What is your favourite 5 blades from this list of 9

Rico

Rico

Messages
23
Location
Kent, England.
Hello Chaps,

After DE shaving for nearly 10 years and using only Merkur blades all this time,
and one pack of Derby's,
I finally decided to try some different blades. With the influx of new (to the UK) blades
in recent years and the, shall we say.... less than enthusiastic appreciation of Merkur
blades I bought the popular sample pack from Connaught which arrived today.

Out of the 9 blades included, just to get a very general idea would you list your
favourite 5......

Astra Superior Platinum
Crystal Platinum
Derby Extra
Feather New Hi-Stainless Platinum
Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
Lord Platinum
Personna Platinum Chrome
Shark Super Chrome
Wilkinson Sword Double Edge

Thanks allot, I only have one razor, a Merkur 34c HD, and I have tried two
Derby blades in it..... the first one was fantastic, the second one wasn't and
they were both from the same pack, so I would guess manufacturing
inconsistency's contribute to that blades very mixed opinions. Looking forward
to trying these new blades out with the Feather's, Astra's and 7 o'clocks
piquing my interest the most. Cheers.
 
Depends if you want smoothness or sharpness.

Astra SPs are good. Smooth, sharp, decent longevity.
Crystal Platinum - think these are like Red Personnas (old name for Personna Platinums on Connaught's). If so likely to be smooth but medium sharp.
Feather are probably the sharpest available. Won't last long. I find them not the smoothest but not particularly rough.
Dark blue Super Plats - I find them very mild and not particularly sharp. The weakest of an otherwise excellent range of 7 o'clock blades. Some like them though.
Lord Platinum. Smooth, not overly sharp but pretty good. Poor longevity. Very cheap.
Personna Platinum - see Crystal Platinum.
Shark Super Chrome - smooth, reasonably sharp, average longevity. Nice and cheap.
Wilkinsons - if the white pack made in Germany then a bit tuggy due to lack of sharpness and fairly smooth. Reasonable longevity. The Indian made Gillette-WilkinsonSword are similar but much cheaper and probably even less sharp.
Derby at the bottom due to inconsistency and irritation. Widely but not universally held view.

Take a look at my blade review sticky in the DE Blades section, bearing in mind we're all different and some work better in some razors than in others. Price and longevity can be subjective too.
 
I know you are not really looking for more options, but I really like Gillette superthins in my 34C, if you PM me your address I will post you some to try.
Norky
 
Wow, that's a mini review on all the blades I listed... :icon_razz: Thanks for that.
I am getting the feeling the Astra SP's are held in quite high regard from people
that have used them, they're also a very good price so I'm looking forward to
trying these.

Thanks again, cheers.

Norky said:
I know you are not really looking for more options, but I really like Gillette superthins in my 34C, if you PM me your address I will post you some to try.
Norky
Click to expand...

That is Damn scociable of you Norky... Thanks PM on it's way. I'm sure once my
little experiment is over I'll have a few to PIF. I don't know quite what it is about
chaps who traditionally wet shave, but from my experience shaving forums seem
to have the kindest and friendliest people you could wish to meet. Cheers.
 
I'd agree with NotTheStig except I hold Wilkinson Sword blades in higher regard than he does. For me, the German-made ones are smooth but blunt, but the Indian ones (either Wilkinson Sword Saloon or Gillette Wilkinson Sword) are sharper but still very smooth. PM me your address and I'll send you a couple of Polsilvers and a couple of the green 7 O'Clock blades, plus anything else I think you might like.
 
chrisbell said:
I'd agree with NotTheStig except I hold Wilkinson Sword blades in higher regard than he does. For me, the German-made ones are smooth but blunt, but the Indian ones (either Wilkinson Sword Saloon or Gillette Wilkinson Sword) are sharper but still very smooth. PM me your address and I'll send you a couple of Polsilvers and a couple of the green 7 O'Clock blades, plus anything else I think you might like.
Click to expand...

The generosity of this place knows no bounds does it... :shy: I did think about
adding a pack of 7 o'clock greens and yellows to my order as they also seem to
get fairly universal praise, but having 9 packs to try seemed enough for now. :blush:

Just for the record, after reading NotTheStig's post are the Israeli made Crystal
platinum and Personna platinum exactly the same blade...? Thanks Chaps.
 
Rico said:
Just for the record, after reading NotTheStig's post are the Israeli made Crystal
platinum and Personna platinum exactly the same blade...? Thanks Chaps.
Click to expand...


As far as I know, they are, though I'm not an expert on them. Personally, I don't like either. They seem to pull and tug for me, but many people rate them.
 
Rico said:
Wow, that's a mini review on all the blades I listed... :icon_razz: Thanks for that.
I am getting the feeling the Astra SP's are held in quite high regard from people
that have used them, they're also a very good price so I'm looking forward to
trying these.

Thanks again, cheers.

Norky said:
I know you are not really looking for more options, but I really like Gillette superthins in my 34C, if you PM me your address I will post you some to try.
Norky
Click to expand...

That is Damn scociable of you Norky... Thanks PM on it's way. I'm sure once my
little experiment is over I'll have a few to PIF. I don't know quite what it is about
chaps who traditionally wet shave, but from my experience shaving forums seem
to have the kindest and friendliest people you could wish to meet. Cheers.
Click to expand...


I will post them first thing in the morning, hope you like them.
 
Thanks Norky.... No rush though, I'm going to try a Feather then an Astra then
the 7 o'clock (dark blue russian) first and I will only shave once every two days
to give them all the fairest assesment I can. I have a hunch I am going to really
like the Astra.

Does anyone know is the Astra is the same blade as any of the Gillettes or
is it a blade unto itself..? Thanks again.
 
Astras are, again AFAIK, different, though many different brands and types may well be produced in the same factory. In general, the differences between blades are due to varying specifications of metallurgy, coatings, and edge grinding.
 
Rico said:
Thanks Norky.... No rush though, I'm going to try a Feather then an Astra then
the 7 o'clock (dark blue russian) first and I will only shave once every two days
to give them all the fairest assesment I can. I have a hunch I am going to really
like the Astra.

Does anyone know is the Astra is the same blade as any of the Gillettes or
is it a blade unto itself..? Thanks again.
Click to expand...

The Astra is a Gillette. So far as I know, no one has got to the bottom of the long list of P&G owned blades to find out if any of them are the same blade repackaged.
 
Can't help with the OP I'm afraid. But I've just received the same sample pack from Connaught's today... so I'm interested in the replies. Without trying to hi-jack the thread, I was wondering if there is an order to try the blades out... say from forgiving to sharp (I realise that may be a bit simplistic and it's also subjective). I'll be using all the Derbys up first, as that's what came with my EJ razor (I've started so I'll finish) and I might have a bit of technique sorted by then. I suspect I'll be trying the Feathers last.

... sorry Rico... back to your thread...
 
For both of you, I think the only advice I'd give is to leave the Feathers until last, and, when you pick a blade to try, use the whole pack before you try the next type. That way, you'll get to see both how they last and if there's any variation within the pack. This will help you to make a sound judgement of one type versus another.
 
WiffWaff said:
Can't help with the OP I'm afraid. But I've just received the same sample pack from Connaught's today... so I'm interested in the replies. Without trying to hi-jack the thread, I was wondering if there is an order to try the blades out... say from forgiving to sharp (I realise that may be a bit simplistic and it's also subjective). I'll be using all the Derbys up first, as that's what came with my EJ razor (I've started so I'll finish) and I might have a bit of technique sorted by then. I suspect I'll be trying the Feathers last.

... sorry Rico... back to your thread...
Click to expand...

No worries WiffWaff, I think I've pretty much worked out the General order of
preference for this little lot, as I've been shaving with a DE for so long the order
in which I try them is of little concern. If you have only recently started using a DE
Then I would advise you to use one whole pack at a time to help reduce variables
and that way you can feel your technique improve. I would suggest using up the
Derby's then going on to one of the ten packs, either the Crystal's or the Personna's
and keep using them until you've finished the pack. I wouldn't worry too much
about the order in which you try them, with the exception of the Feathers. I would
wait a little while and feel confident with your technique before using them.

Just try and keep things as constant as possible while you learn and before you
know it you will find yourself getting great shaves without thinking... Then it's
time to try as many blades, brushes, razors, soaps and creams as you want.

chrisbell said:
For both of you, I think the only advice I'd give is to leave the Feathers until last, and, when you pick a blade to try, use the whole pack before you try the next type. That way, you'll get to see both how they last and if there's any variation within the pack. This will help you to make a sound judgement of one type versus another.
Click to expand...

Ha..! Beat me to it. :p
 
  1. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  2. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  3. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  4. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  5. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
 
RB73 said:
  1. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  2. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  3. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  4. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
  5. Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian)
Click to expand...

Something gives me the impression you like Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum (dark blue pack, Russian) blades, Richard.:angel::icon_rolleyes::icon_razz:
 
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