Best blades for DE razor

[valldo]

I was at my dad's house over the weekend and we went thru his shaving arsenal which he has compiled in over 40 years. We had a great time, I got to see shaving creams I had never heard about, handle razors made from stainless steel but oxidated to the point that you could no longer tell which make it was.
But what caught my attention was a really old but beautiful Merkur DE razor. Thick handle, very heavy and seems to be fully functional. Right next to it was a small box of Merkur blades, from what I can see they should be ok, but being that old...hmmm.....don't know.
Thing is, I have been intrigued for a long time about shaving my head with a DE razor....now finally I have one, old but pretty, even some blades. I'll try those but I would like to know basically two things:

- What is your experience /which blades can you recommend. I really want to use the best blade that is out there, and possibly easy to find...maybe sold on Ebay
- What are the golden rules. Pressure and angle I would say must be important...but please let me know your advice

Thanks

[tomcj2]

There is no "perfect" blade that everybody agrees upon.  There are many sample packages available. 

For what its worth I really like Astra and really dislike Shark.

[warhawk]

Which are the best blades for a DE razor???   Wow... that is a very subjective question.  I would suggest buying a blade sampler and found out what works for you.  My favorite blades currently are the Astra SP, Feather, Polsilver Super Iridium,  Gillette 7 o'clock Blacks.  I also like the Gillette Silver Blues and SuperMax Super Platinums.

WARHAWK

[Mikekoz13]

The Feather blades are my favorite but they are very sharp. Shaving with a DE requires no additional pressure... the weight of the razor will do the job.

I recommend going to a DE website and buying a sampler pack of blades so you can try several different ones at a good price.

[R o b 6]

Warhawk taught me the way of the Astra...works great for me after trying several. Definitely one you should try in your arsenal at first.

[Laser Man]

I like Merkurs, Derby, and Astras. I picked up some Wilkinson Swords yesterday to try out.

[waine]

I have tried the 8 different DE brands available here in South Africa.  But the best blade by far is the Astra SP, which I cannot get here.  So I treasure my little supply that I received, thanks to a blade trade I did with Warhawk.

My answer:  Astra SP - without a doubt!

[Slynito]

I also like the Astra, Merkur, Feather and yesterday I got a BBS shave with a Derby and a 1920 Gillette open comb. I feel the Shark is just ok and don't like the 7 O'clock...I want to try the Crystal and the Bic. And many of these exotic blade brands can be found economically on Ebay. But like they say every shaver has his drotherz.

[greatnessinc]

I just ordered a Merkur handle and a 100 pack of Astra SP.
Right now I plan on just using it for face shaving and perhaps someday I'll use it on the dome.