I figured its been a while since I did my last entry. Again, that’s my fault. We had a lot of family events going on, plus, the wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary back in May. On top of that, work has picked up here in the concrete world. When it gets hot out, we start early. Some mornings have us coming in around 4:30, sometimes sooner, and working til about 5 in the evening. Its hard work sometimes, but we have a good crew and a dedicated customer base who is steadily expanding the area.
But, I don’t believe someone comes to a site called Semo Shaving just to hear about work, do they? No you don’t! So let’s get down to the business at hand and that is shaving! So far, I’ve told you my favorite budget items that are in my rotation. I’ve also discussed my favorite razors. The next logical item would be the blades. Gotta have a blade to go in those awesome razors, right? At this stage in my wet shaving adventure, I’ve used a couple different sampler packs from online retailers. My first sampler included your standard run of blades, such as Derby, Astra, Feather, Crystal, and Personna. With other orders, I would throw in a 5 pack of blades and sampled Gillette Silver Blues, Gillette 7 O’Clock (black thus far), Polsilver, Personna Med Prep, Personna Lab Blue, and Shark. Most recently, I sampled a “From Russia With Love” pack from the fine folks at Italian Barber which included blades such as Rapira, Voskhod, and Ladas. There are still some blades out there that are on my list to try. But from what I have sampled thus far, I’ll give you my TOP FIVE FAVORITE BLADES! (cue the intro music)
Ok so no music, but here we go!
#5 Astra SP
These were the first blades that I tried from my first sampler pack. Granted, the only blades I used to that point were Walgreens brand DE blades. They were ok, but these Astra blades felt great! I experienced no issues and got my first DFS without any cuts, nicks or weepers. It truly was a love at first site shave. I still use these regularly in my rotation as well. The only time they disagreed with me was when I put one in my R-41. Even then it wasn’t horrible, but it surely wasn’t enjoyable either. My favorite setup with the Astra is definitely in my Red Tip. That razor seems to be the most receptive to this blade of the razors I have in my lineup, with its brother, the Flair Tip, right behind.
#4 Voskhod
These guys came about more recently, first through a sale on one of the Facebook shaving groups I am a part of. Then, in the aforementioned From Russia With Love pack I purchased a few months back. The Voskhod blade had long been on my list, as many people had been touting it as a smooth blade. Of course, in this world, curiosity can get the best of you. With blades being rather inexpensive, I figured why not scratch this itch. After I got these blades, I began seeing how some folks had issues with only getting a couple good shaves from them. I was a bit concerned, as it seemed the script was flipped, but I decided to stick one in and go. It wasn’t love at first site, but I got an irritation free shave. The next day, same scenario. I was able to get about 5 irritation free shaves from my first Voskhod that I used. So far, I’ve been able to continue that sort of momentum, which has helped land these guys high up on my blade priority list. At the moment, my favorite combination with the Voskhod blade would be in my Super Adjustable. Those two are like Forrest and Jenny.
#3 Gillette 7 O’Clock (black)
Commonly referred to as the Ninja blades, these guys took a bit of warming up before it clicked. My first shave, I slapped one in my R-41 and proceeded to massacre my face. Not a good first impression. But I figured that maybe it was the same scenario as the Astra/R41 experiment, so I didn’t give up. Up next, they went into the Red Tip and it was a shave full of irritation and weepers. I thought maybe it was driver error, but maybe the blade was bad. Red Tip, new blade, same result. Come on blade, work for me here! I was about to give up and in fact had started adding these blades in some trades and sales that I had made. I thought I was out, but realized I had a few left and thought that I would use them up and be done with them. Then it happened. I put one in my recently acquired Merkur 37C Slant and boom. A wonderfully smooth shave! Maybe I just had a good soap that day? I don’t even recall what I used. But I knew that combo worked. I tried it the next day to the same results. I decided to shave an entire week with just that, and I got a week’s worth of good shaves! The slant has become a favorite in my razor lineup (#4 in my top 5, if you read my previous entry) and it was largely in part to this blade. It may seem foolish to list something that seems like a one trick pony to some, but I tell you what, it sure does an amazing trick.
#2 Feather Hi-Stainless
Talk about a blade with a reputation! Known around many circles as the sharpest blade, this has made many a new wet shaver fearful of the consequences of carelessness. You better believe that you can include me in that list, too! As soon as I started wet shaving and joined a few groups, I immediately noticed how people regarded this particular blade. It was loved by many and feared by most. In my early stages, I avoided using them like the plague. I never felt like lopping off a nostril during my shaving adventures. Finally, I got the courage to try one and it was nothing but amazing. I didn’t cut anything off, no crazy scars that I would be telling stories for the rest of my life. In all honesty, it was your boring, DFS shave. But at the same time, it was exciting because I felt I had conquered the beast! The Feather blades have become a very versatile blade for me. Occasionally, I will find one that has a rough edge to it, so I’ll run it over a cork to help reduce that. However, random rough blade aside, they seem to fit in every razor so far, with the favorites being the R-41 and my Fatboy. Not sure why, but that Fatboy really took off when I slapped a Feather in it. Either way, these guys are a regular in the rotation. But they’re not number one.
Who do you think is my number one?
#1 Gillette Silver Blues
These are, without a doubt, my absolute favorite blades. They’re sharp, smooth and have literally worked great in every razor. I’ve got enough of them now that they have made their rounds in each razor I have. So, why the Silver Blue blades? Fate, I suppose. I don’t have any amazing story about them either. I didn’t find them in a treasure chest, my Grandfather didn’t use them (he used the Gillette Thin blades), nobody famous has endorsed them. All I can remember is one day I used one and haven’t looked back. They have been far more consistent as far as their smoothness than the Feather blades, which is why I bumped the Feather’s back to #2. I’ve never had a bad shave with one in any razor, with any soap or cream combination in my den. One day of growth or five days of growth, they get mowed down. Blades will come and go from my den, but these will be my go to blade for the foreseeable future. They have traveled with me, have a spot in the bathroom, and are right on the edge of the rack where my shaving goodies go. If there’s ever a day that these may be discontinued, you better believe I’m buying a million of them!!
Well, there you have it! I’m curious to know what your top blades are, so feel free to get conversation started. Are there any blades in your top 5 that you feel I should try? I know there are some blades that I’ve yet to try altogether that hopefully one day will come around. Until next time, stay smooth!
Semo Shaving 