Astra Platinum Double Edge Safety Razor Blades ,100 Count (Pack of 1)

I bought an old fashioned twist-to-open Feather Double Edged razor because I hoped that I would experience greater shaving comfort and a closer shave. My beard hair is not dense and heavy, but it is wiry, curly and hard to mow. I had also allowed myself to wishfully believe some current TV propaganda about how once popular double-edged blades really provided a better shave than contemporary Gillette or Schick or Wilkinson Sword multlple-blade razors and their costly cartridges. The razor I bought came with five Japanese made Feather brand blades. At the same time I bought this 100-pack of Astra Platinum Blades made in St. Petersburg, Russia--the old Leningrad of the defunct Soviet Union. They came nicely packaged in sets of five individually wrapped blades. The Amazon reviews were almost uniformly positive and rated these blades highly. I put aside the Wilkinson Sword Quattro (same as Schick) razor Id been using since I bought it three years ago in Italy. It not only had four blades, but a fifth blade single blade specifically for edging in hard to reach areas such as right under your nose. With some lovely and refreshing Italian shaving soap brushed on in a thick lather applied by a fine bristle brush I figured I was all set and started in on my first luxury shave done the way Daddy did it. Using the Feather blades that came with my razor I cut myself in three places. I persisted until all five Feather blades where gone. With only one exception I cut myself in two or three places each time I shaved. I did exactly the same thing with these Astra Blades. I finally used about 15 of the Astra blades (and maybe a whole jiggerful of blood) before I was done once again, and likely now forever, with double-edged shaving. I have returned to my Quattro razor that has more blades than a reel-type lawnmower. Its still cuts me once in awhile, but once in awhile is a lot better than every day and every time I shave. The Quattro also gives me a closer shave, maybe because I dont start to tremble as I did when that double-edged slicer neared my face. Yes, blade replacements will cost me a lot more. I have decided to just put up with it. I may even save a buck or two on styptic pencils.

For the price, these are a great buy. I was used to using a higher quality German blade, and therefore was not used to changing my blade every week. For the cleanest shave, the are only good for a handful of uses before the lose their luster. Change often, and you wont be disappointed.

After trying 8 different brands of DE Razor Blades, Astra performed with flying colors. Everyones face is different, so I certainly recommend you try a sampler pack, but Astra was for me the most comfortable. After a decade of using various Gillette Mach-series multi-bladed razors, I wanted to improve my shaving experience. After seeing some recommendations online, I elected to embrace the old-fashioned Double Edge Safety razor and wet shaving technique. The blade that came with my Merkur was alright, but I wanted to see what else was available. In the end, these Astra blades proved to provide the smoothest shave with no noticeable shaving bumps.

My first shave with the Astra blade was smooth and close and I could not have asked for better performance from a double-edged blade. The blade did not contribute to any cuts or nicks on my face, fit the razor exceptionally well and glided very effortlessly with the lightest possible touch and provided me with what I consider to be a luxury shave. The cost per blade is far less than the cartridges I had been using and I do not think I will ever return to cartridge razors again. I had used a double edge when I was in the Military and had since forgotten what a treat they are and what wonderfully close and comfortable shaves they provide. I recommend the Astra blade for efficiency and economy. I have found My blade!

Ive 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 theyve 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 Ive 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 Im 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 Id 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 Ive 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 wasnt a fluke, I went ahead and stocked up on these blades to a point where Ill 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 cant say enough good things about them, out of the box they dont 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 youre 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 isnt 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 youre looking for. If youre 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, Ive 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. Its so very much cheaper and the quality of the shave just isnt even fair to compare, its 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 hadnt shaved yet today.

Love my Astra Greens! I get some VERY smooth shaves with these blades. While not as sharp as Feather, I can load these into either my Merkur 34C or my Merkur slant razor, they work very well. Sharper than Derby but just as smooth. And a great price point, whats not to love? I would say these are smoother than Personna Blues, but not as sharp. These work very well for me!

This has been the only blade Ive used aside from the blades that came with my Edwin Jager DE89. They seem to be much higher quality and provide a better pass than the other blades. For the price and coming from cartridge razors I couldnt be happier.

Happy I switched to a safety razor finally. Bring on the nice shave and savings. $$

I went from Merkur Blades to Astra Platinum Blades recently. I prefer the Astra for sharpnes and smoothness. However, some of the reviews here have claimed that something has changed with the new Astra blades. Indeed, the appearance of the logo etched on the blades has changed. Some have claimed the new blades are not as good as the older Astras. A few claimed Amazon is selling counterfit Astra Blades. I am new to Astra so I can’t make a direct comparison with the older Astra. I find the current Astras to be excellent blades, better than Merkur. I gave 4 stars because of the uncertainty of the controversy.

They work but I usely have to use two per shave. But cant be mad for the price.