Blade reccomendation.

This for me is what holds the gillette 7 o'clock sharp edge blades ("yellows") from being in my top 10. Some swear by handstropping, some think it makes no difference. Worth a shot though. I think you need to do each side quite a few times to get the benefit
 
And just to show that everyone thinks differently on blades, I think this whole "rough first shave" thing with 7 o'clock yellows is a myth, I find them perfect, sharp and smooth from the first shave. I don't believe in corking and hand stropping.

You are right that the theory is that there are burrs and that one shave (or a corking or palming) should remove them.

I also have a theory that if you tell enough people on the internet that "X" blades are rough on the first shave, some people will pass that on and it can or will become "true" of it's own violition. I think they call it "groupthink".

You should probably just try them yourself, you'll know for sure then.
 
Definitely give them a try. Definitely rough first pass for me though. I tend not to bother with the hand stropping myself, I just use them when i havent shaved for more than just one day so I don't notice it.
 
Frankieabbott said:
What is this strange phenomenon, (strange to me anyway at the moment) about some blades giving a better/more comfortable shave on their second use, (like, after they have been used once). Is it a case of them being just too sharp when first used and that they have blunted or de burred a little by the second time of using?
Click to expand...

That was something I learned 25 years ago and I still follow it to this day.

I shave with one pass but I don't shave against the grain with any blade with less than 3 shaves under its belt.
 
Working my way though the Connaught selection and nearing the end, my latest blade to try is a Wilkinson Sword in the black plastic dispenser. Have to say I'm really disappointed in this, feels rough and draggy and not particularly sharp so thumbs down for that one - Still Gillette yellow and Astra for me!!
 
For me the overall best blades are AstraSP and Personna - they seem to work in the largest number of razors, are sharp and very smooth and are reasonably priced at around £8-12 per 100.

For out-and-out sharpness, it's Feather, but I only get 2 decent shaves out of them before they start tugging, so I keep a few in for when I have to look my best, and stay stubble-free for the longest. Morning weddings that go through to the evening reception, that sort of thing.

Best value for me are the SuperMax Blue/Orange&Blue (as I've mentioned at length elsewhere), but with the caveat that they seem to need a heavy razor to get the best out of them - a lightweight razor like the Tech or Boots own-brand (that both work well with the Astra/Personnas) just doesn't suit them and makes them "bounce" off the stubble for me. £6 for 200 is as cheap as chips though.

I've tried plenty of others - Dorcos, Derbys, Treet, Trig and Tiger were all ok, but at the same price as Astras not in the same league, and Lazers were just plain awful.

Edit: (7th March) - saying that I went back to try a Treet durasharp this morning, and it was like a scene from Psycho. I think I'll be avoiding them in future...
 
I'm on shave number 3 with my first use of a Gillette Yellow and I have to say I agree with some of the comments in the thread about the first shave being a little rough. The second was pretty good though. I just had my third - and probably final - shave with the yellow and it found it to be about as good a shave as I have had with any of my Connaught Sample Pack thus far. Definitely on a par with the Astras and probably slightly better than the feathers which seemed to do quite well from the first shave for me, but sadly started tugging on shave three.
 
My last post in this thread was over 4 weeks ago, when I was solely using Gillette yellows, things have progressed.

My current favourite blade is a Feather. They are good for 2 shaves and seem to work great in my old Gillettes. I still like the Gillette yellows and get 3 shaves out of them, but the Feather is that bit sharper and does a better job of the tough bit under my chin and in the neck area.

I tried a Gillette green in my Superspeed tonight and it felt really blunt and tugged a lot. Not a good combination, glad I had some good balm as my face was on fire.
 
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