Thread: Blade Suggestions

Evening all, I've just bought a Merkur Futur and a selection pack of different blades to try and I was wondering what people recommend for sensitive skin. So far I've tried a few of the different ones and they all seem pretty aggressive apart from the Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge even with the razor turned down to its lowest setting.

I tend to shave after showering and rub a little coconut oil into my beard before lathering up with Taylor of Old Bond St and a badger brush, I then shave twice - once with the grain and again across.

Any suggestions welcome.

Sampler pack.

It's your face. I like several different brands that are popular and don't like other brands that seem to be favorites. Only way you are going to find out is to try them until you find a couple that work for you.

By the end of this thread you will probably have a list of all the popular brands and some not so popular. I was lucky in Derby because they are inexpensive and Feather do not irritate my skin either but you may find them both wrong for your skin

I thinks Derby is a good blade to start off with because they are very forgiving. If the seven o'clocks feel good, stick with them for awhile. As your technique evolves so will your likes and dislikes. The blades that don't work for you now could be your favorites in the future. While you are getting used to the DE focus on comfort more then closeness.

Originally Posted by Orbster

I was wondering what people recommend for sensitive skin.


I tend to shave after showering and rub a little coconut oil into my beard before lathering up

I have sensitive skin with tough beard as my father
Classic head razors gave me nothing more than trouble.
I use Open Comb mainly with blades as Kai-Feather-Personna and some times Astra-Derby (orange NOT the green)
All the very cheap blades fall back.
Buy a bottle of Glycerine from the nearest pharmacy,cost is 1 euro (1.3 $)
Wet your face will cool water and make massage with your palm which has some drops of glycerine
Wait one minute,the glycerine will help to keep your skin moisturised and the shaving will not have any irritation
I use this trick long time ago,even against the grain i have no problem at all !

Ok,thanks all.

I've just had a very satisfying shave and really took my time and used a much shallower angle than usual and very pleased with the results.

Try's blade.com

Not Feather. They can be a bit rough because of how sharp they are. I love them but a buddy of mine can't use them because they just tear him up because of the sharpness.

I have a EJ DE89, Parker 22R TTO and a Parker 24C Open comb. The Parker 24C is my fave with a Gillette 7 O'clock sharp edge blade! Shark Super Stainless comes in at a close second. Derby, Gillette GSB, Feathers and Lord were way too harsh on my skin. Gillette 7 O Clock Green's were good for the first shave, but I would get more weepers with them than with the Yellows. The Greens didn't hold their sharpness as well as the yellows do though. I also tried Crystol, Personna Reds, Astra Super Platinum, Kai, Sharp and maybe 1 or two more I forgot about. The really bad blades left my face feeling raw and felt like my whole neck was covered in paper cuts. Some of the other blades were comfortable, but didn't seem to cut well, felt somewhat dull. I can usually go 5 days in a row of shaving with 1 blade in the 7 oclock yellow or Shark Super Stainless.

Maggards has a way to put together your own sampler pack to try out different blades at a cost savings; I did 2 of their sampler packs where I can choose what blades to try and tried out like 15 different blades before I settled on the Yellows and Sharks.

glycerin can be your friend

FWIW --

I think that the Futur is quite "aggressive" -- it has a _lot_ of blade exposure.

So you might want to start with whatever blade you're using, and dial the razor right down to 0, and see if you reduce the irritation. And then _slowly_ increase the setting.

. Charles

PS -- I use Feather blades in an EJ DE89. A whole different (and very comfortable) world.