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New Guy In Town. Astra SP. Bad Idea!

T

Tom5746

So, i'm new to the game of "wet shaving" as i've used a Phillips Arc 4 electric for the past 3 years and before that other various electrics since 2004. A few weeks ago I decided to dive into wet shaving and see what it was really all about... So, I went on an interwebs binge and purchased various shaving tools, soaps, blades and aftershaves..

-Merkur 38c "barber pole" DE razor
-Crux DE razor
-Caties Bubbles LPV - This must have pepper in it!
-Plisson Original shave brush ( I was in NYC with my wife on Valentines day and found one )
-Fine American Blend Aftershave (also ordered a sample of Fine Platinum)
-Lord Super Stainless Blades
-Astra SP Blades
-Personna Red Israeli Blades
-Omega Hi-Brush Synthetic (0146745)
-Aqua Velva Aftershave
-Black Ceramic Shave Mug
-Nivea Senitive shave balm
-Nivea Sensitive shave balm with cooling
-Nivea Sensitive shave cream
-Clubman Styptic stick
-Everyman Jack cooling Mint aftershave balm/lotion

SO, i was ready to go! Once my order came in i was like a kid at Christmas and i couldnt wait to shave. I chose a personna red as my first blade and had about 3 days worth of growth on my face (I have a thick, heavy irish/italian beard) and then got to it. With my first shave I really took my time! I didnt go against the grain at all and with my beard that meant a less than perfect shave, but i was ok with that as i knew it would improve greatly with practice. My next shave, I kept the same blade and shaved the very next day. This time, the shave was much better and closer! Then, 2 days later I chose a Lord super stainless and i was really impressed! My face felt so smooth and I had zero nicks! I used that same blade 2 more times and loved both shaves equally!

Then.. TODAY happened! For some reason.. And i don't know why because i research the heck out of everything before i do it.. I threw in an Astra SP blade and went at it. I had the idea that an Astra SP was about the same in sharpness as a Lord Super Stainless, maybe even more forgiving.. I..was..so..wrong. immediatly when i went against the grain on my neck i felt like i was using all blade and nothing else! I was perplexed, but continued to shave.. and when i was done i had about a total of 9 nicks all over my face and neck. It looked like i shaved with a piece of glass..Yea, it was that bad. I shaved this morning at about 10am and it's almost 6 in the evening and my face still stings like it's raw.

Moral of the story? Don't be an idiot.. make sure you know what your blades are capable of BEFORE you start shaving with them! The entire time shaving all i could hear in the background was Homer going "DOH!"..

Oh.. and HI! I'm Tom :) :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
AbbyW2

AbbyW2

Welcome. I see you're not really asking for advice. You've acquired enough already to find many happy or unhappy surprises. Some of us don't accumulate that much equipment until we've had this disorder for over 2 weeks!
 
musicman1951

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Some blades don't work well in some razors and some blades don't work well on some faces. You also have to remember that sometimes you find a bad blade.
 
T

Tom5746

AbbyW2 said:
Welcome. I see you're not really asking for advice. You've acquired enough already to find many happy or unhappy surprises. Some of us don't accumulate that much equipment until we've had this disorder for over 2 weeks!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome! I kinda just went all out and decided if i was going to do this then it was worth doing right.. It is a lot of stuff though lol
 
T

Tom5746

musicman1951 said:
Some blades don't work well in some razors and some blades don't work well on some faces. You also have to remember that sometimes you find a bad blade.
Click to expand...

I'll keep the Astra SP blades and try them on another razor.. I've been eyeing up some old gillette razors on eBay.. Just trying to find a nice one.. I'm not really wanting to get one that has years of soap scum crusted to it haha
 
Daiku

Daiku

I love Astras, but it took me a while to fall in love with them. Earlier in my shaving career, I had terrible results with Astras, and greatly
preferred Personna Reds. Now, with some better and lots more experience, Astras are my absolute favorite blade to use. But there are more experienced shavers than me who hate them. Half the fun is finding your own signature combination!
 
williabe

williabe

Welcome to B&B. I didnt get along with Astra's in my EJ 3D, and they were even worse in my 39C (Similar weight to 38C).
I wanted to like them. They do get a lotta love around here...
 
dcoulombe

dcoulombe

A lot of people are loving these blades. Change to the blades that works for you now and revisit the Astra SP in a month or two. Maybe you'll get better results by then. If not, Just give them away.

Haven't tried those myself, but I've got 10 waiting for me to try.

EDIT: And welcome to B&B !
 
Last edited:
T

Tom5746

Thanks for the welcome messages guys! I guess I just assumed that the Astra SP was a mild blade considering so many people love it.. I have yet to use a feather blade but upon looking up the Astra SP it appears it's on par with the feather. So, i'll take the advice of revisiting this blade in a month or two after i have more shaves under my belt and go much slower next time too..
 
matt71

matt71

You are going to need a lot more than 10 shaves before you can start detecting the nuances of the hardware. I would stick with one blade (brand) and focus on technique for a while.
 
DaltonGang

DaltonGang

Some blades don't work well with some people, but, here's the kicker. You have just started, and your technique will improve greatly, over the next few months. Revisit the Astras in a few months, you might have a change of heart.
Good face preparation, and a shallow, light touch, with the razor.
Remember, ATG shaving can irritate the face on some.
 
Mick

Mick

proxy.php


Welcome to B&B

Prep is king..... Remember that and all will go well....

You must get your beard hydrated so that it cuts cleanly and smoothly. This can be done in the shower by using your hair shampoo on your beard area and leaving it sit while you complete your shower, rinsing it off last, then shaving right after showering.

If you cannot shave right after a shower wash your face twice with a glycerin based soap (Pears or Neutrogena). The first wash is to remove dirt and oils the second you should leave on to hydrate your beard while you set up your shaving tools. Sometimes I leave this second soaping on and apply lather directly to it sometimes I rinse lightly (just to dampen my face) than apply lather.

When shaving try to use short rapid motions, not long slow ones. You want to cut your beard not mow it down. Apply only enough pressure on the razor to keep it in contact with your face. Let the weight of the razor and the sharpness of the blade do the cutting.

Try to lock your wrist and elbow and move the entire arm that is holding the razor from the shoulder. This will help you keep a consistent blade angle as the entire razor will move in one plain since you are not adding several additional movements with your wrist and elbow.

Do not "flick your wrist" as the blade angle will swing wildly through your "flick".

This may seem awkward at first but after 6 months to a year of concentrating on this technique it will become natural and not require any thinking.

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame
 
Pepin

Pepin

That is why there is the YMMV line around here.

I also do not find the Astra blades the best (green).

Pick up more sample packs until you find the ones that work for you.

Lord Platinum,, Derby, Gillette Green,Gillette Black work well for me.
 
T

Tom5746

turtle said:
proxy.php


Welcome to B&B

Prep is king..... Remember that and all will go well....

You must get your beard hydrated so that it cuts cleanly and smoothly. This can be done in the shower by using your hair shampoo on your beard area and leaving it sit while you complete your shower, rinsing it off last, then shaving right after showering.

If you cannot shave right after a shower wash your face twice with a glycerin based soap (Pears or Neutrogena). The first wash is to remove dirt and oils the second you should leave on to hydrate your beard while you set up your shaving tools. Sometimes I leave this second soaping on and apply lather directly to it sometimes I rinse lightly (just to dampen my face) than apply lather.

When shaving try to use short rapid motions, not long slow ones. You want to cut your beard not mow it down. Apply only enough pressure on the razor to keep it in contact with your face. Let the weight of the razor and the sharpness of the blade do the cutting.

Try to lock your wrist and elbow and move the entire arm that is holding the razor from the shoulder. This will help you keep a consistent blade angle as the entire razor will move in one plain since you are not adding several additional movements with your wrist and elbow.

Do not "flick your wrist" as the blade angle will swing wildly through your "flick".

This may seem awkward at first but after 6 months to a year of concentrating on this technique it will become natural and not require any thinking.

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame
Click to expand...

That's some great advice! Thank you for the reply and I will follow your technique advice! I'm already learning a lot and it's only been my first day here :)
 
Gabeson

Gabeson

Tom5746 said:
So, i'm new to the game of "wet shaving" as i've used a Phillips Arc 4 electric for the past 3 years and before that other various electrics since 2004. A few weeks ago I decided to dive into wet shaving and see what it was really all about... So, I went on an interwebs binge and purchased various shaving tools, soaps, blades and aftershaves..

-Merkur 38c "barber pole" DE razor
-Crux DE razor
-Caties Bubbles LPV - This must have pepper in it!
-Plisson Original shave brush ( I was in NYC with my wife on Valentines day and found one )
-Fine American Blend Aftershave (also ordered a sample of Fine Platinum)
-Lord Super Stainless Blades
-Astra SP Blades
-Personna Red Israeli Blades
-Omega Hi-Brush Synthetic (0146745)
-Aqua Velva Aftershave
-Black Ceramic Shave Mug
-Nivea Senitive shave balm
-Nivea Sensitive shave balm with cooling
-Nivea Sensitive shave cream
-Clubman Styptic stick
-Everyman Jack cooling Mint aftershave balm/lotion

SO, i was ready to go! Once my order came in i was like a kid at Christmas and i couldnt wait to shave. I chose a personna red as my first blade and had about 3 days worth of growth on my face (I have a thick, heavy irish/italian beard) and then got to it. With my first shave I really took my time! I didnt go against the grain at all and with my beard that meant a less than perfect shave, but i was ok with that as i knew it would improve greatly with practice. My next shave, I kept the same blade and shaved the very next day. This time, the shave was much better and closer! Then, 2 days later I chose a Lord super stainless and i was really impressed! My face felt so smooth and I had zero nicks! I used that same blade 2 more times and loved both shaves equally!

Then.. TODAY happened! For some reason.. And i don't know why because i research the heck out of everything before i do it.. I threw in an Astra SP blade and went at it. I had the idea that an Astra SP was about the same in sharpness as a Lord Super Stainless, maybe even more forgiving.. I..was..so..wrong. immediatly when i went against the grain on my neck i felt like i was using all blade and nothing else! I was perplexed, but continued to shave.. and when i was done i had about a total of 9 nicks all over my face and neck. It looked like i shaved with a piece of glass..Yea, it was that bad. I shaved this morning at about 10am and it's almost 6 in the evening and my face still stings like it's raw.

Moral of the story? Don't be an idiot.. make sure you know what your blades are capable of BEFORE you start shaving with them! The entire time shaving all i could hear in the background was Homer going "DOH!"..

Oh.. and HI! I'm Tom :) :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I have tried a variety of blades and love the Astras. The Astra's are actually loved by many on this forum, so they are certainly a good blade. BUT - as we say...YMMV - your mileage may vary. No matter how premium the product, what works for one person, may not work for another.
Sometimes the process of elimination is frustrating - especially when you get 'harsh' results like you have just experienced!

May i just say, it is worth giving the Astra at least one more shot, i think anyway. The reason i say this is that i tried a Feather blade, and HATED it, but then i dared to try it again some weeks later (i threw the old Feather away and loaded up a new one) and had a much better experience. Since then, i realised that Feathers are still not for more, but still ended up performing really well, but my first one was either... a) a dud blade, or b) my technique required adjusting (most likely).

So, give it a go again, if you dare, that is, and see how it goes.

Oh, and welcome to B&B, always great to see new people around delving into the endless and wondrous rabbit hole that is wet shaving :thumbup:

:badger:
 
FL shaver

FL shaver

Sounds like you're off to a great start, despite the Astra SP experience. They are my favorite blade, but given your experience, they may not be yours. It sounds like you found two good blades, though. Enjoy the experimenting!
 
Orville

Orville

Astra SPs are definitely a favourite with many, myself included, but that is irrelevant. They did not work for you at this particular point in your shave history, so take it out and replace it. It could be any number of factors from technique, to a poor match up of blade and skin type. Why bother forcing things? Plenty of other blades out there that may work better for you . . . so keep searching.

As your technique improves, revisit an old blade that you swapped out previously. you might be surprised at how much better that blade becomes as you improve the skill level of your technique. And don't kid yourself, it IS a skill that requires time to learn. I had been shave with disposables and carts for almost two decades and switching to a DE razor (and now a Straight) was still an adjustment. You'll get there . . .
 
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