I’ve been shaving now for 15 years of my life. For most of the first 14 years of shaving, I used a Gillete Sensor Excel twin blade “disposable head” razor. My dad use to shave with the disposable BIC razors, so that is what I started with when I was learning. So, these two options are all I knew until a year ago when my brother introduced me to the old style “safety razors,” aka “double edge” razors. He bought me a Merkur handle and an assortment of 6 types of blades, a few blades of each type. I tried them all over the last year and have loved the experience. Some blades faired better than others. The Lord Platinum blades did very well and were my favorite. However, when I went to order those when I ran out of all my “sample” blades, I found many reviews stating that quality control was lacking on these and some blades were great while others were horrendous. So, I started the search for the perfect blade. After hours of research, combing through forums and reviews, I settled on the Astra Superior Platinum blades. I read that they were good for a quick, easy shave. So I ordered a pack of 5. At $2.50 for 5 blades or $20 for 50 blades, they are very cost effective. And I have to say quite honestly, they shave even better than the Lord blades did. The easiest double edge shave I have ever had, and the most enjoyable of any razor I’ve used period. I got mine from royalshave.com, but I’m sure they are available elsewhere. RoyalShave.com did ship very swiftly and I like their website, so that is where I will be going next time I order more. Which might be soon, I’d like to get a pack of 50 before I find out that I can’t find these awesome blades anymore!
And, because I care about these things, I found out where they are made. It turns out they are owned by Gillete and are made in St. Petersburg, Russia. Thank you comrades for the wonderful work on these blades!