There's no real hate for Astras. And yes, it's a perfectly serviceable blade. The anti-Astra posts are in response to Ybbor's attempt to elevate it to legendary status because:
- He's trying to wind us up. Successfully I might add.
- He's got maidenhair for chin stubble and subsequently got a ridiculous amount of shaves out of one.
- He accidentally snagged the one and only Astra blade in existence that will rival the best DE blade ever made.
In short, on a forum populated by vintage DE blade tragics (and I have become one of them) the amount of posts dedicated to sing the praises of nothing more than a perfectly serviceable blade was and is too much to handle and was and will be treated with as much venom and derision possible. Nothing more than a bit of fun in other words. I took the desperate measure of sending him some of my carefully collected vintage blades in the hope of turning him in to a fellow tragic. Unfortunately he's been away on holiday (by the way who only takes one type of blade on an extended break?) and until he comes back won't stop giving us more Astra posts.
