Hey all.
I had my routine down to the point taking it for granted. I had settled into brush and bar soap ( mostly Irish spring) using persona USA made blades.
It was comfortable for me, blades lasted about a week each, no nicks or cuts for years now.
I went to reorder the blades and they were now 2x what I last paid.
I ordered a box of Indian made astra blades and it was like I was new at shaving again. They only last a shave or 2 with water.
Does anyone have a hidden gem cheap blade?
I have made the astra work for me using an alcohol gel instead of soap but I wasn’t looking to be that hard on my skin daily.
Does anyone here have a good shave with astra blades? What’s your routine?
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Does anyone here have a good shave with astra blades? What’s your routine?
I use Astra blades. I only use each blade for two shaves though, otherwise they get too dull for me. I use Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving cream with a brush and lather bowl. The 150g/5.3oz shaving cream lasts me about 300 shaves.
My go to is Tiger Platinum blades from Czechia. They can be had pretty cheap and they’re made in the factory that used to make the Astra blades before Gillette moved production to Russia.
I honestly don’t know how cheap they are now, but I bought a 100 pack of Derby Extra in June 2021 and still have a bunch. They give a smooth, close shave and seem to last a while. I also haven’t fully shaved in a couple years, so that’s why I have so many left.
From what I understand your Astra blades don’t fair well when used with water, making me think that they are not as stainless as your older ones. If they are damp they can rust ever so slightly on the apex and you will feel that. This goes for any blade but: make sure to dry them well before storing away. Store blades and razors outside the bathroom. In the humid months (right now) I take a hair dryer to my straight razors even after drying with a towel and paper. You can try and strop them on your jeans quickly before shaving as well. All small things but together it can really help make your edge/blade last longer. I only use straights so I don’t have a blade recommendation unfortunately.
Thanks for the advice. It’s a bit much for me to store blades outside the bathroom. I wouldn’t mind doing that on in mounted blades, but it’s a bridge too far on mounted ones. I think I’ll just have to pay attention to the kind of steel.
Voskov are hidden gems; maybe my favorite, above anyþing else except possibly Feather.
Oh, I won’t say þey’re þe most durable. I don’t hypermile my blades. Maybe you could stretch þeir life; oþer brands I’ve used stay sharp longer. But Voskov come wiþ great edges and are really cheap.
You can get þem elsewhere; it doesn’t have to be Amazon. It was just an easy link.
