My First with a Feather

Wayne Pritchard

Wayne Pritchard

Messages
1,881
Evening to you all,

After spending several weeks now with my Merkur 34c, I decided this evening to take the risk and have a go with the feather blade.

Feather_Single_Blade.jpg


So far on this amazing journey I have used 4 different blades.

#1 Astra SP: sharpness 9/10 Final result 9/10
#2 Polsilver SI: sharpness 8/10 Final result 8/10
#3 7 o'clock Y: sharpness 7/10 Final result 8/10
#4 Feather: sharpness 10/10 Final result 10/10

The experience with this blade has blown me away. I thought the Astra was the King of the pile until this blade romped home into top spot.

It may well be that my technique has improved and I will definitely be returning to my first three blades to have another go but at the moment I cannot stop smiling with the result I had from this evenings shave.
I used NO pressure and the razor with this blade done all the work with a three pass shave that has left me so smooth and so impressed.
My setup and SOTD has remained the same.

Hot shower
Warm Flannel
Palmolive Cream. ( Excellent lather)
Omega pro 49 boar
Merkur 34c HD
Feather (new)
Witch hazel
Loctaine post balm
CK Aftershave.

Is it me or are these blades thinner? They don't feel as thick as the others to me. (If that makes sense)
I had a quiet time in the den and I could hear this blade going to work more than I could hear the others. They are so, so, sharp...:eek:. One must treat them with the utmost respect in my opinion but I am proud to report no cuts.
Another "MUST BUY" for my ever deepening rabbit hole.

Anyway I just thought I would give my opinion and happy shaving people! :)
 
Holyzeus said:
They are very sharp blades that work well in certain razors.
However they are expensive and dull very quick, most people seem to bin them after two uses.
That said, I am a fan!
Click to expand...

I have read reviews regarding the longevity of these blades.
I think I would possibly only use these if I was going out or for any special event.
 
Wayne - if you liked your first shave with a Feather then you should enjoy number two with the blade even more. Personally I find that to be the optimum in its life. Three isn't bad either but I've never gone beyond that. If you fancy trying scary sharp blades have a go with the Indian Super Max Super Platinum - I've had shaves from these that left me - visually anyway - clean shaven for three days. I was never sure if you were removing hair or taking the top layer of your dermis off. It's a nerve-racking experience. Lesson learned I would only put them in a mild razor - usually my Ikon 101 head. They're cheap so have a bash. Ultimately - for me - I've learned that sharpness isn't everything in a blade - you need a compromise of characteristics that work best for you. I.
 
Hi @Digimonkey thank you for your input. I do agree entirely with regards to finding the right compromise. At the moment with me I am going through the stage of trying a batch of different blades that have been so kindly donated to me.
In all honesty I have only used every blade twice to see which one is shaving best for me and my razor.
Longevity is something I will look into later along the line.
I will look out for an Indian SP and give them a whirl.:eek:
Wish me luck :D
 
Wayne Pritchard said:
Hi @Digimonkey thank you for your input. I do agree entirely with regards to finding the right compromise. At the moment with me I am going through the stage of trying a batch of different blades that have been so kindly donated to me.
In all honesty I have only used every blade twice to see which one is shaving best for me and my razor.
Longevity is something I will look into later along the line.
I will look out for an Indian SP and give them a whirl.:eek:
Wish me luck :D
Click to expand...
@Wayne Pritchard - you can get them from Connaught - cheap as chips. Good luck mate. I.
 
Wayne Pritchard said:
Hi @Digimonkey...I do agree entirely with regards to finding the right compromise. At the moment with me I am going through the stage of trying a batch of different blades that have been so kindly donated to me.
In all honesty I have only used every blade twice to see which one is shaving best for me and my razor...
Click to expand...


Therein lies the "hook" in that certain blades shave better in certain razors and only objective experimentation will help the person determine that. But, if you are like some of us then you will enjoy the journey. It certainly helps to narrow it down to a few razors that you like in order to determine what blades work best in those, lest you spend years trying the variables. At least for my face the sharp blades work far better in a medium aggressive DE razor. That holds true for me with injector razors as well. YMMV.
 
Once you add in different razors into the equation the variables multiply. The road to blade acquisition soon follows. The Feather certainly has a keen edge but I find the edge degrades quicker than other blades. It would be interesting to know how many shaves you get out of the blade. I don't think they are any thinner than other blades but they cost a lot more. I hear Kai blades are sharper but have not tried them.
 
...I looked this over carefully, rejected several other photos, and I believe I think I have concluded that there is a barely visible third hone down to the final edge. It's not apparent at first look because the whole edge finishing process is so smoothly done that one is struck by the obviously quality without realizing why. It could be true that this little bugger has a tiny super sharp edge that when worn down slightly causes the blade to reach the end of it's useful span.
Click to expand...

http://forum.shavemyface.com/viewtopic.php?t=28823
 
I have always disliked Feather DE blades because when I first used them I found them to be sharp but not at all smooth. However, some time has passed since I have used them and my tecnique may have improved enough for me to see them in a different light, so I will try again using one in my Hone 15 and see if my feelings have changed.
 
Last edited:
invicta said:
Once you add in different razors into the equation the variables multiply. The road to blade acquisition soon follows. The Feather certainly has a keen edge but I find the edge degrades quicker than other blades. It would be interesting to know how many shaves you get out of the blade. I don't think they are any thinner than other blades but they cost a lot more. I hear Kai blades are sharper but have not tried them.
Click to expand...

@invicta The Kai blades work well for me - worth a try. I don't know how to sum them up. Feathers done properly? They have some similarities though - but the Kai doesn't degrade as quickly. Rather oddly they have no branding on the blade at all. A plus is that there are no glue spots. Downside? They are even more expensive than Feathers. I
 
invicta said:
Once you add in different razors into the equation the variables multiply. The road to blade acquisition soon follows. The Feather certainly has a keen edge but I find the edge degrades quicker than other blades. It would be interesting to know how many shaves you get out of the blade. I don't think they are any thinner than other blades but they cost a lot more. I hear Kai blades are sharper but have not tried them.
Click to expand...

For the purpose of this forum I will experiment with my face :) to see how many shaves I can get from this blade.
I haven't shaved today. I don't have any stubble as such to shave anyway, so I will shave in the morning shave #2 and give it a whirl this week. 3 pass shaves each time. Will keep you informed guys.
 
Wayne Pritchard said:
Evening to you all,

After spending several weeks now with my Merkur 34c, I decided this evening to take the risk and have a go with the feather blade.

Feather_Single_Blade.jpg


So far on this amazing journey I have used 4 different blades.

#1 Astra SP: sharpness 9/10 Final result 9/10
#2 Polsilver SI: sharpness 8/10 Final result 8/10
#3 7 o'clock Y: sharpness 7/10 Final result 8/10
#4 Feather: sharpness 10/10 Final result 10/10

The experience with this blade has blown me away. I thought the Astra was the King of the pile until this blade romped home into top spot.

It may well be that my technique has improved and I will definitely be returning to my first three blades to have another go but at the moment I cannot stop smiling with the result I had from this evenings shave.
I used NO pressure and the razor with this blade done all the work with a three pass shave that has left me so smooth and so impressed.
My setup and SOTD has remained the same.

Hot shower
Warm Flannel
Palmolive Cream. ( Excellent lather)
Omega pro 49 boar
Merkur 34c HD
Feather (new)
Witch hazel
Loctaine post balm
CK Aftershave.

Is it me or are these blades thinner? They don't feel as thick as the others to me. (If that makes sense)
I had a quiet time in the den and I could hear this blade going to work more than I could hear the others. They are so, so, sharp...:eek:. One must treat them with the utmost respect in my opinion but I am proud to report no cuts.
Another "MUST BUY" for my ever deepening rabbit hole.

Anyway I just thought I would give my opinion and happy shaving people! :)
Click to expand...

Wow reading this it's almost creepy how similar our experiences are!

I started with the Astras, rated them very highly, then the Polsilver SI, just below the Astra, then Gillette 7 o'clock yellow which left me with razorburn, tried two blades for four times but couldn't get them to work and then the Feather was a revelation!

Now on my fourth blade, seems like shave 2/3 are the best with 5 starting to be uncomfortable.

Awesome to see such similarity!

As for price, if I compare the Feathers (100 pack for 24 pounds would last me approx a year) to my previous Gillette Mach 3 (approximately a pound per unit, using one per week) using the Feathers would still be only half as expensive as using the Mach 3.
 
...For me...Feathers are an exceptional blade, in a league of there own, no other de blade is as sharp. Gillette Russian yellow's and KAI's are probably the next sharpest de blades for me but still a good few levels down from a Feather...
 
I still have to go back to the Astra blades as I have only used them two months ago when my technique definitely was not very good and I have Gillette silver blue, personna platinum, perma-sharp, Wilkinson and Derby blades still to try as well!

2 blades a week, packs of 5-10, I think I'll be testing blades till at least end of July ;)

Might order some KAI sample blades as well, I see them coming back quite often!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom