In Defense of Derby

No matter how much time does by I always like Derbies, dislike Feathers and found my favorites in between.

Like many novice wet shavers, I began my DE journey with Derby blades.  As my technique improved and my confidence grew, I moved on to sharper blades, never to return  to the "dull" Derby blade again.  Fast forward 2 years and a Wolfman 0.61 gap later, the Derby blade has made a triumphant return!  After using my preferred Personna blade in my new Wolfman, my initial shave felt a little too aggressive.  I decided to try a Derby blade to tone down the aggression level and the results were excellent.  If you are struggling with an aggressive razor,  pop in a Derby blade and give it a go.  Cheers!

Not surprising. Going back a few years when I got my Wolfman WR1 I was having an email conversation with James and I asked him which blade he used in his Wolfman razor. Derby. Yup, thats what he told me, that much unloved blade was the favourite of one of great razor makers of our time. There is something for everyone.

Like many novice wet shavers, I began my DE journey with Derby blades.  As my technique improved and my confidence grew, I moved on to sharper blades, never to return  to the "dull" Derby blade again.  Fast forward 2 years and a Wolfman 0.61 gap later, the Derby blade has made a triumphant return!  After using my preferred Personna blade in my new Wolfman, my initial shave felt a little too aggressive.  I decided to try a Derby blade to tone down the aggression level and the results were excellent.  If you are struggling with an aggressive razor,  pop in a Derby blade and give it a go.  Cheers!

Not surprising.  Going back a few years when I got my Wolfman WR1 I was having an email conversation with James and I asked him which blade he used in his Wolfman razor.  Derby.  Yup, thats what he told me, that much unloved blade was the favourite of one of great razor makers of our time.  There is something for everyone.

I guess James and I now have 2 things in common (razor & blade).

I’m not totally convinced that using a duller blade to compensate for an overly-aggressive razor is better than using a sharp blade in a milder razor. YMMV.

FWIW though, I measured unused Derby Extra, Polsilver, Feather, GSB, Astra SP, 7o’Clock yellow, and Shark blades.

I found that the Derby was 0.005” wider and approximately 0.0005” thicker than the other blades. The resolution of the calipers is 0.0005”, so the actual thickness difference is near the measurement limit. Nevertheless, it was repeatable.

In a Mamba, I could definitely feel more blade with the Derby, though it still did not cut as well as the sharper blades.

I suspect the difference in width would be less noticeable in a more-aggressive razor since it would be a smaller-percentage change in blade exposure.

Derby also makes the Bluebird and the Lion, two of my favorite blades.

When I started traditional shaving exactly 3 years ago (today is actually my Wet shaving anniversary!!), derby was one of the blades I tried.

Congratulations on your wetshaving milestone! Now a wetshaving Jedi you are.

When I started wetshaving a decade ago, Derby blades were the second blades I tried (Merkurs were the first, but only for four shaves). Derbys were very highly regarded back then, and worked very well for me in a Merkur 34C, and light years better than the Merkur blades. The Derbys did not work terribly well in an Edwin Jagger DE89, but did ok in a Gillette Slim.