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Astra SP, Kai, GSB, Feather - Long-term Impressions

You aren't, in my opinion. I agree with most posters here in that they are nearly as sharp as feather. However, I don't find them smooth. They feel scrachy and definately not worth the price premium.
I appreciate your info. They are expensive. I'm on a Russian blade flight now. Loving Perma Sharp and have Voskhod in the wings.
 
I'm finding that (in my Slim) I can get many smooth, clean shaves out of the GSB by handling it with the deep respect demanded of perhaps the world's sharpest blade after break-in (2 maybe 3 shaves for break-in). I feel that the GSB ages with more retained sharpness than the Feather. The Feather felt more smooth to me as it aged (in my Tech). The GSB becomes so sharp in my experience that it was very easy to mistake the sharpness with harshness or lack of smoothness. I actually disposed of my GSB after several rough days around 5,6,7 shaves in, where the blade was scraping me badly. Once I realized that this may not be due to actual roughness, it may be my subconscious handling error as I expected it would behave like a more dull, more smooth blade instead of treating it like a blade which apparently becomes more sharp. I'm glad I fetched it out of the trash! I'm 9 days in and it is very smooth, if I give'r a light touch. Such a weird, but fascinating experience.
 
I completely agree with you about the Astra, GSB, and Feather. I liked the two Kais from my first sample pack at least as much as GSB, but so far not enough to justify the higher price when there are still so many great St. Petersburg blades to explore. Maybe I'll revisit it after I've tried more of those as well as the Personna med preps which also compete in this class.
 
The KAI is probably the most misunderstood blade out there. It is (measurably) wider than other blades, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, so it increases the blade exposure in any razor. It is (measurably) not very sharp out of the wrapper (actually one of the dullest available), though the exposure may make it seem sharper than it really is. It also gets significantly sharper as it is broken in (more so than many other blades).

These objectively measurable differences from typical blades lead to widely varying subjective impressions. Comparing the KAI to other blades is almost “apples and oranges”.

That said, it is not bad or good per se, but just different. KAI actually changes the geometry of the razor.

Shimming a blade is normally going to increase both the blade exposure and the gap. The KAI increases the exposure without necessarily increasing the gap (depends on how much the razor curves the blade and the shape of the safety bar).

Different geometry provides a tuning option. If you need a little more engagement (for example, if your beard grows very flat against the skin), the KAI is an easy way to get it. If you need a sharper blade without changing the geometry, there are other choices.
 
I usually use Astra SP and Gillette Yellows. They work well for me on most razors. I have not tried Dorco, but I would generally recommend the Astra SPs.
 
I pretty much concur with everything you say about Astra SP. They are a good all-around blade, and they're the benchmark I use when testing a razor. I can push them to three shaves if I have to (although my limit is generally two for any blade), and I can put them in anything and know it will work. And I've come across blades that work better in open combs, blades that work better in closed combs, but Astra SP works in them all, for the most part.

I'll tell you what they remind me of: Gillette Thin Blades. That's what I used when I first started shaving in the 1980s, primarily because I was in high school and didn't have money, and they were far less expensive than the fancy Spoilers. I thought them a good utilitarian blade back then. I have no idea what an actual modern equivalent would be.

I have 4 blades left in a test tuck (5) of Kai; they worked very well in a Slim Adjustable I have, but I want to road test them in my other razors, those being a pre-war Tech, a British LC New, and a 77.

I've had one shave in each razor with GSB blades. I'm sort of "eh" with them, in that I don't see any advantage yet of using those over Astras. They actually did not perform well in the Slim, but worked very well in the non-TTO razors. I'll be getting a second shave from each blade, and see how it goes in the Slim with that.
 
Thank you for the well-written review. I also prefer GSB over Astra SP. Nacet is in the same league as GSB for me.
 
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