Any blades you won't buy again?

If you allow politics to interfere with your shave, I think you need to chill out a bit.

Some folk have strong convictions about these things. I know people who refuse to purchase anything made in China and others that refuse anything from Israel... Russia is a new one to me but I'm not surprised, no doubt there's someone out there in a former colony that boycotts British products :D
 
I bought 50 Derby. £3.50. I figured there were as many good reviews as there were bad. I figured further that if no good on the face, they could do for head shave. Can't be too bad, I thought. All this talk of YMMV and blade performance varying in this and varying in that – what tripe, eh? Thin bit of steel, cuts your whiskers – that is all. Difference? Pah!

A fool I am.

There are 49 Derby blades sitting on my bathroom shelf. They mock me. They cast aspersions on my sense of good judgment. Worse, they physically aggravate me.

I think I'd get a closer shave by smashing a raw egg on my face and hoping bits of the shell scraped past my stubble. It's worth a go. Better than standing there, slapping on lather repeatedly, frantically chiseling away in vain, razor in one hand and a curious look on my face as my fingers rub over my cheeks in search of smoothly shaved skin.

Horrendous. Pointless.

I'll probably have another go with them tomorrow. Hope springs eternal.
 
Update to add Rapira Platinum Lux, Swedish SuperSteel & Sputnik Teflon to my "no way, Jose" list.

RPL & Spuntniks fairly sharp and smooth but left me with an unacceptable amount of irritation. I have a small scar on my chin from a childhood accident which is normally not an issue but the SSS were so dull and "tuggy" the blade caught on the scar and drew blood.
 
Seduced by the cool packaging, I tried Shark blades. They were awful- they pulled, tugged, they nicked me...never again, I said.
Tried them again (my rubbish technique, yeah?)....still terrible!
Have still got 40 odd left, but they're really good for scraping dried up bird s**t from yet windows!
 
Bic Astor - There are some blades popular around Greece and over here, Romania. Awful blades. A lot of tugging, pulling, no cutting. I never was able to finish a pass with these. Tried them in different razors, no success.
Russian ones (Voskhod, Rapira, Ladas) - Being so recommended everywhere, I end up getting a big order of mixed Russian blades. Bad mistake. Only Rapira Sweedish Steel are usable, for me. Others are not as bad as Bic Astor, I can shave with them, but they are not as sharp as many others, so I don't like using them.
 
I tried the Boots own brand double edge safety blades a trial the other day... Jeeeeeeeeeez, I won't be doing that again. It felt like I was shaving with a piece of flint. I got through my head shave and my dome felt red raw. Horrible blades
 
Merkur, Muhle & Personna Platinum. Recently discovered carbon steel blades are kinder to my skin than any stainless steel
Just try it - and let us know[emoji3]

I never hassle with stropping or wiping DE blades.
Either they're good out of the box, or I toss them.


Cheers, Olaf
+1 A blade should do what it does right out of the wax paper, and that's really all you can expect from it. About six months ago, a lad at the hairdresser was telling us that he "really liked" Personna Platinum (my least favourite "hyped" blade BTW), but "...not until the fifth or sixth shave" (!) "...before then, they're really harsh, but after I can get three or four good shaves out of them". He was fairly disappointed to find out - apparently after almost a year of this - that it was not normal.
 
I tried the Boots own brand double edge safety blades a trial the other day... Jeeeeeeeeeez, I won't be doing that again. It felt like I was shaving with a piece of flint. I got through my head shave and my dome felt red raw. Horrible blades

I think Boots used to be made by Personna? Maybe they still are, but I'm not sure why I think that.
 
Feathers. Just don't like them. Awful razor burn. Expensive too. Prefer the GSB or Astra sp. Probably come back to them as I have 9 left but for now not for me thanks.
 
I tried the Boots own brand double edge safety blades a trial the other day... Jeeeeeeeeeez, I won't be doing that again. It felt like I was shaving with a piece of flint. I got through my head shave and my dome felt red raw. Horrible blades
I got a pack of these the other day as SWMBO gets staff discount and thought they'd be worth a try. After what you've said, maybe not.
 
"Any blades you won't buy again?"

Yeah, double edge blades :p

I do occasionally shave with a DE and it's always initiated when some kind soul drops a DE blade or two into a deal. I see it as providence, of sorts. So, no, I probably won't buy DE blades again ... but that's coz kind folks give me them.
 
Recently i had a Astra SS which was totally dull. Fresh out of the box. First I thought it was the mild razor, but after putting it into the Progress and the progress blade (BiC ) into the other rauor things were clear. I have another 5er pack of these ASS, but yet not felt adventurous enough to give them a try....


Cheers, Olaf
 
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