Thread: Question about blades?

When Wilkinson started selling the blades they were the first stainless DE blades on the market and they gave Gillette a run for the money. They were very high quality and you could get 10+ shaves with them and could sharpen them if you had a mind to. Sadly the ones being made now bear no resemblance. I suspect the original company does not even exist anymore and they are just a name. I've used the modern blades and they are far from the best out there these days. There are 2 versions. Some are made in germany and some in the east somewhere. The German ones are better but still nothing great.

My mom had one just like that. Wish I had it today.

I'd pass on the Wilkinsons. Mediocre at best, horrible at worst. Which is too bad since they were a reputable brand for decades.

As for what's better, that's a loaded question. You'll get dozens of replies and you still won't know until you try them yourself. If you want a solid dependable brand I think Astra or Personna would fit that description nicely. However, considering you want to order in bulk, and I would hate to recommend a blade that your face and razor doesn't like, it would be wise to order the aforementioned sample pack. I know that's not what you wanted to hear but there it is lol.

BTW, if others chime in with blade suggestions try to get a sampler that contains the brands most listed in this thread....

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,get a sampler pack,,,,,,,,,,,

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the ones you don't like send to me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll look at samplers and get some recommendations.
Please keep in mind that I'm looking for blades available from SR Designs. This will go with a larger order from them.

I used to use Wilkinson's when I started shaving with a DE about 8 years ago. I used them rarely after I tried other brands, and I tried them again last year for nostalgic reasons. The Wilkinson's are OK blades at best. I can get them locally at the supermarket or Walmart. However, I noticed that the ones sold at my supermarket shave better than the ones sold in Walmart.

I'd say forget the Wilkinson's and get a sampler pack.

The Wilkinsons that are made in Germany are my favorites. Feather are my second choice. So far I've concluded that like everything on the forum, YMMV.

That is a very mild razor and in my experience, sharper blades work best in the mild razors. From what I understand, the wilkinson swords available at Walmart and such are not the good ones. The good ones are in the European markets. That said, the Personna Labs or Med Preps are american made and are sharp and smooth for a lot of people. I preferred feathers.

On recent study done on another forum, the feathers have a higher carbon content than all others on the market. Not that that means a whole lot.

That said, blades respond differently for different people and in different razors. Slant 37c and late 50's Aristocrat are great with feathers, where Gillette old types and open comb razors work best with Swedish Rapira blades. These are my experiences and may not be yours.

Get a sampler and find out for yourself.