No other compares in longevity!
I like to shave everyday with an occasional skip a day maybe once a week. My whiskers are not heavy. 1. Was a novice to DE shaving & started with a Henson blade that comes with their mild razor. The razor type must be mentioned too in all fairness as different razors are more aggressive based on setting & type. Being new to DE I would get multiple cuts unless I was very careful and even then my face still felt very raw. I would get one day, maybe two before the blade got too dull to cut without rash. I was a bit frustrated with needing so many passes with a Henson mild + razor that requires strict 30 degree angle or it doesn't cut well, that I bought their more aggressive medium ++ razor which did a little better but still left my face feeling not happy. "also 30 degree angle required" but the blade protrudes out more with the medium ++ version. In summary, didn't like Henson blades. 2. Next I tried Feather blades from Japan since they were supposed to be the sharpest. Much better on my face but also had to be quite careful not to get nics. It too was only good for one day and two was pushing it. I conclude since these blades are very thin & flexible if you don't keep the angle very shallow they will grab a hair or whisker and flex causing scraping or even digging in to the skin causing a nic ...just a theory I surmised after trying my next blade which were thicker "Kai's". In summary, the Feathers still were not kind to my face but better than Henson blades. 3. After more research I decide to try Kai Stainless Steel blades also out of Japan. They were thicker & I think as sharp as Feathers but a tad cheaper in price.... The thicker blade made it easy to "feel" the whisker to know when all stubble was gone and they did a better job with one pass imo. However they too were best the first day & didn't do as well past two days. In summary Kai blades were favored more than Henson or Feathers due to having same Feather sharpness but a firmer blade that was more stable while cutting. 4. After more research I found BIC Chrome Platinum. They are supposed to have some kind of coating that allows them to get sharper with each use as the claim says. After trying them I'm truly amazed at their performance! They seem sharp yet forgiving with only occasional nics if I get too fast & careless. Rather than one or two days, I found they were still sharp after 7 days of shaving & it wasn't until the 8th day before I decided to switch to a new one! I still got that excellent close shave that 8th day but it was starting to take longer to achieve it and I started feeling abrasions around the neck in the hard to get areas....time to give it up & change the blade! Quite phenomenal results! I did flip the blade after the 6th day but not sure I could tell a deference as it was cutting fine before that too. It may be worth noting if you do not fully tighten your handle the blade definitely won't cut at the right angle and will tend to scrape more than cut. I found that out when I forgot once to fully tighten between shaves as I do always loosen my handle to allow it to breathe while not in use. Considering the price the Bic's being very competitive in price in the first place, these are a heck of a blade that I highly recommend trying. I like that "smooth as a baby's butt" feel when I'm done. The DE shaving experience makes it where my face is still smooth into the evening & not till the next morning do I start to feel stubble. The Bic blades give me the longevity of multiblade razors without the price and shave closer! I now actually look forward to shaving! A nice preshave oil gets the whiskers to stick out pretty so they're exposed, then some nice lather makes then vulnerable to being whacked straight to the bottom to leave nothing but skin. It's a rewarding experience and as with any skill you get faster & faster with skill which in turn leaves your face happier with less trauma. An "Alum" bar to finish is great too! It will seal off any tiny nics and it also helps teach you where you're still causing skin trauma as it will burn a tad going over any raw spots. I do a shower shave. It wastes more water but less messy than over the sink imo. Great youtube videos out there to watch to get a jump on DE technique if you're thinking about it..remember you don't flex your wrist like with flex head razors but you maintain angle & move your whole arm. Analyze the razor angle of your shaver to get the best cut "with handle fully tight" and let the razor cut the hair nice & low like a lawn mower blade rather than scraping your skin. It will probably be about 20-30 degrees. Almost no pressure is needed with good blades so less skin trauma and no ingrown hairs. Read more
