Review: South Africa’s Clicks branded Double Edge Razor Blades for R13 for 5 Blades

I just spotted these blades a week ago at Clicks in South Africa, and thought I’d better buy them to try out, seeing we have a really dismal selection of blades in retail stores in South Africa. At R12.99 (US$0.72) for the pack of 5 blades, I was not going to lose a lot of money at all.

The packaging states they are Platinum-Chrome Stainless Steel blades, and German Technology. Unfortunately, not only is there no mention at all of who manufactured them, even the blades are completely blank (I’ve never seen that before). So no indication at all who the original manufacturer is.

Rear of packaging
Blade is blank of any branding

The Shave

I was very surprised at how good the shave was, so much so, I decided to use the blade for the whole week before making any comments about it. I Normally shave with the Astra blades and my Edwin Jagger DE89 head. If I am a bit reckless and shave really quickly with the Astra’s I will get the odd nick on the chin or lip area.

Well, my first impression with these Clicks blades was they were noticeably a notch smoother to shave with. They still cut well (no additional passes need), but super smooth. I upped my speed a bit too, and the same experience without any nicks or cuts. They performed consistently for the week, and I’m pretty sure I could go another week on the same blade.

I just need to state here though that any shave is a combination of razor head, blade and skin type, so your own mileage may vary. I can only compare using my own razor. No doubt a more aggressive razor, or a milder one like the Merkur 34C, may produce different results.

For example, when I first tried double-edge razor shaving, I bought Lion blades (pictured below) with the cheap Lion razor. It was a horrible experience! They tugged, and the razor was too aggressive, etc.

I’m very impressed with them, and actually prefer them over the Astra blades I’ve been using for the last 4 years (I bought about 300 Astra blades in bulk because I had to import them).

The Price

Clicks blades at R12.99 vs Lion at R25.99 and Super-Max at R13.99

Obviously, there is no comparison between this price, and what would be paid for Gillette Fusion cartridge blades… We can compare this to the Astra DE blades which sell online in South Africa for R17.99 (normally about R25 though).

R12.99 works out to R2.60 per week of use (US$0.14 per week). The Astra’s would cost about R3.60 per week. These blades could actually stretch to 2 weeks of use, and that brings the cost down to R1.30 per week. At this price, I’ll quite happily support Clicks locally.

Bonus: Environmentally Friendly

As with most double-edged blades, the packaging (paper and plastic) is fully recyclable, as are the stainless steel blades (which I collect in a money tin after use).
#Blog, #razorblades, #southafrica, #traditionalwetshaving, #wetshaving

Tired of Gillette Razor blades costing US$3.58 each then try Safety Razor Blades costing only US$0.08 Each

There’s a lot more to traditional wet shaving than just price, but for many, price is the big deciding factor. Safety razor blades work out to being 44x cheaper than Gillette Fusion5 blades (both as bulk buy items).

It’s true that a quality safety razor is going to set you back about US$45 for Merkur 34C, and a bit more if you want to buy say an Edwin Jagger DE89 and fit that with an iKon solid stainless-steel knurled handle. But these razors are going to last you a lifetime. For example, my father’s Gillette Fatboy razor which he used in the mid-1960’s, still works perfectly well today, 65 years later.

Safety razors come in an unlimited variety of types and styles to express any individual whim. I’ve found the Edwin Jagger DE89 heads to be quite good, and they will accommodate a number of different handles with the standard screw thread.

A key takeaway, though, too, is that there is a unique combination of skin type vs razor vs blade. So, the aggressiveness of the razor head needs to be paired with a blade that suites your skin type. It may sound daunting, but a Merkur 34C is a fairly mild razor, whilst the Edwin Jagger DE89 is a more medium aggressive razor. Blades such as the Feather brand are quite sharp (read less forgiving) than say the Astra Platinum which are smoother. If you can get one, it is well worth buying a sample pack of blades to try out with your razor, as you’ll be surprised to find that they will all give a slightly different shave.

See my webpage at https://gadgeteer.co.za/myotherinterests/traditional-wet-shaving/
#Blog, #savings, #shaving, #traditionalwetshaving

How to clean your traditional shaving equipment after a shave

So many videos mostly concentrate on preparation and shaving, and not really on the cleaning at all.

The liquid paraffin is a good tip for putting razors in storage. Of course, once I tried this, I also had to wipe over the chrome taps and everything else shiny in the bathroom too.

See https://youtu.be/Zmd2wPAbAlI
#Blog, #traditionalwetshaving, #wetshaving

Which Safety Razor Should I Buy?

This is an article by the Wet Shaving Club. I love that they list their own options as well as those of their competitors. But it is a key question for new traditional wet shavers to ask, because there are hundreds of options and these razors generally last a lifetime (or two lifetimes).

It’s very true that the cost of a good safety razor is a lot more than a cartridge razor, but with the way cheaper blades, it usually breaks even after the first year, and saves money from then on (as well as the environment).

See https://wetshavingclub.com/which-safety-razor-should-i-buy/

#wetshaving #traditionalwetshaving #razors #shaving
#Blog, #razor, #safetyrazor, #shaving, #traditionalwetshaving, #wetshaving

Reddit has a large newbies friendly Wet Shaving Community with over 95k members

Reddit has a large community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. And best of all, newbies may also find them a little friendlier than some dedicated forums elsewhere.

See r/Wetshaving

#traditionalwetshaving #wetshaving #shaving

r/Wetshaving: A community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor.

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https://gadgeteer.co.za/reddit-has-large-newbies-friendly-wet-shaving-community-over-95k-members

Why is Shaving with a Safety Razor Better? There are a good 5 reasons!

Back in the day (before triple venti no foam lattes and cloud computing), things were simple, and simple worked well. The DE safety razor itself was a beautifully sculpted tool that was meant to last a lifetime. It reflected the integrity and purposefulness of the man who used it. So, it is no wonder that our modern age is longing to rediscover wet shaving.

Traditional Wet Shaving with a safety razor is one of the best ways to shave, hands down. The article below walks you through 5 reasons why shaving with a safety razor is great.

See Why is Shaving with a Safety Razor Better?

#shaving #traditionalwetshaving #safetyrazor #DErazor

Back in the day (before triple venti no foam lattes and cloud computing), things were simple, and simple worked well. The DE safety razor itself was a beautifully sculpted tool that was meant to last a lifetime. It reflected the integrity and purposefulness of the man who used it. So, it is no wonder that our modern age is longing to rediscover wet shaving.

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https://gadgeteer.co.za/why-shaving-safety-razor-better-there-are-good-5-reasons

A Look Back At Traditional Wet Shaving Over a Decade and a Half, and why it has made Shaving now Enjoyable

Like lifeforms, human culture continually evolves, and for much the same reasons: reproduction with variation, occasional mutation, and a built-in selection process that results in some entities prospering while others struggle or die off. Cultural evolution is so fast that we can trace the evolution of language, music, fashion, technology, and so on. In this piece, Leisureguy takes a look at how traditional shaving has evolved over the past decade and a half.

See A 15 Year Look Back At Traditional Wet Shaving | Sharpologist

#traditionalshaving #wetshaving #TraditionalWetShaving

Around the time that Mantic59 first started making shaving videos, I discovered “traditional wetshaving”. I dived in.

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https://gadgeteer.co.za/look-back-traditional-wet-shaving-over-decade-and-half-and-why-it-has-made-shaving-now-enjoyable

Best Straight Razor for Beginners and Pros

Straight razors are also often referred to as straight edge razor, cutthroat, barber, cut-throat, cut throat, open, open-blade, straight edge, straight blade and straight-edge razor -or as Shakespeare put it: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet“.

With the many straight razors on the market all claiming to be the top pick of the century or the best straight razor for beginners, it is a daunting process to choose the straight razor most likely to provide you with the best result. We all want the best for ourselves which is only natural.

However, finding the perfect straight razor is not always an easy process. The fact that there are several brands, makes and models of the straight razor in the market do not make the decision-making process any easier.

Personally I think you can learn better with a proper straight razor vs a shavette as I found the shavette was not as forgiving (maybe that's just me). Startup costs for a straight razor will be more, and you can delay getting the honing stone for a year, but costs after that get very cheap as you're not replacing and disposing of blades at all. Allow a good 15 to 20 shaves to get the hang of stropping as the initial muscle memory takes a while to get just right.

See 10 Best Straight Razors for Beginners & Pros (Review & Buyers Guide)

#traditionalwetshaving #traditionalshaving #straightrazor #razor #shaving

Finding the best straight razor depends on your preference and experience. Our guide tells you what you need to know before you buy and where to get good deals.

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https://gadgeteer.co.za/best-straight-razor-beginners-and-pros