YMMV with all due respect.
Feathers have historically
(I admit in the wrong razors!), chewed me so much I would've been better off using this...
View attachment 49139
... but they are undoubtably, in the correct razor
(for my combination of beard and skin), the only DE blade the can cut through my beard with authority and least hesitation
(compared to other DE blades) that I know of at this particular point in time.
GSBs are
tug city for me. Most DE blades tend to be. I cannot say all are, as I haven't tried all DE blades
(but I've tried a shed load).
Thanks for your comments!
Hello there.
I just thought I'd update for anyone that may be interested.
I feel less confused about why I have ingrown hairs after shaving. I'm starting to understand
(if everything else is equal) IMHO the smoothness of a razor
i.e. little or no blade feel, is just as important as the blade used. Or ingrown hairs
(or the lack of) don't lie...
I found out the blade gap for the
Feather Popular is
0.61mm. Before I go on, I appreciate what makes a razor great is more than just its blade gap
(and blade exposure), although I believe its as good a starting point as any other.
There is one main
Razor Blade Gap Chart online. In the
0.61mm group the
Feather Popular and few others like a
Gillette Adjustable on
setting 2 (I own a Gillette Fat Boy), and the
Rockwell 6S on
R4 (I'll be getting a Rockwell 6C for Christmas).
Its been a while since shaving with my
Gillette Fat Boy. I've tried using it with a
Feather blade many times in the past, but I've never been able to dial in the ideal setting, thus ingrown hairs prevailed. There is a
Gillette Adjustable Blade Gap Chart online too. I own a standard
Gillette Fat Boy.
So couple of days ago, I decided to give it a go with a new
Feather blade.
Setting 2 wasn't efficient enough compared to the
Feather Popular/
Feather blade combo, but
Setting 3 was very comparable of the shave itself. The post shave feeling was similar too. Two days later
no ingrown hairs, however my chin was a tiny bit bumpy. Still good news, as by day three or day four, my skin would ready for another shave.
The setting I used on my standard
Gillette Fat Boy according to the
Gillette Adjustable Blade Gap Chart online is
0.4318mm. It was the closest I could get to feeling little to no blade, but still have enough efficiency to shave my beard. Could the
0.1782mm deficit really make that much of difference on whether I get a bit of bumpy chin skin or less? Crazy, although I know from previous experience using a
Feather blade and
Setting 5 (which is closer to 0.61mm at 0.635mm) and/or above would be too much blade exposure resulting in ingrown hairs for me.
I do have a
Merkur Progress, and on
Setting 2 its 0.56mm. A 0.04mm deficit may not make any difference
(surely!), but unlike the
Gillette Fat Boy, the
Merkur Progress has a non-clickable adjustment. If
Setting 2 isn't efficient enough perhaps
Setting 2.5 would be?
For those still reading, I'll let you know how I get one!
Happy shaving...