Feather blades just don't cut it???

Hello all,

I'm a little confused about all the hipe on feather blades. A lot of people say they are the sharpest on the market, but for me I disagree. People say they are very sharp, but not smooth. That doesn't make since to me. The more refined/polished the bevel is the smoother the blade, and under a microscope the feathers look terrible That goes for any cutting tool. Feather blades seem overly harsh, and seem to cut me out of nowhere.

For me it's not the lack of experience, technique or prep. I think the Russian blades rival the feather, because they glide effertly through tuff stubble and don't cut me. I mean don't get me wrong all de blades are surgical sharp, but some are more refined and polished than others. I've seen images of a feather under a microscope and they look terrible. Infact the Derby blade looks much better under magnification. Feather blades cut me up like a bic disposable razor. In fact some were on the net I seen images of a bic disposable blade under magnification, and they actually look better than a feather. Any thoughts and opinions on the so called scary sharp feather blade?

Hello all,

 I'm a little confused about all the hipe on feather blades. A lot of people say they are the sharpest on the market, but for me I disagree. People say they are very sharp, but not smooth. That doesn't make since to me. The more refined/polished the bevel is the smoother the blade, and under a microscope the feathers  look terrible  That goes for any cutting tool. Feather blades seem overly harsh, and seem to cut me out of nowhere.

For me it's not the lack of experience, technique or prep. I think the Russian blades rival the feather, because they glide effertly through tuff stubble and don't cut me. I mean don't get me wrong all de blades are surgical sharp, but some are more refined and polished than others. I've seen images of a feather under a microscope and they look terrible. Infact the Derby blade looks much better under magnification. Feather blades cut me up like a bic disposable razor. In fact some were on the net I seen images of a bic disposable blade under magnification, and they actually look better than a feather. Any thoughts and opinions on the so called scary sharp feather blade?

I know the feather blade is a love/hate thing for a lot of people. for some they work incredibly well, while for others, they get 1 good shave from it then it's completely dull. for me, they seem to work well in mild razors.

do you have access to a microscope to share photos of different blade edges? I'd love to see some shots!

I'm not a fan of Feather DE blades. I get only two good shaves out of them and then they die with no warning. There is better out there for me.

Southbound, First welcome, glad you are here.

I suspect the issue isn't whether one blade is better or sharper than the other, but rather that the issue is what works best with your facial structure, whisker width, skin type, etc.....

So far, I would say that the Feather double edge in a Merkur 38HD is hands down the best blade for me. As a new wet shaver, I still have plenty to learn. I'm still comparing their single edge blade to the GEM and don't have a completed opinion.

Southbound,  First welcome, glad you are here.

I suspect the issue isn't whether one blade is better or sharper than the other, but rather that the issue is what works best with your facial structure, whisker width, skin type, etc.....

So far, I would say that the Feather double edge in a Merkur 38HD is hands down the best blade for me.  As a new wet shaver, I still have plenty to learn.  I'm still comparing their single edge blade to the GEM and don't have a completed opinion.

Yes I agree there's a lot of things to consider depending on the coarsness of beard ect. Its a ymmv thing. My beard is wirey and tough. The feathers pull and tugg my beard. I definitely want to try Kai blades. So far Gillette 7 0 click yellows are my go to blade.

Of course all of this has been researched and there are many pix on the web. See Mantic

http://sharpologist.com/2014/06/mantic59...ather.html

You can draw your own conclusion at the max resolution as to which one is sharper. Realize your eye cannot resolve these edges.

agree, when I pin down the Voskhod, Astra SP, GSB, Nacet, Personna Red vs Feathers I notice that all of them are much more smoother and almost as sharp as the Feather on the 1st shave, 2nd shave and on Feather falls back behind. That's why I never bought 100 pack of Feathers.

What is the quality of Kai de blades?

I just thought of a couple of more variables. southbound mentioned having a wirey and tough beard. I wouldn't know exactly what my beard would look like. I've been clean shaven for twenty years or more. How long since the last shave would definitely impact things.

I bought 100 Shark blades before realizing that they aren't the best ones for me. I still use them though. If my face is a bit rough from shaving mistakes I always use a Feather blade that is brand new.

Let's say I'm shaving with my Gillette Flair tip. That isn't an aggressive razor. I'll use the Shark blades there. One thing I'll say for shark, I love their packaging.

I'm also looking forward to trying Russian and eastern European blades.

One of my hobbies is studying WW2. Many people don't realize this, but the Soviet Union was the primary country leading to victory over Hitler. The US paid for the war monetarily and the Russian's fought it. I don't support Communism and certainly don't like what Stalin represented. The Russian people are a different story. The human spirit of the Russian people that fought WW2 is one of the great successes of humankind. So, I'll use eastern bloc blades for that reason.

What is the quality of Kai de blades?

It depends on the individual. Many wet shaving vendors sell sample packs of blades. The reason they do that is because whatever 'official' quality standards can be applied, people get different results due to differences in our bodies.

There is a website that prices blades by the blade where you can build your own sampler pack, but I don't remember who does that.