I hate shaving so i have full beard : This is the site i post : http://www.beards.org/ This is a nice site for beards enthusiast
I may have to invest in a electric shaver soon as wet shaving is started to hurt even using my Gillette fusion which should be a smooth shave.
I have concluded nearly 3 months of research running through a sampler of double edged razor blades. I'll give a quick summary in order of preference. Best (for my facial hair and skin) Voskhod Teflon Coated: This Russian blade is moderately sharp to sharp yet isn't that far behind Derby and Shark in smoothness. It was the perfect balance between sharpness and smoothness for me. 3 passes get all the way down to the skin, the so-called baby butt smooth feel from a great shave. It pretty much never gives me cuts or razor burn. The only minor issue is durability, lasting maybe ~3 shaves before it starts to lose sharpness. This is countered by the fact that it's only 7 cents per blade, incredibly cheap. Finally, it works extremely well as a daily razor given it doesn't cause irritation with repeated daily use. Polsilver Super Iridium: In many ways this is the best, highest quality razor blade I've ever used. It's surprisingly smooth and very rarely gave me any nicks despite being very sharp. The key reasons this isn't listed as #1 for me is that I personally don't benefit from the extra sharpness (probably more likely to get cut, actually) and Polsilver costs over 5x more per blade compared to Voskhod. Superb blade regardless. Gillette Platinum: I'm certainly not a fan of this company, but the strengths are similar to those of the Polsilver blade. It's surprisingly smooth for a sharper blade. It only occasionally gave me a cut of any sort. I didn't notice more than a very mild level of irritation from repeated use. Excellent blade. Wilkinson Sword: This is a very good all-around blade, but what really stood out is its incredible durability. It seemed to really hold its edge beyond what I expected. It's fairly sharp with a decent amount of smoothness, and it stays that way for close to a week. A great blade that is a very durable workhorse. Personna Platinum (red): I can't think of many significant weaknesses of this blade, but the problem with it for me is that it is very good in areas where Voskhod has been even better. It's slightly sharper than Voskhod but didn't feel nearly as smooth. It's one of the best moderately sharp to sharp blades, but Voskhod performed better at a lower price. Feather Hi-Stainless: It has a well-earned reputation of being the sharpest blade on the market, at least for the first shave, but sharpest doesn't necessarily equate to best for most people. I was actually pleasantly surprised I didn't end up with any major cuts or irritation, which is remarkable given this is like shaving with a light saber, although it should be noted I was extremely cautious when using it, much moreso than with other blades. However, I personally don't actually benefit from the blade being so sharp given I can get down to the skin with a moderately sharp to sharp blade. The scalpel sharpness only poses a risk to slice through me with one false move. It's also rather pricey. Fine blade for someone with a steel wool Bluto beard but sharpness overkill for me. Bic Chrome Platinum: This was the biggest surprise to me. I didn't see it review particularly well or see it in any top 10 lists in comparisons. This was the last blade I tested, and I actually used one this morning. It is surprisingly sharp with better than expected smoothness for a very sharp blade. I have had just a very small nick or two, and one of those was completely my fault given I was running late and rushed to try to get to work on time. Durability brings it down slightly. Seems like it lasts a few shaves with superb sharpness then its edge goes suddenly. Stick to maybe ~3 shaves and it's fine. Dorco St301: A Korean blade I can best compare to a kid who always gets straight Bs in school and never causes any trouble but also never seems to stand out or excel in any area. It's more or less slightly above average in most respects but doesn't really stand out beyond that. Very solid all around but that's it. Astra Superior Platinum: I initially bought 100 of these, but I've found them to actually be quite overrated so far and regret buying these when I purchased my razor handle. They are initially pretty sharp, but they're also not particularly smooth even compared to sharper blades. They left me with razor burn when used daily. The durability is also nowhere near what many have claimed. I've heard it can last for a week, yet going past 3 or 4 days left me with a blade skipping around, leaving me with cuts and irritation. I've seen these praised as the best blades on the market, but they haven't performed that way for me so far. Gillette Silver Blue: I've seen this ranked and reviewed quite highly, but I wasn't terribly impressed. I have another blade I'll try later. Maybe something went wrong or I just got a bad blade. I had a much better shave with the Gillette Platinum. Not amazingly smooth, and the quality of shave was just average for me. Treet Platinum: This blade could potentially work in a more aggressive razor, but it just didn't perform that well in my Edwin Jagger DE89. I've read the black Treet blades are superior to these, but they are also apparently extremely prone to rust and must be rinsed with alcohol after every shave. No thanks. It was pretty smooth but didn't produce the best shave for me. Pity the better version of these is a rust magnet, which led me to not buying any for testing. Merkur: This has been a surprisingly unremarkable blade given it shares the brand name of one of the most popular razor handle manufacturers. Seems a bit on the dull side and didn't produce a great shave. Didn't seem particularly smooth, either. Vidyut Super-Max Super Stainless: An enhanced interrogation/ torture device hexed by Satan. If you want to simulate running a cheese grater over your face, this is your blade of choice. Gummed up twice mid shave. Uneven sharpness that cut me 2 or 3 times. Nasty razor burn. I threw this piece of crap and the second unopened blade into the garbage at the conclusion of the first time ever using it. Awful. Disqualified/ Omitted: I'm omitting Derby and Shark from the evaluations because they are simply too dull to cut through the coarser hair of my goatee area. That doesn't mean they are bad blades. In fact, Shark was probably the best blade I've used for the sides of my face, silky smooth for the less coarse facial hair. But I can't give a fair assessment if they are simply below the threshold needed to cut through some of my facial hair. Both are super smooth and are probably great blades for someone with fine, thin hair and sensitive skin. Among the smoothest blades available if they are sharp enough to get through your facial hair.
Nice review. I think blade preference had a lot to do with facial hair type. Right now I'm going through a pack of Dorco. Overall I'm not impressed with the consistency. It seems like one blade is really nice and then the next is crappy. I suppose that's to be expected with blades that cost $0.05. I also have a few Van Der Hagen blades on the counter and I really dislike them. I use them once and throw them out. A couple of weeks ago I tried a feather again and once again it's a nope blade. My hand isn't steady enough. Merkur is actually one of my favorite blades. It is a little dull but it never cuts me. It's the kind of blade I'm not afraid to use in the morning when I'm in a rush to get to work. Wilkinson Sword are fine. Not great but not bad at all. I still hate Bic and Gillette. I agree with you on Astras. The first shave is great but each one after gets worse. It's been years since I tried a Shark. I think I liked them but I don't really remember. I might have to try them again. I haven't tried the others you mentioned.
What did you dislike about Bic Chrome Platinum? I expected them to be mediocre at best and don't remember anyone rating them highly, but they are performing quite well without giving me problems with cuts or irritation. I've read terrible things about Van Der Hagen. People have said it's a terrible performer despite being incredibly expensive. I seem to require around middle of the road to slightly above average sharpness to get the best shaves, which is Voskhod and Personna territory. I wish Shark made a sharper line of blades because they were fantastic until I got to my goatee area, where they started tugging badly and just couldn't get through it consistently despite repeatedly dragging it over the same area. I'd be curious to see how Voskhod performs for you if you happen to get some of those.
Every BIC I try nicks the hell out of me. I know other people have had the same experience with them but also some people like them. I also shouldn't say I hate the Gillette brand since they make about 12 different types of blades and I've probably only tried 3 or 4. I think they actually make Wilkinson Sword which are totally fine. I do need to order some blades soon so maybe I'll get a sampler with some of those Russian blades. I think this pro review of Van Der Hagen sums their stuff up pretty well. I need to throw mine away.
Bic's Chrome Platinum is extremely sharp. I was surprised to learn they are actually almost as sharp as Feather and are probably sharper after a couple of shaves given Feather loses its edge faster. It was the sharpest of all blades compared here after multiple shaves: https://www.refinedshave.com/razor-blade-sharpness-summary/ This sharpness comparison chart might help you better identify the sharpness you need. Seems like mid to low 40s of their sharpness figure is around where I seem to get the best quality shave without slicing up my face. 50s are too high/ dull for me. 30s are getting into excessively sharp territory that are for people with steel wool beards.
That has to be the most thorough, informative, well researched post I've ever read on this forum. Lifetime ban.
Those Gillette numbers are crazy. The Silver Blue starts at a 46 and goes to a 35 by the second shave. The Gillette Wilkinson Sword is consistent through it's life but the Wilkinson Sword German version starts the shave at a mild 46 and ends the shave at 33. How is that useful? I like those Merkur number for a morning shave. Consistent and safe. Something like a Wilkinson Sword (Gillette) would be good at night.