DERBY “Extra” 100 blades pack
Having made the switch to a Double Edge razor, I am going through a good number of blades. Basically one blade per shave. Some of the shaving foam stays stuck on the blades no matter how well it is rinsed. Some blades rinse a bit better than others, but I haven’t manage to get a blade perfectly clean rinsing it within the razor. Even when loosening the head parts on my 3 piece Merkur 180 razor. Taking the blade out and attempting to rinse/wash it is an awkward proposition at best in my mind. Having slightly sensitive skin, strong beard growth and considering the relatively low cost of double-edge blades, I am accepting that they are a one shot deal.
Most blade manufacturer offer their blades in what looks like 2 basic packaging: 5 blades and 100 blades. Obviously, the 5 blade packaging is a good option for portability and exploration when you are trying them out. No point in committing to a pack of 100 blades up front.
The going rates for the packages of 100 blades is anywhere between $10 – $50 depending on the brand. Most of the brand I have been exploring are around $15. Shark, Lord, Derby to name but a few are all around that price on Amazon.
I started off with a sampler pack of 9 different packages of 5 blade each. After getting a feel for them I was ready to commit to a brand. My first choice was in fact, the Shark blades. I had consistently achieved great shaves with them. Other Reviewers also agreed that Shark blades were consistently of good quality. It is not the sharpest but generally a well liked blade. My goal was also to stay within budget and not go over $20 for a package.
The Shark blades are available in packs of 100. This is important as not every brand of blades can be found in these larger quantities. You might need to do some digging for some brands. That being said, I was able to find all of the blades I had tried in larger packs. The reason I changed my mind from Shark to Derby was an article on the Gentelman’s Gazette where they indicated that the Derby blades were ideal for the sensitive skin wet shavers. In short, they classified Derby as a a slight notch above the Shark blade for the same conditions.
The DERBY blades were easy to find on Amazon for about $15 and I got my box within 2 days.
The box contains 20 smaller packages of 5 blades each. These smaller containers allow you to slide each blade out for usage. As always, each blade is wrapped separately in wax paper to avoid any incidents.
After approximately 10 days worth of shaves with these blades, I am thoroughly impressed. No nicks, no cuts and completely comfortable. The resulting shaves have been perfectly proper and I don’t regret buying 100 of these blades.
As a final note, you might look into getting a blade disposal solution as you will obviously be throwing out many blades per months. If you have kids or pets in the house, this is a must. Men Essentials sells a little metal box that looks like a mailbox to put the used blades in. They call it the: Razor Safe. You would then put this box out for recycling once full.
You can shop for these blades via these links:
