New to this... Which blades?

Tainted

Tainted

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I'm new to DE shaving. I only started in November '11 but have found it a great way to shave and I'm really enjoying it.

The only blades I have tried thus far are Derby's. They came with a set I bought. I'm finding they tug a little too much for my liking and was wondering if anyone can recommend some good blades to move onto.

I've recently bought an Edwin Jagger DE89BL and some Crabtree and Evelyn Sandalwood soap (I prefer the Arko soap I got in the set if I'm honest) thinking this would improve the result, however I'm still getting the tugging, etc. I have looked at some sample packs but haven't taken the plunge as yet. I've heard the Feathers are about as sharp as you can get, however, my skin tends to redden quite easily after shaving but I'm unsure if that's down to poor technique or old habits with cartridges-style blades.

Any recommendations on which sort of blades I should be looking at?
 
Derbys have a kind of love em or hate em following.

Why not try some of the sample packs you can get from Connought, or PM me your address if you are in the UK and I'll PIF you a few to try.

Blades are subjective - what works for me most certainly wont be the same for you, and what works well in one razor seems a little too keen in another. Best to try a few and see what you like. Then BUY BUY BUY!
 
This might sound like a silly question but... how many shaves have you been getting out of each of your Derby blades? Your post seems to imply that you've been shaving since November and only having gone through 5 blades!!!

Tugging is often simply the result of the blade blunting - if you have a particularly thick beard, or shave multiple passes (3+buffing/tough-ups, etc.), the blades may blunt a lot quicker.

Also (and apologies for stating what might be the bleedin'-obvious), your angle of attack might be too steep. This too could be resulting in the blade snagging rather than cutting the hairs, and scraping the skin (hence the reddening).
 
Tainted said:
I'm new to DE shaving. I only started in November '11 but have found it a great way to shave and I'm really enjoying it.

The only blades I have tried thus far are Derby's. They came with a set I bought. I'm finding they tug a little too much for my liking and was wondering if anyone can recommend some good blades to move onto.

Any recommendations on which sort of blades I should be looking at?
Click to expand...

Hi there,

Oh man, you're in for a treat! Yeah, after using a Derby for that long it'll be a real eye opener trying something(s) new. Your technique should be very good by now and it's just a question of trying blades that fit you. Definitely look into a sampler pack.

Martin


Oh yeah, Johnus will be along to extol the Derby 'System'. Yep, for that blade to work properly, it needs to be paired with the Derby cream. Haha, he's a funny old duck but we like him anyway. He'll also tell you to buy an Old Type razor of some kind...preferably an 04 version. Heh, don't fall for that one either.
 
As above, sample packs and you will find what suits you.

That said, the top blades for me are Feathers, Polsilvers, both Astra variants and all Gillette 7 O'Clock variants. They seem to be fairly popular choices if you browse through the SOTD threads.
 
Thanks for all the feedback so far.

Father Ted said:
Derbys have a kind of love em or hate em following.

Why not try some of the sample packs you can get from Connought, or PM me your address if you are in the UK and I'll PIF you a few to try.

Blades are subjective - what works for me most certainly wont be the same for you, and what works well in one razor seems a little too keen in another. Best to try a few and see what you like. Then BUY BUY BUY!
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm definitely going to try some sample packs. I've actually looked at the Connaught packs and think that's where I'll be heading to pick them up. Thanks for the offer on the blades, I'll hold off for now. :)

Ken T M said:
This might sound like a silly question but... how many shaves have you been getting out of each of your Derby blades? Your post seems to imply that you've been shaving since November and only having gone through 5 blades!!!

Tugging is often simply the result of the blade blunting - if you have a particularly thick beard, or shave multiple passes (3+buffing/tough-ups, etc.), the blades may blunt a lot quicker.

Also (and apologies for stating what might be the bleedin'-obvious), your angle of attack might be too steep. This too could be resulting in the blade snagging rather than cutting the hairs, and scraping the skin (hence the reddening).
Click to expand...

Ha! I've been changing the blades every 3 shaves. I got a 100-pack with the set I bought so I've still quite a few left, as you can imagine. I made sure I watched quite a few videos before I took the leap and had my first DE shave as I didn't want to take lumps out of my face. :) I watched the likes of Mantic59, GeofatBoy, etc. They seem to know what they're talking about so I still enjoy watching those vids.

dodgy said:
Tainted said:
I'm new to DE shaving. I only started in November '11 but have found it a great way to shave and I'm really enjoying it.

The only blades I have tried thus far are Derby's. They came with a set I bought. I'm finding they tug a little too much for my liking and was wondering if anyone can recommend some good blades to move onto.

Any recommendations on which sort of blades I should be looking at?
Click to expand...

Hi there,

Oh man, you're in for a treat! Yeah, after using a Derby for that long it'll be a real eye opener trying something(s) new. Your technique should be very good by now and it's just a question of trying blades that fit you. Definitely look into a sampler pack.

Martin


Oh yeah, Johnus will be along to extol the Derby 'System'. Yep, for that blade to work properly, it needs to be paired with the Derby cream. Haha, he's a funny old duck but we like him anyway. He'll also tell you to buy an Old Type razor of some kind...preferably an 04 version. Heh, don't fall for that one either.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I'll no doubt come across him at some stage. Looking forward to it. :)

PavlovsDog said:
As above, sample packs and you will find what suits you.

That said, the top blades for me are Feathers, Polsilvers, both Astra variants and all Gillette 7 O'Clock variants. They seem to be fairly popular choices if you browse through the SOTD threads.
Click to expand...

I think I'l leaning towards the Astras, Personnas and Gillette 7 O'Clocks in a nice little sampler pack to see where if I can find my niche.

I appreciate the advice, thank you all.

:)
 
I've only tried a few blades and I've decided to stop looking, 7 O'Clock Yellows and Feathers suit me just fine and I get the results I'm happy with for the DE so I don't feel the need to keep trying to find the 'Holy Grail'. I'll also extend the offer of sending a few Yellow and feathers if you so wish.

Wookie
 
I think a selection pack is defnitely the best answer.

I have been using the Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and get on well with them. I tried an Astra as they are rated but it just carved my face to pieces, so obviously didn't suit me.

Theres a big blade pif going on, if you add your name to that list you will probably get loads of weird and wonderful ones sent your way.

http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=2093
 
Check the angle at which you hold your razor when shaving. If you hold the razor too steeply that can cause dragging, so you need to hold the razor further out until it feels right.
 
Tainted said:
I'm new to DE shaving. I only started in November '11 but have found it a great way to shave and I'm really enjoying it.

The only blades I have tried thus far are Derby's. They came with a set I bought. I'm finding they tug a little too much for my liking and was wondering if anyone can recommend some good blades to move onto.

I've recently bought an Edwin Jagger DE89BL and some Crabtree and Evelyn Sandalwood soap (I prefer the Arko soap I got in the set if I'm honest) thinking this would improve the result, however I'm still getting the tugging, etc. I have looked at some sample packs but haven't taken the plunge as yet. I've heard the Feathers are about as sharp as you can get, however, my skin tends to redden quite easily after shaving but I'm unsure if that's down to poor technique or old habits with cartridges-style blades.

Any recommendations on which sort of blades I should be looking at?
Click to expand...


Hey dude. If you PM me your postal address I'll send you a mix and match of about 15 different blades. Its a PIF, so no cost involved.
 
I really appreciate the offer guys but I've just ordered a nice little sample pack from Paul at Connaught. He's going to swap the Derby's out for some Treet's which was nice of him. Also got a little sampler of TOBS Sandalwood which I'm looking forward to using.

Once again, thanks for the kind offers and excellent advice. :)
 
Love TOBS sandalwood!

I've tried a bunch of blades but have only an average beard. I've found that most blades work OK but that Astra SP's, Personna Labs (USA made), and German Wilkinsons work quite well for me. Those are the ones I've bought in lots of 100. I average 3-4 shaves from each and then I replace them whether or not I might drag another shave or two out of one.
 
Ok, listened to all your advice. Tried the Personna Blue(US made) with my Gillette ABC. Well, wasn't worth the extra 4 cents! 1st pass wasn't the smoothest. Got better around the 3rd. Yes, had to go 4+5 for the BBS.

(this pressure thing. Not sure where everyone stand on it . But after the 2nd pass; I'm starting to really bare down, always did. Seems to work fine.)
 
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