Derbys - really so bad?

A

Amnesia180

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200
Hi All,

I took a couple of Derby blades from the recent PIF that has been goign around, and I've a Derby blade twice now... Really, is it that bad?

I didn't notice it feeling any better than a Shark I have tried, and it was certainly an improvement on the Merkur and Wilkinson's own blade.
It didn't tug, or pull, but I do think it lacks that razor sharp slicing feel that I get when using a SuperMax. But still, for an every day blade, I think it will work well as it doesn't leave my clean shaven for as long as the SuperMax, but that is a good thing (for me) as it makes being able to shave the next day a lot easier.

So, are they really that bad?! (over to you guys)
 
I pretty much agree with you. They may not be the best blade out there, but if you want a quick respectable looking shave without major trauma or blood loss they're great, and cheap.
 
I don't think they are that bad to be honest. I'd describe them as 'workmanlike'.

If I had to keep all mine it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I can notice a real difference between them and a 7 o'clock green and I haven't tried that many blades yet. The green just shaves much more smoothly to my mind (for me anyway).
 
My "beef" with Derby blades is that I had a batch of variable blades - now it might just have been one rogue batch but plenty of others fell "out of love" with them around the same time... so normally no they're ok, but to me there are other blades that are more reliable and better suited to my face (which is of course different to everyone else's)
 
Yeah, I've heard the quality control issue raised a lot on here. For me they seem to irritate sooner than they lose sharpness, so I do one shave per blade on my remaining stock
 
I have no strong feelings either way, they're okay but I found better blades so I didn't go back.

It seems most here on TSR like to slate 'em, yet on B+B 6 months ago they used to rate 'em. It's a funny old world!
 
I wouldn't class them as my personal "go to" blades when I used a DE more regularly ; however it was the lack of quality control which meant that often a couple of blades in each packet was useless which really put me off.

If you like them & the consistency is better now they could well be a nice choice of blade. I certainly don't have any inbuilt prejudice against them per se. Just some unfortunate experiences with them.

JohnnyO. \:s
 
Derby were my first DE blades, so I had nothing to compare them with and I thought they were fine. Having tried different blades since, I've found others which work better for me. It's not just that my technique has improved either - I tried another Derby and that new blade felt like it was on its last legs; I had to chuck it half way through the shave.
 
Interesting replies.
I've only had 2 shaves with a single Derby blade, so I don't have a lot to compare too.

Agreed, I have tried other blades that are better (only two, but that's because I've not tried many blades). And thanks to the PIF I have a lot of others to try too. We'll see how things turn out :)
 
Derby was also my first DE blade and they cut my face to ribbons. Accept that all the other aspects of my shave will have improved since then but switching away from Derbys gave an immediate improvement and so I figure why risk it?
 
I started with Derbys, I got irritation and they pulled, I assumed it was poor technique so returned to them when my technique was good. I still get irritation and they still pull, so I don't used them YMMV. For me they are along with plenty of other blades on my no list.

On my yes list are Wilkinson Sword, Personnas, Gillette Superthin, Asco Orange.......and quite a few more. As such I have no desire to use blades I don't get along with. Besides I mostly use straights these days.
 
Not sure what to think of Derby's...............I've never had great shaves from them....and there is some talk about variable quality...which might account for the last two blades I tried....I had to change blades half way through a shave....thats only happened with Laser blades from Wilkies before......So maybe I just got a bad batch...
Trouble is you end up with loads of the things, as every time I buy something shave related I get a free pack of Derby's as well....Can't they give 'em away or what............maybe I'll keep 'em for the shave apocalypse...
 
Pretty much in line with everyone else really, not the best blade I've ever used but by no means the worst either. I've also noticed some inconsistency between blades too.

They're cheap!
 
I find the first shave with a derby to be excellent, the 2nd shave not great but acceptable. I wouldn't like to push it for a 3rd. For me they are ok but they just lose their edge too quickly.
 
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