blade recommendations sought

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This is my first proper post on this forum, so apologies if this is not correct place for this question: having used the same disposable razors since I first discovered them some time in the mid nineties - Wilkinson Sword Extra II sensitive - I have now spent many months trying to match (or even surpass?) their performance with a DE safety razor. I am using the superbly engineered Gillette Super Slim, generally set to either 3 or 4 - I found the Astra SP and Derby blades rather below par, Feathers just left me slicing myself to bits, I also tried a couple of Personna (USA blue and Med Prep) to no avail - the best I have found so far are 7 o'clock Yellow, but these do pull rather unless I've had a good long soak in the bath before shaving - I'm going to place an online order for a selection pack from Razor Blades Club, and I'm looking for suggestions as to what I should include - any pointers would be greatly appreciated - F
 
I'd include Nacet, Polsilver Super Irridium, Rapira Platinum Lux, Voskhod, and Sputnik. The others worth trying are Gillette Silver Blue and Stainless (red). One of my more recently-introduced "likes" are Shark Platinum. The Indian-made 7 O'clock black Super Platinums are another good blade, as are Perma-Sharps.

I think there are some well-regarded blades from the Far East, but I don't have any experience of them. However, if I were ordering a selection pack today, I'd get some of the Chinese ones to try.

One consideration (depending on your country of residence) is the ability to source easily any blade or blades that you want to stick with, and buy in quantity. Personally, I've tried blades that I really liked, but then discovered them hard to get in the UK, or they're somewhat expensive.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far - I am trying not to cast my net too wide, as I will end up at even more of a loss - I am in England, and you are quite right about the difficulty/expense of sourcing some of these blades in quantity - my aim is to arrive at something better than the Yellows, and order 100 (I've nearly finished the 100 Yellows I ordered a while back - I'd happily pay more than the £10 I paid for those for something that lasts me more than 2 shaves per blade) - I'm pretty sure that I need something getting on for Feather sharpness (my beard is like wire wool) but much smoother/less aggressive (my skin is very sensitive/soft) - I don't think I can further refine my prep regime etc, but the same cannot be said of my technique - something I didn't appear to need with my WS disposables (?) - might I do better to post this in the 'Help' section? F
 
Have you tried BIC Chrome Platinum? They're a bit of a love it or loathe it blade because they're EXTREMELY sharp but I've grown to really like them. If you're careful they'll reward you with a seriously BBS shave and no irritation. If you PM me your address, I'll chuck a pack in the post for you.
 
Have you tried BIC Chrome Platinum? They're a bit of a love it or loathe it blade because they're EXTREMELY sharp but I've grown to really like them. If you're careful they'll reward you with a seriously BBS shave and no irritation. If you PM me your address, I'll chuck a pack in the post for you.
You are clearly both a gentleman and a scholar - PM sent - F
 
Welcome Flinders.
Blades are perhaps the most subjective item in shaving. It is in fact important to find a blade that suits you and goes well with your razor of choice, but I would say it is not more important than having a good pre-shave routine, a good soap, and of course good technique.
What is your normal setup, besides the razor and blade? What do you use and are you sure you are dialing the lather to its best? With what frequency do you shave?
Have you tried to increase or decrease the adjustment of the razor?

Just some things for you to think over. I have had a very long adaptation period, I spent a lot of time trying to find a blade that would give me the perfect shave, just to find out later that I should have focused on a good enough blade to improve my technique overall.
 
Welcome Flinders.
Blades are perhaps the most subjective item in shaving. It is in fact important to find a blade that suits you and goes well with your razor of choice, but I would say it is not more important than having a good pre-shave routine, a good soap, and of course good technique.
What is your normal setup, besides the razor and blade? What do you use and are you sure you are dialing the lather to its best? With what frequency do you shave?
Have you tried to increase or decrease the adjustment of the razor?

Just some things for you to think over. I have had a very long adaptation period, I spent a lot of time trying to find a blade that would give me the perfect shave, just to find out later that I should have focused on a good enough blade to improve my technique overall.
Thanks for taking the time to reply - I shave every other day unless I am meeting customers, and my routine is generally: hot shower/bath; BBA (pre) shave oil; Baume.be shaving cream when I can afford it / Proraso Red shaving cream when I can't - worked into a good lather and applied with unnecessarily expensive shaving brush - 3 pass shave (with/across/against) with 4th pass to touch up; followed by Baume.be post shave balm (whether I can afford it or not) - this is with my Gillette Super Slim set to 3 and Gillette 7 o'clock Yellows - if I notch it up to 4, it pulls like crazy and is unbearable - I tend to work off the top cap of the razor, and gradually bring the blade into engagement. You are absolutely right about technique - when feeling calm, focussed and wide awake, following an identical procedure but using Feather 'New Hi Stainless' gets me a 100% smooth as you could wish for result in just two passes with zero pulling, at the cost of a mini nervous breakdown every time I shave: one tiny slip and it's facial Armageddon... I may well return to Feathers when/if this all becomes second nature, but in the meantime I'm looking for a blade that is not quite such a harsh mistress - F
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply - I shave every other day unless I am meeting customers, and my routine is generally: hot shower/bath; BBA (pre) shave oil; Baume.be shaving cream when I can afford it / Proraso Red shaving cream when I can't - worked into a good lather and applied with unnecessarily expensive shaving brush - 3 pass shave (with/across/against) with 4th pass to touch up; followed by Baume.be post shave balm (whether I can afford it or not) - this is with my Gillette Super Slim set to 3 and Gillette 7 o'clock Yellows - if I notch it up to 4, it pulls like crazy and is unbearable - I tend to work off the top cap of the razor, and gradually bring the blade into engagement. You are absolutely right about technique - when feeling calm, focussed and wide awake, following an identical procedure but using Feather 'New Hi Stainless' gets me a 100% smooth as you could wish for result in just two passes with zero pulling, at the cost of a mini nervous breakdown every time I shave: one tiny slip and it's facial Armageddon... I may well return to Feathers when/if this all becomes second nature, but in the meantime I'm looking for a blade that is not quite such a harsh mistress - F

Ok, so I see you have taken all the steps, well done. Never tried Baume.be, but I have read good things about it. Proraso Red, although not amazing, does a good job, in my opinion.

It's odd the razor pulls when you increase the dialing. I would expect that when decreasing, not increasing, but then again, I'm not the greatest fan of adjustable razors, so my opinion would not be the best.

Back to your initial question then, I would suggest you to try also Timor blades, I find them sharp and smooth, but expensive. I would also add less sharp but smooth blades such as Racer. Other than that, a lot of good blade suggestions have already been given here.
 
Indeed so - plenty of suggestions to work my way through - I shall do a bit of cross referencing and put a sample order together this evening - thanks all for your time/input - I'll report back in due course - F
 
Blimey - I had no idea NOS razor blades were a thing! - interesting ratings on the more accessible stuff - thanks for posting this, it must have kept that NotStig chap busy for a long time...
 
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