Where's the difference?

[majortom]

Sorry, I'm getting a bit annoyed with this. I have no doubt that, for some people, there's no appreciable difference, but it's a bit unfair for them to then suggest that, for those of us who do perceive quite a difference, it's all in the mind. Whatever happened to "YMMV"?

Chris
I think your earlier post was on the button. Like you, I have a tough and wiry beard and shave every morning, and also some evenings if I'm going out. I've tried around 20 different types of blade, and certainly many of the 7'Oclocks, Lords, Sharks etc are sort of middle of the road shaves, others like Personna Blues, Feathers, Lord Chrome, Iridiums etc are miles better. The Derbys and Lasers are mostly unusable on a tough growth. So I would say that for someone who has a light to moderate growth, almost any blade will give a decent shave, and the Feathers of this world will just feel a little sharper. There is probably a gradient of growth where , with increasing toughness, the quality and sharpness between blades becomes more evident.

 

[dodgy]

Ok I've been DE shaving for 3 months now, always with the same razor but I have tried a few of the popular blades that people have recommended on here. Apart from the Feather which caused a bit of soreness I haven't really noticed any difference between any of the other blades. They all seem to do a good job & all seem to get the same closeness depending on the number of passes. Is something wrong with the way I'm doing things?

I was expecting there to be marked differences between some of the blades but that doesn't seem to be the case. Can anyone explain what I'm missing please?

Hi there,

Before mentioning blades, let me suggest you trying other razors. Three months of using just the one razor is plenty. To me, it's tough to accurately judge a blade if the razor's not a good fit. As you probably know, the odds of stumbling onto the right one(s) the very first time is sorta slim. Did you mention which one you have right now?

Anyway, with a new to me blade loaded in the right razor, it's easy to tell certain characteristics. Sometimes it's a subtle thing, other times it's more obvious.

Over the years I've refined the rotation blades. The 5-6 favorites have withstood the various challenges, although I'm happy to add others if they come up. There's a few in that group which I consider about perfect.

Far as The Canuck goes, he's got a different take on things than members like myself. Many times I've tried to explain how wrong his thinking is, but he's a stubborn guy. Now I just shake my head and mourn his unwillingness to see his errors. It's a real shame. Oh well, whadda you expect from someone who lives in Mississauga Ontario. Nice guy though........

Martin

Seriously, try another razor or two.

 

[Halk]

Martin, would you care to mention your favourite blades?

 

[Wanderlust167]

Guys, thanks very much for all your replies so far, as always it's an education. At the moment I think I'll see if my technique can be improved further using just one type of blade, Supermax Blue Diamond, as I have a stash of them thanks to a trade on here. I'll do that for a little bit and then when I'm back in work I'll try an adjustable to see how I get on with that. I fancy a Progress anyway, so this thread is all the justification I need!

 

[chrisbell]

Sorry if my post was a bit too harsh in tone - I got a feeling that the difference between an average beard and a coarse beard and average or sensitive skin was being ignored. As I said earlier, to my mind, if you get a good shave from almost any DE blade, then great - I wish I could! I know that, if I use anything milder than an Indian Wilkie (Saloon Pack/Gillette Wilkinson Sword) in my 34c (currently my most aggressive non-adjustable razor), I will get tugging. If I go any milder than a Gillette Green or an Iridium in my FT Rocket, even with 3 passes and touch-ups on a well-prepped beard, the shave will be OK, but there'll still be roughness XTG. Conversely, due to my delicate (not sensitive, but slightly less damage-resistant than average) skin, a Feather in the 34c is too harsh. I don't mind; even if I did there'd be nothing I can do about it - I just have to be selective about which blades I use in which razor.

 

[Halk]

What blades do you rate highly the Chris?

 

[chrisbell]

What blades do you rate highly the Chris?

In one particular razor or across all my razors (only 5 of them, mind)?

 

[Halk]

Any blades that you think are good - rather than ones that shine in just a particular circumstance. If you had to stick to only a few types for the rest of your life... for example what would they be.

 

[dodgy]

Martin, would you care to mention your favourite blades?

Well Halk, truth be told, the best all around blade would be an Iridium. A close second would be the Gillette SharpEdge ones. Heh, I don't use either of those often at all, but they're what I'd recommend. The Iridium's a top blade for me.

Most blades in my rotation are old ones from the late 1960s through late 80s or so. That includes a few different UK made Wilkinson types, a Schick Plus Platinum, and the Personna74. I also use a Feather in a few razors only. Injector blades in my rotation are all vintage ones.

There's only a few vintage blades I found that surpass the Iridium and SharpEdge blades. There's also some old ones that are just as good, and nice for a change of pace.

Martin

 

[chrisbell]

Any blades that you think are good - rather than ones that shine in just a particular circumstance. If you had to stick to only a few types for the rest of your life... for example what would they be.

I don't have any blades which work well in all 5 of my razors, however, if I had to nominate 2 blades per razor:

Merkur 34c - NOS Gillette Bleues (dispenser type), Gillette 7 O' Clock green (Russian)
Gillette Slim - Polsilver, Feather
Edwin Jagger DE89L - SuperMax Blue Diamond, Astra Superior Stainless
Gillette Flare Tip Rocket: Super Iridium, Feather (again)
Gillette HD Rocket - PermaSharp, Gillette Nacet Stainless

Having said that, I also love Astra Superior Platinum and Gillette/Wilkinson Sword Saloon Pack blades in the Merkur, and Thai Super Thins in the HD Rocket, plus I'm about to try some of the Personna Lab Blues.

 

[Wanderlust167]

Did a thorough 3-pass shave yesterday, WTG, XTG & ATG with touch ups after too. Result was BBS in patches, as in smooth with the grain, but I could feel slight stubble against. I used an EJ89 with Supermax Blue Diamond (new blade) and it worked effortlessly as you would have expected. Afterwards I felt a slight tenderness around the neck area for some time. I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I should get another razor as suggested earlier. I still have some blades to try such as the Treet classic, Astra stainless, a Wilkinson & a Personna, so I may give them a try first.

 

[chrisbell]

Try the other blades first then think about a different razor. I think you ought to wait until you're routinely getting irritation-free shaves with the EJ before you think about a more aggressive razor.

 

[YorkNeil]

Minefield isn't it? What works well for one cuts another to the bone hence reccomendations can be dodgy. After experimenting for a few months when new I eventually settled on a Perma-Sharp - acid test is close shave with least iritation, simple.

Since I stopped smoking I'd be better odd shaving with a broken bottle, no idea why just is. So working my way through blades again to find THE ONE.

Good luck

oh and YVYM, is that right?

 

[Wanderlust167]

Try the other blades first then think about a different razor. I think you ought to wait until you're routinely getting irritation-free shaves with the EJ before you think about a more aggressive razor.

That's good advice Chris, I'm just unsure how to get to that stage when attempting a BBS, which is what causes the irritation. Bit of a puzzle to me at the moment. I will try some of the other blades to see if any help to ease the irritation, otherwise I will put it down to something in prep or technique & try again to isolate & change it.

---

Minefield isn't it? What works well for one cuts another to the bone hence reccomendations can be dodgy. After experimenting for a few months when new I eventually settled on a Perma-Sharp - acid test is close shave with least iritation, simple.

Since I stopped smoking I'd be better odd shaving with a broken bottle, no idea why just is. So working my way through blades again to find THE ONE.

Good luck

oh and YVYM, is that right?

You're right there, a right minefield! The main difference is that I don't mind walking through this one.

Takes about 9 months before things are anywhere near normal after you stop smoking & then it should be much easier.

Not sure what YVYM is?!

 

[chrisbell]

Try the other blades first then think about a different razor. I think you ought to wait until you're routinely getting irritation-free shaves with the EJ before you think about a more aggressive razor.

That's good advice Chris, I'm just unsure how to get to that stage when attempting a BBS, which is what causes the irritation. Bit of a puzzle to me at the moment. I will try some of the other blades to see if any help to ease the irritation, otherwise I will put it down to something in prep or technique & try again to isolate & change it.

---

Minefield isn't it? What works well for one cuts another to the bone hence reccomendations can be dodgy. After experimenting for a few months when new I eventually settled on a Perma-Sharp - acid test is close shave with least iritation, simple.

Since I stopped smoking I'd be better odd shaving with a broken bottle, no idea why just is. So working my way through blades again to find THE ONE.

Good luck

oh and YVYM, is that right?

You're right there, a right minefield! The main difference is that I don't mind walking through this one.

Takes about 9 months before things are anywhere near normal after you stop smoking & then it should be much easier.

Not sure what YVYM is?!

---

Don't chase BBS. I've been shaving this way for almost exactly 2 years, and it's only in the last few months that I can get even a partial-BBS (BBS in some areas, just short of that in others) without tearing my face up. In order to hone your technique, you need to go for a comfortable, presentable shave, not perfectly smooth.

 

[Wanderlust167]

Thanks very reassuring actually Chris as I have been able to have a good shave now for about a month, but thought that I should be able to get a BBS everywhere now. As I mentioned before I can get BBS in some places, but not all. I feel a lot happier now though, cheers!