First Shave

Hello Gents! November is over and so is my beard!!! my first shave was awesome and i learned some interesting things.

1. my synthetic brush from the body shop is horrible. haha, I ordered a new Omega Boars hair, should be here shortly.

2. I was also having trouble getting a real clean shave with the Derby blades that came with my E J, Luckily I purchased some Feather blades when i purchased my razor.

??? for all you exp shavers. would you give the derby blade another shot or just try the feathers? i also have some astra's arriving in the mail.

although i had a few negatives i can say the whole exp was very enjoyable. just can't wait to get into my regular groove with the products that i really enjoy.


thanks,

Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. I would just forget the Derbys. Feathers and Astras are both excellent blades, so why waste your time on Derbys.

Welcome to B&B. Good to have you here. Astras are good, Feathers are better (according to some). I'll take Personna Med Prep and Lab Blue over any blade out there. Also consider the Gillette 7 O'Clock in various colors (yellow worked best for me)

I'd shelf the derby for now and then come back to it a few months from now. I don't care for derby blades, but some really enjoy them.

Congrats. Glad to hear that your first shave went so well. They only get better and better!

I'm on my second shave. Astras worked pretty well so far for me.. Only blade I have as I bought a 100 pack, so well just have to see.

Your opinion on blades will change as you develop your technique. Blades that you thought were terrible when you started out may turn out the be quite good as you gain experinece.

Welcome, I wouldn't give the Derbies a new chance. They have the reputation of being a bad blade for many people. You should be unique if they worked for you. You should try the Astra SP. They are very good and they will give you a great shave.

I had bad experience with the Derby too as it was the first blade I ever used, still it outperformed the Fusion lol. You should try to get your hands on a blade sampler. The Astra used to be my number one blade until I got a Permasharp. I still use the Astra's often as I have 200 of them.

Welcome to the forum, glad you have joined. Congrats on your first shave, the shaves will only get better. I would suggest a blade sampler.

You have blades on opposite ends of the spectrum right now. I would second the notion of getting a sampler, try some in the middle and you might find one you like.

Greetings, and congrats on a great shave! I think Astras are a good blade choice. I used Astras for the first 6 months or so of DE shaving before I moved on to Feathers. A blade sampler pack is also a great way to get acquainted with the different blade choices out there. Which ever blade you decide to go with, it is usually a good idea to stick with the same blade for a month or so while you get your technique 'dialled in'. It sounds like you are off to an excellent start to your DE shaving journey. Enjoy the shaves!!

The Derby's were the second blade I ever tried. I pretty much butchered my face. While the blade wasn't the only problem, it scarred me mentally as well as physically enough that I won't go back to them, at least in the short term.
I'm currently working my way through a sampler pack starting with Merkurs, then Derby's. I switched back to Merkurs briefly while I worked on improving my technique a little, then moved on to the next ones, the Astra SP. Absolutely love them. YMMV of course but for a newbie like me they are sharp yet forgiving enough to produce a DFS and even BBS in some areas. Most importantly, no irritation and no blood loss.

Welcome!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forum !!

Welcome to B&B! Astra SPs are a good, middle-of-the-road blade. I frequently use them in my more aggressive, vintage razors. For milder razors, the super-sharp Feather blades are my choice.

captp said:

Welcome to B&B. Good to have you here. Astras are good, Feathers are better (according to some). I'll take Personna Med Prep and Lab Blue over any blade out there. Also consider the Gillette 7 O'Clock in various colors (yellow worked best for me)

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I agree on the Med Preps. After going through 6 other brands, I settled on this one. I've never tried the Labs. How do they compare?

ssjadman: I've kept blades around from my original sampler pack and will go back to them when I change up something else to see if they are any better with this soap, or that razor. But... I wouldn't use them for the sake of using them up. An enjoyable shave is too good an experience to pass up.

MpMinNY said:

I agree on the Med Preps. After going through 6 other brands, I settled on this one. I've never tried the Labs. How do they compare?

ssjadman: I've kept blades around from my original sampler pack and will go back to them when I change up something else to see if they are any better with this soap, or that razor. But... I wouldn't use them for the sake of using them up. An enjoyable shave is too good an experience to pass up.

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I think the Med Prep is just a bare step above the Lab Blue. Med Prep=95 Lab Blue=94
The Blues are a good bit cheaper, but so close to the Preps.

Welcome to B&B.