I succumbed to all of the rave reviews and aquired a batch of Kai blades. Nearly as sharp as a butter knife yet somehow smoother than a skill saw. I tried one in a Momba and not only was it painful, it wouldn't even cut hair. I had to finish with a different blade. Today I tried one in a Timeless 68. While it did cut hair, it felt like an old blade from the trash can. Did I miss a memo somewhere?
Are Kai blades overrated?
- Thread starter Cino
- Start date
On first use or two they are not sharp at all. They thereafter sharpen up to mid pack sharpness and retain that level of sharpness particularly well.
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Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I believe that the blade is a wider one by .004 or .005 thousands of a inch and so this might be screwing you up a little. I would think in the Mamba that you would get a better shave, try riding the cap instead of a steep razor angle might help you.($.02 worth.)
Incredible how things work so differently for different people.
Kai performs amazing for me in Timeless, and my favorite blade has been Feather for years.
I read others state that first shave can be a bit rough, then they get better after, but that's not my experience, they seem pretty consistent from first to last shave for me.
Not as sharp as Feather, but quite a bit smoother face feel, especially if you are daily shaver.
Kai also consistently gives me about 2 shaves more than Feather.
Kai performs amazing for me in Timeless, and my favorite blade has been Feather for years.
I read others state that first shave can be a bit rough, then they get better after, but that's not my experience, they seem pretty consistent from first to last shave for me.
Not as sharp as Feather, but quite a bit smoother face feel, especially if you are daily shaver.
Kai also consistently gives me about 2 shaves more than Feather.
Over-rated, over-priced, and over-hyped in my experience. I find them rough and not overly efficient. However, others swear by them, so good old YMMV strikes again.
- Thread starter
- #6
OK. I'll cork the blade (2 passes EW) and give it another shot tomorrow.
Sometimes you get a dud. I got a perma-sharp that didn't even last two shaves. Judging from others reviews, I believe I'll have to get more to get "properly" acquainted with them.
Overpriced for sure. I find so far that Perma Sharp and 7O'CLOCK yellows from Russia are just as sharp as a Feather and cost less. I also get 4 and a solid three two passers out of them. Feather maybe three. I cannot opine on Kai except for cost. My first shave with Perma Sharp was not so smooth. It requires, for me, a change in angle more so than my other blades. This is in my Slim and Super Speed. I also had to dial it down to 4 and 3 as it shaves closely. Good blade. Good price point too. People on here love Voskhod. My first blade got rough three strokes in and felt like I was shaving with barbed wire. Second blade still awful. I moved on. Your Shaves May Vary!
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Definitely YMMV, Kai works best for me when I use the Mamba, it actually made it much more efficient than the Feathers.
The little bit of extra blade exposure must have made a big difference, although I do agree in some razors it's not as smooth like a Polsilver Super Iridium most likely due to the Kai blades does not have any coating like other blades.
I do find it close to Feather sharp and always get a BBS with these blades and can definitely feel the blade.
It is a perfect match with my Mamba and now only use it with this razor.
The little bit of extra blade exposure must have made a big difference, although I do agree in some razors it's not as smooth like a Polsilver Super Iridium most likely due to the Kai blades does not have any coating like other blades.
I do find it close to Feather sharp and always get a BBS with these blades and can definitely feel the blade.
It is a perfect match with my Mamba and now only use it with this razor.
Kai blades work well for me, and I always get a week's worth of shaves from a blade (6 days worth).
The KAI is around 0.012” wider than normal, so it definitely increases blade exposure. That much is objectively verifiable fact.
Whether that is good or bad is far more subjective. I suspect the extra blade exposure leads some to feel it is sharper than it really is, but that is only my unsubstantiated theory.
FWIW, I tried the KAI in a Mamba but prefer the sharper Bic Chrome Platinum in mine. There was certainly more blade feel and feedback with the KAI though.
To me, the extra width is a tuning tool that is not inherently good or bad.
Whether that is good or bad is far more subjective. I suspect the extra blade exposure leads some to feel it is sharper than it really is, but that is only my unsubstantiated theory.
FWIW, I tried the KAI in a Mamba but prefer the sharper Bic Chrome Platinum in mine. There was certainly more blade feel and feedback with the KAI though.
To me, the extra width is a tuning tool that is not inherently good or bad.
I'm quite happy with Kai, with the #3 plate in my Rockwell. One of my favorite blades. Oddly, I don't like Nacett, which tend to get excellent reviews.
KAIs in Rockwells get a lot of positive comments on here and for me are smooth and sharp from shave one. Haven't tried one in anything else.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
I like kai blades and find them plenty sharp .maybe the issue is the mamba .the most mildest razor ever.
I've come to the conclusion that all blades are overrated. Reason being is no one has your face. No one has your lathering style. No one has your shaving style. Blades have to be the most subjective thing talked about here.
I've always heard Kai compared to Feather, but I tried one and wasn't that impressed IIRC. Feather is better.
I've always heard Kai compared to Feather, but I tried one and wasn't that impressed IIRC. Feather is better.
I have not used Kai DE blades in years, but I liked the ones I had. Given all the different shave related items they manufacture I do not think they compromise on quality. They may not be Feathers but they are not (pick-your-least-favorite-blade) either.
I love the Kai double edge with my Muhle R41, I'm going to use the Kia blade in my Rockwell 6c with plate #R5 soon.
IMHO Kai are better in some razors than others. For me they are a great balance of sharpness and smoothness in my Rockwell 6s for daily shaving. But I didn't like them very much in a couple of vintage Gillette TTO's I used them in.
As with all blades, small batch testing is the way to go, and even then you may find yourself revisiting a blade you once wrote off in one razor only to discover later it is a perfect match in another.
As with all blades, small batch testing is the way to go, and even then you may find yourself revisiting a blade you once wrote off in one razor only to discover later it is a perfect match in another.
How do they start out not sharp at all and then sharpen up after a couple uses?
I like them, especially in Super Speeds.
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