Derby Extra Double Edge Razor Blades - 25 Ct

... before I switched to D/E shaving three months ago, I read tons of reviews on both D/E razors and blades, and regarding the latter I found that opinions vary widely: some will swear that Derby blades exemplify perfectly the adage "you get what you pay for"; that Derby blades are only moderately sharp to begin with, dull quickly, and/or drag on the face and cause tons of little nicks. As the first reviewer stated, those new to D/E shaving would be best served by purchasing a blade variety pack, to see which brand works best for them. I myself sampled several different brands, such as: 1) 7 AM -- These came with the 91R Parker Razor I purchased from Amazon, and were the first blades I used as a D/E shaver. At first use, I found them unsatisfactory; they seemed to drag on my face. Such impression was confirmed when, having used some other brands, I again tried a 7 AM blade just to make sure. An unqualified thumbs-down. 2) SHARP -- Not as bad as the 7 AM blades, but unsatisfactory; they did not feel at all comfortable on my face. 3) Feather -- Going by the reviews, Feather blades are the top of the line, super-sharp and long-lasting. However, many reviewers advised that those new to D/E shaving should begin with other, more "forgiving" (i.e., less sharp) blades. I followed this advice, and sampled a Feather blade about two weeks after I'd started D/E shaving, at which point I found them too sharp. Around a week ago, after about two-and-a-half months of D/E shaving, I gave Feather another try and reached the same verdict: Feather blades cut me more than any other blade I tried. I'm not sure I'd say they "nicked" me, rather they gave such a close shave as to shave skin along with hair. 4) Derby -- I only had five of these, and used them when I'd just begun D/E shaving. Thus, while I didn't have a bad impression of them, I didn't really remember if they were good or merely decent. In any event, the last time I used a Feather blade, my face was pretty sore. Having nothing left but Feather, SHARP, and 7 AM blades, I used my old Mach 3. Although the Mach 3 cartridges are prohibitively expensive and quick to dull, they are gentle on my skin. As it happens, it was good that I chose to use it that day, as it provided a close, comfortable shave that served as a perfect baseline for comparison when my new Derby blades arrived two days later. The verdict: for me, Derby blades are as good as, if not better than, Mach 3 blades; they give a nice, clean shave that is close but extremely gentle on the face -- no nicks, and no shaved-off skin.

nice and sharp however might feel rough but that could just be my lack of skill lol.

I decided to give the whole DE-shaving thing a try. After looking around, I ended up buying the Parker 96R razor because it reminded me of my dad's gillette from waayyyy back. I also ordered a 10-pack of Sharks (came with the Razor), a 10-pack of Merkur blades, and a 25-pack of Derby blades. First note - the razor is solid, with a comfortable heft. It also closes up well - though not quite perfectly on both sides - and holds the blades nice and straight while making it trivial to pop a blade in or out. As to the razors, my impressions after trying out (almost) 2 each. This was to ensure that impressions I had weren't just due to being a tyro. Even with the occasional nick, the shaves have been consistently close (except for the Merkur, I'd wake up the NEXT morning with a closer shave than I'd gotten out of some electrics). Sharks - Nice, sharp, and I can get several shaves out of them before I start getting razor bumps, hair tugging, or "slips" due to the blade dulling. Derby - just wow. Nicer, sharper, and not really more expensive. Very happy with them. I almost immediately felt like this blade just glided over my skin effortlessly shaving away my beard. Merkur - perhaps it was just a matter of fit with the razor, but this is the only blade that consistently felt skittish, the one I consistently nicked myself with the easiest, and the only one I got razor bumps on the very. first. shave. I actually ended up mentally rating the razors based on how many shaves before they started feeling like the "new" merkur blades - and were, IMO , unusable since I'd start getting the razor bumps from my cartridge days. The sharks would give me three shaves, the derby blades 4, maybe 5.

I started using a safety razor to cut costs and these blades have been my go to. Derby blades, in my experience, have never under-performed. They are always sharp and consistent. I know some other blades have inconsistencies which often cause nicks and razor bumps, but the derby blades have always done well.

This blade is well made and provides a nice smooth shave. I gave it a 4 because even though the shave is nice, smooth and out perform's my Norelco electric shaver, Gillette Mach 3 and any other cheap plastic razor I've ever used. Unfortunately, it still leaves a five o'clock shadow that is visible. It is more visible than slightly-visible, but I would say it is good enough as I can go 2-3 days tops without needing a shave. It probably is as close as I will get without taking the plunge and purchasing a straight blade & strop. I will try another brand of blades just to see if it is indeed the Derby blade or if this is as close as I can get. Because I have a Edwin Jagger Safety razor, Edwin Jagger Badger brush, and Edwin Jagger shaving cream too, I lather up my face well, keep it wet as much as possible and I'm still able to see a gray shadow. I know I can do better though, as some areas have far lesser shadow especially on the sides of my face, but the trouble spots are the goatee area and chin. Maybe I need more practice...time will tell, but it's worth the cash I spent. I wouldn't be surprised that in the future I eventually did end up purchasing a straight blade though.