Choosing and buying double edge blades for your safety razor can be a simple task after you understand the basics, that include:
- The different types of double edge blades
- What makes some double edge blades better than others?
- How to get the best value blades for your safety razor
Each manufacturer produces double edge blades differently, and a blade from Shanghai might be cheaper to buy than a blade from Japan, but they might need to be replaced faster, making them more expensive.
Read about how to choose a safety razor here!
All double edge blades will cut hair, but its important to look into how each one is different, so you can make an educated choice by simply reading the descriptions.
You can experiment with different brands and types of double edge razor blades, but in this article, we hope to give you a kick start into buying the right blade for your safety razor.
What you need to know about double edge blades
Learning the basics about your safety razor blades is the first step! These aspects might be simple, and even though ever double edge razor blade will state that "we are the sharpest!" it's important to distinguish the different types of sharpness and quality.
Blade Sharpness
The sharpness of a double edge razor blade depends on the manufacturer and the materials used. Higher quality steel used to manufacturer the razor blade will allow the manufacturer to produce a finer honed edge.
In saying this, the goal isn't always to have the sharpest blade. For beginners or people with sensitive skin, a mid-level sharpness is better.
If the blade is too sharp for a beginner, then you could easily cut yourself while shaving. Alternatively, if you have sensitive skin, you could easily get a razor (shaving) rash.
For more experienced safety razor users, a sharper double edge razor blade can allow you to get a cleaner and closer shave.
Blade Aggressiveness
One of the most commonly asked questions about the double edge razor blades is "what is aggressiveness and why is it important?"
A double edge razor blade's aggressiveness dictates how much of the blade edge (head) will be exposed on the safety razor. A high level of aggressiveness could include:
- razor head being more exposed
- double edge blade being more angled
If you are inexperienced with safety razors, we recommend avoiding aggressive double edge razor blades, as these will cause a lot of razor cuts and shaving rashes.
For an experienced user, you can adapt to the varying aggressiveness levels and angles of the blade to get a closer and cleaner shave.
Blade Durability
The standard double edge razor blade can last for two or three full facial shaves. The cheaper razor blades may only last for one session, and the more expensive and higher quality double edge blades may last for four or five shaving sessions.
The two main aspects that dictate a double edge razor blade's durability is:
- higher quality materials (steel)
- better manufacturing practices
An example of low durability blades would be where a low-quality manufacturer produces a double-edge razor blade with low quality steel and attempts to make the blade edges very sharp.
The cheaper materials mean that the razor blade won't hold the sharp edge and will typically only last for one cutting session.
The Price Per Shave
Following our conversation with blade durability, the cheaper blades that last for one or two sessions may have an overall higher cost per shave.
Purchasing higher quality double edge razor blades that last for three or more shaving sessions would then be the cheaper solution in the long run.
If you have a pack of cheap razor blades that will last anywhere between 10 to 20 sessions, compare it with the value of a pack of the same quantity that may last for much longer, and you can then decide on the best value for money.
Other factors to consider when buying double edge blades
Now that you have a good understanding of the types of razor blades and what to look for when buying a double edge blade, let's take a quick dive into the other aspects of shaving.
The type of hair you are cutting
The strength or coarseness is where each strand of hair is thicker and wider than the average person's hair.
The coarseness of hair is important because someone with very coarse facial hair may only be able to use double edge razor blades that are:
- medium sharpness
- high sharpness
- very high sharpness
Whereas someone with less coarse facial hair may prefer to use:
- low sharpness
- medium sharpness
- high sharpness
The skin sensitivity
The last thing to think about is whether or not you have sensitive skin that could easily cause shaving rashes.
If you don't have sensitive skin, then ignore this part. But if you do have sensitive skin, make sure to choose double-edge razor blades that are around a medium-level of sharpness.
The higher the sharpness, the more likely you are to get razor cuts or shaving rashes.
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