blade recommendations sought

Connaught do a very good value sampler, which crucially includes blades from a number of different manufacturers: https://connaughtshaving.com/popular.html

Unfortunately, you seem to have tried half of them, so you're probably better sticking with RBC or some of the other ebay variety pack sellers.

One of the surprises for me from the Connaught sampler was the Treet Platinums. I've since tried a few more of their blades, and whilst I haven't found a carbon blade that suits me, any of their stainless steel blades represent fantastic value (for my face/beard).
 
A quick update: my sample pack arrived this morning - I went through all the excellent suggestions made here and cross referenced with online reviews, removing any prohibitively expensive/difficult to source options, and, frankly being a bit random in order to whittle it down - I now have the following: Polsilver Iridium; Gillette Silver Blue; Voskshod and Kai - in addition to these I dug out some blades I bought a few years ago when I first moved to a DE razor: Feather Hi Stainless; Astra SP and a stray Personna USA blue - I also have a pack of Bic Chrome Platinum kindly sent to me by the excellent Woody72
Having in mind the comments regarding technique, I thought it might be time to reappraise my nemesis, the Feather - so, over the weekend, and not without some trepidation, I followed an extra careful prep routine and gave it a go: the result - probably the best (and longest lasting) shave I have had so far - still a bit of tugging when working ATG (starting to work out all these endless acronyms...), but all done in two passes with a little touching up and not a spot of blood to be seen - it would seem that working my way through nearly 100 Gillette 7 o'clock yellows has given me a steadier hand - I won't pretend it was a relaxing experience, but the results were the best I've had up to now - this will be the benchmark against which I shall judge the other blades - I might perhaps update the thread with a brief summary of the samples as I work my way through them on the off chance that it may prove useful to others - I'm sure I'm not alone in finding that, with the passing years, my beard appears to have changed in structure to resemble something closer to that of a coarse wire wool, whilst my skin remains just as sensitive as ever.
I am also pursuing an alternate line of enquiry as to whether AC blades might be a possible solution - I am certainly no stranger to the use of fine edge tools in my day job, and something like the Above the Tie SE 1 looks like a very interesting proposition if handled carefully...
 
...I followed an extra careful prep routine and gave it a go: the result - probably the best (and longest lasting) shave I have had so far - still a bit of tugging when working ATG...

You know, you don't have to shave ATG and I am sure no one in public would notice if you did or didn't. Be careful in reading too much into some people talking about multi-pass BBS shaves as that is not what most do and some run into trouble, e.g., irritation, nicks/cuts & worse......ingrown hairs.
 
You know, you don't have to shave ATG and I am sure no one in public would notice if you did or didn't. Be careful in reading too much into some people talking about multi-pass BBS shaves as that is not what most do and some run into trouble, e.g., irritation, nicks/cuts & worse......ingrown hairs.
Thanks for your response - I must say, I have been shaving ATG since I first started shaving over 30 years ago - I end up feeling unshaven if I miss out this step, and would need to shave far more frequently - it is only in more recent years that going ATG has become more difficult and I seem to require ever sharper blades - I am honestly not considering what others may or may not notice: the feeling of a really good close shave leaves me with a glow that lasts all day, and a vaguely smug feeling every time I happen to touch my face - I find this preferable to the partly-used-sandpaper sensation of a partial shave irrespective of the effect on my outward appearance. I have decided to investigate the possibility that blade thickness might be a variable worth experimenting with, and I will shortly be taking delivery of a lightly used AC based safety razor that I bought on eBay - I still intend to continue trying the DE blades as well, but I do not intend to compromise on my final goal - I shall report back anon - F
 
@Bogeyman said it true!
A simple one pass with maybe a wee bit of buffing is fine.
You really don't need to spend 1/2 an hour at such a simple task, although I know some folks enjoy their 23 passes plus after shave, plus face splash, plus ice cubes, etc.
I'm too late to advise you re the blades (as you have bought already) but I recently tried Gillette 'Winner'.
Very impressed so far. Starts off smooth and just gets smoother. Up to my 5th shave on a blade at the moment...will try for the 6th tomorrow.
Compare very well with my usual Feathers, Kai, Gillette Yellows, Greens, GSB, Platinums, and Lab Blues.
I should add that I've wet shaved for 50+ years now, so I reckon I've finally got the hang of it!
 
...I'm too late to advise you re the blades (as you have bought already) but I recently tried Gillette 'Winner'.
Very impressed so far. Starts off smooth and just gets smoother. Up to my 5th shave on a blade at the moment...will try for the 6th tomorrow.
Compare very well with my usual Feathers, Kai, Gillette Yellows, Greens, GSB, Platinums, and Lab Blues...


I just recently bought two solitary Gillette Winner blades and have shaved twice on one and you are spot on: it's a fine blade. In the same order I also purchased two solitary 7 O'Clock Permasharp blades (the green Indian one) to see if by chance they are the same blame and after two shaves on both I don't believe that they are. I like the Winner a bit better as a matter of fact (so far).
 
@Bogeyman said it true!
A simple one pass with maybe a wee bit of buffing is fine.
You really don't need to spend 1/2 an hour at such a simple task, although I know some folks enjoy their 23 passes plus after shave, plus face splash, plus ice cubes, etc.
I'm too late to advise you re the blades (as you have bought already) but I recently tried Gillette 'Winner'.
Very impressed so far. Starts off smooth and just gets smoother. Up to my 5th shave on a blade at the moment...will try for the 6th tomorrow.
Compare very well with my usual Feathers, Kai, Gillette Yellows, Greens, GSB, Platinums, and Lab Blues.
I should add that I've wet shaved for 50+ years now, so I reckon I've finally got the hang of it!
Blimey, those Winner blades are very cheap - I've ordered a pack of 10 out of curiosity (£1.89 Inc postage from India) - you can buy 100 delivered for £6!
As to your comments re. technique: I am happy to entertain the possibility that I have a lot to learn, but it usually takes me about 10 minutes (which doesn't seem unreasonable), it's usually 3 passes, and I have never suffered razor burn/ingrown hairs etc, just occasional bloodletting - possibly I am doing something very wrong (and always have been) but I cannot understand how I could possibly achieve a single pass shave - the best I can manage is two passes (using Feather hi stainless) - my aim is to achieve this level of efficiency with a slightly less nerve wracking blade - I have ordered some Kai Proguard to try in the SE razor when that gets here, to see whether that's the way forward - I am off work following spinal surgery for a minimum of four weeks, and given that shaving is one of the few things I'm allowed to do, I thought I would make an exercise of refining my methods and equipment - I am very grateful for everyone's input - F
 
I have decided to investigate the possibility that blade thickness might be a variable worth experimenting with, and I will shortly be taking delivery of a lightly used AC based safety razor that I bought on eBay - I still intend to continue trying the DE blades as well, but I do not intend to compromise on my final goal - I shall report back anon - F

Take a look at Razorock Hawk. It's a fairly inexpensive Single Edge razor, uses AC type blades, and most of the feedback is good. I have one, the V1, and absolutely love it.


When I was having a bit more trouble shaving, it was the only razor I got along with, and used it exclusively for about 4 months.
The AC type blades are thicker and less flexible, and of course less prone to vibrate, and to me that made a difference. Plus I shave faster with the Hawk, it's very light and maneuverable, and I have had the most comfortable shaves with it.
You will, of course, have to try different blades to see which ones suit you. I would recommend samples from razrobladesclub.com, namely Feather Pro, Feather Proguard and KAI titan mild.
 
@Bogeyman said it true!
A simple one pass with maybe a wee bit of buffing is fine.
You really don't need to spend 1/2 an hour at such a simple task, although I know some folks enjoy their 23 passes plus after shave, plus face splash, plus ice cubes, etc.
I'm too late to advise you re the blades (as you have bought already) but I recently tried Gillette 'Winner'.
Very impressed so far. Starts off smooth and just gets smoother. Up to my 5th shave on a blade at the moment...will try for the 6th tomorrow.
Compare very well with my usual Feathers, Kai, Gillette Yellows, Greens, GSB, Platinums, and Lab Blues.
I should add that I've wet shaved for 50+ years now, so I reckon I've finally got the hang of it!

I binned my second Winner yesterday with 13 shaves on it, really pleased with the lifespan of the blade. A very smooth blade and it also has exceptional design for the packaging. An avuncular Indian dude raising his thumb to your incoming DFS.

I'm in agreement about the number of passes. I used to do 3.5 passes (WTG, 2 XTG's, 1 clean up) but I've recently reduced it largely 1.5 passes; largely down to seeming to picking up nicks/weepers below/above my lips for anything more than a 1 pass.
 
Take a look at Razorock Hawk. It's a fairly inexpensive Single Edge razor, uses AC type blades, and most of the feedback is good. I have one, the V1, and absolutely love it.


When I was having a bit more trouble shaving, it was the only razor I got along with, and used it exclusively for about 4 months.
The AC type blades are thicker and less flexible, and of course less prone to vibrate, and to me that made a difference. Plus I shave faster with the Hawk, it's very light and maneuverable, and I have had the most comfortable shaves with it.
You will, of course, have to try different blades to see which ones suit you. I would recommend samples from razrobladesclub.com, namely Feather Pro, Feather Proguard and KAI titan mild.
Damn - that does look like excellent value - I'm not sure how that one managed to escape my attention - I bought a second hand stainless steel razor, the SE1 'Kronos' made by Above the Tie (they seem to be well thought of, and I think I should be able to recover the £80 I paid if I don't get along with it) - it's coming with a pack of Feather Pro, and I've ordered some Kai Proguard, but probably another sample pack would indeed be a sensible - I am heartened by your comments regarding blade thickness, this does seem like an inherent weakness in the DE blades (possibly some heads do a better job of fully supporting the blade near the cutting edge?) - I am still going to carry on working through the DE samples in the meantime, and will post a brief summary of each when I have finished - F
 
Flinders, I would have recommended that you buy a used Schick injector razor for a mere pittance to to try as a SE razor before paying a small fortune for a boutique AC razor. £80 is a sizable chunk of change. :whistle:
 
Flinders, I would have recommended that you buy a used Schick injector razor for a mere pittance to to try as a SE razor before paying a small fortune for a boutique AC razor. £80 is a sizable chunk of change. :whistle:
It's all about perspective: my usual habitat is the audiophile forums - £80 might just cover a bit of budget cabling... a replacement set of valves for my preamp is north of £200 - trust me, my better half is secretly thrilled I've taken an interest in a bit of shaving paraphernalia - besides, if I can't have beautifully made shiny things, I don't want to play - F
 
It's all about perspective: my usual habitat is the audiophile forums - £80 might just cover a bit of budget cabling... a replacement set of valves for my preamp is north of £200 - trust me, my better half is secretly thrilled I've taken an interest in a bit of shaving paraphernalia - besides, if I can't have beautifully made shiny things, I don't want to play - F

Hi fidelity is dead. The iPod killed it.
 
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