DE blades and their YMMV status

I have found that the shallower the angle I maintain, the less differences I find in the blades. That's a problem for me, since my natural tendencies and razor preferences favor a steeper angle. I can get an acceptably close shave with pretty much any blade I use, but there are certainly some that don't feel very comfortable. I just used a DORCO ST-301 this morning. I really enjoyed that blade in my Fatboy, but it didn't feel very good in my Progress this morning. The results were fine, but the comfort was not.

Lasers are definitely not favorites of mine, either.

I like Personna lab blue, Israeli reds, Crystals mainly because they are comfortable & sharp enough for me as well as durable. All stainless steel blades-
Now to inject some controversy - I started using Treet black beauties, (I bought some for cheap) carbon steel blades .......some on various forums either love or hate them......some say they tug others say they rust....... I have to say I like them. Really like them. No problem getting a week of shaves on one - as for comfort ..... they are for me .... but they have a different feel - I like them and at 7cents a pop they are a steal!

I have nearly completed the "blind blade testing" circle and wow it has some really cool revelations. Video should be coming on the weekend on my channel.

I have nearly completed the "blind blade testing" circle and wow it has some really cool revelations. Video should be coming on the weekend on my channel.

Thanks for doing this and I shall look forward to the video.

I have nearly completed the "blind blade testing" circle and wow it has some really cool revelations. Video should be coming on the weekend on my channel.

Looking forward to this as well.

The Blind Blade Test has concluded and here are my findings ...
http://youtu.be/IprMkyTwaos

Thanks, Shave Tank.

I have to say that Rainbow blades are definitely not my favorites, either. I tried them and when the package was gone, the blade was forgotten.  The Derby was, for me, the first blade that gave me nice comfortable shaves.  Unfortunately, though, I found that, over time, the quality control simply wasn't there.  Some were very pleasant to use while others were dreadful.

Your overall coverage of these particular blades was quite interesting and, as you state in the video, YMMV can always come into play.  Very nicely done. [Image: 1lg021thumbup1.gif]

The biggest Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) item in shave dens always seems to be DE blades.  I realize that everyone has a favorite or a hated blade but why?  For example, Personna Medical Preps seem to have a large following but why.  Some blades have both followers and nay-sayers; both Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellows and Israeli Personna Red Packs come to mind, but why?  Finally, some blades, such as Dorco, are almost universally reviled, but why?  So which DE blade do you find extraordinarily good or absolutely loathsome and what is your reason for feeling as you do?

I'm one of those who quite likes Israeli Personna Red Packs.  While no longer my favorites, I find I get quite close, even BBS shaves from them yet they are forgiving to my face.  If there was one downside to them for me it's that sometimes there seem to be QC issues.

I could not feel a big difference between the Reds and Blues myself.  Would like to try the Dorco 301's

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I think it comes down to an individuals skin type.  some people can tolerate more aggressive blades while others need mild blades.  whenever I talk to someone new about traditional wet shaving with a safety razor, I almost always suggest starting out with the Astra SP blades since they seem to be the most consistent for a lot of users.

I like the Astra SP blades....very smooth.

Astra SP

 Very smooth blades.

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Finally, some blades, such as Dorco, are almost universally reviled, but why?  

I tried a Dorco st301 last week, and was surprised to find it worked really well for me. Performed very similar to a Voskhod to me. I've heard some say the 301s are much better than the 300s, and since say they are identical, so who knows. 

There are plenty of blades that feel "sharp" to me, but few that feel really, really smooth, too, so that is what I'm always on the lookout for. What that means objectively, I really don't know.

That's what I heard abut the 301's