Artist Club Razor Blade Opinions

[Time Bandit]

I have a Single-Edge Artist Club razor on its way to me and have been doing some research but would like your opinion on blade choice. So far, I've looked up these blades...

Feather Professional Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.254mm)) 1.2 exp - 15.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Light Blades (50mm x 7.4mm (t.254mm)) 0.6 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Super (50mm x 8.2mm (t.31mm)) 1.45 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather ProGuard Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.35mm)) 1.2 exp *w/rounded guard - 16.95 single pack of 15

I found no specifications for these:
KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG w/guard 15 - 18.98
KAI Captain Titan Mild 20 - 16.95
Schick Proline made in Japan 17.99 pack of 20, 19.99 pack of 30

t = thickness
exp = exposure

What have you used, and have you compared any of these to each other?

 

[Rocket 1]

I have tried all of these except for the Feather Light and Super. There is also a Feather Soft Guard at the least end of efficiency but I think is a smoother shave than some of the other guarded blades.

I find the Proline and Titan Mild a nice balance of efficiency and smoothness. Although I have seen some variance with the Prolines. I find the Feather Pro a nice bump in efficiency but they can be a bit more prone to injury if you haven't used them before.

Personally I would would suggest an unguarded blade long term (but there are others that enjoy guarded blades), particularly if you are dealing with more growth. Having said that, the guarded blades do offer some protection if you are just getting acclimated to AC blades. For the best protection and smoothest guard , but lower efficiency, I would suggest adding Feather Soft Guards to the list.

Have you considered Try A Blade? You would be able to sample one or two each of what you are interested in before investing in a full pack of a single blade.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I looked at all of those blades... bought 4 of them plus the Feather ProSoft Guard blades. I didn't try the Feather Professionals or the Pro Supers because I had read, they were the most aggressive of the Feathers.

I tried all 5 of them... now, we all know YMMV so this is just my subjective observations and experiences. The Schick Proline, loved by so many people here, esp. by Vector users, just didn't work for me... I was only able to get three very poor shaves from them. I'm sure this isn't true, but it felt like my old man whiskers were denting the blade, not being cut by it.

My final two were the Feather ProGuards and the Kai Captain Titan Mild ProTouch MG w/guard. I don't know why those two guarded blades worked better for me. It's counter intuitive. They were specifically designed for barber razors to make them more safe. But they did. I get 6 shaves from them... 6 smooth shaves.

I'm also using them in the ESC Claymore Evolution.... so you'll probably have to try a selection of AC blades for yourself.

 

[APBinNCA]

Not knowing what razor, though I have a suspicion, I would start with the Kai mild blades. Many people consider them the Astra SP of AC blades. I find them better than that, but regardless they are really nice. They just may not last long, but they dull rather than get harsh. The Prolines are harder to obtain, Above the Tie might have them, and even if they do work for you they will go harsh before they go dull.

 

[gdawg55]

Feather professional and Proline work well for me. Haven’t tried all of the others.

 

[Time Bandit]

I have tried all of these except for the Feather Light and Super. There is also a Feather Soft Guard at the least end of efficiency but I think is a smoother shave than some of the other guarded blades.

I find the Proline and Titan Mild a nice balance of efficiency and smoothness. Although I have seen some variance with the Prolines. I find the Feather Pro a nice bump in efficiency but they can be a bit more prone to injury if you haven't used them before.

Personally I would would suggest an unguarded blade long term (but there are others that enjoy guarded blades), particularly if you are dealing with more growth. Having said that, the guarded blades do offer some protection if you are just getting acclimated to AC blades. For the best protection and smoothest guard , but lower efficiency, I would suggest adding Feather Soft Guards to the list.

Have you considered Try A Blade? You would be able to sample one or two each of what you are interested in before investing in a full pack of a single blade.

Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate it.

I have not thought about "Try A Blade" until you mentioned it. I will definitely be taking a look as I'm an experience for myself kind of guy.

Thank you.

 

[Time Bandit]

I looked at all of those blades... bought 4 of them plus the Feather ProSoft Guard blades. I didn't try the Feather Professionals or the Pro Supers because I had read, they were the most aggressive of the Feathers.

I tried all 5 of them... now, we all know YMMV so this is just my subjective observations and experiences. The Schick Proline, loved by so many people here, esp. by Vector users, just didn't work for me... I was only able to get three very poor shaves from them. I'm sure this isn't true, but it felt like my old man whiskers were denting the blade, not being cut by it.

My final two were the Feather ProGuards and the Kai Captain Titan Mild ProTouch MG w/guard. I don't know why those two guarded blades worked better for me. It's counter intuitive. They were specifically designed for barber razors to make them more safe. But they did. I get 6 shaves from them... 6 smooth shaves.

I'm also using them in the ESC Claymore Evolution.... so you'll probably have to try a selection of AC blades for yourself.

Thank you for your insight. I'll take what you've said into consideration.

 

[Time Bandit]

Not knowing what razor, though I have a suspicion, I would start with the Kai mild blades. Many people consider them the Astra SP of AC blades. I find them better than that, but regardless they are really nice. They just may not last long, but they dull rather than get harsh. The Prolines are harder to obtain, Above the Tie might have them, and even if they do work for you they will go harsh before they go dull.

Thank you for your thoughts and opinion. I'll take what you've said into consideration.

 

[Time Bandit]

Feather professional and Proline work well for me. Haven’t tried all of the others.

Thank you. I appreciate your opinion.

 

[StillShaving]

I have a Single-Edge Artist Club razor on its way to me and have been doing some research but would like your opinion on blade choice. So far, I've looked up these blades...

Feather Professional Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.254mm)) 1.2 exp - 15.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Light Blades (50mm x 7.4mm (t.254mm)) 0.6 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Super (50mm x 8.2mm (t.31mm)) 1.45 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather ProGuard Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.35mm)) 1.2 exp *w/rounded guard - 16.95 single pack of 15

I found no specifications for these:
KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG w/guard 15 - 18.98
KAI Captain Titan Mild 20 - 16.95
Schick Proline made in Japan 17.99 pack of 20, 19.99 pack of 30

t = thickness
exp = exposure

What have you used, and have you compared any of these to each other?

I think they all have the same exposure as the Feather Professional (aka Feather "Pro" blades), except that the Feather "Super Pro" is taller for increased exposure and the Feather "Light" is shorter for decreased exposure relative to the common Pro blade size.

My expectation is that you should avoid the Super Pro and Light blades in your Single-Edge razor as its design and shave feel will be compromised by the unexpected blade exposure. Though you might still enjoy playing around with these blades once you have gotten proficient at using your new SE razor.

While I enjoy using the Super Pro blades in my Artist Club shavette, I normally use the regular Pro blades. I tried the Light blades but found they did not shave very well because of needing to use a higher shave angle to compensate for the reduced exposure.

 

[CapnPanther]

I have a Single-Edge Artist Club razor on its way to me and have been doing some research but would like your opinion on blade choice. So far, I've looked up these blades...

Feather Professional Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.254mm)) 1.2 exp - 15.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Light Blades (50mm x 7.4mm (t.254mm)) 0.6 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather Professional Super (50mm x 8.2mm (t.31mm)) 1.45 exp - 16.95 single pack of 20
Feather ProGuard Blades (50mm x 8mm (t.35mm)) 1.2 exp *w/rounded guard - 16.95 single pack of 15

I found no specifications for these:
KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG w/guard 15 - 18.98
KAI Captain Titan Mild 20 - 16.95
Schick Proline made in Japan 17.99 pack of 20, 19.99 pack of 30

t = thickness
exp = exposure

What have you used, and have you compared any of these to each other?

Have used both of the Kais. Get a very smooth, close shave from the Protouch. Find the Mild to be rougher and less efficient. Seems counter-intuitive that the guarded blade would provide a closer shave, but YMMV.

 

[Time Bandit]

I think they all have the same exposure as the Feather Professional (aka Feather "Pro" blades), except that the Feather "Super Pro" is taller for increased exposure and the Feather "Light" is shorter for decreased exposure relative to the common Pro blade size.

My expectation is that you should avoid the Super Pro and Light blades in your Single-Edge razor as its design and shave feel will be compromised by the unexpected blade exposure. Though you might still enjoy playing around with these blades once you have gotten proficient at using your new SE razor.

While I enjoy using the Super Pro blades in my Artist Club shavette, I normally use the regular Pro blades. I tried the Light blades but found they did not shave very well because of needing to use a higher shave angle to compensate for the reduced exposure.

As far as the exposure I listed, you can look up the Feather blades on Amazon then go through all the listing's pictures. After the pictures is a video. This video goes over all the blades and their specifications.

I definitely enjoy playing around. Once I get through the initial learning curve I'll be testing things out.

I think at this point I'll stay away from the Lights as I've not really seen or heard of them used in any positive way. I don't know what application they're meant for but at this point I'll only consider the rest.

Thank you.

 

[Time Bandit]

Have used both of the Kais. Get a very smooth, close shave from the Protouch. Find the Mild to be rougher and less efficient. Seems counter-intuitive that the guarded blade would provide a closer shave, but YMMV.

You're a actually not the only person that's told me they feel this way. Apparently there's something "better" overall with the guarded blades. I'll definitely be trying the Kai guarded blades wth my single-edge razor.

Thanks CP

 

[Chard52142]

I have tried the below blades in SE razor and also in Shavette types...my experience is...
Feather ProGuard Blades is the 1st blade I tried and it was a super good experience...silky smooth and quite efficient. I can get up to 12-15 shaves
Feather Professional Blades I was initially afraid to use but got them and wow...no issues at all and easy to use...still very smooth and efficient. Similar, can get up to 12 shaves
The above blades I can get locally and although more expensive than DE blades but it is acceptable compared to getting it from another country.

KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG w/guard is even better than the Proguard but it is expensive and I was gratefully gifted 1 by a forum member to try. Even smoother and more efficient.
KAI Captain Titan Mild is also very good but only tried 1 blade. It is expensive.
Schick Proline I tried this and find the rest above much better.

Hope this helps...

 

[Ravenonrock]

I’ve only used the Feather Pro Guard blades in my Feather AC SS. While not a huge fan of the shavette, the Pro Guard blades were smooth and efficient, lasting a handful of shaves for me.

 

[Time Bandit]

Thanks @Chard52142 & @Ravenonrock

 

[albsat]

What rasor do you use? I used some of these blades in a shavette.

Feather Proguard and Kai Protouch are very nice. They are not very smooth but do their job very well. I got 23 shaves from the Kai PT.

Kai Captain is the smoothest blade so far but also very sharp.

I have yet to try the others but get a sample from "try a blade" as you have been told.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm not sure where you reside. That will affect which store you choose, obviously. I got almost all my AC blades from BullGoose Shaving Supplies. They had them all in stock so it made it easy. Every so often, one of the blades will be out of stock but they seem to have the greatest number of the AC blades in one place.

 

[Time Bandit]

What rasor do you use? I used some of these blades in a shavette.

Feather Proguard and Kai Protouch are very nice. They are not very smooth but do their job very well. I got 23 shaves from the Kai PT.

Kai Captain is the smoothest blade so far but also very sharp.

I have yet to try the others but get a sample from "try a blade" as you have been told.

It's been a little bit of a secret but this 24k gold dipped Occam's O.R.E.N. should be arriving at my home today.

 

[Time Bandit]

I'm not sure where you reside. That will affect which store you choose, obviously. I got almost all my AC blades from BullGoose Shaving Supplies. They had them all in stock so it made it easy. Every so often, one of the blades will be out of stock but they seem to have the greatest number of the AC blades in one place.

I'll go take a look at BullGoose Shaving Supplies. Thanks for the suggestion.