Derbys shave-life vs Feathers shave-life?

Okay, it seems to be a general consensus that Feathers are the sharpest blades around. I've been trying Derby Extras for a few weeks now and generally find them to be a good blade. However, I have a strong suspicion that technique and blades are two of the most important factors to consider in getting a good shave. That said, I'm probably going to try some Feathers.

Here's my question: how long do Feathers generally last? I can get three good shaves out of a Derby and would hope to get more out of a Feather.

I understand that this is a YMMV kind of question, but I would love some feedback

mdo12345 said:

Here's my question: how long do Feathers generally last? I can get three good shaves out of a Derby and would hope to get more out of a Feather.

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I don't see what the big deal is about trying to stretch blade life. I can't see any reason to go more than 3 shaves on ANY blade, and even that is pushing it.

My default blade is made by ASR, and labeled with the Exchange Select brand. (You can get the same thing at WalMart as Personna Reds.) I put in a fresh blade every time I shave. At 1.49 per 10-pack, they are readily available, so I don't even try to scrimp on this.

Then again, even if these blades were FREE, I wouldn't use them if they didn't give me DFS results on a consistent basis.

For blades that are more expensive and harder to come by, like Derby or Feather, I will use these not more than twice. For very rare, very expensive blades like Swedish Gillette, I'll go three shaves ... but I'll feel guilty about it.

I get 3-4 good shaves out of a Feather.

dpm802 said:

I don't see what the big deal is about trying to stretch blade life. I can't see any reason to go more than 3 shaves on ANY blade, and even that is pushing it.

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I'm with you. I am replacing blades every other shave. Why the heck not? They are cheap and shave is great. With my beard, I will dull a blade fast. One more thought, buying blades will ensure there will be blades to buy.

Although it has been almost a year since I went wet, I am still in the adjustment phase. I norrowed it down to Derby's and Feathers. When I shave I only use one side of the blade. I know this because I always use the side with the Merkur logo, then the other side. I have to do multiple passes, and since I also shave south to north, I can get 4 good shaves out of a Derby (2 on each side) and atleast 6-8 with a Feather (3-4 each side).

mdo12345 said:

<snip>
Here's my question: how long do Feathers generally last? I can get three good shaves out of a Derby and would hope to get more out of a Feather. [/COLOR]

I understand that this is a YMMV kind of question, but I would love some feedback

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Generally, I change mine after a week whether it needs changing or not

Some types of blade I have changed mid-shave, because they are rubbish but most blades give at least 6 shave-days for me. Certainly they deteriorate, but it would be interesting to know just how long you could get a serviceable shave with a single blade. When I started with merkur blades I think I once went two weeks before getting embarrassed and changing it. The tugging was not that worse on the last day than on the first day - and still a lot better than the previous cartridge shaves.

dpm802 said:

I don't see what the big deal is about trying to stretch blade life. I can't see any reason to go more than 3 shaves on ANY blade, and even that is pushing it.

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Thanks for all the feedback. The "big deal" is that I'm a PhD student and money isn't exactly at a premium If I'm going to spend money on an expensive blade, I'd like to know that they're going to last awhile.

I exclusively use feathers and they don't wear any faster than other blades imho. I would dare say that after the first shave they are still sharper then some other blades right out the box.

I'm currently using IPs and Red Personnas, trying to work Derbys back in there, too.

I usually use a blade 3 or 4 times before changing.

With most blades working well for me the second shave is usually the best.Tossing them out after one shave, regardless the price of the blades, seems a bit ludicrous to me.Not because of the money but because of the quality of the shave.
Reading your initial post I get the idea that you didn't try a lot of brands yet. My advice to you would be to get a sampler pack and try several blades before staying put. Point is that no mather how many people like or dislike a blade only you can decide what works best for you. Statistics only works for groups, not individuals !

mdo12345 said:

I'm a PhD student and money isn't exactly at a premium

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Mate - you're in Aberdeen - there's a rumour (and I'll put it no stronger than that) that copper wire was invented in Aberdeen by two natives fighting over a penny.... and further that the Grand Canyon was thanks to one of them dropping a farthing down a rabbit hole....

How much are the Feathers compared to the Derby's? I just got 300 Derbys for "2 Aberdonian wire lengths" less than &#163;20 here although the offer has slackened to 400 for &#163;30 now, you're looking at GBP0.075 per blade, on an extremely swift glance, I don't see Feathers for much less than GBP0.20 per blade - so you'd need Feathers to reliably last (20/7.5)x as long which is ~2.5x...

If you have no Feathers to hand - shoot me a PM with your address and I'll chuck what I have left from a sample pack in the post (suitably packaged of course).

Tossing a blade after 1-2 shaves seems a bit silly to me if it is still shaving comfortably. I dont use DEs much any more but the Feathers and Derbys were my two favorite blades when the Merkur HD was my go to. The Feathers would give me 4-6 nice shaves while the Derbys were good for 3-5. the Feathers definately shaved better after the first shave, while the Derbys were good from the gate.

Those numbers will vary depending on many things, not the least of which being beard toughness, etc.

I get 3-4 shaves from a Derby. Feathers will last at least 7. Sure, I could toss them sooner but why should I when the blade is still performing well? Seems rather wasteful even if blades are not expensive.

After much experimentation I decided to toss my Derbys after just 2 shaves. For me, at least, any more than 2 shaves and they start to drag. Hey, they're cheap and even if they weren't, I'm worth it.

Feathers last for 5 shaves with me, and the last shave is still a great one

I ran two derby extra blades 'into the ground' to see how they perform and when it's time to change them.

One i used proper prep every time and made sure it was as ideal as i could make it, the other i just shaved with after a wash with hot water and 2 minutes of lather.

Blade 1 was 'good' until about shave 5-6. After #6 it started dragging noticably and got worse till i got to shave 9 and tossed it. (would last 5)

Blade 2 was good for a solid 5; performance sharply declined after that point until i had to toss it at shave 7.5 (would last 4)

This was in a 60's era Gillete Slim Adjustable if that makes a diference, set to around 4.

Never achieved a satisfactory shave with Derby blades (or Dorco, or Merkur).

Feathers I use with extreme caution (I keep one in my FatBoy on 3), and a blade will provide me with at least 4 shaves -- perhaps twice that (rinsing & shaking dry after each shave).

My blade of choice is the Crystal / Israeli Personna (not the Red Pack, but this guy or [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Super-Platinum-IP-Safety-Double-Edge-Razor-Blades_W0QQitemZ290266034541QQihZ019QQ"]this guy[/URL]. It'll typically provide 3-5 shaves -- I tend to let the blade tell me when it's time and, honestly, for me it's rarely time after only three shaves.