Identity Crisis - Feather blades?

[sween1911]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience?

 

[srqshaver]

Blades are so subjective…the ultimate YMMV. I have yet to have a comfortable shave with a Feather blade yet so many people swear by them. I’ve had great shaves with blades that others swear are terrible. I’m not sure if you’ve tried it or not but a blade sampler might help you decide. I have personally really liked Bic Chrome Platinums, Voskhod, numerous Gillette blades like Platinum and Silver Blue, and most recently, King C. Gillette.

 

[Kyle89]

Not to enable you or anything, but have you tried any other razors? My heart is always with DE as I think they are oozing/dripping with the coolness factor, but the deeper I get into this hobby the more I find that I get my best shaves with a GEM single edge or a straight razor. With DE no matter how hard I try, no matter how many razors and blades I use, I still get some bumps on my neck if used every day. I do not get that with a single edge GEM style or a straight razor.

Tinkering is half the fun! So much to try, and all of our faces are different.

 

[koreysmith]

As someone else pointed out, maybe you should try a blade sampler. I recently purchased several blade samplers recently and am going to go through and see which blades work the best with which razor.

I read somewhere that some men will keep a log (either written or in a spreadsheet format), so that is what I've started doing. Otherwise, I won't be able to accurately compare different razor and blade combinations.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

 

[Kentos]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience?

With a good prep and quality shaving cream any well executed shave can be great. You have been around for a long time so I’m sure your DE technique is on point. Disposables are very mild IMO with minimal blade flex/exposure. What other razors are you using now?

Have you ever tried a straight?

 

[ewk]

Kai blades really woke up my Merkur 34C. A Derby Extra from my sample pack was a smooth shave in the 34C. A vintage Schick injector might be of interest to you.

 

[sween1911]

Thanks for the replies! Thanks for the recommendation on the sampler. I've tried a couple different blades in the past, but it's been such a long time maybe I should revisit other blades.

I always figure since I have a thick dark beard, I defaulted to the sharpest blade and stuck with it. It wasn't until I tried disposables that I realised I need to change it up.

I'm currently using a 34c. I have an ancient Gilette butterfly adjustable, but it's so old and worn, the times I've tried it, it's very inconsistent.

 

[Ron R]

Feather blades are very sharp but it gives up some smoothness to achieve this physical high mark. I prefer Gillette silver blue or Gillette 7oClock Super platinum & Kai SS blade (Sharp &smoooth). If you want some more aggression & efficentcy the Kai SS Blade is wider than a Standard Gillette blades by 9/1000 of a inch giving 4.5/1000" per side which does not seem much but in a razor that is a nice bump up IMO. Good to have a tuck or 2 for mild razors IMO.

 

[ivan_101]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience?

Those green dual blade Schicks (Wilkinson in Europe) are one of the best disposables.

 

[BigJ]

Another vote for a blade sampler or two! You really need to try blades for yourself.

 

[thegeneral]

If I shave every other day with a safety razor irritation is nonexistent. Plus with the right tools and prep you don't look too bad after 24 hours. If you already have experience with some blades I would make a custom blade sampler on Tryablade or razorsbladeclub, I think the later actually has free shipping with a 100 blade purchase. Try to pick blades that are available for sale where you live.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience?

Maybe it is time to try a new razor? I picked up a Winning razor in June and I consistently get my best shaves with it. Winning razor

 

[Space_Cadet]

Try a more aggressive razor with a forgiving blade, like Personna Red, for example. Really.

 

[Rosseforp]

I have to agree with the Schick Injector and single blade Gem style razor suggestions for your thick beard. Very little blade flex just like carts.

 

[tamahagane]

Feather is the blade I have used the most. However, mostly used for a single shave on my 3-7 day beard. At the beginning of the month, I decided to try this Excalibur thing, used a Feather blade for a couple of weeks and was not impressed. Before trying to squeeze the blade, I typically used a blade for a single shave and picked one at random. After sticking to the same blade I have to say I consider Feathers best when fresh and not for daily shaves unless you have a beard like chewbacca. For frequent shaves, I prefer (US-made) Personnas, Voskhod and Indian blades (Platinum-coated).
Supposedly Henson razors have the best blade clamping, but I have never owned one. You might like a Gillette Old Type clone or an adjustable. I like my 6S, but I don't have a thick beard.

 

[Filudo]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience?

Interesting......some of those cartridges are good!

 

[slimshavy]

Thanks for the replies! Thanks for the recommendation on the sampler. I've tried a couple different blades in the past, but it's been such a long time maybe I should revisit other blades.

I always figure since I have a thick dark beard, I defaulted to the sharpest blade and stuck with it. It wasn't until I tried disposables that I realised I need to change it up.

I'm currently using a 34c. I have an ancient Gilette butterfly adjustable, but it's so old and worn, the times I've tried it, it's very inconsistent.

I’d move on from the 34c. In fact I have. I also have a thick beard, and the razor just had a hard time with it. Went cheap with Gillette vintage and got a Slim, which opens up a world of different blades, then a Super Speed red tip, which cuts smooth and fast, and then a Gillette NEW, which I’m enjoying because it has great success with more (inexpensive) blades than the razors I’ve tried before.
I thought I was frustrated with DE razors, but really I was just frustrated with the 34c. Using other razors, I’ve probably learned enough technique that I could adjust to anything, even my old 34c, but I’m having too much fun to go back.

 

[Oliviamaynard]

Love my Feather blades.... or so I thought. My standard load out is a Merkur HD with Feather blades. Getting a decent shave ... but it seemed the effort to get a close shave on my neck overlapped with some nicks and irritation. I never felt like it was totally close either, always some little scruff left behind.

Last month, had a business trip so I bought my old pre-safety razor standby, the green plastic dual-blade disposable Schicks. I was shocked at how easily and quickly I was getting an irritation-free baby butt smooth shave. Quick and close under the neck.

My faith in my regular rig is shaken. I don't want to go back to buying bags of plastic razors, but wondering what other blade besides a Feather I should be using? Maybe it's just too aggresive? I hate to even type this, but is there a blade/razor combo that would better approximate the disposable razor experience may

 

[Oliviamaynard]

I think you should try the Feather razor. I didn't like Feather blades until I tried that. Other than that Voskhod was my favorite. Smooth.
However using feathers razor Feather is best.
Imho

 

[tehnothing]

I have never been able to achieve close shaves with a 34c without considerable work, which causes irritation. It is simply too mild for me. You might want to start researching a new razor. I am picky with vintage Gillettes. A good old type might be worth consideration. A Fatip may be a good replacement that is not too expensive, any of them really. I would also mention the Karve with a D plate as nice middle ground.