GIVEAWAY! Challenge PIF - In The Footsteps Of Legends

[Grundi]

Wednesday 12/8, three and 1/2 passes, BBS, a great shave with no problems.

Comments: My third use of the Kai; this time used in the Maxwell June twinned DE. Once loaded into the Maxwell June, which process snaps the blade in half, it will stay there for the rest of my testing of this blade.

The Kai has held up very well for the 11 passes so far on the blade with no appreciable loss of sharpness. From the start there has been more blade feel with the Kai than with the Feather blade. Each of my passes do represent multiple strokes. One of things I look for in soaps is the residual slickness that let's you continue to shave comfortably beyond the initial lather removal.

Initially, I thought the greater blade feel might be some tugging, but as I've used the Kai blade more, it is shaving close without any skipping or grabbing. So I suppose the best way to describe what I've felt, is that the Kai just has more "blade presence" in use. Also the Kai is a tad more audible when mowing down the whiskers. For reference, I get a similar blade feel from Personna Med Preps that I've used on and off for years.

On a scale of 10 being best, the Kai today was:

Smoothness: 9-
Sharpness: 9
Longevity: 9+, in comparison this Kai is easily outlasting the Feather, which was spent for me before 11 passes

Pre-shave: shower w/ goat's milk soap, and applied the bloom water from the soap to my face before lathering
Razor: Maxwell June twinned DE
Blade: Kai (3)
Soap: RR XXX- a very good softer soap with a very nice scent
Brush: Simpson Commodore X2 in Best- this brush is the closest to pure badger in a Simpson's best that I've had, it's breaking in nicely and makes an excellent lather
Post-shave: cool rinse, and then a nice splash of RR XXX AS, my face feels really nice

Have some great shaves!

View attachment 1375036

The Maxwell June Twin Razor has my curiosity up. It looks like a unique loading process, kind of resembles an SE but with both edges of the DE, forming the twin. Great looking razor.

 

[RenoRichard]

The Maxwell June Twin Razor has my curiosity up. It looks like a unique loading process, kind of resembles an SE but with both edges of the DE, forming the twin. Great looking razor.

Yes, it has a unique loading process. Hard to easily describe, more easily seen. The DE blade is broken in half during loading. Here's a web link where there is a video showing how it works: Twin Blade Razor - The Ultimate Shaving Experience - Maxwell June - https://maxwelljune.com/#howitworks

 

[Vraad]

tricky call here should maybe slight edge to the Kia

 

[bartje-p]

Kai blade 1, shave #4 (9 dec)
Gillette Tech ball end USA, 1962
Grated Speick stick
Omega boar brush 10018
2 passes (with touch ups if needed)

Fourth shave with the Kai blade. Reverted back to the Tech and the Speick stick. A smooth shave, again 1 little drop of blood. But a bit more sting with the aftershave than the previous shaves with this blade. I will give it another go tomorrow, see how it goes. Until now 3 very comfortable shaves, this one was a bit less.

The Feather blade is already binned.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #1 Shave #10
Tools: Ikon Tek Razor & Arko Soap.
Nice two pass shave plus touch up.
Got one minor nick.
The Kai is starting to slow down some as I needed a little more touch up than usual.

 

[AZBronco]

Feather Blade 2, Shave 1

Razor: Gillette Fatboy set to 3
Soap: Razorock XXX Fresco

I was going to go for I think the 5th shave with the Kai, but it was tuggy on the first swipe so I tossed it and switched. I'm sure I could have completed the shave with the Kai and it would have been OK, but I've decided blades are cheap and life's too short to try to push a blade.

The Feather was excellent. Smooth, no irritation, and excellent 2 pass BBS. I'll use the Feather one or two more times, but my experience is Feathers degrade quickly.

Now that I've done shave 1 with both blades, I can confidently say shave 1 is better for me with Feather than Kai. Subsequent shaves I give the nod to Kai.

Would I go buy 100 of either of these blades? I don't think so. They both tend to run around $30/100, but I can get Derby Premium or Gillette 7 o'clock yellows for $6 - $12/100 depending on the day. If Kai or Feather were better blades for me, I'd happily spend the extra money (still cheap compared to carts), but neither of these outperformed my preferred blades.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this comparison--thanks for allowing me to participate!

 

[BigJ]

Kai Blade One, Shave #8

Razor: Wolfman WR1
Brush: Simpsons chubby 1 best badger
Soap: Vito’s red
AS: OS classic

Rating: 9.5/10!! Better than yesterday!! Simply an excellent blade!!

 

[cwright]

Kai #1 Shave 3
RR BBS AS, Stirling soap, Proraso Red pre shave, Captains Choice Bay Rum, Stirling Splash, Stirling Balm.
Another no drama DFS+ 3 pass shave. Very comfortable especially in my problem areas. Kai 3rd use much better than Feather.

 

[slimshavy]

The WTG and ATG passes are still fairly close and the comfort level is reasonable. The XTG pass is still exhibiting some slight roughness. Blade-feel is very pronounced, but not to the point of discomfort.

This seems strange. You get roughness going across the grain but not going against the grain? When you go across the grain are you going a little diagonal, toward against the grain? That would explain the roughness and why there's not much resistance when you go against the grain.

 

[slimshavy]

Yes, it has a unique loading process. Hard to easily describe, more easily seen. The DE blade is broken in half during loading. Here's a web link where there is a video showing how it works: Twin Blade Razor - The Ultimate Shaving Experience - Maxwell June - https://maxwelljune.com/#howitworks

What's more, it looks enough like a cartridge that TSA probably wouldn't blink an eye if you had one in a travel bag.

 

[Ted A]

Kai #1, Shave #3
Rockwell 6C

DFS+ in 3 passes. My face is feeling a bit tender from the shave. I think it’s time to switch razors.

 

[RenoRichard]

Thursday 12/9, three passes, DFS, Kai #2 shave #4:

Comments: This Kai blade has now held up well for 14 passes, but today there was a loss of both smoothness and sharpness. There remains more blade feel with the Kai than with the Feather. I probably could push another good shave, but OTOH there are so many nice blades to use. The Maxwell June razor by twinning the blade seems to use up blades somewhat faster than a regular DE, because the blade can't be flipped and you use both edges at once.

On my first comparison, the Feather nudged out the Kai, but on this second use the Kai nudged out the Feather due to its better longevity. I usually only use Feathers for two, maybe three shaves. My last purchase of Feathers was for $16/100, and I'll be working my way through those for a long time. If I saw Kai for a similar price to what I paid for the Feathers, I would likely pick some up.

On a scale of 10 being best, the Kai today was:

Smoothness: 8
Sharpness: 8
Longevity: 9+, this Kai is easily outlasted the Feather for me

Pre-shave: shower w/ goat's milk soap
Razor: Maxwell June twinned DE
Blade: Kai (4)
Soap: Canada Shave Soap- a really great, very hard, artisan soap that delivers an exceptional lather
Brush: Zenith P2 boar- a cheapie, but a goodie
Post-shave: cool rinse, and then a splash of Thayer's Super Hazel, the Canada Soap leaves a fine face feel, despite being vegan and not super-fatted

I've enjoyed this challenge very much and again thank the organizers- @AnimalCatcher ,@Space_Cadet ,and @Grundi, for giving me the opportunity to try the Kai blades.

 

[RenoRichard]

What's more, it looks enough like a cartridge that TSA probably wouldn't blink an eye if you had one in a travel bag.

Yes, I would think the Maxwell June razor might go right through TSA security. It really isn't much different looking than a cartridge, other than it being made of aluminum. I've taken an injector razor with a blade in it through TSA security in the past, without an issue.

 

[T Bone]

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

I was a little distracted during my first shave with this blade, but not this time. This time, I was 100% focused on the shave, on technique, on applying precisely zero pressure. WTG was good - not "did I forget to put the blade in?" good like the first shave, but close. XTG I somehow got weepers in the exact same spot as the first shave, just above the jawline to the right of the chin. Ok.

ATG I usually end with the mustache, but decided to take that on first. Feather's reputation is to fade quickly, so I wanted to get the hardest part done first. A bit of tugging, so it definitely felt like it was losing some sharpness, but I kept a light touch, and got the right side of the 'stache nice and smooth with no blood! I started doing the same on the left, and as I'm finishing that up, I see them - close to a dozen spots of blood forming on the right side that I just finished. Sigh. I successfully finish up the left... and the same thing!

Now I'm getting angry. Pardon my language, but what the heck?!? I've done everything you asked of me this shave. Respected your elegance and sharpness. Applied absolutely no pressure. How do I get weepers appearing 30-60 seconds after the blade last touched that skin? I swear the Feather was mocking me. Asserting its dominance. Telling me that I can take all the care in the world, and it's still going to do whatever it wants.

I put it out of my mind as best I could and finished. A couple more weepers here, a few more there, alum feedback, whatever. I normally go 3 shaves on a blade, and I haven't binned this Feather yet, but I'm not sure if I'll give the thing the satisfaction of bloodying my face for a third time. I don't need to deal with this obstinance from a blade, I get that enough from my kids. But I'll make the final call on Saturday.

 

[talibeard]

Third shave with the first KAI.

Set-up; Proraso pre (white), TFS Italian Fern, Omega boar (50068), Lord L6, KAI (3) blade, Hâttric AS.

First WTG pass still feels good, the blade is maybe a tad rougher but this doesn't give any discomfort, and it still removes stubble very well. Second ATG pass is clearly not as good as during the first two shaves; it doesn't give trouble nor nicks but the blade feel is just not pleasant anymore. It does still remove stubble but after the second pass I need some touch ups to get a decent (but not superb) result. My skin remains unharmed; the AS just gives a pleasant warm glow.

This is probably the moment to toss the blade but since it is my first KAI I will let it stay in the razor to see what happens next.

 

[Yuritau]

Shave 7, Second Kai (1)
Tradere SB, Omega 10086, Stirling Varen

Going to have to make sure in the future that I remember that a young boar brush loads soap MUCH faster than a well broken in best badger, hehe. By the time I'd added enough water I had lather running down my goatee!

These back to back comparisons are turning out to be quite interesting. I knew Kai and Feather were both in my top picks for blades, and I knew I had a slight preference for the Kai, but I'd mostly assumed I was leaning on superfluous reasons like the lack of wax spots, or not wasting time/effort/dollars on putting logos on the blade itself. With back to back shaves, however, I'm definitely picking up a distinctly more enjoyable shave causing this preference. I'm not sure if the deciding factor is the slight reduction in sharpness to favor smoothness, or if it's the couple extra thousandths of an inch of blade exposure, or a combination thereof, but it definitely works.

Once I finish another shave or two with this setup, I think I'll throw in some comparisons on my other two razors (Weber DLC w/ Bulldog handle, Fendrihan Mk II), since I'm already in this mindset!

 

[lancre]

I swear the Feather was mocking me. Asserting its dominance. Telling me that I can take all the care in the world, and it's still going to do whatever it wants.

Somewhere, I remember reading about "The Malevolence of Inanimate Objects". M.R. James, perhaps?
According to Pratchett, I believe this issue may be laid at the feet of a goddess called Anoia.

 

[lancre]

Feather Blade - Edge #2 - Shave #2

Equipment:
Razor: Ikon X3 Slant
Blade: Legendary Feather
Soaps: Stirling Scot's Pine Sheep
Brushes: Jayaruh #401 synth

The Results:

BBS. Much smoother than with the Rocket HD. A close, comfortable shave with no drama. No weepers, no nicks, no irritation.

 

[gvw755]

Shave 5 with the Feather blade. All my previous thoughts about the Knockout razor preferring older thick blades went out the window tonight. The Feather got right to work on the WTG pass and I could tell immediately that this was another ghost shave because I could not feel the blade at all, but ended the pass with a DFS+. I could have gone with just touch up, but like previous nights, I went for a full ATG pass. Absolutely no blade feel and I ended up with another BBS. This Feather blade does not look like it is losing any sharpness any time soon.

A big test for both blades over the next two nights - I already have the Kai loaded in my DS Cosmetics Z0 razor. DS Cosmetics came out with a stainless steel clone of an R41 head about a year ago, even before Muhle released theirs. The original was so aggressive that many folks were scraping off a layer of skin in the process. The newest version is not as aggressive, but still more aggressive than the Muhle. This should be an interesting test for both blades in an aggressive razor.

 

[Mike M]

Feather shave#6

Razor: King C Gillette
Blade: Feather
Soap: Tabac
Brush: Yaqi Black Ferrari

This shave was an attempt to get push my use of the Feather to new heights (let's face it pushing the Feather past 3 seems like a major achievement to me.
Tabac soap is one of the slicker soaps in my collection, and is one I always expect good shaves from, tonight was no exception.
The first WTG pass was smooth and enjoyable, the KCG razor performed perfectly, I am getting more and more attached to this razor as time goes by. Second XTG was smooth but the third ATG was a little tuggy on the sides of the neck leaving them rougher than the Kai did on shave#6 I really hope I can get at least a few more shaves from this blade, but it feels like it is failing faster than the Kai.

Tomorrow Kai