Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEVERY day blade
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2015
Here's the deal... everyone's has a different combination of skin sensitivity and whisker type, so the key to a great shave is finding what combination of razor and blade works best for you; the aggressiveness of the razor factors in as well. (If you try this blade and it doesnt work as well for you, then keep on looking for that perfect combination - It does exist) What can suprise you is that "sharper" isnt always better. Feather blades for instance are known for being very sharp. I have a found that a fresh Feather blade in my Merkur HD removes more hair on the first downward pass (in a standard three pass technique: down, nose to ear, ear to nose) than any other blade. However, there are spots on my neck that simply cannot be cut closely enough without going against the grain (up) and a Feather blade eats me alive. When I avoid nicks I still end up with significant razor burn; slapping on an alcohol based aftershave is unbearable. Which brings me to the Derby...
I would describe this blade as smoother than the Feather, which can feel scratchy at times. When I made my first ever downward pass with the Derby my first thought was - Oh no... I've got 50 of these things and they suck. I thought that because they didn't remove as many hairs on the first downward pass as a Feather, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This blade allowed me to make follow-up against-the-grain passes with ease. The result was a baby smooth shave and when I applied the alcohol based aftershave - PRICELESS... when I say there was no burn, I mean none.
Within a few days my neck irritation was gone and I haven't gone back to a "sharper" blade. I first thought that this would be my "every day" blade and I'd use a Feather for a special occasion or something but... wrong again. Derby became my EVERY day blade.
Find some great information on choosing the right blade for you here. I did! http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/education/double-edge-shaving/48-choosing-the-right-blade.html
