Astra Green - Is it just me?

As far as keeping plastic out of the landfills, good luck, there is more now than ever before, even the electric cars have gobs of good ol' petroleum derived plastics and other materials made using petrochemicals.
 
I had a first these past few days: an Astra SP rusted like a SOB while installed in RR GC .68 after the 2nd shave!! :oops: But, in all fairness the humidity has been off the charts. Tossed the blade & cleaned the rust off the RR GC .68.
 
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3 Years ago i didn’t get on with the Astra’s at all but now i love them
mind you i am an awkward bugger
However i don’t like very mush by Derby although the Usta’s are kind of ok.
It might take me 5 years to use the 4 blades i have left but i’ll get there
 
Not all blades work for all razors and all faces. I find the Astra Stainless useable, but the Platinum (along with most other platinum blades manufactured by Gillette Ste Petersburg) for me is distinctly meh
 
I really like the Astra Green. I've used them in a variety of razors and found that the ones that suited me the best were the Merkur and FaTip slant razors.
 
No it’s not just you. When I started using DE I liked Astra, now I find them awful.
I use Derby as my favourite now.
I just posted the reply I got from them re plastic
 
I had a first these past few days: an Astra SP rusted like a SOB while installed in RR GC .68 after the 2nd shave!! :oops: But, in all fairness the humidity has been off the charts. Tossed the blade & cleaned the rust off the RR GC .68.
It's strange - i finished the 100 Astra SP i bought in 2016 from Connaught and recently opened the 100 Astra SP i bought from Amazon in 2020 — they look the same and seem to shave the same, but i get the faint brown stains on them unless i dry them after each shave.

Maybe different metal finish?
 
It's strange - i finished the 100 Astra SP i bought in 2016 from Connaught and recently opened the 100 Astra SP i bought from Amazon in 2020 — they look the same and seem to shave the same, but i get the faint brown stains on them unless i dry them after each shave.

Maybe different metal finish?
Oiled versus not oiled?
 
Oiled versus not oiled?
Yes could be - i don't have any concerns that they are fake or anything, as they were supplied and fulfilled by Amazon, so direct from the factory.

Its like faint brown water marks on the blade a12 hours or so after shaving, unless i remove the blade and dry it after shaving.

I do wonder if it is the baseplate on my Merkur Progress causing this, because I purchased and started using it around the same time?
 
Don't discount pre shave prep as a possible reason for a poor / rough shave. Something I was reminded of myself recently.
If you're only using a pre-shave cream to prepare it probably isn’t enough, especially with a tougher beard.
Preparing your face well with either a shower or hot towel before hand definitely softens up the beard far better than a pre-shave alone IMHO.
I had a rough experience last week because I hadn’t showered prior to shaving which was a rare occurrence for me.
I used Proraso Green pre-shave but it did nothing to soften the stubble properly so when I shaved the blade felt as if it was tearing at the hair as opposed to cutting through it.

Another suggestion is regarding the Proraso pre-shave. There are occasions when this cream actually dries out my skin and also affects the soap I’m applying on top.
Its like it dries out the lather making it less slick and can cause unwanted drag on the blade. I do like the menthol in it however but I use it less frequently than before. It might be worth trying a pre-shave oil to see how it compares ?
Of course we’re all individual and my experience might simply be due to my own skin type. YMMV.
actually that doesnt work for everyone... im a man with facial hair like steel wire and very weak and delicate facial skin. Yet pre shave is not going to impact shave.
i can take a shower, hop out dry off and shave, or just go in the bathroom at noon and shave after wiping the wet brush on my face. results all due to picking correct razor and blade, and making my lather a certain way, using soaps that work for me.

i shave every 2nd or 3rd day. I can grab a flare tip and lather up and its good to go. Or i can grab my fatboy and roll it to 8 and its good to go. as long as i pay attention to my skin texture..

when you can clog the slots on a fat boy set to 8 with an inch long pass on either side of the blade, you find what works and keep with it.
 
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