Are Kai blades overrated?

[AimlessWanderer]

With so many great blades on the market at significantly better pricing, I'm disinclined to buy any to try. Same goes for the Merkur blades. As @Toothpick correctly points out above, you can't take anyone else's word when it comes to blades, and there's no guarantee they'll work for you - you just have to try them - or not, if they're over double the price of other blades.

 

[Rhody]

I rate kai high marks for not having the glue / wax globs on the blade like feather!

 

[Tim Meneely]

I rate kai high marks for not having the glue / wax globs on the blade like feather!

+1. Of course it's not just Feather that gobs things up.

 

[Tokyospike]

The KAIs are thicker, wider, and fit more tightly in most razors than other blades. Because that makes them stiffer and more rigid, the expectation is that they should be more consistent and last longer. In an ATT R1 I found that to be true - they are my favorite DE blade. But they sure are expensive.

Of course, as the Wanderer says, it's different for each razor and each face. Blades are the most subjective thing in our whole shaving kit.

 

[sgarnett]

How do they start out not sharp at all and then sharpen up after a couple uses?

One theory is that as the coating wears away, it exposes the sharper edge on the steel underneath. Another is that the skin burnishes or polishes the edge.

Regardless, most blades sharpen a little before getting dull again. They vary considerably in how quickly and how much they sharpen, and how quickly they dull.

Feathers, however, come out of the wrapper sharper than just about any other blade but lose their edge very quickly.

 

[sgarnett]

+1. Of course it's not just Feather that gobs things up.

Along with KAI, the Persona Red is clean. I think the Crystal is also clean. Bic applies so little wax at four spots that it is essentially clean too. Wilkinson Sword Classics (German) seem to just have a drop of thick oil instead of sticky wax.

 

[BigJ]

Some like them, but for me Kai were simply not smooth enough. YMMV for sure.

 

[Bhugo]

Overrated in my book and overpriced too....

 

[Bhugo]

One theory is that as the coating wears away, it exposes the sharper edge on the steel underneath. Another is that the skin burnishes or polishes the edge.

Regardless, most blades sharpen a little before getting dull again. They vary considerably in how quickly and how much they sharpen, and how quickly they dull.

Feathers, however, come out of the wrapper sharper than just about any other blade but lose their edge very quickly.

That’s what happens with Gillette Rubie blades I think. Great blade after a shave or two.

 

[TAM340R]

Overrated in my book and overpriced too....

+1

Tam

 

[Blain]

Kai's are nice blades for shim making.

 

[Capisco Capisce]

You can place me in the camp that doesn't find KAI sharp enough.

However they are smooth, I can feel exactly where they are on my face, meaning I can shave accurately with them, and they leave my face feeling natural and comfortable, almost like I didn't shave at all. As I usually like very sharp blades, I find KAI an interesting change of pace.

For reference, my most used blade is Feather.

 

[kluber]

I’ve only used a Kai de blade a few times. I found them okay. Maybe i should revisit the couple I have left.

I also find them too expensive for my cheap blood. DE blades (and arko) seem to be the only thing that I tell myself I save money on with my growing collection of soaps, razors etc. so I’ll stick with cheaper DEs.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

In short: NO! They are expensive, but they are worth it. My favorite DE blade by far. Very smooth.

I like them, especially in Super Speeds.

+1

 

[petr]

kai works well for me also, use almost exclusively now.

 

[blashe]

to me the kais are the best de blades, waiting for them to drop a bit on price so I can get 100 pack

 

[nwohio]

I didn't like these blades in my R41 or Wunderbar (was ready to give them away) but in the past week I have tried them in my Fatboy & Black Beauty. They have performed wonderfully in both of these razors. Very smooth and sharp. I was impressed by them in both Gillette TTO's. I will try them next in my Slim.

 

[shavingcyclist]

I didn't like these blades in my R41 or Wunderbar (was ready to give them away) but in the past week I have tried them in my Fatboy & Black Beauty. They have performed wonderfully in both of these razors. Very smooth and sharp. I was impressed by them in both Gillette TTO's. I will try them next in my Slim.

I second that, they don't work well in my slant or R41, however in the 6S they work wonderfully.

 

[magu2k]

I do like them, but I am not so sure they are actually made for shaving use. I think they are actually designed for industrial use, change my mind.

 

[clsmith123]

I hate them. No really, I hate them. I would go back to cheap grocery plastic disposables before I would ever use this blade again. I tried it with 34c and it was a terrible and bloody shave. I thought maybe I was hungover and shaky so I tried another day with another razor. Still really unpleasant.