Voskhod vs Astra SP

After shaving with the Astra SP for a couple of seeks, I moved to using a Voskhod for a change to see how that brand played with my trusty little Blue Tip SS. Second day with the V, I can definitely tell that it does not seem to be nearly as smooth as the Astra. Shaves are OK, but not as close and for the first time, I feel an ever so slight bit of razor burn. Still, no cuts, nicks or irritation. Still not as smooth a blade. Just my 2c !
Astras really are great buys!

I also found the Voskhod to be great but not as good as Astra. For the price difference, I won't change the inventory (i.e. happy to pay for Astra). However, I have a few and I still rotate them, it's good to know that they are out there.

LOVE Astra SP blades, HATE the wax dots! Were it not for the wax dots, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them by the 100. As it stands, I'm thinking about trading my remaining Astra SPs for something else without wax dots. I just bought 100 Voskhods as well as 100 Rapira Plat Lux from a Russian vendor on Ebay which came out to $8.40 per 100 delivered. Voskhods are a very nice blade but the Astra SPs may have a slight edge over them performance-wise.

Voskhods < Astra SP < Israeli Red.

Out of my blade sampler pack I tried both and for me the astra sp was alot smoother.

Your analysis is spot on. I got some Voskhods as a freebie with a razor. My experience is the same as yours, but I'll use these up rather than toss them, but I won't buy any more.

jwr0201 said:

After shaving with the Astra SP for a couple of seeks, I moved to using a Voskhod for a change to see how that brand played with my trusty little Blue Tip SS. Second day with the V, I can definitely tell that it does not seem to be nearly as smooth as the Astra. Shaves are OK, but not as close and for the first time, I feel an ever so slight bit of razor burn. Still, no cuts, nicks or irritation. Still not as smooth a blade. Just my 2c !
Astras really are great buys!

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I love Voskhod's. It's my goto blade. I have 100 on hand, and another 100 on the way. Blades are such a YMMV thing, it's a really good thing we have so many choices. I never got along with Astra SP either.

Old Sure Hand said:

By my feeling:

Voskhods are smoother blades than Astras.
Astras are sharper blades than Voskhods.

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What he said...
But they're pretty close. I use both interchangeably

Now here is an example of Badger and Blade opening up new horizons for a member. I use astras and polsilver most of the time. I thought I heard of everything there is out there in blades and now I know I haven't . I never heard of the Voshkods before. Time to buy a 5 pack. Thanks for aiding the RAD or in this case BAD

I have used a few Astra SP blades, and I find them to be good blades. I recently received a couple of Voskhod blades from a PIF consolation prize, and I've tried one so far. Honestly, I'm not too fond of it. I shaved with it twice, then had to get rid of it. The blade was fine during the shave, but my face burned afterward. Everything else in my routine was familiar, so the only variable was the blade. It just didn't work for me. I still have one left, so I'll have to see if the first one was just a dud.

How does the rapira platinum lux compare to the astra?

Voskhods < Israeli Red. = Sputnik < Astra SP = Gillette Wilkinson Sword

My top 5 Blades

I tried Voskhods in many different razors, and I REALLY wanted to like them. They were always a hair puller. The Astras always smooth.

Voskhod and Astra are my two go-to blades, and the only ones I've bought in bulk. My experience is that Voskhod are smoother but Astra give better results, i.e. a closer cut. I'm honestly surprised to read a review saying Voskhod are less smooth than, well, almost any other brand. But Astra come pretty darned close on the smoothness scale, so I attribute the difference to the YMMV factor.

I should mention that Voskhod provide a very close and comfortable shave in my more aggressive razor, a Cadet open comb. They're just as smooth but don't cut as closely in my less aggressive one, a Merkur 34c (HD).

To anyone who had tried both and liked then OK, especially preferring the Astra, I recommend also trying the Gillette 7 O'Clock green (Russian) box. They're more expensive, but give the best of both worlds, IMO.

Old Sure Hand said:

By my feeling:

Voskhods are smoother blades than Astras.
Astras are sharper blades than Voskhods.

Click to expand...

My experience matches yours. The Voskhods were smooth but a bit tuggy for me. I prefer the Rapira Swedish SS and Plat Lux to them.

I'll be the spoiler...Voskhods are my #1. Astra SP's are my #5.

I am normally a Feather/Polsilver kind of guy. When I skin gets beaten up from daily shaving, I go to the Voskhod. Not quite as sharp as my standards, but very smooth. Just ordered 200 Voskhod from Russia for $16.60 delivered. (the weak Ruble is my friend.) I have tried Astra several times over the years. Never did anything for me.

Received my Voskhod shipment. I decided to use them in the same razor I just had a three day use of an Astra blade in. The end product was similar between the two blades but as some other people have mentioned the Voskhod tugs while the Astra was smooth. The razor used was the Merkur 1904/1906 in both. I am curious to see if the Voskhod gets smoother today