I think they are just fine in my Merkur 34c. If I had a thick course beard perhaps my results would be different. I use them in my rotation with Personnas, Astras, GSBs, Feathers, Wilkinson Swords etc. I don't find them inferior at all.
Do you like or hate Derby's?
- Thread starter NorthernBoy
- Start date
I do have a thick coarse bread (I need 4 passes to get a BBS) and the Derby blades work fine.
Don't forget that they are made in Turkey and Turkish men are the champions of thick ,coarse beards!
Kidding aside I have lived in Istanbul for a few years and everybody used Derby blades.
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I really like them, honestly. The first time I tried one was this past February in the One Blade in February and Fatboy February events. I used one every day that I like to shave, which gave me 14 BBS shaves, and I used it a shave or two longer before changing blades and razors.
My first experience with wet shaving was Derby...I bought 200 blades on the recommendation of a friend. I find them adequate to good. Price can't be beat. They are inconsistent with sharpness, though; I usually get 4 days of triple-pass shaves on a blade, but occasionally need to change them out after 1-2 days, due to them being too dull. I can sometimes tell the difference between sides of individual blades. I rarely get knicks or weepers from them, and only then if I'm careless...I'm not throwing them out, I'll soldier on through them, they do just fine. I'll probably move to Astra or Feather next, but will start with a few until I find the sweet spot.
Its love/hate for me. Mostly love. I had a 100 and started off not liking them. I swear some of the blades would be great on one edge, and just bad on the other. Out of 100 I would say I really loved 80 of them. For the price I guess a 20% cull isn't too bad. I will buy more.
I like them. Though I use them only in razors that I know are more aggressive than my normal razor, the Merkur 23c.
Something to consider. . .I havn't noticed it with other blades, but I've found that one side of a DE Derby blade is noticeably sharper than the other when I turn it around during a pass. Perhaps this could be why they seem nice and sharp to some and not for others.
I find they have to be handled carefully, they are NOT as "sharp" as Astras, etc, and the temptation to push down to "get them to cut" will give you weepers and nicks.
Used with very light pressure and more passes than normal they give irritation free close shaves, at the cost of not being very comfortable during the shave, in my case particularly on my chin. Let the angle creep up and they worse than a dull cartridge. Won't cut my stubble against the grain unless the angle is right, either, which means more passes than I like.
Nice clean shave, but it wasn't much fun for me.
Got six shaves off one edge, and gave up on the blade. I could shave with them if I had to, but I prefer everything else I've tried. Maybe later I'll try again.
Dorco 301s are equally mild, but so far do not pull so much. Currently testing for longevity, only on shave #4 tomorrow.
Peter
Used with very light pressure and more passes than normal they give irritation free close shaves, at the cost of not being very comfortable during the shave, in my case particularly on my chin. Let the angle creep up and they worse than a dull cartridge. Won't cut my stubble against the grain unless the angle is right, either, which means more passes than I like.
Nice clean shave, but it wasn't much fun for me.
Got six shaves off one edge, and gave up on the blade. I could shave with them if I had to, but I prefer everything else I've tried. Maybe later I'll try again.
Dorco 301s are equally mild, but so far do not pull so much. Currently testing for longevity, only on shave #4 tomorrow.
Peter
I like them.
I despise everything the brand stands for, even their shaving soap caused irritation and friction. Ended up gifting it all away.
I hear you on that.! My latest 100 pack are kinda dull & I won't be getting any more in the future. There are better blades out there that are consistently sharp.
I have also heard that current production does not feel as sharp as they did ten years ago, so there may be some changes in quality control (or lack thereof) or equipment. Or we just seem to have gotten a bad run and they will be better again later.
As I said, I could shave with them, but other blades are more comfortable.
Peter
As I said, I could shave with them, but other blades are more comfortable.
Peter
They work well for me--easy shave, never irritation, and they are cheap. I have to say I like them.
I like them. A smooth, very forgiving blade. They're the blade I use first in any razor purchase as then I know that any problems are in the razor, not the blade.
That said, there ARE better blades out there. You have to match the blade to the razor. In my 1940's ball end Tech, I'd use a Feather. In an aggressive razor like my Fendrihan Adventurer, a Feather can be rough, but a Derby works fine.
And they're dirt cheap besides. I just bought 100 for $5.99.
I don't hate them, I just won't buy them anymore.
Good thing I only bought 10, I'll use the rest of them up and that's it.
Good thing I only bought 10, I'll use the rest of them up and that's it.
I wanted to like derby blades but i just can't. They pull my wiskers way too much. If the blade is smooth and gives me irritation free shaves but pulls a tinny tinny bit i can still use it but derby pulls so bad it feels like im shaving with a cheese grader. Nope nope nope. Ive tried one in my shavette. A half blade will comfortably shave one half of my face then it will be too dull to do the other side. So one pass = one blade. Id have to use two blades per shave to be comfortable!
Try them at as shallow a shaving angle as you can manage. I got through 6 shaves with one, mostly on the first edge, before I felt like you and tossed it, but someday (within the next decade or so when I get back to them in the sampler pack!) I'll try them with better angle control. Dorco ST-301s are similar, if you let the angle go up while shaving they pull badly, at low angle they shave very nicely, and close too.
Peter
Peter
"Hate" is too strong a word. For me Derbys are OK (barely) and are not a blade that I will purchase again. Obviously YMMV.
Derbys were a recommended beginner blade when I started and I thought they were great for a few months. I even ordered 100 at some point, but then found blades I liked better and gave away most of the Derbys. I don't think I've used a Derby blade in 7 years and, with close to 900 blades on hand, have no plans to revisit them.
