Do these findings make sense?

W

wooster

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I'm pretty new to this DE shaving malarkey but my initial findings on blades have been pretty much as follows:

Red and Blue Personnas both pretty good blades. Comfortable and fairly good shave, though not the closest I've tried; but comfort is a good thing! I didn't find much difference between these two Personnas.

Astras. They were all right. I thought they were similar to the Personnas but not so easy to use and needed a few more passes in some places. I was surprised by this as many here praise these blades.

Gillette Sharp Edge ( yellow pack ) pretty good. Not as comfortable as the above but close shaving.

Gillette Super Platinum ( blue pack ) A comfortable, close shaving blade with hardly any irritation. One of my favourites so far. Much preferred them to the yellow Gillettes above.

Wilkinson Sword. German Solingen. Great blade. Easy to shave with, forgiving, comfortable with no irritation and fairly close shaving.

So far my favourites appear to be Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Super Platinum and the Personnas. I'm not sure how reliable my findings are though. I'm still getting my technique sorted out and quality of shaves can be variable due to this. I also shaved once or twice with each blade and moved on to the next one. Since then, I've moved back and forth between different blades in an ad hoc manner. I've since read that I should have worked through one pack at a time.

I will give the Astras another go in a few weeks once my technique improves because I know these are highly regarded.

Is my enthusiasm for the Wilkinsons unusual? I have read in many places that people don't rate them at all. I have to say that they gave me the smoothest shave yet and they did a reasonable job at getting close without lots of passes. If I hadn't read such negative reports I'd feel more confident of my assessment.

Anyway, for me, the Wilkinsons and the Gillette Super Platinum lead the pack at the moment

Wooster
 
I used a Gillette 'blue' blade last week and liked it. It was mild and smooth. And, I also like the Wilkinson Sword 'classic' blade as well, though they are not as good as the discontinued English made ones. The Personna 'red' blades are good all rounders.

Your findings do make sense, but it's a case of what suits you.
 
+1 to what Tim says.

It's all about finding out what suits you and your face.

I've always struggled to get a good shave from Personna's, Astra's (other than the discontinued Keramic blade which did work well), and Wilkinson's for example, preferring Gillette 7-O'Clock Yellows, Super Thins and Feathers instead.

It really is a case of YMMV when it comes to blade choice IMHO.
 
As already stated, if they make sense to you that's all that matters. 1 man's fav blade can be another man's meh or ouch. I like the Wilkinson Sword Classic blade as well. Certainly my favourite blade that's readily available on the high street.
 
And yes, do revisit any that you're currently not too sure about, improved technique sheds new light. Initially I hated Feather and Derby but I've changed my mind on them both. Try Astra again in 6 months.
 
Canuck said:
And yes, do revisit any that you're currently not too sure about, improved technique sheds new light.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! I'm revisiting most of mine. I'm now finding that almost all of them are at least OK (and therefore worth using up). But Red and Blue Personnas are currently streets ahead of the pack (with Feathers next). Haven't tried the Med Prep yet... and still got Gillette 7 O'clock yellows (and greens) and Perma-sharps to try out. What fun!
 
Your results seem to make sense with what I am finding.

I like the Gillettes and Personnas, I'm not a fan of Astras for some reason, but I haven't used one for about 6 months, perhaps it's time I tried one again.

Certainly worth revisiting blades as well as revisiting razors.

I used to find some razors too mild and prefer aggressive razors, I still like an aggressive razor, but can now get a perfectly good shave with a mild razor, which I couldn't before, now that my technique has improved.
 
Thanks for the replies, chaps. I wasn't sure what to make of my ideas because my technique is still improving. What really surprised me was how much I like the Wilkinsons, but I'm glad I'm not alone.

One blade I'm keen to try is the Personna Lab Blue which seems to be the same as the Medical Prep but with an additional coating as they don't require to be sterilisable. ( if you'll excuse the clumsy word )

Certainly will revisit all of these again. None have been awful for me; some easier than others is all really. :)

Wooster
 
Never tried the newer German Wilkies but the late English ones are marvellous. Gillette yellows shave close, I find, but are not so smooth often leaving me with a little irritation. I enjoyed the darl blue pack Gillette 7 o'clock, both red and blue Personnas as well as the BIC chrome but my favourite so far is the Rapira Swede - sharp, smooth, forgiving and close shaving. Technique is obviously not totally sorted yet but that Rapira in the Jagger head with my JEC handle is a fabulous combination. Must get a pack of the Wilkie Classic as high street availability is always handy and shavecraft was right about the Ingram's cream so I'll go with that recommendation despite the unfavourable opinions elsewhere. Besides, it's always fun anticipating something new even if it turns out to be disappointing.
 
Well I just had another shave ( too lazy to get up early on a Monday ;) ) with the Gillette Super Platinum, Russian. Once again I was mightily impressed.

I reckon these have been the best blade for me so far, and I'm looking to buy a load of them once I find the best deal. If anyone has any recommendations I'd be glad to hear them

Wooster
 
Doesn't matter if others rate them or not - if a blade works for you it works for you. I'm currently trying the 'highly rated' Personna Med's - it's up there with the worse shaves I ever had!
 
Weird isn't it? I tried the Wilkinsons again and this time found them smooth but needed quite a lot of work to get a clean shave. I had to go over and over bits I haven't had to with other blades recently. I suspect as my technique changes ( for the better hopefully ! ) my ratings of blades will change.

I also tried a Gillette Silver Blue yesterday and found it to be all right but not as comfortable for me as the Gillette Super Platinum Russian in the blue pack which along with the Personna's remain my favourites so far. I got some of the Lab Blues from Connaughts as well so I will give them a go in due course.

I've also got the Personna 74 which Robert kindly sent to me but I'm not using that until I know that I will be able to use it with a bit more skill. Meantime, it's sitting in my display cabinet in the living room. My missus reckons I've lost the plot :)

Willie
 
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