Thread: Does it matter which razor blade i use in which razor ?

Hi

I am new to shaving with a DE safety razor. I recently bought the only razor i could find in my local shops which is a (see picture)



But i know there are several differnt brands on the net like Merkur, Edwin Jagger, parker, etc and then there are different flavour of blades like Derby, Astra, etc but does it matter which razor i use with which razor blade ?

The razor in the picture is none of these brands, its just a cheap safety razor made in China which i got for £2.00 It came with not so good looking but free BTC razor blade. The only one thing i noticed is although it looks and feels good when you try to open it and put a razor blade in it feels a bit flimsy like when you try open one part of it another part opens etc but thats what i get for what i paid for.

So, do i really need a Merkur, Edwin Jagger, parker or any of the other razor brands or can i just put any razor blade in any razor and shave ?

Hi and welcome to the forum. Any DE razor blade will work but each razor is a little different and each brand of blade will feel different too. Some blades are sharper than others. Some are harsher and some are smoother. I would recommend you try a sampler pack of blades from one of the many online dealers and see which work best for you.

As for razors, you generally get what you pay for. The very cheap ones are manufactured with little to no quality control. I would recommend starting with an Edwin Jagger DE89 or similar. It is a forgiving razor and well made. It will give you a predictably smooth shave. You may find that it is everything you need or you might explore and try other razors. Also, there are a lot of members here who swear by the vintage razors. Eventually you may try a second razor. Then you start trying different blades again. Each combination feels a bit different. Watch for member sales in the Buy Sell Trade forum. You might just find what you want.

I'm new also but I bought a variety pack off the bay. Got 8 different blades, and Ives used three different blades in 3 razors. DERAD bit me. Some blades might not agree with your face try a bunch and find out what you like.

Steve can type faster than me

Jaffacake2000,

The choice of blades for a DE razor is very, very personal : one shavers superb blade is anothers 'total crap' !

Please PM me your address and I will send you a wide variety of different blades to try

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

I always figure that one should get used to the razor with one blade first before experimenting with other blades.

Jaffacake, welcome to Straight Razor Place.

I suggest two things to do:

1. Dump the low quality razor you purchased and select a topnotch brand that is sure to give you a good start: Edwin Jagger, Muhle or Merkur.

2. Take up my gentleman friend PhatMan on his generous offer of the blade sampler.

yes to what has been advised, the razor you have might be ok , but the chances are slim. the quality will transfer to the shave,if the bar is not even or the exposure to the blade not exact you will not have a good experience,, and +1 on the offer of blades , it takes the razor and blade team to create the shave your looking for good luck tc

Jaffacake2000,

I have just had a look through my safety razor drawer, and I have a Merkur HD razor you are welcome to have.

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

Hello all,

Thank you for welcoming me into the site, and for all the info, just been looking at a

video on youtube

as well, but doesnt the Edwin Jagger DE89 seem a bit aggressive looking at the gap and comb ? (just looked at it on ebay)

For a total newbie like me, shouldn't I start with the black wilkinson sword plastic and metal razor, then move on to the boots
(7 O' clock) razor and then onto the Edwin Jagger DE89 ?

So, if i go in that order the amount of blade exposed gradually increases ?, I have already cut myself 1.5 cm on the jawline with the one I have, but most of the shave went well. I think the BTC blade is very mild though. I know was doing some bad techniques with it thats why i cut (was going a bit quick and applying some pressure), cant avoid it yet when i been using cartridges all these times, bad techniques become automatic.


btw, does anyone know anything about the razor i posted in the pic or BTC blades which came with it ? i cant seem to find anything.

I dunno if the BTC that came with the razor is any good, looks a bit dodgy and maybe not so sharp, i dunno really, i think i was almost at speed with whacking it on my face like i'd use a cartridge and nothing much happend to most my face so today I ordered some Personna (blue ones) from ebay, if that goes well i might go for derby next.

This is the planned order i intend to go through:

It seems BTC and Merkur blades are aike from what i read, they pull on the stubble, then would come:

Personna Platinum (Israeli)
Derby
Gillette blue platinum

then:


astra and
shark

?

I looked at sampler packs and they seem expensive like what if i dont like some blades then they'll go in the bin, so the personna cost me just £1.90

what would you say ?

Thanks.