Astra Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades,100 Blades (20 x 5)

I've been wet shaving for several years now and after my initial trial and error with several different brands of blades I settled on Timor blades that have treated me very well since. Having ordered a massive amount of them as soon as I fell in love with them, I recently found myself going into my drawer for the next sleeve of them to find that I have just a few razors left. Taking a look at ordering more I see that they've become quite difficult to get in any quantity so I had to find a new option. Years ago when I was trying razors I skipped right over these Astra razors because they actually seemed too cheap to be any good in my mind, how foolish I was. Looking at my options now I just popped in the search and sorted by the customer reviews to see what WE thought were the very best razors. Without question there is a clear winner there by a HUGE margin and this is her, the Astra Superior Platinum, so I put in an order for 100 blades at the bargain basement price of like $8 - just amazing. They came very well packaged in an easy to manage and store box of boxes of 5, when it came time to shave I was still apprehensive about trying a new razor after years loving the Timor razors. Taking the razor out of the wrapper it seemed somehow "fatter" I guess is the best way to describe it than the Timor razors I was used to as well as far more flimsy, not an excellent first impression at all there. I still made sure to do the rest of the ritual I've come to love so much heating up my mug in the hot water before pulling it out and setting it on the counter with just about 2 inches of hot water left inside and the outer reservoir filled to keep the inside nice and toasty, in went my beloved Merkur 38C and silvertip badger brush so they could start getting nice and toasty, off came the top of my new favorite Sir Hare tallow based shaving soap (previously Cella which is also excellent, tried Sir Hare wanting tallow to be more prevalent and after my first go stocked right up, order from their official page for better deals and selection of majestic scents). I do my business as usual, flick the excess water from my now warm brush and load it up with soap before I add just a few drops of water to the brush itself and build a glorious warm tallow later on my face that is one of the very best feelings there is. Now I'm ready, razor and blade have been sitting in the hot water for a few minutes and my face is a creamy tangled landscape ready to do battle with a new foe. From the very first stroke of the blade I knew I'd made a horrible mistake years ago, it was magnificent the effortless destruction to two days of growth. Not only did the blades give me a replacement for the Timor blades I've used for years, they greatly improved the experience of the shave we all love so much. After another week of this to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I went ahead and stocked up on these blades to a point where I'll never need to order another blade again. Heck, the next generation of my family may not need to order another blade ever again and it was just a few bucks, seems unreal. These blades go above and beyond to provide the luxurious shave that we rely on to pull us out of bed every morning and I really can't say enough good things about them, out of the box they don't have the look or feel that I was used to but once in the razor they take me places I never knew I wanted to go. If you're just now thinking of getting into wet shaving absolutely do not hesitate to give these wonderful blades a try along with any others you are trying, they will without question not let you down. Please do invest a bit more in a quality razor, this cannot be said enough. Anything at all Merkur can be trusted and relied on, they have razors for any price point so there is for sure no reason for this to be why the experience isn't everything that it can be. Your brush choice is far less important, a $5 synthetic brush will be just fine as long as it feels good on your skin and builds the lather you're looking for. If you're looking for an option that suits the best of both worlds you can get an incredible silvertip badger brush for around $30 if you do some looking. For your soap choices there are more options than there are days in the year, I've tried over 100 of them and every single time come back to tallow based options being hands down the best many times over. Cella is a great option for getting started here, as I mentioned previously the Sir Hare line of shaving soaps are my absolute favorite after years of trying different options. They offer several different fantastic scents at their official page and shipping is just a couple dollars, their containers are also over-sized so you can load your brush there without any extra mug or dish and lather right on your face. Make sure to get a stand for your brush and razor as keeping them well taken care of and dry is by far the most critical piece to keeping them happy and healthy for years to come. Some folks are put off by the seeming initial cost of wet shaving, but if you stand even the VERY best of wet shaving needs up against the yearly cost of shaving with Mach-5 (or whatever) blades and your spray cans of cream, ours comes out to literal pennies. It's so very much cheaper and the quality of the shave just isn't even fair to compare, it's laughable. Before I tried wet shaving I used to look like a mountain man, seriously hated shaving. Wet shaving has made it something that I truly look forward to every single day, everything about it is an experience that so very many men are missing out on thanks to the 5 blade garbage and spray cans that have been hammered into our minds for a generation. Shaving is your time for yourself and with these tools and just the smallest amount of trial and error you will feel like a king every single time you step up to your sink. I wish I hadn't shaved yet today.

I decided to upgrade my morning routine and give myself something to look forward to when I'm feeling lazy and thinking about sleeping in. I also felt like it was time to stop using an electric razor since it was leaving me with a very amateur-looking shave (lots of stray hairs that I couldn't get no matter how much I tried). I wanted to get the most out of the safety razor experience, so I did a lot of research into which products are needed and how to use them. I made all of the purchases together on Amazon and tried them out as a set. After using an electric for the past 10 years, I was pretty worried that I would get some serious razor burn, but to my surprise I had none whatsoever! I was pretty careful to not get too aggressive with the shaving, so I went WITH the grain and only made one or two passes on each area. The result was a shave that was 100X closer than an electric with no discomfort, nicks, cuts, or razor burn!Here's what I bought and why:Safety Razor: Parker 96R – Long Handle Butterfly Safety Razorhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IFFSOS/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_2This safety razor has a great weight to it, a long handle for a comfortable grip, and a black and chrome coloring that looks great with the other items on the list. The butterfly razors seem to be the easiest to open and close for changing blades.Razor Blades: Astra Superior Premium Platinum bladeshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPTR0W/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_4One of the great things about safety razors is that the blades are SUPER cheap. These Astra blades are some of the most popular and highest quality blades I could find. At $0.10 each, you can clearly see the cost advantage to regular razors. I have been told that one blade should last about a week. That means that 100 is nearly 2 years’ worth! Do yourself a favor and buy the best blades you can get. There’s no reason to save a few cents to get blades that dull quickly and give you razorburn.Brush: Perfecto 100% Badger Shaving Brush - Blackhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VF1NI5M/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_40This brush is a fraction of the cost of the higher end brushes and it felt GREAT and worked up a nice, foamy lather very quickly. I don’t see any reason to buy a more expensive brush, especially if you are just starting out and want to see if you enjoy this process before you commit to a high-dollar brush. Personally, I still wouldn’t get anything more expensive.Bowl: Schöne Stainless Steel Shaving Bowl with Lidhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQDEL8Y/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_37I think this is a matter of preference and taste in aesthetics. This bowl matches the other items that I bought and has a lid, which I am hoping will allow me to make my soap last longer. It seems to be well made and is a great size for working up a lather with the brush and is shaped well for holding it in your hand while you apply the lather. I think there are a lot of options for you to choose from, so pick something that matches your style if this one isn’t for you.Razor and Brush Stand: SimplyBeautiful Deluxe Razor and Brush Standhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AG92BXY/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_35This stand looks great and is balanced well so that it holds my brush and razor without falling over. I chose black for two reasons. One: It matches the other things that I bought (razor and brush). Two: It should resist rusting better since it is coated.Pre-shave Oil: The Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil, Sandalwoodhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FGTTTM/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_3The Art of Shaving makes some great products, but some of them have changes in recent years, so you can’t rely on the ratings alone. I read through them and found that the pre-shave oil is still a very popular product and from my experience, it definitely helps prep your beard and skin for the shave. Applying the oil is step 1 in safety razor shaving.Shaving Soap: Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shavinghttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1TOBS shaving soaps are the highest quality soaps I could find based off of smell, quality of lather, and consistency of the product quality. This soap is more like a cream. I scooped out some with my fingers, put it in the bowl, added some hot water, and then worked up a lather. It felt and smelled amazing! In reality, I didn’t want to wash it off because it just felt so good!After-shave Balm: Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood Aftershave Balmhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OWPW0I/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_29This was my biggest splurge of the whole set-up and I did so for several reasons: First, using after-shave balm is said to be gentler on your skin than alcohol-based after-shaves. As I mentioned before, I switched from an electric to a safety razor with no skin irritation at all. This cream soothes the skin and makes it soft. It was the perfect way to finish my shave. Second, this stuff is rated as the absolutely best smelling after-shave balm out there and I can attest to that. It smells so great that I stopped using my cologne. Based on the small amount that is needed, this bottle should easily last for a year or more. Three, there are other “luxury” brand shaving balms that have been bought out by big brand companies and their formulas have changed significantly as a result. That means that some of the products out there have great ratings, but only because of the number ratings BEFORE they recently changed. If you look into other luxury shaving brands, then you will see what I mean.Razor Disposal Case: Feather Styling Razor Disposal Casehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWGEY1K/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_36Even used razors are sharp, so I bought this little case to keep stray razors off of the counter, or better yet, off of the floor. Just drop in the used razor when it’s too dull for shaving. It holds over a hundred, so you can go without emptying it for a few years. It’s pretty cheap, so maybe you can just throw it away when it’s full? Your choice.That’s my whole set up. If you want to get into safety razor shaving, then I highly recommend the products on this list. All-in-all, you will spend about the same on this list than you would on a TAOS starter kit that only has the oil, brush, soap, and balm. I’m a morning shaver, so the sandalwood scent works great for me, but evening shavers may consider the same products in lavender scent if you want a relaxing experience to help you sleep.

These are amazing blades not as sharp as feathers but does the job with the smoothness and gives you a baby butt smooth shave. I’m using the Leaf thorn with this blade and it shaves smooth…… well worth the price and I’ll be buying them again for sure.

They are sharp and mild they dont last as long as other razors but it feels like spreading butter on hot toast

Good quality razor blades. They work great for 2 shaves before I throw them away. So it costs $0.05 in blades per shave. I use theses in my Henson AL13 razor.

De las mejores marcas en cuchillas, tienen buen filo y suaves a la vez, no se siente la mano al pasar la navaja de afeitar

Absolutely superb blade. Very sharp, almost as sharp as the Gold Standard, Feather. But it beats Feather with its smoothness. As with many blades, shaves 2&3 seem sharper. Perhaps the coating is wearing off? Not sure, but regardless, you simply cannot hold wrong with this outstanding blade. Practically Feather sharpness for just over $8 per 100. Can't beat this with a stick! lol. Depending upon the razor, I get 4 to 6 excellent shaves out of each blade. I could probably get more... but... at this price, why would I? Strong recommendation if you are looking for a very sharp blade with a good degree of smoothness and consistency, blade to blade.

Love these blades. They are not the sharpest blade, but they are sharper than average AND they keep a better than average edge, so you get lots of good shaves out of each blade. They are also very well priced. This makes them a great value blade. I've been wet shaving with safety razors for 50 years. They work great in every razor I've tried them in. Highly recommended.