Blades Recommendation for a Newbie

Hi - I just got my new Edwin Jagger DE razor. I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good blade for beginner. I have a very sensitive skin and so I am looking for something that is not highly sharp.

thanks.

Well, the Iridiums are good and the Derbys have a rep as a mild razor. Other's will chime in with their favorites. The mercurs are pretty sharp and the feather's are very sharp.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, the Iridiums are good and the Derbys have a rep as a mild razor. Other's will chime in with their favorites. The mercurs are pretty sharp and the feather's are very sharp.

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thanks. this should definitely get me started.

:nj

I have used Personna's Blues and Reds as well as Feather and Wilkinson blades all with success. I have not tried Derby but also hear they are good blades.

dynamo,

Get a blade sampler pack :)

The choice of a DE blade is a very, very personal choice.

Every DE blade has those that love them, and those that hate them !

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Two blades I always recommend to a new DE shaver are the Astra Platinums and the Red Pack Israeli Personnas. Both very nice blades. Once you get your technique down-pat, you will definitely want to try the Feather blades.

Welcome to wonderful shaving.

If you want blood and guts, use a feather right off. 'Nasty, carnivorous sharp.

I try to use DE as seldom as poss., but have used the feather and switched to the Derbies from SRD. They're even cheaper from Bullgoose. Using all the stretching techniques used from learning str8s, I found it an entirely respectable shave, and alot faster - but that's just my skill level slowing me down w/ the str8s. I've read other threads that advocate the Derby as a mild and very user friendly blade. I would agree, as would the two friends that have tried them. One who's never used anything BUT a DE, and one who's never used a DE before

That said, it sounds like you're discovering old style shaving, and you will likely be in for the best shaves of your life. The quality will revolve around you learning the topography of your face and beard - what way/direction the stubble orients, and how to stretch each section so it stands the stubble up for mowing. Blade/razor angle will be big, as will getting used to the idea that pressure on the blade/razor is a no no. Only the weight of the razor - no more.

'Hope your journey is a gas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pinklather

Welcome to wonderful shaving.

If you want blood and guts, use a feather right off. 'Nasty, carnivorous sharp.

I try to use DE as seldom as poss., but have used the feather and switched to the Derbies from SRD. They're even cheaper from Bullgoose. Using all the stretching techniques used from learning str8s, I found it an entirely respectable shave, and alot faster - but that's just my skill level slowing me down w/ the str8s. I've read other threads that advocate the Derby as a mild and very user friendly blade. I would agree, as would the two friends that have tried them. One who's never used anything BUT a DE, and one who's never used a DE before

That said, it sounds like you're discovering old style shaving, and you will likely be in for the best shaves of your life. The quality will revolve around you learning the topography of your face and beard - what way/direction the stubble orients, and how to stretch each section so it stands the stubble up for mowing. Blade/razor angle will be big, as will getting used to the idea that pressure on the blade/razor is a no no. Only the weight of the razor - no more.

'Hope your journey is a gas.

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pinklather - thanks for sharing your thought.

Red Personnas.
Wow..

I figured that a razor as cheap as this wouldn't be as comparable to a Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow, and at the first stroke I felt that I was correct.

After two passes one with the grain and the second partially across the grain, the third pass against the grain finished up with a comparable shave to the yellow packs valued at 3x the price!

These are pretty decent razors, I'll let you know how many uses of the blade I get before I toss it but I didn't get a single nick and my face is about 93% bbs.

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Originally Posted by DoubleEdge23c

Red Personnas.
Wow..

I figured that a razor as cheap as this wouldn't be as comparable to a Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow, and at the first stroke I felt that I was correct.

After two passes one with the grain and the second partially across the grain, the third pass against the grain finished up with a comparable shave to the yellow packs valued at 3x the price!

These are pretty decent razors, I'll let you know how many uses of the blade I get before I toss it but I didn't get a single nick and my face is about 93% bbs.

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Yup, the Red IPs are a fantastic blade!

Glad you hear they gave you a wonderful shave.

hey dynamo

I'm new to DE shaving too, just started a few weeks ago.

I've been using the merkur blades so far and haven't found them to be too sharp to handle. Gotten some nicks along the way and definitely working on my technique learning curve but I've found that they are pretty comfortable as long as you're careful.

still afraid of the feathers though...maybe sometime in the next couple months if I'm feeling dangerous

Justin