Review Derby Premium Double Edge Razor Blades

King of Authentic Shave

King of Authentic Shave

Member
Joined
May 24, 2015
Location
Melbourne
Hey Guys,
Derby Premium DE Blades have arrived and up for reviews. My first Impressions ; Nice packaging and thin blades. Enough said for me as i might be biased.

derbypremium-254x203.png


It is available at the following links :
https://shavingmarket.com/shop/new-derby-premium-double-edge-razor-blades/
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=322313929371&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
I will be donating some to the Blade bank as well.
All reviews are welcome.
 
Me too - would actually buy 5 off you at the next meet...
 
Can someone send me a pack or two of these, I would love to try them :)
 
I've used just the one blade for three shaves, so this review is based on that limited experience. I used the same kit for all shaves - EJ badger brush, SH soap, Standard razor & blade.

First shave with the blade my initial thoughts were, fairly sharp and smooth, with no tugging or pulling. Definitely a noticeable improvement over the standard Derby Extra. Gave a fairly good shave - not quite DFS, but certainly quite acceptable.

Looking at price on shaving market, only an extra $1/100 over the Derby Extra, roughly 13c per blade so quite inexpensive.
Packaging is a plastic tuck with space for used blades - although the labelling is quite spiffy.

Second shave with the same blade was much the same. Not outstanding, but perfectly adequate.

The third shave is where the wheels completely fell off. First couple of passes were OK, but could feel a bit of pulling, and then on the 3rd pass it just gave up. There was a noticeable amount of tugging and pulling and that shave just became hard work and uncomfortable. I ended up with some noticeable irritation the next day.

Bear in mind that this rating is very subjective, and your results may vary depending on face, beard, razor, soap etc.
My ratings would be:

Value (y)(y)(y)
Packaging(y)(y)(y)
Smoothness(y)(y)
Sharpness(y)(y)(n)
Longevity(y)(y)
Overall(y)(y)(y)​

I'd rate these similarly to the Astra SP blades for me. A decent mid-range blade for 2-3 shaves, probably a good baseline blade, but not one that I'd put on regular rotation these days.
 
I've used three blades now. Firstly in my travel kit in a vintage Gillette English Flare Tip Rocket, then another in a vintage Gillette Slim (7) and most recently in a Gillette English NEW on a TSW Bren handle.

There have been some variables across these shaves but I've tried to keen some constants for at least a period to get comparisons.

First shave with the blade. Definitely a noticeable improvement over the standard Derby Extra. Gave a fairly good shave - not quite DFS, but certainly quite acceptable.

At $12.90 per 100 (https://shavingmarket.com/shop/new-derby-premium-double-edge-razor-blades/) these are an inexpensive blade. Looking at price on shaving market, only an extra $1/100 over the Derby Extra, roughly 13c per blade so quite inexpensive.

Packaging is a plastic tuck with space for used blades - although the labelling is a little too 'try hard' for my taste. Made in Turkey they are made with premium Swedish steel and coated with chromium, ceramic, platinum, tungsten, and polymer - really? Again, sounds a little try hard. I was a sceptical.

Having said that - the proof is in the shave. My initial thoughts were that they were pretty good actually, relatively sharp and still smooth, with no tugging or pulling. In other words, doing what a blade should do!

Second and third shaves the same. Some sense of degradation on the fourth - have not pushed beyond there at this point. Certainly no irritation or really nasty stuff though and a step up from where I remember the Derby Extra to be (but that was a while ago). Decent middle of the road blade at a good price point.

Ratings for these blades to date below (out of five):

Value (y)(y)(y)(y) - decent VFM at price point

Packaging (y)(y)(y) - yeah, it is packaging!

Smoothness (y)(y)(y)(y) - above average for that 1-3 shave range

Sharpness (y)(y)(y) - average

Longevity (y)(y)(y) - probably around average for modern blades

Overall (y)(y)(y)(y) - unlikely to be a star but will have some fans

Thanks AGAIN to @King of Authentic Shave for the sample to try :)
 
Been a crazy couple of weeks, and have gotten behind in posting a few reviews.

Summary - (y)(y)(y):whistle: Much sharper than the regular Derby, but less than that of my regulars brands (permasharp, voskhod, rapira chrome) whilst still retaining a high level of smoothness. Longevity not a strong point, but cheap enough not to be a concern.

Value (y)(y)(y)
$12.90/100 blades... $0.04 per shave with these blades only lasting 3 shaves for me

Packaging (y)(y)(y)(y)(y)
Plastic container with razor disposal in the back and no glue/wax spots

Smoothness (y)(y)(y)(y)
Smooth on par with voskhod

Sharpness (y)(y)(y):whistle:
Slightly less sharp than voskhod (using as reference that most people have tried)

Longevity (y)(y)(y)
After 3 shaves (3 passes per shave) it was tugging, so I changed out after first pass on the 4th.
 
Thanks guys for your comprehensive reviews. I often wondered about Derbys, now I know and will stay with my Rapira Platinum Lux / Flare combo.
 
Sxot said:
A standard Derby is a lot different than a Derby Platinum.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I accept that. However, my thinking follows along this line:
..... and coated with chromium, ceramic, platinum, tungsten, and polymer .....
Click to expand...
(my italics & underline)

I am ever leery of "over-the-top" anything which, in this instance, appears to be the case. If these multiple coatings create a better blade, one cannot help but wonder why other manufacturers have not already coated their product with same. That said, they certainly appear to be economical.[/QUOTE]
 
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I used them for a few days courtesy of the most giving @SpeedyPC who sent me a couple of packets, while I don't think they are anything exceptional by themselves, when you consider the price they sell for they do represent excellent value for money. I got 3 shaves tops from a blade using them in the Fatboy and the Slim, and I really should have changed blades after 2 shaves as I did experience some tugging and discomfort due to their losing the edge. I am yet to try them in the Progress and the ATT Colossus though.

I won't be switching from my beloved Feathers, but I may keep a few packets on hand - I have tried and used far worse blades, the first shave with them is actually quite good it's just that they dull fairly quickly from my experience.
 
That's interesting @todras. I'd have thought with those coatings there would be little tugging and discomfort after only 2 shaves. The standard go-to for my Flare Tip is Rapira PL followed by Voskhod; each to his own as always.
 
Finally have used a blade through to the bin so;

Context - I don't break out a DE very often. When I do, it's a Feather or Ladas, on a Merkur Bakelike, 34c, or Gillette New open comb.

Value (y)(y)(y)(y) $12.90/100 blades... $0.04 per shave with these blades only lasting 4, possibly 5 shaves. I think that's reasonably good value. It gains some value here for the packaging, but loses some for the less than "best in class" sharpness and smoothness.

Packaging (y)(y)(y)(y)(y) Counter/drawer space is a premium for me. I loath the idea of having another container (blade bank) around the place. Plastic container with razor disposal in the back is something that I appreciate very much.

Smoothness (y)(y)(y)(y) Smooth, sure. No complaints but there are better (Ladas)

Sharpness (y)(y)(y) Compared to a Feather, this blade is lacking, but that goes for most.

Longevity (y)(y)(y)(y) These last a good four shaves for me before starting to drop in comfort. I could go more but I really object to doing so. Compared to the other blades I use, this is on par.

Summary - (y)(y)(y)(y) I have been impressed with this blade. I find it smooth and sharp giving me a good result. Not top shelf, but good none the less. Given the cost is equal to Ladas, (although the Ladas lacks the blade bank) I don't see myself buying these in the near future. I will stick with the Ladas as my primary due to cost being equal, but improved sharpness and comfort.
 
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