What's new

How many blades do you try . ?

if you enjoy trying blades, then i agree that there's no harm in doing what some others have suggested and trying them all. Hey, it's a hobby. Back in the days when "digital" still had to do with fingers, i knew photography hobbyists who enjoyed trying all the different high speed black and white 35mm film they could get their hands on, in combination with all the different developers they could come across. I have been to the range with people who derived great enjoyment from trying all the different types of .22lr ammo they could find. I even know of people who have dozens and dozens of yo-yo's, and who enjoy posting about the subtle difference in perceived vibe between a czech point and a yyf shutter. So i have no problem with the notion that some people may find it satisfying, somehow, to know that they sampled a hundred different types of double edged razor blades.

But if, for some reason, you don't derive any special pleasure from trying every razor blade you can find, and you simply want to zero in on one blade which will work well for you, you could probably look at the various lists of the 20 most well regarded blades, figure out which 10 or 12 are generally agreed to possess those particular qualities which you most value, then try them. Out of those 10 or 12, likely at least 2 or 3 will impress you as being truly great choices.

Buy a few hundred of the least expensive of those 2 or 3, and call it a day.

Warning: Until your technique is solid, there's little point in trying to find your ideal blade. Sort of how until your driving abilities reach a certain level, it's pointless to test drive porsche vs. Ferrari, in an effort to find the best performing sports car.

what he said.
x2
 
Great advice guys. I really appreciate it ! I'll continues my journey through the wide world of blades as I further develop my technique
(which has gotten really good in less than four weeks.) I'm finding that I'm really looking forward to shaving each evening ... no rush and more relaxing than in the morning.
 
I am a big fan of trying about 5 blades, like you did, and then sticking with your favorite for about a month. It will really let you get a feel for your technique. After a month or so, when you are feeling more comfortable and getting consistently good shaves, experiment all you want. Even then, it is a good idea to only change one thing at a time so you can pin point what works and what doesn't.
 
Thanks Parjay ..... Just what I've been thinking. So, ..... first shave with an Astra SP blade last night. Three passes, nice close shave with minimal irritation an no nicks or cuts. First impression is that the shave was just a little bit "not as smooth" as the Israeli Red Personna, but definitely smother and closer than either the previously tried Derby and Crystal. I'll do three more shaves with the Astra SP, and then decide whether to stick with it or the Israeli Red Personna for the next month. Here's the big question ..... when should I try the Feather ?
 
Thanks Parjay ..... Just what I've been thinking. So, ..... first shave with an Astra SP blade last night. Three passes, nice close shave with minimal irritation an no nicks or cuts. First impression is that the shave was just a little bit "not as smooth" as the Israeli Red Personna, but definitely smother and closer than either the previously tried Derby and Crystal. I'll do three more shaves with the Astra SP, and then decide whether to stick with it or the Israeli Red Personna for the next month. Here's the big question ..... when should I try the Feather ?
If you're getting nice shaves and minimal nicks you can try them now. They might not be your favorite, but they won't kill you either.

RJ - Chicago
Posted from my phone, please forgive typos.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
As your technique develops most likely your favorite blades will change. There is nothing wrong with sticking with your current favorites for a while and revisit the issue in a few months.

+1 There are no rules on how many to audition. It's probably a good idea to use one you like for a while and sample another bunch somewhere down the road when you get the urge.
 
Give the Astra blade at least 3 shaves before moving on. I do that with all the different blades I've tried and that will give you a real feeling for the blade. Your beard and skin conditions change daily so you can't really tell on one shave how good/bad a blade is. I've had days when I get a so-so shave with a certain blade and the next time I use it get a BBS with no irritation at all. Irritation can also be caused by using too much pressure or going over the same area toooo many times. Good luck in your hunt and remember to ENJOY.
(BTW - after trying bunches of blades the ASTRA SP are my go-to blade followed by the Personna's. Love em both)
 
I waited 5 months for my technique to become solid. Now this may have come about faster because I started with Feather.
 
So far I've tried Personna Blues, Gillette Platinum Plus (made in Brazil), Polsilver, Feather, (love the Feather), Astra SP, Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge (my second favorite) Voskhod, Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (made in India-not impressed with that blade), and Wilkinson Sword (made in Germany. ) So far my two favorites are Feather and Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge (yellow tuck made in Russia.) Those two seem to work the best in my Merkur HD34c. So I now have 50 Feather blades (30 on order), 30 7 o'clock yellows, those will be my go to blades. I also have 30 Gillette Silver Blues on order to try in my old Gillette SuperSpeed when I get home. So, find what you like and stick with it. Also, I've learned that a blade that doesn't work well in one razor might work great in another, which is why I'm not giving up on my less desirable blades (like the Personna Blues, the first DE blades I bought.) Gonna try them in an old 1930's British Souplex open comb that was generously PIF'ed to me. I guess YMMV is true as can be. Best of success on your DE shaving journey.
 
Give the Astra blade at least 3 shaves before moving on. I do that with all the different blades I've tried ....
I second this post. I can get many shaves out of almost any DE blade but I still do not consider myself to be an expert. Even now when trying new blades I sometimes find that the first shave and more often the second shave can be the more harsh feeling than shave number 3 or shave number 10+ with the same blade. So do not give up too soon with any particular blade.
 
At the start I tried Merkur and Derby, which I found comparable in performance but not in price. As I became more curious I got some more samples, to the point where I pretty much lost count. Of the ones I have tried, I cannot say one of them is vastly superior to others, but some seem to have a slight edge (no pun intended) over the competition. I would say once you have tried the Feather, you can sample some other blades that are almost the same grade for sharpness and perhaps a cut above for longevity. Those include Perma-Sharp, Gillette Silver Blue, and PolSilver SI. Low-price blades that are comparable to Derby include Zaza, Shark, and Astra. Voshkod seems to get a lot of good ratings for giving a good performance at a surprisingly low price point. Beyond those, you lose very little by trying any DE blade. They are cheap and abundant.
 
I really appreciate all your comments so far. This is terrific ! I just watched a bunch of "Top 5 DE Razor Blade" videos on YouTube (yes, my wife thinks I'm nuts, but she still loves me) and came up with a consensus of favorite blades. I then went to Tryablade.com and placed an order .... 5 blades each of PolSilver, Personna Lab Blue, Gillette Silver Blue, Voskhod, and Personna Israeli Red (original package, not the "UK" package I already have)..... and I also already have Feather, Astra SP, Crystal, and Derby (probably will toss the four Derby's I have left). The adventure continues ! Gee whiz, this is fun !
 
Just finished my third shave with the Astra SP blade in my Merkur 34C. One small nick mid-neck area. Like the first two Astra shaves, nice and close, but not as smooth as the Israeli Red Personna. I'm looking forward to going back to those two, and then trying the blades I'll be receiving from Tryablade.com. See the post right above this one. The adventure continues.
 
Last edited:
I really appreciate all your comments so far. This is terrific ! I just watched a bunch of "Top 5 DE Razor Blade" videos on YouTube (yes, my wife thinks I'm nuts, but she still loves me) and came up with a consensus of favorite blades. I then went to Tryablade.com and placed an order .... 5 blades each of PolSilver, Personna Lab Blue, Gillette Silver Blue, Voskhod, and Personna Israeli Red (original package, not the "UK" package I already have)..... and I also already have Feather, Astra SP, Crystal, and Derby (probably will toss the four Derby's I have left). The adventure continues ! Gee whiz, this is fun !

Before you toss the Derby's, stick them in the back of the drawer. In 6 months dig one out and try it again. In 6 months you will have developed better technique and you'll be more comfortable shaving DE. You might be pleasantly surprised, and if not you can still toss them.
 
Ok so maybe it's because I'm shaving my legs instead of my face so the skin is nowhere near as sensitive, but I personally have no intention of trying 30-50 different blades. For my needs that just feels excessive. I can get a BBS shave with a crappy disposable razor and have never had razor burn, so I'm pretty sure I can find a great blade within 10 blades. Especially since I custom created my sample pack instead of just buying a random one.
I'm just posting this to show just how much YMMV. Some people love testing 50 different blades. It's part of the traditional wet shaving experience that they enjoy. If you think you'll enjoy it then buy ALL the samplers and go crazy, have a blast! But don't feel like you HAVE to.
 
After a while you will probably find most are somewhat similar but have subtle characteristics that rank one over another.
Example:
Feathers are scary sharp but can be a tad "too keen"
Rockwells are fine but short lived
Personnas seem to tug more than they should

I really like your description of Feather and Personnas. The only two blades I tried.

When I first started out I would say:
Feather - Too keen
Personna - Just right

After shaving for a little bit and improving my technique I would say:
Feather - Just right
Personna - Tug a little bit
 
Just finished my second shave with a new Pol Silver blade ..... Wow ! Smooth, sharp, and comfortable. Very impressive !
Semogue 610 brush with Proraso Green Tub Soap (face lathering,) Pinaud Clubman after shave lotion splash, followed by
Kiehl's Facial Fuel moisturizer. One of my best shaves ever. This PolSilver is a really, really nice blade.

So far, have used Derby, Crystal, Israeli Red Personna, Astra SP, and PolSilver.
Still have ready to go .... Gillette Silver Blue, Voskhod, Personna Lab Blue, and Feather.
I am having a ball ! The adventure continues !
 
I've tried probably most of modern blades(more than hundred).
I got full variety pack from tryablade and been testing for over a year.
Final conclusion will be: when you learn how to shave it's pretty much irrelevant of what blade you use. And what razor.
Don't get me wrong, of course there are some nuances, but generally for most people same blades work same way.

Feather: very sharp(sharpest?), unforgiving if you're new to wet shaving and like to press on razor, usually too harsh to start with. Later on considered by many like mild, sharp, smooth blade in non-aggressive razors. Maybe not best blade for R41.
Gillette 7'clock yellow: maybe a tiny bit less sharp than Feather, very mild and smooth.
Astra SP: quite sharp, all around great blade, smooth, maybe little bit not that mild.
Gillette Silver Blue: many people think it's milder and very forgiving, and not as sharp(a little bit) Feather.
Crystal, Personna, Polsilver, Derby and some more are very nice and popular blades.

So, if you got blade that is good for you, just keep using it. And of course nobody can stop you from trying something new.
Enjoy!
 
When I first started, about 9 months ago, I bought a sampler pack from Connaught Shaving (in the UK). I think there were about 10 different blade types. First I tried Derby - awful. Then Personna - better, but not great. Then Feather - super sharp, but I had loads of sports the day after shaving. I was getting a bit concerned by this point, and wondering whether I should just go bcak to my electric beard trimmer. Then I tried Astra SP. Wow! A superb shave, with almost no bad feeling afterwards (even when I was inexperienced at DE shaving), the only slight downside was that it wasn't as good as getting rid of the hairs right under my nostrils as the Feather. So I've got 5 or 6 brands I haven't tried and, in all likelihood, I probably won't try. I've since bought more Astra SPs, and am restricting my experimenting to soaps, creams, lotions, and splashes. After all, unless these are really really bad, the only thing I'll get is a slightly less smooth shave, or a smell I don't like, or perhaps some dryness which a moisturiser can sort. On the other hand, a blade which is no good will make my face look pretty bad.

I know some people here like to experiment with blades, and in a way I wish I could too, but I see the blade as the functional part of the shave, whereas the bit I like to chop and change (pun perhaps slightly intended) is the soaps and creams. But there is no rule - do whichever you like. If you fancy a change, go for it! You hair will be back within a day or two, so you can try something else then.
 
I'd go through each pack before trying the next. This will allow time to get a feel for each brand. If one or two really stand out, set them aside, and order another sampler and go through the same process. After two or three samplers you'll probably have five or more blades that work very well for you. Stick with those for awhile as your technique improves. Enjoy!
 
Top Bottom