Thread: Are all blades created equal?

All blades are not created equal. I have tried a few different types (Feather, Red Israeli, Merkur, Derby, Dalco, Extra [cheap drugstore]) and have found that Derby goes well for me, it is not the best, but better than the Merkur which does not go well for me. Feather and the Read Israeli I like the best, I find they are the smoothest shavers.

One thing to keep in mind is that different blades feel differently for everyone. I would recomend getting a sampler pack after you get your razor, to see which goes best for you!

Sampler pack is definitely recommended. I've got a pack of like 24 kinds and trying them gives a good view on what to avoid and what not. For now my first pick (Trig) has not been a happy one, but it's improved since. Still haven't tried personna, feather and derby, just to avoid ruining the other test drives.

Derbys are good blades as well as the others. I think the key is to find the right combination of blade + razor. A derby in a Merkur will give a different shave in a Gillette.

I have a Merkur HD 34C. Great razor and a good price!

I use Gillettes or Merkur blades in it, and they work well.

Get a sample pack from Connaught Shaving though and see which you like.

Remember that's it's your face that is the ultimate judge. Do yourself a favor and don't follow herd mentality or group think that maintains Brand X
is the be all and end all. If you can only get a comfortable shave free of weepers,nicks and razor burn from a blade costing $0.50 then by all means proceed. If you can get a similar shve out of $0.13 blade, well then...

My first post on a new shaving forum. I have yet to get involved in straights but know a bit about DE.....

That being said:

Get a sample pack. Your face is unique and you should learned what your face likes and doesn't like.

This is also true for razors. I see a lot of people suggesting the 34c. I much prefer the 38c. Again, it must be stressed that your face is unique, you may like the progress or something that's an antique.

Blades do have reputations however. Derbys I feel have an ordinary reputation while personna reds are known as more forgiving. Astras are know as a great blade for the price and feathers will cut you to the bone if you don't respect their sharpness.

I don't use one blade, I bought a sampler pack and although I typically use feathers I sometimes throw in an astra, red, merkur, or even a dovo shavette blade.

When you're going through the sample pack which you will inevitably purchase (it's a must) give your skin a day of rest between shaves (or more). When you're starting out you may irritate your skin a bit and you won't be able to fully appreciate each blade for what it's able to do.

Enjoy!

Definitely go with the sampler - I bought myself a couple of packs of Derby blades with my EJ 89 DE, only to find that I hated them despite their good rep on here - they left my skin feeling raw, covered in weepers, and didn't give me a particularly close shave, and only lasted one shave. I picked up a pack of Astra blades, and found I really like them, and that they last better for me, which has made me wonder how I'd feel about some other brands - I'm going to get a sampler after New Year's so I can try out various other brands. Connaught Shaving does a very good sampler (here) which I'm going to buy (although I have ulterior motives - it gives me an excuse to buy some MWF in the ceramic dish because 'the shipping is better value with the soap').

Originally Posted by lradke

All blades are not created equal. I have tried a few different types (Feather, Red Israeli, Merkur, Derby, Dalco, Extra [cheap drugstore]) and have found that Derby goes well for me, it is not the best, but better than the Merkur which does not go well for me. Feather and the Read Israeli I like the best, I find they are the smoothest shavers.

One thing to keep in mind is that different blades feel differently for everyone. I would recomend getting a sampler pack after you get your razor, to see which goes best for you!

Another Edmontonian, great!

Have you found a local supplier for these blades or are you ordering off the net like the rest of us?

Different DE blades are not equal for everyone, but for fun I recently tried the lowest priced DE blades I could find, the Dorco 300 blades, priced at about 10 USA dollars for 100 blades. I get 7 good shaves from the cheap Dorco blades, which is the same for me as the more expensive Gillette DE blades I have used in the past, but I have an average beard.

I figured 10 dollars was not a huge risk if the Dorco blades turned out to be inadequate so my successful results with them was a pleasant surprise. I will probably continue to experiment with other DE brands out of curiousity.

I use a modestly priced Merkur replica of a Gillette 1904 razor to hold the blade, and I also use an old low priced Gillete razor from the 1970s, so I find it is not necessary to use an exotic expensive razor to get good shaves from the cheapest blade I could find. Some of the other low priced razors sold today do not expose the cutting edge enough and using a cheap blade with them might be a problem.

The cheapest Dorco blade reviews I have read have been mixed. Some folks liked them, others hated them and some were in between.

I don't know if the Super Iridium blades are easily available in the US, but they are worth trying: not quite as sharp as Feathers, but noticeably smooth. My favourite now that UK made Wilkinsons are collectors' items.