GIVEAWAY! Challenge PIF - In The Footsteps Of Legends

[T Bone]

There I stood, staring into the mirror. In the 4 months since I started shaving with a DE razor, I've binned my blades after 3 shaves. Kind of arbitrary, but it seemed a reasonable number without risking using a blade too far past its prime. Do I do the same with the Kai? Or do I continue on with a fourth shave?

As I'm staring past myself, the background fades to black, and a bright, Mysterious Meteor streaks past behind my reflection. I turn around, rub my eyes, and look back at the mirror, the window with the blinds shut behind me. Did I just see that? Uncertain, but with renewed determination, I apply my cream and begin

Kai #1, shave #4
2 days growth
Preshave: shower
Cream: Cremo
Razor: Henson AL-13
Aftershave: alum, Nivea sensitive balm

This turned out to be the best shave yet. It took a lot of buffing, but even my neck is really smooth. The only weeper was on my chin. I don't know how I managed that - not on my mustache or soul patch where I usually get them, but actually below, on my chin. Alum feedback was mild on the cheeks, medium on the neck, medium-high on the mustache and chin. Checking now, an hour later, it's just a touch rough on the jaw just below both ears, but that's about it that I can tell. Some irritation, but not too bad. I expect I'll be giving this blade another go on Sunday.

 

[Lostrazor]

Legendary Kay Blade 1, Shave 1
Razor: Mühle R89
Blade: Kay (1)
Pre Shave: Few drops of pure unscented almond oil
Brush: Yaqi Rainbow
Soap: Red Cella
Balm: Proraso White
Aftershave: Pitralon

My first try with a Feather was a BBS like no other.
Today I moved to try Kay with the same set up and same beard growth (two days) I had with the Feather.
Result? A smooth wonderful BBS with no nicks and no irritations. Then, if R89 with Feather transforms itself into a Wolf...R89 on a Kay is definitely in the same wolf-pack, not sure who is the leader of this pack. It's a draw.
Now, I am patiently waiting to give the blades a second (and maybe more) rounds to see if there is a winner on the longevity test.

 

[BigJ]

Kai Blade One, Shave #2

Razor: Wolfman WR1
Brush: Simpsons duke 2 best
Soap: Cella
AS: Speick

Rating: 10/10!

Discussion: Very comfortable, no-nonsense shave today. Simply EXCELLENT!!

 

[Demolition]

Second shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Purple 24mm Mink
Soap: RazoRock Black Label

Fine performances from all aspects of today's shave.

The FOCS/Kai pairing offered three quick, trouble-free passes in this outing. The slight tugginess during the WTG and XTG passes has disappeared. Both passes were completed without incident. The ATG pass was smooth, once again. Efficiency was excellent and the comfort level was very high.

One thing worth mentioning is that the blade feels much sharper than during the previous use. This is a trait that has been documented in reviews such as the one by The Refined Shave. The reviewer noted that the blade initially measured 52 grams (of force required to cut the testing medium) fresh out of the wrapper. After one use, the sharpness increased to 42 grams (a 19% increase over initial). After two uses, it increased again to 39 grams (a 7% increase over the second use). Overall, that's a 25% increase in sharpness from new.

According to the reviewer, this is actually normal for most blades, but the amount of sharpness increase that the Kai experienced from use to use is quite remarkable. (By comparison, the Feather starts extremely sharp, dulls by 20-25% after its first use and goes downhill from there. This probably explains why so many shavers mention that they can only get 3-4 good shaves from a Feather.)

In my case, I immediately noticed the increased sharpness of the Kai, today. The greater efficiency resulted in a very close shave. No buffing was required... which was probably a good thing because my jawline and neck are still slightly sensitive from yesterday's shave with the Feather.

Meanwhile, the Yaqi Purple Mink/RR Black Label combo also performed very well. The well-hydrated, extremely slick lather undoubtedly helped the blade glide over my skin without issue.

 

[gvw755]

Shave 2 with the Feather blade. Tonight I had it loaded in my AS-D2 and thought beating the Kai blade in the AS-D2 last night would be a hard act to follow. WAS I WRONG!!! I remembered a while back folks telling me that for mild shaving razors, use a very sharp blade. I thought about my first shave experience when I returned to wet shaving and bought my first razor - Feather Popular. I remember popping in the sample Feather blade and never went back.

Tonight was a similar experience. From the start, I knew that this was going to be a ghost shave - one where you clear the lather, not feel anything, and end up with a two pass BBS. No buffing, touch up, skin stretching, or any other tricks. Just a straight two pass BBS! And this came a day after I got a magnificent shave with the Kai.

For those participating in this who happen to have an Feather AS-D2 (or even a Popular) somewhere in storage, pull it out and load a Feather blade in it for one of your shaves. You will thank me for suggesting it.

 

[Mike M]

Feather shave#3

Razor: Rockwell 6C
Blade: Feather
Soap: RR Don Marco
Brush: Yaqi Timberwolf

In the old days I would have probably ended up binning this blade half way through this shave.
Tonight's shave was a big improvement on the second shave with this blade. The first WTG pass was quite comfortable, no irritation and reduced the stubble. The second and third passes were again comfortable and didn't leave any irritation despite the soap not being as slick as some of the others in my collection. This was the most comfortable third shave I have ever had with a Feather blade. I have never completed a fourth shave with a Feather so I hope to change that with the next shave. The result was not an easy BBS as with the Kai, but it was acceptable despite leaving my neck a bit rough.

Kai tomorrow

 

[Balthier]

Blade: Kai #1 shave 1
Razor: Blue Merkur 38c
Brush: Turn 'n shave Ghost
Soap: Caties Bubbles Blugere
Aftershave: Stirling Campania
Not as quite as smooth as feather shave 1 for me, but a real nice shave. I think I could feel a little extra blade feel, but an acceptable amount.

 

[Seelector]

Kai Blade #1, Shave #1

Razor: Karve with open comb B plate
Brush: Omega boar
Soap: Canada Shaving Soap
AS: Henri et Victoria unscented balm

I was apprehensive about the Kai because they’ve never worked for me in the past, I think because of the extra width. But am I ever glad I gave it another try! Wonderful 3-pass shave with no irritation except under the corners of my lips where I foolishly went ATG. Got some minor redness there. This never goes well for me and it didn’t this time either.

The blade started out a little bit draggy but this went away halfway through my first pass. Overall it was a fantastic BBS shave. Looking forward to shave #2.

 

[Vraad]

another sweet shave, and another edge to the feather.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #1 Shave #5
Tools: DOC Razor & Arko soap.
Got another smooth three pass shave this A.M.
One very small nick but no irritation.

 

[bartje-p]

Feather blade 1, shave #1 (3 dec(
Gillette Tech ball end, 1962
Grated Speick stick
Omega boar brush 10018
2 passes (with touch ups if needed)

A very fine combination In this razor, you need not be afraid of the sharp blade, very smooth shave. A lot less noise than with a Kai blade. All in all everything I expect from a shave, doing things without hassle, too much thinking and ending up with a fine result.


Kai blade 1, shave #2 (4 dec)
Gillette Tech ball end, 1962
Grated Speick stick
Omega boar brush 10049
2 passes (with touch ups if needed)

Second shave with this blade, in the same razor and with the same soap as the previous time. A fine shave again. The noise of the blade seemed a bit less than the 1st time, even though I had a bit more stubble this time. The end result was fine, nothing spectacular, but a DFS in 2 passes with hardly any touch ups. Even thought the end result is smooth, during the shave it feels less comfortable than with other blades, but it could be just the (extra) noise of the blade. No sting afterwards.

 

[Pressroll]

Kai #1 - Shave #1

Used the Henson AL-13 mild for my first Kai shave. I'm not sure if it was my lather or pre-shave prep but the blade definitely drug along more than I expected it to. I adapted quickly and only ended up with one small weeper and very minor irritation in a couple small spots. I'll wait a day and try again with a soap.

 

[Ted A]

Legendary Feather
Razor: Rockwell 6C, R3
Blade: Feather (5)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua
Lather: AOS Peppermint
Balm: Gillette
Aftershave: Bootleggers Perfecto

The lather was rich and slick. I may have gotten a little careless as a result. The alum block really got my attention. One weaper. But it went away quickly.

 

[BigJ]

Kai blade one, Shave #3

Razor: Wolfman WR1
Brush: Shavemac beagle 2-band (fan)
Soap: PdP #63
AS: OS classic

Rating: 10/10 (again)!

Discussion: Another ‘boring’ no-nonsense BBS!! This is one excellent blade, simply fine!!

 

[lancre]

Feather Blade - Shave #2-4

Equipment:
Razor: WSC Winning
Blade: Legendary Feather
Soaps:NO Night Before (2), B&M O Delight (3,4)
Brushes: LJS/Maggard 24mm SHD (3), Semogue 830 (2,4)

The Results: BBS after 3 passes with some buffing, smooth and close, with no irritation.

 

[Yuritau]

Shave 5, Second Feather (1)
Tradere SB, Wee Scot, Stirling Varen

In my last post, I forgot to give a verdict between the two blades in my Tradere OC. In that razor, the Kai is far and away the better blade for me. It's not quite as sharp as the Feather, but it starts and stays much smoother and delivers noticably more comfortable shaves. That's not to say that the Feather is uncomfortable, however. But there has to be a winner, and with both of these blades in my supply, that winner is me!

On to round two, the Tradere SB.

My first ever Stirling soap arrived today, the Varen, which I had blind ordered based on some very high praise around these forums. The praise was well earned! The scent is clean, fresh, and entirely delightful. The lather is thick and luxurious. This is going to give my darling Tabac a run for its money I think.

Behind the Tradere Solid Bars, the Feather is a much more tamed animal than in the Open Cage. It can be enjoyed with much less tendency to bite. With a three pass shave and some touch ups, a smooth face is easily achieved. I keep the touch light and the blade angle shallow and the Feather does its work efficiently. Close, comfortable, efficient, reliable. Excellent razor and blade pairing.

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #1 - Shave #5

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (5), WCS Duck Fat Soap Cologne

The Results: Shave #5 was sabotaged by me being distracted. The KAI blade tried very hard to give me a good shave, but I nicked myself a couple of times (the bleeding did stop quickly so they were only superficial). Overall, I did get a close shave, DFS; however, the was a bit of blood. The CTS Duck Fat whips up into a nice, slick, yogurty lather that worked with the KAI blade to mitigate my bad effort.

Shave #5: should have gone to the KAI as the Feather was already declining in performance at this point, but we have to call this one a statistical tie due to the nicks. Judges are so subjective.

 

[Wishoot]

KAI -3rd use

Switched things up slightly. Instead of using Tabac soap and AS, I opted for Wet Shaving Products (WSP) Tobacco Formula-T soap and Tobacco Tonic Splash.

Same routine as before.... flip the blade, Fat Boy set at #7, prep with Noxzema, lather up and let er' rip.

What is this sorcery? The Kai blade on day 3 gave me an exceptionally smooth shave devoid of cuts nicks or weepers. Usually by day 3, my Feathers begin to show signs of wear. They typically don't make it to day 4 and rarely day 5.

I'll be giving the same Kai blade a 4th shave in a few days. It seems up to the task.

Side note....WSP makes superb soaps and aftershaves. I highly recommend giving them a try.

 

[srqshaver]

Kai Blade 1, Shave 2

I seem to be bucking the trend here and, for all my praise of the Kai on the first shave, my second shave was ho-hum. I should be more scientific about this but I have too much new gear to try to stick to the same things. The important changed variables this shave from the last were the razor and soap, which had been a DE89 clone and Stirling Gentleman and were now a Muhle Rocca and Proraso Sensitive cream. The first shave was fantastic, darn near a perfect BBS. This one was a good 15% less close, resulting in a modest DFS however I had zero irritation and no nicks.

I'm reading that most other people are finding the Kai to be sharper as they progress and here I am with a contradictory result. Is it possible that the DE89 clone is more efficient than the Rocca? It seems unlikely but either that's the case or the blade has dulled significantly. I guess we'll see what happens with shave #3.

Pre-shave: Warm water and soap
Razor: Muhle Rocca R94
Blade: Kai (2)
Lather: Proraso Sensitive Cream
Brush: Vintage something or other with a new synthetic knot
Post-shave: Omega alum stick, Clubman Vanilla
Beard Oil: Artius Man "Tinderbox"

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#4

Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai
Cream: Proraso Wood and Spice
Brush: Yaqi lucky dice

Tonight is the 4th shave with the Kai using Proraso Wood and Spice cream, it is a good cream as long as you use a good amount of cream it gives a thick protective lather though the scent may be too strong for some I for one like it.
The first pass WTG was as close as I have come to expect from this blade with no irritation. Pass number two XTG was great right up until I got a little overconfident and was a bit heavy on the right hand side of my neck causing a little irritation. The third ATG pass was good to and barely needed save to clean up under my chin and nose.
All in all an excellent shave with a BBS finish and saving my own mistake which caused some minor irritation though it didn't require witch hazel, and was easily cleared up with my regular moisturizer.

Tomorrow Feather shave#4

 

[Demolition]

I'm reading that most other people are finding the Kai to be sharper as they progress and here I am with a contradictory result. Is it possible that the DE89 clone is more efficient than the Rocca? It seems unlikely but either that's the case or the blade has dulled significantly. I guess we'll see what happens with shave #3.

In one of the earlier Challenge PIFs, I switched between three or four razors and my results were wildly inconsistent. In the end, I really couldn't tell which blade had done a better job.

Since then, I've used the same razor (a Fatip Lo Storto Originale) for all test blades to eliminate that variable. Now, I have a much better sense of how a blade is performing over extended use.

I have to admit that it can get a little boring using the same razor all the time, though. So, in your case, it might pay to use both blades in the same razor once or twice in a row before moving on to a different razor. Then, you can build up a little data set of consistent values without dying of boredom!

 

[gvw755]

Shave 3 with the Kai blade tonight. I decided to try these lades out in an OC razor, and so I selected my CG Brass Lvl1 OC which is a favorite because it feels like a mild shaver but is as efficient as a Lvl 2 SB. Unlike previous nights, the Kai had no initial roughness which required me to play with the angle. It just got into the WTG pass effortlessly and efficiently. Most of my stubble was cleared after the WTG pass, but I always do an ATG pass and so I did one just to see if I could get away with a two pass BBS like the night before. Amazingly enough, it was even more comfortable and efficient than the Feather in a Feather was last night.

The Feather is loaded in the CG for tomorrow night's shave. It will be interesting to see if it can better tonight's shave.

 

[Demolition]

Third shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Maggard 18mm Timber Wolf, Travel-Size
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap (Non-Tallow)

A much better performance from the Feather blade, today, but the overall shave lacked refinement.

On its third use, the Feather blade finally managed to deliver three reasonably efficient passes with no tugging, irritation, or lingering sensitivity.

The WTG and ATG passes were smooth and the comfort level was above-average. The ATG pass felt particularly close. Blade-feel was much more pronounced, though. Like last time, the XTG pass was close and fairly comfortable, but it still felt somewhat crude and unrefined.

Obviously, there is more to a blade than just its sharpness. This Feather certainly feels sharp, but its overall performance lacks the polish of the Kai.

Meanwhile, the Maggard 18mm Timber Wolf/Tabac (Non-Tallow) pairing did a great job of whipping up a rich, slick lather. This little brush is a delight to use and the soap has found a permanent spot in my rotation.

 

[RedRx74]

What a great PIF battle of the blades. Wish I had found this thread earlier.

 

[T Bone]

What a great PIF battle of the blades. Wish I had found this thread earlier.

I bet @Grundi can still hook you up…

 

[RedRx74]

I’m sure it’s too late but I would be an eager late participant. I would only need the Kia blades as I already have the Feather blades.

 

[Grundi]

I bet @Grundi can still hook you up…

Yes, indeed!!

 

[Slanterino]

I got some free Kai blades from OP awhile back. I must say I didn't like it that much. Too tuggy for my liking.

However yesterday, I got my hands a Kai nail clipper since my chinese one felt like more like a torture device than anything else.

I must say, even though I dislike the Kai blades. I love the nail clippers so much. It cuts so cleanly and smoothly I don't even need to file it. It's the best thing that I've ever used and only costs $3 USD locally.

 

[FarmerTan]

View attachment 1372755

Kai #1 - Shave #1

Used the Henson AL-13 mild for my first Kai shave. I'm not sure if it was my lather or pre-shave prep but the blade definitely drug along more than I expected it to. I adapted quickly and only ended up with one small weeper and very minor irritation in a couple small spots. I'll wait a day and try again with a soap.

That is a beautiful brush!

 

[FarmerTan]

Legendary Feather
Razor: Rockwell 6C, R3
Blade: Feather (5)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua
Lather: AOS Peppermint
Balm: Gillette
Aftershave: Bootleggers Perfecto

The lather was rich and slick. I may have gotten a little careless as a result. The alum block really got my attention. One weaper. But it went away quickly.

View attachment 1372769

Another beautiful brush! (I'm beginning to see a pattern!)

 

[Seelector]

Kai Blade #1, Shave #1 Update

24 hours after shave 1 and my neck is a little red in the usual trouble spot. I’ll see what it’s like after tomorrow’s shave (I normally shave every 48 hours).

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #1 Shave #6
Tools: DOC Razor & #63 soap
The Kai blade is doing very well so far.
Got the usual smooth three pass shave this A.M.

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #1 - Shave #6

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (6), WCS Duck Fat Soap Cologne (last of the Cologne sample)

The Results: Shave #6 was the opposite of Shave #5, I paid attention, took my time, and was duly rewarded for my diligent effort, a DFS+ Shave. Beginning with "overwatering" the WCS Duck Fat Soap that resulted in a yogurty, slick lather, I was very careful on all passes. Most of the time, I got the angle right and, for the most part, had a very smooth shave; however, some strokes were not quite optimal. Still, a very nice shave, with only 1 weeper in the same place that I nicked myself yesterday.

Shave #6: definitely goes to the KAI, as the Feather gave out and was binned after 6 shaves. The KAI feels like it can keep going, so the frugal man in me says to keep going until there are no more shaves left in the Blade.

 

[sarir97]

Feather# 1, Shave# 1
Tatara Masamune, Zingari Man The Magician, Speick AS lotion, CeraVe moisturizer

The Legendary Feather and the Tatara Masamune are a match made in heaven. 3-pass smooth, BBS shave, no cuts, weepers, irritation. 10/10.

Gents, there’s just no contest. Even after this first shave on the first blade, I declare Feather king!