Alternative to Feather DE?

[Leverspro]

So many blade choices! Add a dozen different razors into the mix and you have 10 years of variables for a daily shave. Fun. . Or disturbing.
Perhaps this is partly why I'm enjoying the GEM format so much right now!

 

[PLANofMAN]

So many blade choices! Add a dozen different razors into the mix and you have 10 years of variables for a daily shave. Fun. . Or disturbing.
Perhaps this is partly why I'm enjoying the GEM format so much right now!

To be fair, it's a good thing current production GEM and injector blades are good blades, otherwise the pickings would be very, very slim for those razors.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Bolzano

My preference is for the German made Bolzano blades. The current Bolzano blades are made in Egypt and are a completely different blade. There are retailers who still have the German blades in stock.

 

[RRGGMM]

My preference is for the German made Bolzano blades. The current Bolzano blades are made in Egypt and are a completely different blade. There are retailers who still have the German blades in stock.

The Bolzano blades I ordered from The Razor Company are made in Germany.

 

[never-stop-learning]

The Bolzano blades I ordered from The Razor Company are made in Germany.

Excellent!

 

[dmshaver]

My favorites:

Feather (I get two shaves from a blade)
Nacet
Personna Lab Blue
Kai

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Apart from Feather, the only ones I found close are Perma Sharp, Nacet, Bic, and old (post 1990) Gillette Super Stainless.

Perma Sharp and Nacet are on my top 5 (of ~60).

GSB and Wizamet are there too and only a bit behind in perceived sharpness. Not tuggy by any means though. In fact, GSB is my No 1 in general.

Other than the Gillette Super Stainless (which I am unfamiliar with), this is about exactly what J might recommend.

I would put the BIC CP as the next in line after Feather, followed by Perma-Sharp from Russia and Nacet in third place.

Bic seems to be a love it or hate it blade. Lots of people say it's super sharp, but there's quite a few dissenting opinions, including mine. I ought to revisit them. It's been probably 10 years since I tried them.

I think you will look at the BIC CP in a different light after a decade.

and a pack of Bic to round out my blade testing.

Glad you decided to pick up a few. What I really give the BIC CP credit for is not only being super sharp, they also shave fairly smoothly. See what you think?

 

[jcbarnard]

Gillet platinum dark blue is very sharp. So are nacet. But I actually find feather smoother and less likely to cause irritation.

 

[jcbarnard]

Gillet platinum dark blue is very sharp. So are Nacet. But I actually find feather smoother and less likely to cause irritation, they're awesome. I also like GSB and Astra.

 

[MoreArtful]

My favorites:

Feather (I get two shaves from a blade)..............

I am a sixty-nine year old man with the complexion of a fifteen year old. I get four shaves per Feather blade.

 

[Quaznoid]

There is nothing as crazy, sick, you-gotta-be-kidding-me ridiculously too sharp as a Feather. Makes lame razors usable and aggressive razors unusable. I hate ‘em.

 

[RRGGMM]

While I look forward to trying the alternative blades I ordered, I also have over 100 Feather blades. I'm open to finding another blade that can be put into permanent rotation, but as I've said before, I could easily use Feather in my DE razor for the rest of my life and be happy. The other variable is how smitten I am with my Above the Tie, X1 artist club slant. I added an SSRH and SSRH2 (open comb) head to my DE setup and an S1 slant, so I'll have plenty of options for trying out new DE blades. However, my third shave with a Feather Pro SE blade was spectacular and shows no signs of decreased performance. It is too early to say definitively, but the X1 might be the new King of my shave den!

 

[mikhou]

If you're looking for sharpness (and I assume you are since you like Feathers), I would echo the suggestions of:

• Permasharps
• Gillete 7 o'clock Super Platinums (black)
• Gillete 7 o'clock Super Stainless (green)

These 3 are way up there for me in terms of sharpness. For smoothness, I would recommend the Tatra Platinum and the Tiger Platinum, but as with any blade YMMV.

Also, if you are looking to try some blades, you might try the Great Blade Exchange (GBE) run by @dmshaver.

 

[dmshaver]

I am a sixty-nine year old man with the complexion of a fifteen year old. I get four shaves per Feather blade.

We have a lot in common. I'm a sixty-five-year-old man with the complexion of a sixty-five-year-old!

That may be why I get two shaves per Feather.

 

[dmshaver]

If you're looking for sharpness (and I assume you are since you like Feathers), I would echo the suggestions of:

• Permasharps
• Gillete 7 o'clock Super Platinums (black)
• Gillete 7 o'clock Super Stainless (green)

These 3 are way up there for me in terms of sharpness. For smoothness, I would recommend the Tatra Platinum and the Tiger Platinum, but as with any blade YMMV.

Also, if you are looking to try some blades, you might try the Great Blade Exchange (GBE) run by @dmshaver.

The Great Blade Exchange is a wonderful way to try a variety of blades. For the cost of a postage stamp, you can get whatever blade/s you want. Click the link at the bottom in my signature to learn more.

 

[Keto]

We have a lot in common. I'm a sixty-five-year-old man with the complexion of a sixty-five-year-old!

That may be why I get two shaves per Feather.

Lol yep

 

[BigJ]

KAI.

+3! Yes indeed!

 

[amdamsky]

BIC chrome platinums are a pretty decent blade. Not my go to since i much prefer just straight stainless or carbon blades but I still think they're ok, plus they're said to be one of the sharper blades

Gillette minoras are a favourite of mine, very similar to nacets and 7 o'clock greens

 

[raydoc]

Kai. I bought a pack of 100, now my daily, and ONLY blade until I am down to a five pack. Should take about a year. Also, only ONE razor: Gillette slim adjustable, 1967 vintage restored by Razor Emporium. My only variable is the soap or cream.
Nice to have predictable razor/blade performance. I recommend this highly.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Kai. I bought a pack of 100, now my daily, and ONLY blade until I am down to a five pack. Should take about a year. Also, only ONE razor: Gillette slim adjustable, 1967 vintage restored by Razor Emporium. My only variable is the soap or cream.
Nice to have predictable razor/blade performance. I recommend this highly.

That's a nice combo. I wish I could limit myself to only one razor. There's so many beautiful razors in my collection, it would be a shame to only be faithful to one.