Hey all.

I had my routine down to the point taking it for granted. I had settled into brush and bar soap ( mostly Irish spring) using persona USA made blades.

It was comfortable for me, blades lasted about a week each, no nicks or cuts for years now.

I went to reorder the blades and they were now 2x what I last paid.

I ordered a box of Indian made astra blades and it was like I was new at shaving again. They only last a shave or 2 with water.

Does anyone have a hidden gem cheap blade?

I have made the astra work for me using an alcohol gel instead of soap but I wasn’t looking to be that hard on my skin daily.

Does anyone here have a good shave with astra blades? What’s your routine?

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[–] 2 points 2 days ago*

I recommend these https://kodiakshaving.com/products/gem-platinum-diamond-glide-de-blade?variant=52423791608175

Kodiak Shaving is run by a really nice guy. The "Personna" branding is a bit of a mess. Even since I've started wetshaving (7 years ago) there has been a flurry of changes with the branding.

The blades you liked were most likely colloquially known as "Personna Lab Blue" which say "Comfort Coated" on the box and "Super" printed on the blades. You can still get them here https://kodiakshaving.com/products/personna-double-edge-blades?variant=52331003969903.

I personally like both blades. Some people think they're the same (they do come from the same factory in the USA) just in different packaging, but I've found the GEM branded ones slightly smoother. Every face is different, though.

I don't know what your price limit is, but I think $16-$18 is a good deal for 100 blades ($20 with shipping, of course).

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