Thought it's about time I gave an update on my progress with these blades..
I have used them all except for the wilkinson sword and the Lord Platinum, however
the Lord is the next one on my list to try. I have only used one blade from each pack
so far so my thoughts are not set in stone yet, however there were three blades that
I didn't like... The Crystals, Personna Platinums and Gillette Super Platinums (dark blue pack)
The Personna's and the Gillette's were a bit of a surprise as they seem to get an
above average level of praise. Out of those three the Gillette was the best, but not
very nice... but the Crystal and the Personna's were horrible for me. They felt dull,
rough, didn't shave close and left my face feeling raw.... and the alum block afterwards
made my face sting like a son of a bitch.... Horrid.
All the other blades were fine, and I would be ok using any of them, but the two
stand out blades of this sample pack for me are.... *drum roll*
Astra SP... really smooth, sharp, no irritation. The nicest blade I've used so far.
and
Shark Super Chrome... This was a big surprise for me, felt much the same to my
face as the Astra, I'm three shaves in and they have all been lovely.
As I said earlier I still have the Lord and Wilkinson to try, plus the kind PIF's I have
which include two Gillettes, the super thin and green 7 o'clock, plus a Polsilver and
a Perma Sharp.... So still have a good few to try. For now though the Astra SP is
definitely my new favourite, followed very very closely by the Shark Super Chrome.
All these blades have been used in my Merkur HD 34c using the same brush and
cream for consistency. I't been an interesting experiment after all these years of
using the same blade, and I now finally know why the Astra is on most peoples top
three....
Cheers.
