Am I expecting too much?

J

julian2002

Messages
18
Hi,
I'm a novice shaver of about 2 weeks de shaving experience. Previous shaves have been electric / disposable / system razors.

While I am definitely still learning technique I don't slice myself very often and get a pretty close shave most days.

My concern is that I'm not experiencing that much difference between the blades I've tried with one exception.

so far I've tried:
Derby super stainless
Shark super stainless
Gillette 7 o'clock super platinum
Treet platinum
and
Lord platinum

All from a sampler.

The exception was the Treet blade which gave me quite bad razor burn comparable to what i was experiencing with my electric razor.

I've got some astra's and Wilkinson sword left to try but to be honest the others seem much of a muchness with regards to cutting ability and smoothness.

I'm willing to believe that my shaving skills are having an impact - i face lather most of the time with TOBS soap and a vulfix 404 and use an EJ 89 barley handle razor.

I'm not unhappy with the shaves given by any of the blades I've tried (bar the treet).

I'd like to try some feathers and some Israeli persona's as well as some supermarket own brands just to see what the deal is with those but that can wait a while I think.

Anyway is there anything other than the feel, amount of nicks / cuts / irritation i end up with and smoothness of my face post shave that I should be paying attention to?

many thanks.
 
You may not feel much difference between certain blades but there are great/good/bad blades out there, BUT for different people there can be a big difference. It depends on your skin sensitivity and hair growth to, different razors with different blades give different shaves, it's a matter of finding what suits you best.
I have an EJ and I hate Treet blades, very painful shave, Derby was ok, Shark similar to Derby, Gillette 7o'clock yellows are brilliant for me and Astra's, Feather. Some blades give me 2 comfortable shaves others give me 4. Supermax in my EJ no good, but in my 1914 Velvet not bad.
Try as many as you can, find what suits you, then buy loads before they stop making them!
 
Firstly, if you want to try some blades, I believe there is a Blade PIF (Pass It Forward) in the Lending Pool section - there are loads of different blades in there, so pop your name down and when it arrives, take one or two of each that you fancy, and send the rest onto the next in the list.

Anyway, back to your original post, I rate blades on:

Smoothness of shave - how much/little it feels like its scratching
Sharpness of blade - how much it tugs rather than slicing through
Quality of shave - how stubble-free your skin is afterwards and irritation levels afterwards
Longevity of blade - how many shaves the blade can manage before the above deteriorate

However, I did find that for the first couple of months of DE shaving, there wasn't that much difference, save for some awful blades that I know I'll never use again - namely Treet and Laser.

Now I've been a DE shaver for nearly a year, I'm finding that the differences between the top two criteria seem more apparent between blades.

Of all the blades, it seems that the Russian blades are most at risk of disappearing (similar to the way they stopped production of the Super Iridiums), so if you find you like any of the Gillettes, it would probably be worth getting hold of a few hundred.

I've settled on Astra SPs and Supermax Blue Diamonds as my main stock blades. Others come and go for a change, but I always seem to come back to them.
 
I'll tell you what I was told at the start. Without good technique, you can't really compare anything - blades, razors, etc. Choose a favourite razor and a favourite brand of blade and use them and only them for thirty days - the Thirty Day Rule. You learn a base technique for that rig and after thirty days you can start introducing new stuff and you will notice differences, including how you have to vary your technique.

I didn't make the whole thirty days - got into the high twenties and it made all the difference in the world.
 
Bechet45 talks a lot of sense.

Stick with one razor and one type of blade for now until you have really mastered it, then you can start introducing different things.

The Gillette blades would be a good choice for one to stick with for the time being.
 
I'd third the above posts. This early on you need to be solely concentrating on developing your technique in everything (both shaving and lathering).

Don't get disheartened or too impatient. One thing we can all say is the longer you do it the better it gets.
 
Thirty days seems a bit extreme, a minimum two weeks using the same gear, change the blade after 2/3 uses is more than achievable.
 
Thanks everyone. I've got through dumb luck 2 packs of the derby blades. I'm going to try the Astra and wilkinson sword blades and then use up e Derbys. That should last me a week or three. Then give the rest another shot.
I'll look into the blade pif too thanks for that...
 
I actually don't think I'm particularly discerning when it comes to blades, I can feel a difference but it's not major. I almost solely use Gillettes which I love but to be honest I'm okay with just about anything (even Derby!), the one exception being Treet which I hate. So what you're feeling at the moment 2 weeks in is pretty much what I feel now 18 months in, there's one or two dislikes, a load of indifference, the only change being that you haven't found your favourite yet, but you will.
 
Out of the blades you've listed in your original post I have tried the Derby, Super plats and Treet blades with the Derby ones causing a lot irritation. Your razor is considered mild and said to work well with sharper blades (7 OC Yellow 'sharpedge' or Feather for instance). I have tried Astra blades but find they take a bit more work to get a smooth shave but you may well find they work for you as they do for many (a case of Your Mileage May Vary - YMMV).

Get your prep, lather, angle and pressure sorted and then start to enjoy the finer points of DE shaving :)
 
30 day rule....'A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,' unless I'm on holiday and have only taken, well 2 razors with me, I try to use a different setup each day. One of the reasons I wet shave.
 
Variety is the spice of life and all that! As others have said half the fun is finding what works and what doesn't.

I've been de shaving for 18months and have only just got round to trying different blades. Focus on your technique and then you will be better set to make your decisions.
 
Canuck said:
I actually don't think I'm particularly discerning when it comes to blades, I can feel a difference but it's not major.

So what you're feeling at the moment 2 weeks in is pretty much what I feel now 18 months in, there's one or two dislikes, a load of indifference, the only change being that you haven't found your favourite yet, but you will.
Click to expand...

Now that is a very weird thing,

I read what you typed and it surprised me pretty good. I woulda thought there'd have been more of a difference to you. That is unusual.

Well, I'm thinking you maybe need another razor. I don't doubt what you say, but possibly you haven't found your perfect combo yet. To me, the right razor is exactly as important as the right blade. Yes Canuck, it can be magical when everything comes together. Not to enable you in any way of course. Nope, I understand you are set in your ways and my pitch won't work.

Glad to try and help out a buddy,

Martin
 
it takes a while to get a good technique

its not till you start developing a good technique that you see what blades you like

for example when i first started de shaving i really liked yellows and astra greens

now not so much greens as i find them mild

personal preference at the end of the day and you got to keep trying them to see

what you dont like today you might like when you have been shaving 6months to a year+

unless there terrible blades of course
 
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