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Question RE: Kai Stainless Blades

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I tried one last night in my RR GC.84 SB, a great smooth shave, used a lot of care above my lip, no against the grain there. 3 pass everywhere else, BBS, this morning feels a little closer than a Feather or Nacent. If Kai's will last 3 or 4 shaves+ may purchase more, never see them on a sale, a little pricey.
You might be surprized on the longevity side, when I was testing them I cranked one out to 14 shaves & got bored, As a rule of thumb they get tossed after 10 now or showing dullness get tossed earlier.
 
Just finished a process to figure which blade were best for me in my Henson razor. Compared Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Yellows (7 O'Clock Sharpedge), Astra Green, Personna Blues, Gillette Silver Blue, Bolzano, and Kai. Kai ended up being the winner for me, giving the best combination of comfort and long-lasting closeness while allowing 5+ days of continuous shaving per week.
 
Just finished a process to figure which blade were best for me in my Henson razor. Compared Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Yellows (7 O'Clock Sharpedge), Astra Green, Personna Blues, Gillette Silver Blue, Bolzano, and Kai. Kai ended up being the winner for me, giving the best combination of comfort and long-lasting closeness while allowing 5+ days of continuous shaving per week.
I have some Kai blades and I will surely test them on my Henson razor after it arrives. But since the manufacturer recommends Astra SPs they will be the first I try.
 
I've been experimenting with a Razorock SLOC DE razor. With Gillette 7 o'clock blades, the shave has been mild, but not close enough. Following a suggestion on another thread, I tried a KAI blade yesterday. The result was very, very good. A much closer shave, with no irritation. Opening up the wrapper of the blade was interesting too. I really had the feeling of quality as to the manufacturing compared to the Russian and Egyptian blades I've mostly used.
 
I love KAIs. The teensy bit of extra width creates more tactile and audible feedback for me, and also increases the efficiency of the shave. I find them Feather-like in efficiency, but a lot smoother. They are a tiny bit more than I can handle for daily shaving, so I tend to use them on 2 or 3 day growth. For daily shaving, I prefer Polsilver.

I have a pretty good stockpile of 500 KAIs, which will probably last the rest of my life, seeing as I don't use them all that often and a KAI lasts me a solid 4-5 shaves, whereas many other blades I toss after 3.
 
I’m going to add a comment for head shavers. It’s a long thread and I read the first 20 posts.

If you’re a head shaver approach with caution. If you’re new DE head shaver start somewhere else. Nothing wrong with these blades but they don’t do well on the bony parts of your nugget. Come back when you’re willing to take the risk.
 
I'm glad the Kai blade is getting some love. It adds a new lease of life to milder razors I have fallen out of love with and I particularly like the lack of any branding or glue!
 
Kai was my go to blade until I discovered Gillette Platinum Plus. I occasionally use one, but now I find it not as smooth as the GPP. What I really liked about them was no glue on the blade. The GPP has glue, but a very tiny amount, unlike Feather or even a lot of the other Gillettes.

I'm not sure whether it was a quality control issue, or that it didn't have glue, but every now and then I would get a really, really harsh blade, so bad that I wasn't sure I wanted to complete even one shave with it. However, I think I tossed a blade mid shave only once.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
DE SOTD, Fri, Dec4th 2020

Razor: Gillette British Rocket SS-Mfg 1950's NDCodes, Excellent mid range<, excellent combo with a Kai SS IMO.
Blade: Kai SS (7) excellent blade, Sharp & smooth. Wider than a standard blade(.009inches)= excellent results today!
Soap: Razorock The Dead Sea- Excellent scent + excellent lather qualities.
Brush: Yaqi artic Sky knot 24mm synthetic- Excellent lather creator + cloud like soft tips. One nice brush IMO.
Pre Shave: Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser + a dollop of clear Aloe Vera gel on cleaned beard area.
Prep: Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave: Razorock The Dead Sea aftershave with witch hazel + a dollop of Nivea balm.
Results: CCS,DFS,BBs + no irritation + no weepers = :a17:Excellent shave with my Gillette British rocket SS + KAI SS blade.

DE SOTD, Fri, Dec4th 2020.jpg


Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
 
Kais are in my top five—similar to Feathers to me.

I agree that they are very similar to Feathers but I find Feathers a tad more pleasant, ie smoother. No matter what I toss a blade after 3 shaves. Life’s too short and blades too cheap for me to try and figure out what the blades lifespan will be. Both are just excellent blades.


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Today was the first time I tried a Kai blade. I used it in a Merkur 37C. I found it somewhat different from a Feather blade. First, it seems to be a thicker, stiffer blade. I found it to be sharp and did a good job on the first shave. I am currently rotating razors so will revisit the Kai in a few days.
 
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