rapira Platinum Lux, Voskhod, and then a couple higher end blades like GSB, Feather, and Polsilver SI or 7 O'Clock Black. This covers a wide enough range and it also protects the newbie a bit from jumping into the sharpest ones first. They should avoid blades that are high cost but not universally loved like Merkur or Bolzanno. Maybe he would come to think they are the greatest thing later, but odds are against it. Even if it turns out to be good, there are probably equally good blades at a cheaper price.
Given those constraints, I plump for Derby, Shark, Astra SP, Personna Lab, Rapira Platinum Lux, Voskhod, and then a couple higher end blades like GSB, Feather, and Polsilver SI or 7 O'Clock Black. This covers a wide enough range and it also protects the newbie a bit from jumping into the sharpest ones first. They should avoid blades that are high cost but not universally loved like Merkur or Bolzanno. Maybe he would come to think they are the greatest thing later, but odds are against it. Even if it turns out to be good, there are probably equally good blades at a cheaper price.
Eventually, you'll learn to get a good shave from several different blades, the only difference being price, longevity, and comfort. To limit the daily hassle is why we pick favorites.
This forum contains great but sometimes conflicting advise because everyone is different. That said, you'll see patterns if you spend enough time reading on the forum. Four or five blades will seem to be on most people's best lists. This simply increases your odds of making good choices and not wasting time and money. Bad experiences linger. And money is never the key reason for me, especially with a health and beauty product.
Therefore, I'm not a fan of samples. When it comes to time and money, I prefer expert advise and user experience... over trial and error, especially if I'm unfamiliar with something. This just helps you narrow down, then match the best of those to your face/razor/prep. Search the forum for best lists and buy five highly regarded ones. In that spirit, here's mine:
Personna Red Israili (to start)
Polsilver Super Iridium (to land)
Gillette 7 o'clock Black (to land)
This forum contains great but sometimes conflicting advise because everyone is different. That said, you'll see patterns if you spend enough time reading on the forum. Four or five blades will seem to be on most people's best lists. This simply increases your odds of making good choices and not wasting time and money. Bad experiences linger. And money is never the key reason for me, especially with a health and beauty product.
Therefore, I'm not a fan of samples. When it comes to time and money, I prefer expert advise and user experience... over trial and error, especially if I'm unfamiliar with something. This just helps you narrow down, then match the best of those to your face/razor/prep. Search the forum for best lists and buy five highly regarded ones. In that spirit, here's mine:
Personna Red Israili (to start)
Polsilver Super Iridium (to land)
Gillette 7 o'clock Black (to land)
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I'd rather be learning with a good blade, than suffering through a bunch of mediocre blades.
Start with something smooth and sharp:
Gillette 7 o'clock Black.
Start with something smooth and sharp:
Gillette 7 o'clock Black.
But that's why we need samples because YMMV. For me, the Blacks are sharp but not quite as smooth as I'd like. I think they could become a favorite eventually but I'm glad I didn't start with them. I think GSB are a much better balance of smooth and sharp in all razors, and especially for a beginner. And for those who can do without having the sharpest, I think Voskhods or Astras are a better blade with which to start.
As many have noted, there are about four or five blades that always get mentioned despite disagreements. Get them and see which sets of opinions you agree with and go from there.
As many have noted, there are about four or five blades that always get mentioned despite disagreements. Get them and see which sets of opinions you agree with and go from there.
I started out with three blades: Personna Red, Astra SP, and Gillette Silver Blues. I did not care for the Personnas. The Astra SPs were just OK for me..but not great. The Gillette Silver Blues were awesome. I could tell a difference right away. YMMV but you should definitely include some GSBs in your sampler!
Gillette 7 O'Clock Blacks were one of my first blades and I found them to give very good results.
+1, both excellent blades.
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