Feb 15
Another blade test
After reading all the positive remarks about the Sputnik blades, I decided I may as well give one of these blades a test. I had been noticing Leisureguy had been remarking quite favorably about the Sputniks I had a small assortment of blades, sent to me by Giovanni at Barbieria Italiana, and there was a Sputnik in the assortment.
Since it was time for a new blade, I disassembled the Merkur, carefully placed the used Derby blade in my disposal bottle and then gave the components of the razor a good shot of Scrubbing Bubbles. I scrubbed them all down with an old toothbrush, rinsed everything off in hot water and wiped them dry.
I pulled the Sputnik blade from the assortment and fitted it into the Merkur. 
I had used Arko cream, my Omega brush and a nearly week-old Derby blade for a really great shave last evening. I decided to let the blade be the only changed variable for this evening.
A lot of hot water in the lathering bowl and the brush was put to soak, as I started a hot water rinse and a hot towel treatment. I mixed up another really great bowl of Arko lather and set about testing the Sputnik blade.
I noticed the blade was doing really well in a couple of the ‘trouble spots’ I’ve fought for the last 35+ years. For some reason, my jaw line is one of the areas that I’ve always had to pay extra attention to, but the Sputnik seemed to handle it well. There was a lot of tactile response from this blade, moreso than with a Derby, which gave me a heightened sense of how sharp a double-edged blade can be.
The downside to the blade is that while it did well in a couple of problem areas, it managed to ‘bite’ me in a couple of places that I rarely ever have problems with. I don’t think it was due to a cavalier technique, as I mentioned the feel of the blade kept reminding me to be careful.
After a good clean-up with Mama Bear’s Tea Tree, Lavender and Hemp soap and a cold water rinse, it was a splash of Pinaud Clubman Musk aftershave to seal the deal. Ahhh, what a great way to cap off a shave.
Overall, the Sputnik provided a very close shave. The fact that it nicked me twice is going to cause this blade to be scored below my favorite Derby blades.
Maybe it is just time to stop trying new blades? The Derby blades work quite well, so why try to fix what isn’t broken?
