Artist Club blades. How long do they last for you?

[Dimitri]

Been shaving with a Feather A/C DX, I don't know, maybe a month now? Anyway, like many of you no doubt have, I've been experimenting with different blades. Not including guarded blades because I feel they didn't give me a good shave, but I've used Kai Captains, Captain Pink Milds, and Feather Pros. I have my technique down to where I'm getting close, smooth shaves, but these blades don't seem to be lasting for me. The blades start getting scrapey and abrasive and I think to myself, "OK, maybe too steep of an angle, back off a bit." I do so and no cutting would happen. To confirm it's the blade, and not me, I will swap in a fresh blade and procede, holding at at ~30° and the magic happens. After about 3 shaves though, 4 max, the blade becomes scrapey again, which I guess means it has dulled.

Is that normal? I've read some posts where guys are getting 10-20 shaves from a single blade where I seem to only be getting 3 or 4. I have coarse facial hair, but I didn't think it was that bad. This has happened to me with Kai Captains and Milds, as well as the Feather Pros. Haven't tried the Feather Pro Supers yet, and have some Schick Pro-Lines on the way.

I know blades are a YMMV thing, but just curious how many shaves everyone else is getting and with which blades.

 

[Dave himself]

Try posting this in the S.A.B.R.E thread. You'll most likely get more answers, hope this helps .

 

[albsat]

@Dimitri

I usually get 10 to 20 shaves with any blade and I have coarse hair beard. I find very hard to believe that a well known blade doesn't last at least 7 shaves.

My suggestion. Try to push a blade on shave numbers. If you shave over 5 as you do, you will find your self improving your technique because you will force yourself to find the best angle with the remaining sharpness of the blade. If these efforts is worthy for you instead of replacing the blade with a new one, than this is your call!

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Feather Pros last about 10-12 passes for me. I've used Kai Milds too but I don't remember if I ever tried to push them.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I get ten to 12 shaves from a Feather Professional. I only use my Feather AC DX about twice a month so two or three blades will last me the whole year

 

[Phoenixkh]

I was pushing all my AC blades to 6 uses, but have reduced them to 3. I’m one and done with all my DE blades. I don’t shave every day and do 4 pass shaves, so you can factor that in. It really is one of those YMMV things.

 

[Eric_75]

I'm one and done with all blades these days.

YMMV.

 

[AlphaFrank75]

I have a full beard with medium-coarse hair. I easily get 12 3-pass shaves from Feather Pro or ProGuard blades, shaving every day.

 

[dunadan]

I’ve been using Pros exclusively in an SR and notice a drop off after 8 uses, but still usable till 12ish. I just got some Supers in and will start a rotation with them tomorrow to see how far they go.

 

[StillShaving]

I can get 20 or more shaves off a single blade, especially if trying to achieve that. I find the first few shaves to be almost too sharp, then there is a leveling out period where blade feel stays pretty consistent.

I think higher number of shaves is definitely a YMMV issue related to how much blade feel one likes or expects. In my case I came to appreciate a touch of resistance, where there is a feeling of the blade engaging with the hair. That slight feedback helps me fine tune blade angle and pressure throughout the shave, while still getting a nice shave without knicks or abrasions. I can go for more that 20 shaves but there is definitely a point where the shave isn't as close without adding pressure which is my cue to change the blade. Since too much pressure will lead to knicks as we all know. I find that thoroughly rinsing the blade helps in reaching 20+ shaves, leaving behind soap scum shortens its life.

If I my shave routine was mentally calibrated for an effortless glide across the skin with almost no hint of resistance, then I would probably stop after 3-4 shaves.

 

[rasoirdangereux]

10 shaves or some more with all AC blades except Dorco.

 

[dorse23]

I can get 20 or more shaves off a single blade, especially if trying to achieve that. I find the first few shaves to be almost too sharp, then there is a leveling out period where blade feel stays pretty consistent.

I think higher number of shaves is definitely a YMMV issue related to how much blade feel one likes or expects. In my case I came to appreciate a touch of resistance, where there is a feeling of the blade engaging with the hair. That slight feedback helps me fine tune blade angle and pressure throughout the shave, while still getting a nice shave without knicks or abrasions. I can go for more that 20 shaves but there is definitely a point where the shave isn't as close without adding pressure which is my cue to change the blade. Since too much pressure will lead to knicks as we all know. I find that thoroughly rinsing the blade helps in reaching 20+ shaves, leaving behind soap scum shortens its life.

+1

 

[Hairy Callahan]

The current cost of AC blades would necessitate at LEAST a ten shave per blade longevity to compete for value. That's a deep starting place. Plus you have to consider the number of blades you have to purchase to TRY. We're talking a hundred bucks just in blades that you'll never use again. Easily. Then, once you've found Goldilocks, your'e paying roughly a buck per blade. So stretch that across, say, five shaves. That's 20 cents per shave with the initial investment coming in around two hundred bucks in un-used blades. Whew, this wet shaving hobby. It's like the US Senate's version of saving money.

 

[KW Driver]

I get ten to 12 shaves from a Feather Professional. I only use my Feather AC DX about twice a month so two or three blades will last me the whole year

Basically the same. I think I’ve used my SS once in the last two years. it lives in my Dopp for lazy shaves, but so does a Tech which gets more work lately.

So, SS with feather pros, and Super pros are all I’ve ever used. I stopped counting but it was well into double digits over months or a year+ per blade.

I haven’t used a DX but I have done the old RGs(?) and SS. 30 degrees still seems really steep to me. I’d have to believe if the OP is really at 30, getting shallower will be more comfortable and extend the blade life

 

[Dimitri]

I've been using this razor consistently now for 2.5 months. I think I finally have my technique down and am definitely not doing 30°. I had entered into it with a DE mentality, but thanks to everyones advice, I quickly adjusted to placing the razor flat on my face and started raising the spine until I could feel it start to cut and that worked! The muscle memory is now "programmed" and I've been enjoying the shaves so much that I finally decided today to revisit the Feather Pro blades for the the first time since I started using the DX. I initially thought the Feathers were to abrasive and harsh. I approached the Pro blade with the mind set that the Feather Pro blades, being as sharp as they are, likely require a much lighter touch than the Schicks or Kai's I had been using. That's what I did today, and voila! A super smooth, super close, irritaiton free shave.

The smoothest shaves I have had up until today have been with the Schick Pro-lines. Fantastic blade, but I'm thinking the Feather Pros, now that I've got them figured out, might be right up there with the Pro-lines, though the edge in smoothness still goes to the Schicks. That said, the Feather Pros will definitely stay in my rotation if they last. I got 8 shaves out of the Schicks, probably could've gotten 10 if I pushed it. The Kai Captains on the other hand, as much as I like them, I can't get more than 5 shaves out of them, and that's pushing it. They are pretty much done by the 4th shave for me. If the Feathers last as long as the Schicks, they will remain in my rotation. As I mentioned earlier, they just require a light touch. A very light touch.

 

[Trikuha]

2 pass shaves here.

10 to 15 shaves with the blade.
Schick proline are top

 

[ShadowShaver86]

Kai captian titan mild gives me 2 weeks of straight perfect shaves, after that I move onto to my DE for variety

 

[helicopter]

I've been using this razor consistently now for 2.5 months. I think I finally have my technique down and am definitely not doing 30°. I had entered into it with a DE mentality, but thanks to everyones advice, I quickly adjusted to placing the razor flat on my face and started raising the spine until I could feel it start to cut and that worked! The muscle memory is now "programmed" and I've been enjoying the shaves so much that I finally decided today to revisit the Feather Pro blades for the the first time since I started using the DX. I initially thought the Feathers were to abrasive and harsh. I approached the Pro blade with the mind set that the Feather Pro blades, being as sharp as they are, likely require a much lighter touch than the Schicks or Kai's I had been using. That's what I did today, and voila! A super smooth, super close, irritaiton free shave.

The smoothest shaves I have had up until today have been with the Schick Pro-lines. Fantastic blade, but I'm thinking the Feather Pros, now that I've got them figured out, might be right up there with the Pro-lines, though the edge in smoothness still goes to the Schicks. That said, the Feather Pros will definitely stay in my rotation if they last. I got 8 shaves out of the Schicks, probably could've gotten 10 if I pushed it. The Kai Captains on the other hand, as much as I like them, I can't get more than 5 shaves out of them, and that's pushing it. They are pretty much done by the 4th shave for me. If the Feathers last as long as the Schicks, they will remain in my rotation. As I mentioned earlier, they just require a light touch. A very light touch.

I came here looking for this observation. The Kai Captain I just tested was a softer steel than the Feathers and Schick I tested, and didn't have the exceptional durability of those other AC blades. It will be interesting to see how the Kai Mild Pink is.

 

[Dimitri]

I came here looking for this observation. The Kai Captain I just tested was a softer steel than the Feathers and Schick I tested, and didn't have the exceptional durability of those other AC blades. It will be interesting to see how the Kai Mild Pink is.

Glad I could help.

 

[Dimitri]

For anyone still intersted, I thought I'd post my findings with the Feather blades. The Feather Pro's, like the Schick "P" blades, lasted 8 shaves for me. Seems my experience with these would be similar to those of @dunadan listed above. These will likely remain in my rotation. The Pro Super's OTOH didn't have the staying power of the Schick's or Feather Pro's. I had shave 6 with the Pro Super yesterday, and during the shave it felt like it was fading. Attempted shave 7 with it today. Nope, had to swap it out midway through. It was behaving like a paint scraper at that point rather than a blade. Realistically speaking, the Pro Super's are a 5 and done blade for me. Pretty much a tie with the Kai blades I tried.

I have to say I'm surprised, but also not too surprised. Surprised because I'm Southern European and have exactly the type of thick, coarse hair/stubble the Pro Super's are supposedly made for. They start out as a pretty good blade. Because of the taller profile/increased exposure, you barely lift the spine of the razor from your face and it starts doing its job. A very shallow angle, which I like, and which is absolutely necessary with this blade if you want to avoid getting cut. From the start though, the blades felt less sharp to me than the standard Feather Pro's. It would seem my face concurs with the results found by @helicopter in his Blade Sharpness Research Project. I find the Schick's to be the sharpest as well as the smoothest, followed by the Feather Pro's, and then the Pro Super's respectively. I may give the Dorco's a try at some point.

Anyway, my results with these A/C blades:

Kai Captain- 5 shaves, but that was pushing it. Realistically done by shave 4.
Kai Captian Titan Mild- As above
Shick Proline "P"- 8 shaves
Feather Pro- 8 Shaves
Feather Pro Super- 6 shaves (barely)