This is week two of the Astra blade comparison shaves. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, read last week’s SOTD post, or just check out the next paragraph if you don’t want to invest that much time or get into detail.
Similar to the Gillette 7 O’Clock blades that I’ve shaved with and reviewed over the last few months, I decided that I needed to compare the Astra Superior Stainless (blue) blades with the Astra Superior Platinum (green) blades. Part of the reasoning was that I’ve heard argument, or vocal preferences aired in the online forums about which is better. And since I firmly believe that shaving is a wholly individual experience (as in what works for me may not, and likely will not work exactly the same for you), and since I like the experimentation involved in my safety razor shaving journey, I needed to try the Astra blues (haven’t tried them at all until last week), so that I could compare them for myself with the greens (which I haven’t used in about a year).
So the basic plan is to shave each week with the blues then the greens using the same razor (my Henson mild) and see what the difference is.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #228. The Proraso White Astra Green Sunday Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL13+ mild
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Sensitive pre-shave cream (white)
- Brush: Proraso boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Proraso Sensitive shave soap (white)
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Proraso Sensitive aftershave balm (white)
- Stats: 53rd almost perfect shave, 15th consecutive almost perfect shave, 11th shave with an overall 24 rating, 1st shave with the Astra green since at least January 2025, 18th different blade used in the Henson mild (most of all of my razors).
First off, it’s always a good shave to go back to the classic Proraso Sunday shave–the whole white series with the soap and not the cream. Not to say I don’t like the cream or the Proraso blue or green formulas, but this really was the one that started so many things for me, and it just brings me joy because it always works exceptionally well.
I also need to note that choosing to do these comparisons with the Henson mild was the right call. It’s my favorite, and in many ways, best razor. It’s forgiving, but really gives the blades a chance to show their stuff more than I think any of the other razors can.
This was, as noted in the stats above, another almost perfect shave. And only the third 24 point overall rated shave in the current streak, which tells me that my rating system is working. Shaves this good should be rare and should be something I reach for.
There was a noticeable, but not huge difference between the blue and green blades. And that is interesting–I’m not sure what I was expecting as a difference, but it was obvious and apparent. The blade feel and sound is pretty similar, but the efficiency–because it didn’t feel more aggressive–was what stood out. Last week for all three shaves, I needed to make a bunch of extra strokes to get the closeness I want on my neck. Today, I needed a lot fewer strokes to get the same result, which also resulted in practically no irritation. Now, I’ll be interested to see if this is primarily a result of Sundays being my 2 day growth day, or if it entirely comes down to the blade, but it’s an awfully good start. And I’m excited to note that difference.
The comfort of this shave really stands out–there were just a couple of really small, light spots of sting with the alum, but they went away quickly and after the balm, my skin doesn’t have any of that residual “just shaved” feel (not irritation, but that feeling that it’s just been scraped).
I can’t give it a perfect score for closeness, though I thought about it. There’s one spot of some very light stubble that’s only apparent when running my fingers against the grain there, and while it’s a picky point, I just can’t score it perfect. But I did give this shave the highest almost perfect score I could.
Coming up Tuesday: I get to try the Cella red line for the first time–I’m really looking forward to that.
Comfort: 25 of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 of 25
Overall: 24 of 25
Tuesday’s Shave, #229. The Cella red shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL13+ mild
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Cella pre-shave gel (red)
- Brush: Omega 10019 boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Cella Sweet Almond shaving cream (red)
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Cella after shave balm (red)
- Stats: 54th almost perfect shave (out of 229), 16th consecutive almost perfect shave, 1st shave with the Cella red products, 4th logged shave with the Astra Superior Platinum blade (green).
Something I said when I was considering getting a safety razor and getting into this whole thing was that I wanted to look forward to shaving…or at least not hate it. I’ve been looking forward to this shave for about two weeks now, and that’s just exciting.
Yes, an almost perfect shave. Yes, the green continues to prove itself as being more efficient than the blue, but with less to shave after just two days, it still took more effort to get it as close as I want.
But it was the first shave with the Cella red line. After seeing the soap used pretty often online and hearing it listed as a favorite pretty widely, I finally put it to the test, and I was not disappointed. It provided a thick, rich lather that did an excellent job of protecting my skin during the shave. The gel worked well to provide the slickness under the lather. And the aftershave balm gives a very nice and pleasant moisturization to the skin and settled down the limited irritation nicely.
This was another outstanding shave that I will come back to in a heartbeat, and hopefully I’ll remember to use the Astra greens more than one week a year.
Comfort: 24 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 23 out of 25
Overall: 23 out of 25
Thursday’s Shave, #230. The last Astra green comparison shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL13+ mild
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented pre-shave soap
- Brush: Omega 10019 boar brush
- Lather: Arko shave stick
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Barbasol 1919 After Shave balm
- Stats: 55th almost perfect shave, 17th consecutive shave rated 23 or 24 overall, 6th consecutive shave with an Astra blade (blue or green), 5th Arko shaving soap shave.
I’ve had such a great string of amazing shaves, and it makes me happy that it continues. This was another almost perfect shave (one minor nick in a spot where I frequently get them, and I just need to be more careful on the corner of my throat).
After a string of using what I’ve called luxurious lathers, it was kind of eye-opening to use the Arko for the first time in a month–it’s a great lather, don’t get me wrong, but it just lacks a richness that others like Proraso, Cella, and Cooper & French. I don’t know how to describe it exactly except to say that Arko’s foam is certainly adequate, but it seems more watery than others.
Otherwise, this shave was great, just as comfortable as the others with the Astra green, but with more closeness with less effort (more efficient) than with other blades, including the blues.
So let’s wrap up this comparison: both are outstanding blades, and I need to use them more often. Both are ultimately very comfortable with the Henson mild (and, I’m sure, my other mild razors), but there is a noticeable difference in efficiency between the Astra green and Astra blue. The greens were very close and comfortable and required less effort to get the closeness I want (and that closeness feels closer than with the blues) without much irritation.
Will I go so far as to declare Astra green blades as better than their blue siblings? Actually, yes. But I won’t discard the blues just because they aren’t quite as good. The difference is noticeable but marginal, so my preference will be for the greens.
I’m liking this comparison scheme, so I’ll return to it in a week, but next week, I’ll be using a favorite blade in my new Oliworks M3teorite razor. Stay tuned!
Comfort: 23 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 out of 25
Overall: 23 out of 25