45 /// Astra-Shark and Derby Double Edge Razor Blades Sampler

As others have noted, everyones personal experience will vary. This was my first sample pack that I purchased after starting to use a double edged safety razor. I have very sensitive skin, especially my kneck line & chin, & am looking for a blade that will leave me with as little irritation as possible. As far as these 3 blades go, I would rank them Astra, Derby, & then Shark. However, I would NEVER use the Shark blades again as they felt like sandpaper on my face. I have been using these blades 3 x's each & noting the levels of irritation. I would be happy purchasing the Astra blades in bulk & would use the Derby blades again. However, I just received another sample pack from "tryablade.com" which contains (Feathers, Kai, Persona Medical, Persona Lab Blue, Gillette Silver Blue) & will make my final decision after trying these. I can already rule out the Feather blades as I suffered the most irritation, by far, from shaving with this blade. My shave with the Feather was extremely smooth & nick free, but my neck & chin broke out with severe irritation.1) Astra- I definitely feel that I could get more quality shaves with this blade than 3 & I plan on trying to see how many shaves I can actually get. There is no need to be so frugal though since these blades are around $11 for 100 blades. My first shave with one of these blades causes more irritation than the 2nd & 3rd shaves. This is the main reason why I will be trying to see how many quality shaves I get with the blade. If I can get 5 or 6 shaves per blade, that'll be more shaves with minimal irritation. Overall rating=8/102) Derby- Very similarly priced to the Astra blades. Very similar performance as far as more irritation with the first shave & less with shaves #2 & #3. I have noticed just a tad more irritation with these blades. Overall rating=7/103) Shark- AWFUL for me! I would NEVER purchase these blades or use them if they were given to me for free. They felt like sandpaper that was pulling out each individual hair. They did not do a good job of shaving my beard either. I suffered the most irritation from these blades. Overall rating=0/10

It seems that the universal recommendation for those new DE single edge shaving is to sample various blades to find the best fit for your individual face. I had already tried Merkur and Feather blades and selected this sample package because it did not overwhelm with too much variety and seemed to offer three reputable, good blades. As of the writing of this review I have now tried all three of the offered blades and have enjoyed the shave offered by each. If I had to pick one, I suppose I'd go with the Derby blades but that might change with time as I continue to switch between them. Now, everyone seems to agree that the Feather blades are the sharpest and I got a very good shave using them but they are also some of the most expensive DE blades I have found. The blades in this sample pack, and a couple others that I have tried, have been more than good enough for a close and comfortable shave and they come a much lower price point. If you're a new to the whole DE experience, my advice is to try several blades and this sampling of three good quality blades is not a bad place to start.

This 45 pack of double edged razors is an excellent buy! The price here on Amazon was far less expensive than anywhere else I could find blades (for example, a 5 pack of VanDerHaagen double edged blades at a local store by me was $4.99; so for 45 blades this is a terrific buy). Cost aside, it is true what many reviewers say that everyone's skin is different and the different brands of blades all shave differently. This sampler gives a nice selection of three decent quality blades for comparison before having to buy a multi-pack for more money. Sound advice is to try a bunch of different blade brands before settling on the one that works best for you. This assortment is a nice place to start due to quality and economy. The blades come in nine, five blade packs, with each blade individually wrapped within each five pack in a glassine envelope. For what it is worth, I personally liked the Astra's feel/performance the best. Good luck.

The purpose of this package is to let you try out three well-rated brands of blades. It serves this purpose perfectly, obviously. As far as the blades go, they all shave well. I'd like to see a blinded test (blades not labeled) in which shavers must tell which blade is which after having tried them all -- I doubt that many could do it [in one such test for distinguishing bourbons, some experts couldn't tell whiskey from brandy]. Of course, anyone trying these blades will decide on a favorite of the three, because that's the point of buying the assortment (I guess mine is Astra). I think Feather blades may be sharper than any of these: the shave seems closer and I cut my face more often.

Had high expectations for the Shark blades. Not impressed. The Derby seem to cut much smoother and with much less abrasion. The Astra are in the middle but quite a ways back from the Derby. Used in a new Edwin Jagger De87bl. Your mileage may vary but I would purchase the Derby again, and not the Astra or Shark. Nice to have these grab bag of blades to test each out.

I was happy with this, was just getting into DE shaving and read good things about derby and astra blades, glad this comes with 15 of each, which allows me to form a more consistent opinion of each brand, some advice, from reading of derbies i thought they would be the better option for my hair and skin type, however there are dependent factors such as your handle and type of shave soap, so dont buy a 100 pack because it sounds good (turns out astra and sharks were way better)

Excellent blade combo that isn't overpriced like other sellers. When you get a safety razor, you really need to try a few different blades to see what works best for you. Often, blades that come with the razor are not very good. Mine came with Dorco(horrible). While the Derby blades are an upgrade from the Dorco, I like the Sharks and Astras a lot better. I also have some Feathers on the way to see what I like the absolute best. These will work in any standard double edge safety razor.