Alternative to Feather DE?

[know1special]

My default recommendation for a Feather alternative would be to try the Bic Chrome Platinum although there is far from a consensus opinion there. In fact, a quick search of the forum will demonstrate just how varied the feelings are on these blades.

The most consistent complaint I've seen is that QC is all over the place. Obviously, I have no reason to doubt the reports of my B&B brethren. It may just be that I've been lucky. Like winning some sort of cosmic blade batch bingo, perhaps.

I will say that I've used them for years now and find them to be roughly equivalent to a Feather in sharpness, especially after the first shave. I also enjoy that they have no wax residue.

Maybe you'll like them too. Nothing a quick blade sample won't sort out.

 

[Major Overkill]

Get some Personna blades. Med Prep if possible, Israeli red if not. Not sure what the smallest pack you could get was, but that's what I'd get- enough to test, not enough to be a long-term commitment.

-Z

 

[Mempho]

Feathers are my Forever Blade, but lately I've been sneaking away with some King C Gillette's on the side.

 

[Gideon]

KAI blades are fairly hard to find, and quite expensive. As sharp as Feathers, and longer lasting.

You'd probably also get on well with the other top 3 blades in my list.

If you found the Astra's just okay, you would probably also find the 7 O'Clock Blacks just okay as well. I find them pretty similar to the Astra's, and less sharp than the other blades listed.

The Men's Room, a barbershop in Milwaukee, online has KAI blades and most any blade you can think of. I buy my Personna Reds from there for 9.00 for 50 blades.

 

[bigbrucefan]

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.



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



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?

My default recommendation for a Feather alternative would be to try the Bic Chrome Platinum although there is far from a consensus opinion there. In fact, a quick search of the forum will demonstrate just how varied the feelings are on these blades.

The most consistent complaint I've seen is that QC is all over the place. Obviously, I have no reason to doubt the reports of my B&B brethren. It may just be that I've been lucky. Like winning some sort of cosmic blade batch bingo, perhaps.

I will say that I've used them for years now and find them to be roughly equivalent to a Feather in sharpness, especially after the first shave. I also enjoy that they have no wax residue.

Maybe you'll like them too. Nothing a quick blade sample won't sort out.

Another vote for BIC. I stopped buying Feathers after I got these, I also find them easiest to get out of the packaging!

 

[PersistentlyBlunt]

Feathers are my Forever Blade, but lately I've been sneaking away with some King C Gillette's on the side.

I am very new to DE shaving and currently trying a broad blade sample pack going up in order of sharpness. My samples include Feathers. My DE shaving started when I ended up with a KCG razor and five KCG blades. I can't find any source of where the KCG blade fits in the sharpness scale.

Would you consider them as sharp or not as sharp but smoother than the Feather? Keen to hear your opinion.

 

[Mempho]

Tough question to answer, but Feathers, Kais, Personna Labs/Meds, and Nacets are all very sharp. I'd say TCGs are in that class.. Are they worth the premium price? Hmmm.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

The Feather is considered to be the sharpest blade on the market. Because it is initially so sharp, it has a tendency for some to become duller much more quickly than typical DE blades.

The KCG's are slightly less sharp than the blades mentioned above. But this is not very noticeable to most shavers. Razor blades are supposed to be sharp. Otherwise they would serve no purpose?

No, they are not worth 60-70 cents apiece. Other 10-cent blades are perfectly fine. Between ten and twenty cents each, there is a virtually unlimited amount of quality razor blades. Buy them in packs of one hundred.

 

[PersistentlyBlunt]

Thank you @Mempho and @ShavingPrimate. When I bought the KCG razor blades I was shocked at the price. Having now delved deep enough into the rabbit hole to find cheaper blades I doubt I will ever buy KCG blades again. I didn't find them to be great but they were the first blade I used on my DE journey.

I have a few left and will likely revisit them in my testing out of interest and fairness. But was unsure where in my smooth to sharp line-up I should slot them to compare to like blades.

Thank you for your help.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

When I bought the KCG razor blades I was shocked at the price. Having now delved deep enough into the rabbit hole to find cheaper blades I doubt I will ever buy KCG blades again. I didn't find them to be great but they were the first blade I used on my DE journey.

I used them too!

 

[Tirvine]

A little heresy here. I find that if I push through that initial three or four weeks and stick with any decent blade, I adapt to it, and all is well. I have done this with Crystals, GSBs, Nacets, and now Lab Blues. I get a three pass BBS in six minutes every morning with a Lab Blue in an ATT Windsor CM1. Each blade lasts several weeks but can easily be pushed to a month (but why?). Feathers and Astras were exceptions. Feathers only lasted a couple of shaves before tugging; Astras a little under a week.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Astras a little under a week.

Been using the Astra Superior Platinum this week. Today was shave #6. Blade has been fantastic so far.

I have been using it in the Wilkinson Sword TTO since Wednesday. Have been getting some excellent shaves with the combo. Tomorrow will wrap up my week with the Astra.

 

[foppy]

Maybe I should start a new thread on this, but...

Is there anybody out there who, like me, is not that impressed by Feather?

I like blades that people usually view as very sharp. I shave every day and don't have very sensitive skin. I like Nacets, Perma Sharps, Med Preps, Kai...

But Feathers just leave me cold. I don't know what it could be. They are fine, I never cut myself with them, and I get a pretty good shave with them. But just pretty good. I can get great shaves with Nacet etc.

So what is it? I guess my beard is "coarse." But why wouldn't I get a notably close shave with Feather, given their reputation? Are they not stiff or thick enough? What other variable could it be? My razors? I've tried using them daily in R41, Rockwell 6S, Gillette New Long Comb, etc.

What am I missing with Feathers? I've tried them many, many times. Right out of the wrapper, first shave, second shave, they are just OK for me.

I suppose YMMV extends even to the redoubtable Feather blades.

 

[GrizzlyCA]

Maybe I should start a new thread on this, but...

Is there anybody out there who, like me, is not that impressed by Feather?

I like blades that people usually view as very sharp. I shave every day and don't have very sensitive skin. I like Nacets, Perma Sharps, Med Preps, Kai...

But Feathers just leave me cold. I don't know what it could be. They are fine, I never cut myself with them, and I get a pretty good shave with them. But just pretty good. I can get great shaves with Nacet etc.

So what is it? I guess my beard is "coarse." But why wouldn't I get a notably close shave with Feather, given their reputation? Are they not stiff or thick enough? What other variable could it be? My razors? I've tried using them daily in R41, Rockwell 6S, Gillette New Long Comb, etc.

What am I missing with Feathers? I've tried them many, many times. Right out of the wrapper, first shave, second shave, they are just OK for me.

I suppose YMMV extends even to the redoubtable Feather blades.

My daily driver is a Gamechanger and feathers do not work for me in that razor. I love the Kai in that razor though. My belief is that certain razor/blade combinations are well suited. I will try a feather in my 1948 tech…

 

[know1special]

But why wouldn't I get a notably close shave with Feather, given their reputation?

Because a reputation is just that and nothing more. It's not a guarantee of any kind.

While plenty of folks (including me) view Feathers as tremendously sharp and quite effective, that does not mean they are going to work for you.

As to why, who knows? There are a litany of factors at play when shaving, some of which may even be beyond our capacity to notice, much less identify.

It seems like you have several blades that work well for you which puts you significantly ahead of those still searching for their first good blade.

I would recommend putting the Feathers aside and maybe coming back to them some time in future. In my own experience, I have lost track of all the products that didn't work for me initially and then became favorites further down the road.

 

[Tirvine]

I find Feathers better than most for the first shave, but for me they go downhill quite quickly. I find them noticeably less sharp on day two, and tugging by day three is not unusual.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

I suppose I am most fortunate. I can shave fine with the Feather's. Sometimes they used to be rough for the first shave but lately they are fine.

The thing is, I can shave fine with any of my 25-regular blades.

I can get great shaves with Nacet etc.

Me too. The main thing I look for is not sharpness, as they are all sharp enough for me, is how smooth they shave.

I want to be able to get close, smooth and with no irritation.

 

[Merchant Seaman Z]

Hopefully these a a good or better than feather. And a lower price helps a lot. I’ll take 5-10 for a work test run. If I don’t like them. I’ll just gift them to the father in law…Not a bad thing to do. He’s the only one I know that uses a DE.