Double-edge Razor *blades*

Now that you know a bit about the razors, let's take a look at the blades. And there are probably twice as many blade versions as there are razors. Old-school blades are carbon steel, and subject to rust if not dried after using; stainless steel blades came out around 1930, became thinner, then coated for a smoother shave. Most modern blades are made overseas, with Gillette having licensed plants in Russia and India. Most blades come in packs (or "tucks") of 5 or 10, individually wrapped in paper with the flap glued once, twice, and sometimes in four spots. Blades can be uncoated, chrome, platinum, or Teflon-coated (these are my favorites, and give me the smoothest shave of the lot). To give you an idea of the variety of blades out there, here's a list of mine:

Gillette (Platinum, Platinum Plus, Silver Blue, Rubie, four different "7 o'clock blades", and Gillette Wilkinsons); BIC Chrome Platinum; Feather; KAI; Derby Extra; Dorco ST300 and ST301; Shark Super Chrome; SuperMax Platinum; Polsilver (both Super Iridium and the Lodz blades; Personna Meds, Reds, and Crystals; Astra Superior Platinum; Treet Dura-Sharp and Platinum; Laser Super Platinum; Voskhod Teflon-coated (and probably a half-dozen other Russian blades); Bolzano; Lord Super Chrome and Platinum Classics; Perma-Sharp Super; Schick Plus Platinum and Super Chromium; and a mix of others I can't recall right now. A rare bird I recently acquired is a Schick "twin" double-edge blade...

Finding the right mix of razor & blade can be a daunting task, because preparation and your own skin & whiskers play a big part in finding the right combination as well. Like they say, "Your mileage may vary."