Captain on deck!

[Seraphim]

Look sharp mateys! Captain on deck!

Recieved the KAI Captain Excella from Telly yesterday, so I wanted to share some pics.

Really unique and cool razor from the looks of it. Surprisingly hefty, as the head is crafted from solid stainless steel. "Blade" width from edge to spine is just under 6/8", I'd put it at 11/16. Spine width is a bit over a 1/4".

I'm going away on a family trip, and I'll be taking this along whilst leaving the strop at home.

I hope I like it!

 

[markb]

Snazzy!! Let us know how you like it!

 

[honed]

Looks really cool!
With feather blades in it, it sure must have a good bite

 

[dpmtherrien]

Just received mine from Telly yesterday also. I have the Feather non-folding too, but the Kai has it all over the Feather.

 

[Seraphim]

Interesting shave!

Definitely need to be aware of angle. Can give a super smooth pass at the right angle, but also can feel harsh if the angle is too steep. I got a few weepers, nothing serious. Looks to be a razor that needs a bit of familiarization to get the best out of it. I'll be using it for the next couple of shaves at least.

 

[pelicano]

I had the Feather non-folding. Nice shave, but it'll occasionally express an appetite for blood.

The KAI presentation is very nice, though.

Good luck!

 

[Sullybob]

Thats a nice looking razor.

 

[Seraphim]

Had a few more shaves with this razor this past week.

My impressions so far:

Very well made. Feels like a quality tool, or scalpel.

The rubberized parts of the grip work great when dry, but get very slick when wet and lathery.

For me, at this point, the razor seems to excel at getting an excellent single pass shave. Not BBS, but nice and close for a single pass shave. Going ATG still is giving me multiple weepers.

Compact head and blade length give a nice feel.

This razor also likes (demands) a very light touch.

Cool razor. I miss stropping when using it. But it has it's place for certain situations. I liked having it this past week for a family vacation, for example. No fuss, no muss.

 

[Seraphim]

So, it's difficult to get a clear picture of the brandy-new edge of a Feather blade because it is coated with PTFE for increasing the glide of the blade.

Anyhow, here are pics of the edge at 400x, brand new, and after 4-5 shaves.

 

[Seraphim]

Best shave yet this morning with the Captain.

I don't know if it was improved technique, or if the Feather edge has mellowed a touch, or what the deal was, but I got a fantastically close, BBS, no irritation, weeper free shave.

My only regret was that I did not have my Alt-Innsbruck with me to finish it off!

 

[TstebinsB]

Some people prefer the KAI Mild blades to the Feather blades. Supposedly, it's the smoothest blade out there.

 

[Seraphim]

Some people prefer the KAI Mild blades to the Feather blades. Supposedly, it's the smoothest blade out there.

And I hope you can either tell us where thay can be purchased, or put together another group buy for them!

I had a really, REALLY great shave this morning with this razor. thanks Telly!

 

[TstebinsB]

And I hope you can either tell us where thay can be purchased, or put together another group buy for them!

I had a really, REALLY great shave this morning with this razor. thanks Telly!

If I hold any more group buys, the mods. will change my name to TgroupbuyB.

I'll see what I can do.

 

[Defend Tacoma]

Very cool looking. Glad you like it!

 

[Seraphim]

Shaves 4-6 have been in The Zone...super smooth and comfortable, no weepers or irritation. I'm interested to see how long the edge will maintain this condition. I'm loving the compact head, the heft, the Japanese no scale style. I look forward to a shave with this razor. It really kicks some butt. It will be interesting to see what happens when I eventually do install a new blade: will it be a return to weepers? Or continued smooth whisker elimination?

 

[Seraphim]

Shaves 7, 8 (I think that is how many...) are in the books, and the blade is still keeping pace. The other evening I had a hurried quick shave with not enough prep, and thought it was the blade turning the corner....However, this evening, after the usual hot shower etc., it is still giving a great shave. Passes the HHT quite well also.

I've been using this razor for the past two weeks, switching it up with a vintage Wusthof every once in a while as a comparable.

I'm loving the Japanese style grip, but without the asymetry in the blade. My other bugaboo about non-folders is worry about protecting the edge, and storage. That is eliminated with this razor, since if by by chance you ding the edge, simply throw in a new blade. And if kid-safe storage is required, you can also simply remove the blade as well.

 

[thirdeye]

Very nice lead into a follow up with this razor. I may just have to look into them...Telly?

 

[Klarion]

Nice follow-up reviews about this. I've noticed the same about the shaves improving, with a greater number of passes on the blade. Smoother glide, even though the PTFE gets worn off; no issues with dullness or weepers as the blade aged. But, oh, the weepers came back with a fresh blade - drats. I'd always gone XTG, then ATG.

I'd be interested in grabbing some packs of the Kai Mild blades, if anyone else is up for it. Oh! And Japanese framebacks!

 

[Seraphim]

I'll eventually get around to putting this in a real review, but as I've not yet even burned through my first blade, I figured that'd be a bit premature at this stage.

 

[BillEllis]

That's actually a nice looking razor. AND... it doesn't look like it needs any dremel work, either! How cool is that?

Good job on the follow-up comments as well. So good, I think I'd like to try one myself...