15 months later, I’ve now worked my way through a final total of 51 different brands/models of double-edged razor blade. All were tested using the Henson AL-13, with standard shaving gel and no other fancy accessories as the top-rating blades needed to function as a practical daily tool rather than as part of some lengthy multi-step ritual.

I tried each blade at least once for a five-day period, rating the blades on the categories of Branding/Aesthetic, Sharpness (New / 3 Days / 5 Days), and Overall Shave Quality. Each category was rated using the following scale:

0 = Very Poor

1 = Poor

2 = Good/Average

3 = Very Good

4 = Excellent

Here’s how the ratings turned out:

And here are my notes, blade by blade:

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Poor

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Very Poor to Poor

Notes: Disastrous. A massacre on Day 1 - cuts and irritation everywhere. It felt like the blade had a jagged, inconsistent edge and was scraping unevenly across the skin. Mellowed to something slightly more useable by Day 2, but certainly not pleasant. Clear drop in durability by five days. Only in the most desperate of circumstances would I go back to this one.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Poor

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Poor to Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Very Poor to Poor

Notes: Not a good blade at all. Bluntness and irritation on Day 1 - inferior to a typical cartridge razor. Only got worse from there.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Poor to Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Poor to Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Very Poor to Poor

Notes: Not very sharp out of the packet - quite a lot of friction from Day 1. Noticeably less sharp than a cartridge razor. Wouldn't use again.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Poor

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Very Poor to Poor

Notes: This was the most aggressive blade tested by some margin. Very sharp on first use - comparable to the sharpest blades (e.g. Feather; Gillette Nacet); but dozens of cuts everywhere, in every area (strangely, with little irritation). This was the only blade to achieve this level of generalised bloodshed. The extent of the blood-letting was such that I only used it once - totally impractical for a five-day trial. Never again.

Branding/Aesthetic: Poor to Good

Sharpness (New): Poor to Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor to Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Made in Egypt. Somewhat cheap-looking branding and packaging. Not great on Day 1 - felt less sharp than a cartridge razor, with some early irritation. Pretty blunt and uncomfortable overall.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Poor to Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor to Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Not great, not bad on first use. Plenty of cuts on most uses. Doesn't feel particularly sharp - caused a fair amount of irritation due to covering the same areas repeatedly. No clear loss of sharpness over five days (although not particularly sharp to begin with).

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Poor to Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Not particularly sharp out of the box but reasonably smooth - similar to a typical cartridge razor on Day 1 and Day 3. Barely useable by Day 5 - blunt enough to cause a fair amount of irritation. Wouldn't go back to this one.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor to Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Straightforward branding/wrapping. Not super sharp on Day 1, with mild irritation. Loss of edge on subsequent days. Not a great blade overall.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor to Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Unremarkable overall - felt very much like a cartridge razor from Day 1. Minimal irritation, but towards the bottom end of the pack in terms of sharpness.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Odd amount of drag on Day 1, but few cuts. Relatively stable edge over time, but never felt particularly sharp.

Branding/Aesthetic: Poor

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Made in the Czech Republic. Aesthetics of the packing and blade itself is quite poor. Not super sharp, but held its initial level of sharpness well across five days. Shave quality good to very good overall.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Poor to Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Surely the most Russian blade of the bunch. Top marks for branding. Double-wrapped, Teflon-coated blades. Adequately sharp on Day 1 with slight early signs of pulling/irritation. A steady loss of edge and increase in irritation thereafter. Not a great blade overall.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Decent sharpness out of the pack with minimal irritation. Noticeable loss of edge by Day 3. A 1-2 day razor, realistically.

Branding/Aesthetic: Poor to Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Budget branding - basic printing on one side only. Very sharp and smooth on Day 1, but a rapid loss of edge on subsequent days. The "365" might suggest "one blade per day"?

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: An odd blade - sharpness varied a lot over the five days; on average it was decent, but nothing to get excited about. Caused too many cuts to qualify as a regular-use blade. Probably wouldn't choose to go back to it.

Branding/Aesthetic: Poor to Good

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good

Notes: Made in India. Overall score brought down by pretty average branding/packaging. Not particularly sharp out of the box (another blade that felt comparable to a cartridge razor) but minimal irritation on first use, giving quite a good result. Strangely became sharper and smoother at Day 3.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good

Notes: Double-wrapped blades. Not the sharpest blade in the bunch - felt comparable to a standard cartridge razor - but surprisingly few nicks and cuts, and remained easy to use. Seemed to stay pretty consistent across the five days.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Made in Russia. Decent sharpness out of the pack, although some mild irritation from the outset. Gradual loss of edge (and increase in irritation) over subsequent days. By Day 5 it was duller than a typical cartridge blade. Wouldn't go back to this one unless it was for single-use.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Adequate sharpness out of the pack with little drag, but nothing exceptional. Generally not as good as the "green" 7 O'Clock counterpart in overall sharpness and useability.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Comes as a ten-pack rather than five. Feels sharp and smooth for first couple of days, but then a steady decline in sharpness. Probably makes for a good two-day blade, and the ten-pack might make this an equivalent option to other more durable five-pack blades.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: A good edge out of the box, with few cuts and little irritation. But as with the platinum version there was a steady loss of sharpness over the testing period. Similar to a standard cartridge razor by Day 3.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Tested twice. Initially thought this was quite a good "daily use" blade, but on second testing it was quite aggressive and caused a lot of cuts. Sharp enough, but doesn't deliver a smooth shave.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Plain-looking blade with very faint branding and blank wrapper. Slightly sharper on Day 1 than the Astra Platinum, and with slightly less irritation. Noticeable loss of edge from Day 3, causing more irritation. Overall, a more comfortable (but less sharp) counterpart to the Astra Platinum.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Made in Germany. Good branding on packaging and blade. Sharp and smooth on Day 1, but caused more irritation by Day 2 (coating wore off?), and didn't feel particularly sharp by Day 3 and 5.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Made in USA. Appeared high-quality and with nice branding. Felt sharp on Day 1 but still with a moderate level of irritation/drag. Less irritation on Day 3, but then a slight loss of edge by Day 5. Quite a variable result day-to-day, and so probably not a great option as a weekly blade.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor

Notes: Tested x3. These came with a big online reputation (much like the Feathers) but never really worked for me - definitely at the sharper end of the spectrum but lots of cuts and irritation every time. Never got a comfortable shave out of these blades across trials.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Good edge out of the pack, with some loss of edge by Day 3 (although remained smooth). A noticeable drop by Day 4 and 5.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor

Notes: Made in Pakistan. Very sharp and smooth on Day 1, but a steady increase in drag over subsequent days. This was the first carbon steel blade tested, and it was evident on removing the blade from the razor that it had started to discolour and possibly rust by the end of the test period, requiring a thorough clean/WD40 of the razor. Not the most practical frequent-use blade due to this; paired with its loss of edge I wouldn't go back to this one. Probably best considered a single-use blade.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Very sharp out of the box, but dulled by Day 3 to something similar to a cartridge blade.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Double-wrapped blades; nice packaging. Remained in the middle of the pack in terms of sharpness, with little irritation and few cuts. Edge seemed to improve after Day 1.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Double-wrapped blades with decent branding. Very sharp and smooth on first use. A noticeable drop by Day 3 but still not bad.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Poor to Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Felt very sharp and easy to use on Day 1 - few nicks. Held sharpness well at Day 3, but a clear drop by Day 4.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Good to Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good to Excellent

Notes: Made in India. Decent packaging. Sharp enough on Day 1 to give a pretty good result, with little irritation. Maintained a good edge across the five days, remaining smooth through until Day 5. Would use this again as a weekly blade.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good

Overall Shave Quality: Good

Notes: Comparable to the Feather blade on Day 1 in terms of unforgiving sharpness - loads of cuts and moderate irritation. Mellowed to something more user-friendly by Day 3, providing a close shave with only a few cuts. Further loss of edge by Day 5. Probably not one that I'd go back to for daily use, mainly due to the number of cuts in the first couple of days.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good

Notes: Made in Vietnam. Double teflon coating on blades. A decent edge on Day 1 with little irritation. Only a slight loss of edge across five days - remained easy to use throughout.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good

Notes: Another ten-pack. Made in Pakistan. Felt sharp on Day 1, and maintained sharpness well out to three days, with a slight drop by Day 5. A good option overall.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor

Notes: Ah, the ruthless Feathers… These came with a big reputation for extreme sharpness, which was certainly true - out of the box they felt like the sharpest blades by some margin. So sharp in fact that they were ruthlessly aggressive and unforgiving of any slight bumps or inconsistencies. Much blood was shed. I can see how these might be the "gold standard" if you're going to take the time and effort to learn perfect technique , but to me they were impractical as an everyday-use blade, and nowhere near as useable as some of the other blades tested. Probably wouldn't go back to these in a hurry.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Poor to Good

Notes: Extremely sharp blades - on par with Feather, and nearly as aggressive. Lots of cuts throughout the five days. I can appreciate the sharpness, but definitely not a blade for me.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good to Excellent

Notes: Tested twice. Maintained a good edge throughout the five days, with a good balance between sharp/smooth. A small increase in irritation by Day 5, but overall a good weekly blade with no major issues.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good to Excellent

Notes: Tested x3. Very sharp and smooth on Day 1, with a gradual loss of edge over the five days. A forgiving blade with few cuts. Seemed suitable as a daily-use blade in that it struck a good balance between adequate sharpness and ease of use.

Branding/Aesthetic: Good to Very Good

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: Made in Egypt. I didn't have high hopes for this one (it looks a little on the cheap side), but it was surprisingly sharp and smooth on Day 1 and Day 3, losing some edge by Day 5, although remaining smooth and easy to use throughout. Minimal cuts/irritation. Would happily use these again as a regular daily blade.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Overall Shave Quality: Good to Very Good

Notes: Tested twice. Hard to believe these come from the same company as Derby Extras. Extremely sharp blades which held their edge well over five days. Comparable to a Feather or Gillette Nacet for sharpness, but felt less aggressive (although still quite a few cuts early on).

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Very Good

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: Made in Egypt, making for some quite confusing branding. High quality despite not being marketed as a "premium" brand. Held an edge well over five days with no obvious change in ease of use. Became an early comparative gold-standard. Tested a second time - remained reliably sharp and easy to use.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Good to Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good

Notes: Tested twice. Great packaging. Extremely sharp and smooth on first/second use (particularly with a few days' growth), with a subsequent gradual loss of edge, leading to an increasingly rough shave (although not outright bad). Overall, seemed a good 1- or 2-day option.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (New): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: Tested twice. Good branding. Felt very sharp on Day 1 and only minor losses in sharpness across five days. Easy to use (few cuts) and minimal irritation. Top contender from the non-premium group.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good to Excellent

Notes: Tested twice. Plain outer packaging but nice polished blade. Maintained a very good edge over five days, with few cuts. Smoother and less aggressive than something like a Feather or Gillette Nacet, but much sharper than a cartridge razor. Would definitely return to using this one again.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Overall Shave Quality: Very Good to Excellent

Notes: Made in Japan. The ultimate minimalist “function over form” option, going for a minimalist aesthetic with zero branding on the blade but decent external packaging otherwise. Comes with a big reputation for sharpness akin to the Feather, which is probably fair, although this blade was much less aggressive and far smoother and easier to use. No problem managing 2-3 days of growth. A very slight loss of edge by Day 5. One of the smoothest-cutting blades tested.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: Excellent over the five days, with a slight loss of edge by Day 5. Good balance of sharp vs. smooth. Minimal irritation throughout. Comparable to the Trig Silver Edge Stainless.

Branding/Aesthetic: Very Good

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: An excellent blade overall - good balance between sharp and smooth throughout the five days, with very little irritation. Only a slight loss of edge by Day 5 - it probably had at least another couple of days in it. Made for a great daily-use blade in the AL-13.

Branding/Aesthetic: Excellent

Sharpness (New): Excellent

Sharpness (3 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Sharpness (5 Days): Very Good to Excellent

Overall Shave Quality: Excellent

Notes: Italian company but made in Germany. Great packaging/branding. Excellent all-round blade. Extremely sharp on first use and only a mild loss of edge over the five-day period. Consistently smooth and easy to use, with few if any cuts. This became the blade that I opted to travel with and went back to for breaks between testing the other blades. Reliably good, and #1 on the list.

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