These are okay, but there are larger, yellow, plastic kai disposables that are a little better. I'll add them to the list once I get a pic.
KAI Gold-S Stainless
- Added by thunderball
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These mysterious little devils had been eyeing me up in supermarkets for years so I decided the time was ripe to drop the 124 yen (About $1.20) for a 5-pack and see what these diminutive razors could do.
The first thing I noticed was that the package was incredibly light (like helium light) though the entire razor is in fact some kind of sheet metal. The razors are also quite small, the handle being all of 5 cm. There is one single-edged blade set in a rather large metal and plastic head. After my normal prep I whipped up some Proraso and gingerly put blade to face.
The blade was plenty sharp and didn't have much trouble cutting through my tough gaijin beard. I did three passes and, while not BBS, appeared basically clean-shaven (if not a bit red 'round the neck).
I will divide my observations into two sections:
The good
- At 25 cents a razor these are very cheap.
- They can be found in almost every supermarket in Japan.
- They are very light (think traveling/backpacking).
- The blade seems sharp enough to get the job done.
- The little bumps on the handle provide adequate grip.
The bad
- They are just too light in my opinion and you really can't feel what you're doing
- Even with good prep my neck was little more raw than usual though I'm willing to entertain the possibility that this was due to operator incompetence as I haven't used a disposable in over a year.
- The head is too big which makes under the nose a bit tricky.
- Someone with really big hands would have a tough time holding this razor.
- The eco-horror!
I guess plastic disposables are just as bad but there's something about chucking a whole metal razor out every couple days that makes the closet environmentalist in me shiver.
Overall I'm not thrilled, but I really didn't expect to be. I got a fairly close shave with a bit of razor burn...is that worth 25 cents? I'd have to say NO I think because of all the high quality DE blades out there. If you're stuck in Japan these will take yer fur off but in the meantime I'll stick with my Merkur and Feathers/Derbys/Trigs. A fun experiment nonetheless. Now excuse me while I go put a bit more balm on my neck.
The first thing I noticed was that the package was incredibly light (like helium light) though the entire razor is in fact some kind of sheet metal. The razors are also quite small, the handle being all of 5 cm. There is one single-edged blade set in a rather large metal and plastic head. After my normal prep I whipped up some Proraso and gingerly put blade to face.
The blade was plenty sharp and didn't have much trouble cutting through my tough gaijin beard. I did three passes and, while not BBS, appeared basically clean-shaven (if not a bit red 'round the neck).
I will divide my observations into two sections:The good
- At 25 cents a razor these are very cheap.
- They can be found in almost every supermarket in Japan.
- They are very light (think traveling/backpacking).
- The blade seems sharp enough to get the job done.
- The little bumps on the handle provide adequate grip.
The bad
- They are just too light in my opinion and you really can't feel what you're doing
- Even with good prep my neck was little more raw than usual though I'm willing to entertain the possibility that this was due to operator incompetence as I haven't used a disposable in over a year.
- The head is too big which makes under the nose a bit tricky.
- Someone with really big hands would have a tough time holding this razor.
- The eco-horror!
I guess plastic disposables are just as bad but there's something about chucking a whole metal razor out every couple days that makes the closet environmentalist in me shiver. Overall I'm not thrilled, but I really didn't expect to be. I got a fairly close shave with a bit of razor burn...is that worth 25 cents? I'd have to say NO I think because of all the high quality DE blades out there. If you're stuck in Japan these will take yer fur off but in the meantime I'll stick with my Merkur and Feathers/Derbys/Trigs. A fun experiment nonetheless. Now excuse me while I go put a bit more balm on my neck.
