[Closed] new (DE Safety Razor) blade time?

Feathers are my favourite

I've tried 5 or 6 brands and keep coming back to feathers. avoid merkur blades, worst of the lot!

I use Derbys but have some feathers to the side but haven't had the balls to use them yet

Just bought a load of Derby's blades, I like them and Feathers. I do have some cheap ones at home which are surprisingly good but can't remember the name

Get a sample pack and see what works
http://www.traditionalshaving.co.uk/en/Razor-Blades/4514774-Traditional-Shaving-Razor-Blade-Sample-Pack.html

Blades seem to be quite a personal

Stoner +1

Always come back to feathers

I've tried a few but settled on Derby's, they seem to nick me less... I bought a big pack of 100 for £7 posted from a fella in Turkey. Bargain!

any tips on where to get cheap feather blades? I am running a bit low

ebay?

I bought a sample kit of about 12 boxes of different blades. Got half way through and came back to feathers!

i do find it's best to change the blade once midweek, so i end up using twice as many feathers as anything else, but they are cheap as chips in the grand scheme of things.

Use gillette 7 o clock yellows as my 'sharp' option, but for every day shaves I use Astra's. Cheap as chips from ebay. Didn't get on with Derbys.

Feathers

And another Feathers Fan here 🙂

Personna are sharp, but also quite smooth.

Where does everyone buy their feathers? I use ebay normally but the feathers on the bay now seem to come from thailand, singapore etc... Are there fakes around?

Anywhere better/cheaper to get them?

I think it must be best to try them all and see. Whenever I try Feathers they slice me up whereas Derby's I hardly ever nick myself.
I recently tried Sharks but still prefer the Derbys. FWIW I have only been DE shaving around a year and apparently Feathers are sharper and for the more experienced shaver, maybe this time next year I'll be able to cope with them........

[img] [/img]

Those of you that say Feathers cut you more - this is probably because they are sharper than the other blades and are less forgiving.... but give a better shave IMO. With a good technique (and not rushing) feathers are brill. [other blade manufacturers are avaialable]

I've been afraid of Feathers but was thinking of getting some on the premise that their sharpness means less passes and therefore less skin irritation. Flawed logic?

No, bang on. Seriously their bark is worse than their bite.

If your using sharks are they the super chrome? Tried loads of types and keep going back to them as the best all rounder for me. Bought a salon pack of 200 for £21, cheap shaving!

Factor in your razor as well.
I have a Merkur Futur in town house and cheap Parker at country residence, both with Gillette 7 O'clock and using the same soap
Parker is ok, acceptable. Merkur is awesome.

cheers.

i'm using a super cheap lord that i started out with last year. does a better razor like a mekur really make that much difference. surely its the blade, the razor just holds it in place?

another feather user here. I get on well with shark but find they dont seem to cut as close.

As mentioned above feathets are good if you dont skimp on the prep and dont rush.

Gillette 7 o'clock sharp for me with a Mhule R89 razor, I found with the feathers it was a bit harsh.
But lets be honest with shaving what suits one person does not necessarily suit another

I bought a sample pack from [url= http://www.shaving.ie/products/Two-Of-A-Kind-DE-Blade-Sample-Pack.html ]Shaving.ie[/url].

I then decided on the Derbys and got a bulk pack. 100 blades for about £10.

I think 7 o'clocks are the best everyday blade but the feather spanks it... anyone tried the Indian green 7 o'clocks?

Clobber - Member

I think 7 o'clocks are the best everyday blade but the feather spanks it... anyone tried the Indian green 7 o'clocks?

Not tried the Indian greens, but I have tried the Indian blacks and I really like them. They give me a good close shave and little irritation.

Feathers here as well

I then decided on the Derbys and got a bulk pack. 100 blades for about £10.

BTW I get my feathers from the Shaving Shack
http://www.shaving-shack.com/10-feather-hi-stainless-double-edged-razor-blades.html

not the cheapest but then since I only shave once or twice a week (not because Im some bum-fluff nancy mind you! I only have to be on parade once or twice a week) I do need a good blade to attack what can be quite a bit of tough beard at the end of 6 days. So Im happy using a good blade, because it lasts me 2 or 3 weeks at a time.

Whenever I try Feathers they slice me up whereas Derby's I hardly ever nick myself.

I found the exact opposite although I only tried Derby's once. Feathers are the only other blades I've used and have been using them for about 18 months with hardly any cuts. YMMV

I have some Feathers Stainless Steel stash - normal black packaging. (Genuine. NOT fake) This is the one without platinum coating with good old bare stainless steel.

So far so good and my face is still intake.

errmmm ... In fact I have Personna, Gillette yellow, Green & blue, Iridium (Polsilver) and few other Russian made DE blades that will last me for at least several years.

If you [b]want to try some Feathers Stainless Steel black packaging[/b] then I can sell you some for [b]£3 per pack including postage [/b](5 blades per pack). Bear in mind if the weight becomes too heavy the postage will be more. I am keeping some for my own use.

Not sure how to collect payment though ... cheque for £3 ... hmmm ... the bank might not be happy.

p/s: selling some of my stash to fund the daddy of DE safety razor - the Feather Stainless Steel Safety Razor (AS-D1) @ £160!!!

does a better razor like a mekur really make that much difference. surely its the blade, the razor just holds it in place?

saladdodger - Member

Gillette 7 o'clock sharp for me with a Mhule R89 razor, I found with the feathers it was a bit harsh.
But lets be honest with shaving what suits one person does not necessarily suit another

Right, further research into getting cheap blades has lead me to [url= http://www.doubleedgeshavingplace.com/ ]HERE[/url]

And if you register [url= http://badgerandblade.com/ ]HERE[/url]

And PM [url= http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/101463-DrIdiot-s-Selling-Thread-Worldwide-Airmail?highlight=dridiot ]THIS GUY[/url] you get a discount code for the website...

Cheapest I've seen and he gets a lot of positive feedback....

EDIT: (Less than half the price of the shaving shack link earlier)

Clobber,

The blades are reasonably cheap but if you order them from abroad the postage could be a killer.

So far the good DE blades that I used are manufactured in:

1. Japan(Feathers).
2. Russian(Iridium, Gillette and all those from the same factorty in St Petersburg).
3. USA (Personna variety).
4. Polsilver (Poland but later Russian Iridium).

🙂

Airmail Postage to uk is included in the price!

Clobber - Member
Airmail Postage to uk is included in the price!

Some items are about the same price I bought in the UK.

However, I am not sure about the Polsilver Iridium they are selling because that is not in production anymore as far as I know. The price for them has shot up so much it's almost 2.5 times the original price. On their website the price is still relatively low so ... not sure if that is genuine. Unless they have large old stock or the factory in St Petersburg decides to manufature it again ... [url= http://www.doubleedgeshavingplace.com/product/polsilver-super-iridium-double-edge-blades-100-blades ]This one.[/url]

Also the Nacet Platinum have you seen this in the shop anywhere in UK market? Supposed to be for UK market. I have seen this in the Far East though. [url= http://www.doubleedgeshavingplace.com/product/gillette-nacet-platinum-double-edge-razor-blades-100-blades ]This one[/url]

Verdict for Gillette Super Thin - not good according to the people I know who used them.

Seems they are [url= http://www.superiridiumblades.com/ ]around...[/url]

Clobber - Member
Seems they are around...

Not sure until someone can confirm with the factory.

The last time I heard the St Petersburg factory is not producing them anymore was in the process of relocating to China ... after that no news or confirmation. Fellow user of Iridium has also spotted many fake ones in the market as does Feathers.

I think i'll give it a go and report on the quality of the feathers... If I get any... He does have a lot of positive comments on a public forum though so we'll see...

Currently using these which are quite sharp

[img] [/img]

Not tried feathers or derby though

Anyone know why the blades have numbers on them? Always wondered....

Clobber - Member
I think i'll give it a go and report on the quality of the feathers... If I get any... He does have a lot of positive comments on a public forum though so we'll see...

I am just rather surprised at that price for Polsilver Iridium. My friend told me she bought the last stock from a shop in her hometown for me. According to the shop owner she bought the last stock from them. At one point when Super Iridium was not available many switched to Polsilver because they were Super Iridium packaged as Polsilver for Polish market. After that Polsilver became harded to find ... nowadays all new stocks are treated with suspicious i.e. Super Irdium/Polsilver.

As for Feathers I was also told by the seller to watch out for fake ones. The Feathers (black packaging) I got are good.

I think I may have the piss taken for asking this question but here goes! I currently use an electric shaver as the Gillette Mach 3 etcive blades I've tried last about 3 shaves and are then useless as my stubble is quite coarse so it was costing a fortune.

Would any of the blades discussed above be any better? My skin tends to get quite red and sore when I wet shave for a few days, any tips or is it down to the blades I've been using?

Anyone know why the blades have numbers on them?

probably so you know which side and which way up you've used the blade if you are intending to rotate and flip it for extra life.

bash - good prep to soften the beard is a must. I shave only in the shower, and only after 5 minutes of soaking first. I also spend a minute building the lather on my face too to help soften the beard. I have very tough stubble and it needs a good soak. Others may recommend some additive or pre shave gunk, but Ive never tried them.

That alone will probably help even if you are using a disposable razor. But the move to DE is well worth taking.

Stoner - Member

Anyone know why the blades have numbers on them?

probably so you know which side and which way up you've used the blade if you are intending to rotate and flip it for extra life.

Apparently the numbers help with quality control if there are any problems with the output from the blade making machines.

Personna were the nicest for me after trying quite a few, decent shave and zero cuts. Figured that out after I'd took delivery of 100 feathers.... ordered gillete 7s but none in stock so they sent more expensive feathers instead. Nice shave but they are super (maybe even a bit too) sharp!

Well thanks to you lot I've bought a Edwin Jagger R89 razor, a selection of blades and some Taylor of Old Bond street cream 🙂

After two shaves the results so far are great, some irritation but no where near as much as I used to get from cartridge razors.

Can anyone recommend an ok brush, don't want to spend more than £20-25 ish.

Cheers

I started on derbys then brought a astras, sharks, and a few others, they were all good , I stayed away from feathers cos I thought they might be too sharp, eventually tried them and have never brought anything else since,

They are justifiably the best, don't be afraid they won't feel any different apart from effortlessly superior and give a perfect shave.

CaptainMainwaring - Member
saladdodger - Member
Gillette 7 o'clock sharp for me with a Mhule R89 razor, I found with the feathers it was a bit harsh.
But lets be honest with shaving what suits one person does not necessarily suit another

Exactly the same set up for me. May be my technique but found the 7 o'clock sharp and feathers to be about the same sharpness but the feathers didn't stay sharp for as many shaves

But on the same score I also have a Mhule R41 and it is a evil razor and I cut myself to bits with it even with the 7o'clock blades

Taylors shop cream is my favourite.

But note that its not the same stuff as whats used in the other pots with smells etc. The plain cream is superior IMO.

Astra's (pictured above) are my favourite, with a Merkur Futur on setting 2 or 3 its nice and close but nicks are rare, and no burn.

Feathers don't 'feel' sharper, but I find they are just that little bit too close so usually end up with a couple of tiny cuts. I used the remainder of them from a variety pack, when I got some more Astra's they were definitely an improvement for me.

[i]My skin tends to get quite red and sore when I wet shave for a few days, any tips or is it down to the blades I've been using?[/i]

Used to get terrible acne and burn for years using Mach3's, the DE razor literally fixed it within a week or two.

I'm about to take the plunge in to the world of DE shaving. Used to shave with a vintage cut-throat many years ago, but swapped to cartridge razors for practicality. (Ever tried to get a cut-throat through airport security?)

Anyway, found this site [url= http://connaughtshaving.com/razorblades.html ]Connaught Shaving[/url]. They seem to have a good range of brands.

Decisions now between a Merkur 23C or 30C.

Those astras seem odd to me, almost like they are slightly undersized.

Went for the Merkur 23c. It arrived today so I'm about to give it a go. Hopefully I won't cut my head off.

bigblackshed - Member

Went for the Merkur 23c. It arrived today so I'm about to give it a go. Hopefully I won't cut my head off.

How did you get on?

The Merkur 23c has the same head as my Merkur 34C and that gives me a pretty damn good shave.

Ho hum - Member
bigblackshed - Member
Went for the Merkur 23c. It arrived today so I'm about to give it a go. Hopefully I won't cut my head off.

How did you get on?

The Merkur 23c has the same head as my Merkur 34C and that gives me a pretty damn good shave.

I reckon he's cut his lips off 😀

I was quaking in my slippers.

Actually, all is fine. Really close shave, not a single nick, no razor burn. All good. I did take it really slow and steady. Bluebeards pre-shave oil and Trumpers coconut shaving soap. I used the Merkur supplied blade with no problems. With a bit of practice I should get it a bit closer, although my face looks cleaner shaved than with the cartridges I have been using. Easier to shape round the comedy goatee as well.

Some have said the Merkur blades aren't very good. Wondering if another blade will give even better results?

I now feel like a real man again.

To those Muhle R89 users that don't get on with Feather blades I was the same.

Don't like derby blades just seem to nick lots but the el cheapo personna/israeli blades seem to be good and forgiving. Can be a bit variable though.

Having looked at a few technique tips, tried Feather again using no pressure & holding the razor much further down the handle and it was a massive improvement - single pass and pretty close shave.

Like the Taylors cream I'm using at the moment but actually body shop macca root cream is really surprisingly good.

bigblackshed -I now feel like a real man again

What sort of man were you feeling before 😯

Glad you haven't cut your face off. I've been using one since about November find that the Derby's have given me the shave so far. Ultras are ok but I found the Feathers (in the yellow wrapper)uncomfortable to use and didn't like the way my skin felt after using them.

eruptron - Member

bigblackshed -I now feel like a real man again

What sort of man were you feeling before

That doesn't sound like I meant it to sound. Errrrmmm..........

[i]It feels like I've become a man again.[/i]

That's better.

I think I'll order a sampler pack of different blades. See how they compare. [url= http://connaughtshaving.com/ ]Connaught Shaving[/url] where I ordered the Merkur from put a pack of Trent blades in. Should have ordered some samples at the same time. Durrrr.