REVIEW: Big Ben stainless blade

Smoothness is paramount to me. I'll take a less-sharp but consistently smooth blade any day over an ultrasharp blade that may get the job done faster but, no matter how careful you are, is just as eager to remove epidermis as it is whiskers. So while my search for razors is pretty much completed (...I think...) I'm always interested in trying new blades that are reputed to be smooth shavers, and the cheaper, the better. 

One of these is the Big Ben, a pack of which was graciously gifted to me by a respected member of the wetshaving community.

I don't have much to say on this blade, or any blade, except the basics of what I like or don't like. The reason is because my experience with stainless blades, unlike carbons, is relatively limited and, admittedly, rather pedestrian...I'll try any blade once, without caring much about its pedigree, packaging, printing, wax spots, flavor of machine oil, which shift at what plant in Upper Slobovia made it, etc (it's fine and dandy that others dig that minutiae, I just don't).

Anyway, even after one shave I can say that I like the Big Ben. As the recommendation said, it is smooth and performed excellently in my Shake Sharp - no nicks, no scrapes, no irritation. How much of that is attributable to the relatively mild Shake Sharp or to the relatively mild Big Ben? No idea. Don't care. Are they consistently smooth from blade to blade and pack to pack? Again, I dunno but I'll find out.

While it does not seem as keen as a Feather (treacherously sharp but tolerable), Astra (very good) or Voshkod (disliked it on the first shave), for me it's smoother than any of them. It definitely blows Derby out of the water on all fronts and is on par with another new favorite, the Blue Bird...though the Big Ben seems a hair smoother. In fact, if I were shaving blindfolded the Big Ben could be mistaken for my all-time favorite stainless blade, the early '60s era Gillette stainless. As far as value goes, it appears to be a winner given its smoothness and its superior shave (sharper, I guess) to the readily available Dorcos, with which I have no problem. No blade snob, I.

I've a stock of about 50 of those fantastic old Gillette blades that I'm always hesitant to break into...but when I just HAVE to have the nicest shave I can get, rather than just a serviceable one, those old Gillette stainless are what I reach for. Now I won't have to because I've found a comparable alternative. I'll be ordering some of these Big Bens soon and unhesitatingly recommend trying them just once to anyone who wants a smooth blade that gets the job done right (that IS based on shaves from just the first blade so take this recommendation for what it's worth...YMMV).

UPDATE: 100 Big Ben blades are on their way to me from merry ol' England. Here's hoping they're consistent.