Part 1 of 2 | Read Part 2
In my last post about head shaving, in which I reviewed the Henson AL13 razor, I talked about how I’d ordered six sample packs of blades to try in the AL13, after being disappointed with the Henson-branded RK-stainless blades that shipped with the razor.
In this two-part post series, I’ll review how each of the sample blades performed for me, using the same technique and starting point in terms of growth. I recognise I’m still fairly new to the art of head shaving with a DE razor, but hopefully my learning experience will be useful for others setting out on the same journey.
Test Considerations
My Technique
Instead of going for the three-pass shave most people recommend, for this series of tests I decided to jump straight in and go against-the-grain (ATG), like I used to do with the Gillette Sensor3 razors and Mach3 cartridges. For lubrication I used hot water and King of Shaves Sensitive Shave Gel. Each head shave started from 48-hours worth of growth.
My Hair
My hair has always been fine, which is probably one of the reasons I don’t miss it at all. In terms of hair loss, I estimate it’s early Norwood stage 5: receded completely bald at the front, with a noticeable band of thinning hair across the top, and an even thinner patch at the crown that is now quite large. When reading my findings on blade longevity, compare your own hair to mine. If yours is coarse and at stage 3 on the Norwood scale, your blades aren’t going to last as long as mine do. Conversely, if you have similar fine hair and are stage 6 or more, you’ll enjoy more head shaves per blade than me.
Blade Reviews
- Derby Premium
- Wilkinson Sword
- Shark Platinum
Derby Premium Blades
I’ve been using Derby Extra blades in a Murdock London razor to shave my neck line and legs (more on why men should shave their legs) for several years, and I’ve always been okay with them. I didn’t even realise there was a Derby Premium version until I started doing some research into alternatives. Good things are said about Derby Premium blades, so I was expecting a decent shave when I loaded one of the samples into my Henson AL13, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The Derby Premium blade performed beautifully, taking off the hair and getting very close to the skin in a single pass. The shave felt smooth with no tugging, and after a quick clean-up pass, I was very pleased with the result. It wasn’t as BBS as I remember it was when I shaved with the Mach3, but it wasn’t bad. Best of all, running an alum block over my head revealed no irritation. This was an immediate win on the first shave.
Two days later, the second shave with the same Derby Premium blade was just as good, if not better than the first. Somehow, the blade seemed even smoother, as did my head when finished. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the phenomenon of blades being better on the second shave, but I know other people talk about it so it could be a thing.
In terms of longevity, I found each Derby Premium blade in the sample pack was good for two or three head shaves, with the third still serviceable but starting to show signs of degradation such as tugging, and the need to go over certain areas more than once. Attempting a fourth shave with the same blade bordered on uncomfortable, so I stopped trying and changed blades after two or three shaves for the rest of the sample pack.
Key points: Smooth first and second shaves, with good feedback, only one pass required, resulting in a close irritation-free finish. Longevity of 2-3 shaves per blade.
Wilkinson Sword Blades
Trying an unfamiliar blade in a DE razor reminds me of getting on a horse I’ve never ridden before. One might expect them to be the same, but they are all different in some way. I always feel nervous when I get on a horse I don’t know, and am similarly apprehensive when I start shaving with a new blade, until I get used to the feel. The good news is, a razor blade can’t detect your nervousness and react to it, whereas horses can, and often do!
My first shave with the Wilkinson Sword blades was initially a positive experience. I felt the blade was at least on a par with the Derby Premium. Feedback was good, the shave was smooth, and most of the hair was gone in a single pass. The end result felt marginally better than the Derby Premium, and my head was very close to BBS in some areas, although still not as close as a shave with a Gillette Mach3. However, when I came to apply the alum block, I felt a fair bit of irritation, which was disappointing.
The second shave with the Wilkinson Sword blade resulted in even more irritation, as well as some noticeable tugging, and the need to go over some areas more than once. Attempting a third shave with the same blade seemed out of the question, which made me think the longevity of these blades was one or two shaves, with the second just about serviceable.
However, before giving up on them completely, I tried them with a light emollient wash as a pre-shave instead of King of Shaves gel, and got better results. I also tried shaving my head every day, and this altered routine resulted in hardly any irritation and an extra shave out of each blade, upping the total to three. I concluded these Wilkinson Sword blades simply aren’t as good as Derby Premiums for taking off any more than a day’s growth.
Key points: Smooth first shave, with good feedback, multiple passes required, resulting in a close finish with some irritation. Longevity of 1-2 shaves per blade.
Shark Platinum Blades
My first shave with a Shark Platinum blade was a pretty good one. I stuck with the light emollient wash pre-shave routine and worked on 24 hours worth of growth again. The blade passed smoothly over my head with minimal tugging, and I ended up with a decent silky finish with no irritation. Feedback from the blade was good while shaving, but it did require a few passes in some spots, although not as many as the Wilkinson Sword blades did. I short, I didn’t feel it was quite as good as the Derby Premiums.
To get a fairer comparison, my second shave with the Shark Platinum blade followed the standard test routine using King of Shaves Sensitive Shave Gel for lubrication, on 48 hours of growth, straight to ATG. The blade struggled and there was a lot of tugging, so I did a quick XTG pass first, before going ATG, which fixed the tugging issue, but I still needed several passes to get a good smooth finish. I was left with a small nick and quite a bit of irritation when I used the alum block, and didn’t want to risk another shave with the same blade, which already felt dull.
To use up the remaining blades in the pack, I switched back to daily head shaves and consistently noticed the second shave with each blade was poorer than the first. Out of interest, I attempted a third shave with the same blade, but the results were very poor, leaving me with patchy stubble and a lot of irritation. This all points to the longevity of these blades being roughly on par with the Wilkinson Sword, perhaps not quite as good.
Key points: Smooth first shave, with good feedback, multiple passes required, resulting in a close finish with some irritation. Longevity of 1 shave per blade.
Best of The Three
Sticking with horse analogies, the winner in this race was Derby Premium, by a distance. Wilkinson Sword placed second, while Shark Platinum showed in third place, by a nose.
More Double Edge Razor Blade Reviews
Part 1 of 2 | Read Part 2
This post is the first in a two-part series. In the second part, I carry out the same tests on the remaining sample blades.
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