Derby Extra

 

 

Over the next few weeks I am going to keep a daily running experience of different blades. Mainly so that I can remember what they were like. Hopefully, you will find this interesting or helpful as you try different blades. Each blade will be used for 7 days unless they are a really bad blade.

 

Blade Name

Derby Extra

Derby Extra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaving conditions

Beard Type

Light beard growth, thicker on and under the chin, very sensitive on the neck. Susceptible to razor bumps on and under the chin area.

Preshave Prep:

• Shower
• Shave Secret (four drops)
• Mason's Boutique Lillian Shave Soap (Days1-3)
• Van der Hagen Premium soap Shave Stick (Days 4-7)
• Lord LP1822L DE Razor
• Soft water
• Maggard 22mm knot synthetic brush

Post Shave:

• Dickenson's Witch Hazel (Blue Bottle)
• Pinaud Clubman Original
• Nivea Balm for Sensitive Skin

The Shave Week

Day 1 Shave

• Smoothness: Smooth, sharp shave 1st pass was fairly close, but not as close as other blades.
• Tugging: No tugging on the neck area
• Razor Burn: Slight razor burn that lasted on a couple of minutes.
• Nicks: No nicks or weepers.
• Closeness: Nice, and close shave that was comfortable.

Day 2 Shave

• Smoothness: Not quite as smooth as yesterday. the shave cream was not a thick and creamy as yesterday and that may have played a part.
• Tugging: Slight tugging on the chin area but the neck area where I am most sensitive, was problem free.
• Razor Burn: A little more razor burn than the day before. Seems like I had to buff more to get a closer shave and that irritated the skin.
• Nicks: No Nicks or weepers.
• Closeness: Close in some areas but obvious misses that had to be touched up.

Day 3 Shave

• Smoothness: Slightly less smooth. I could feel some tugging on the cheeks which is unusual.
• Tugging: A little tugging on the chin area, but non on the neck area.
• Razor Burn: More razor burn than the day before. Had to do more buffing to get a closer shave. Buffing seems to irritate and damage the skin more.
• Nicks: One nick between the lower lip and chin.
• Closeness: Closeness seems to be diminishing with this blade. Tomorrow I am going to change back to the VDH Luxury soap and see if that improves the chave. 

Day 4 Shave

• Smoothness: Blade was still pretty smooth, but It did struggle in some places where the growth was a little thicker.
• Tugging: There was a little tugging on the neck area when I shaved against the grain.
• Razor Burn: More razor burn was detected than last night. Besides the chin area, there was some under the jaw line.
• Nicks: Two weepers and one nick that was due to my own carelessness.
• Closeness: it was a close shave but I had to work at it. Where some blades would get it this blade seemed to pass over it. It was a good shave but not as comfortable as when the blade was new.

Day 5 Shave

• Smoothness: Smoothness has dropped off significantly. This shave has felt rough and my skin has felt some soreness after the shave.
• Tugging: Tugging has increased especially on the neck area.
• Razor Burn: More razor burn has been felt after this shave. I has also noticed the skin to feel bumpy and slightly swollen along with some skin damage.
• Nicks: There were no nicks with this shave.
• Closeness: The shave felt close in some places and in others it felt like it missed the stubble all together.

Day 6 Shave

• Smoothness: The smoothness really dropped off with this shave. I could feel noticeable tugging all over and lots of stubble still visible and could be felt. The shave was patchy all over and there was a very low comfort level. After the shave, It felt like my skin was "grooved" and ragged feeling along with a dry tight feeling.
• Tugging: The tugging has increased some more and was very unpleasant on the sensitive areas.
• Razor Burn: Really bad razor burn all over my face. This lasted more than an hour and was uncomfortable. I had to go back and reapply a skin cream trying to get it to feel comfortable.
• Nicks: There were no nicks or weepers.
• Closeness: Not close at all. The shave felt rough and patchy, and the skin felt bumpy and swollen.

 Concluding Thoughts and Score

This was an interesting blade. Loaded in the Lord L6 razor, it began with a nice shave, but quickly deteriorated over the next few days. It felt like the smooth coating pealed off and I was shaving on the stainless blade. What I disliked about the blade was the amount of razor burn and the bumpy feeling it left my face with. I really should have stopped after the fourth  shave, but I didn't and feel like I made a bad decision with that.

A very cheap blade that I would probably not use for more than two or three shaves. Considering this, I would opt out for a more expensive blade that wears down in a more smoother fashion that doesn't leave my skin feeling sore, burnt and patchy feeling. After this shave I am going to have to take a few days off with a good smooth blade and a sensitive cream to let my skin recover.

   

If I were to score this blade form 1 to 10 I would rate it an overall 4.4.

• Sharpness: 6
• Smoothness: 4
• Tugging: 5
• Razor Burn:3
• Closeness: 4
• Overall: 4.4