GIVEAWAY! Challenge PIF - In The Footsteps Of Legends

[Demolition]

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

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Blue Marble 26mm Timber Wolf
Soap: Vitos Classic Eucalyptus and Lanolin

A change in technique leads to a much better outcome.

After six unsatisfying shaves with this Feather blade, I decided to modify my routine to see if things would improve. Efficiency wasn't the issue because my shaves have been reasonably close, but post-shave irritation prevented me from buffing to achieve the closeness that I prefer. Consistency wasn't an issue because all six of my shaves with this blade have turned out almost exactly the same, i.e. slight roughness accompanied by post-shave irritation.

After some thought, the best course of action seemed to be to find a way to protect my face from the roughness which invariably led to the irritation. To that end, I decided to prepare my lather to provide more protection and cushion.

Usually, my lathers are well-hydrated and very slick. Today, I consciously cut back on the water to make an extremely thick and dense lather. Luckily, the current soap in my rotation happened to be Vitos Classic which made it very easy to generate such a lather. A heavy load of Vitos and some careful restraint in the hydration department resulted in a product that reminded me of half-frozen Cool Whip. It was so thick that it would have been easier to apply with a trowel than with a brush. However, it did a great job of protecting my skin and eliminating the irritation! (Huzzah! )

All of my passes were trouble-free. Efficiency was still good and the comfort level was much higher, so I was finally able to perform some minor buffing.

In the end, I managed to get very close to a BBS. And, for a pleasant change, there was no post-shave irritation. Therefore, I'll be using this lathering technique on subsequent shaves with the Feather.

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#8

Razor: King C Gillette
Blade: Kai
Soap: Proraso Sandalwood (red)
Brush: Omega Professional

I decided to stay with the KCG because with these sharp blades it is giving good shaves. It means I need to do touch up passes but using a milder razor may well prolong the life of the blades.
Tonight's shave with the Kai was comfortable but not at its best. That could have something to do with the soap which, although I love the scent you really need to use a lot to get a good lather. The first WTG and second XTG passes although comfortable I could feel the stubble wasn't being reduced as much as when this blade was new. The third ATG pass did more work than usual by giving 2 strokes instead of 1. It was still necessary to perform an extra touch up pass on my neck and although it didn't leave me with a BBS it was a perfectly passable shave.

Tomorrow Feather

 

[Seelector]

Feather Blade #1 shave #2

Another great shave from the Feather. Maybe a hair less comfortable than the first shave but still BBS and irritation free. I don’t notice any decrease in sharpness, so I’m looking forward to shave 3 to see how it’s holding up.

 

[gvw755]

Shave 7 with the Kai blade. Tonight it was loaded in my favorite vintage TTO OC Aristocrat - the Gen 1.

After two nights of extremely close but very aggressive shaves, it was nice to have a mild, efficient, and comfortable shave. WTG pass was very efficient and not noticeable. ATG pass was without drama and very comfortable. There was a little stubble left over which was too much for a dry touch up and so I did an XTG pass along the jaw line and under the chin.

After seven shaves, the Kai can still give me a BBS.

Tomorrow, it is the Feather's turn in the Gen 1 Aristocrat.

 

[cwright]

Kai #1 Shave 5
RR BBS AS, Stirling soap, Proraso Red pre shave, Stirling Evergreen Forrest (put the Christmas tree this week), Stirling Splash, Stirling Balm.
No drama 3 pass DFS+. Kai delivered another great shave, slowing down a little in my problem spots, still a great shave, much better than Feather after a few shaves.

 

[Balthier]

Blade: Kai #1 shave 5
Razor: Gillette Blue tip
Brush: Turn 'n shave Ghost
Soap: Goodfellas Smile Abysso
Aftershave: Stirling Deep Blue Sea
This shave seemed better paa doc for some reason I cannot tell. Possibly because of the rigidness of the blue tip or maybe was ideal blade exposure idk. They are both mild razors not sure of the blade exposure on the doc. Blade felt good so it might still have a a few shaves left

 

[bartje-p]

Feather blade 2, shave #1 (13 dec)
Gillette Super speed Flare tip USA , 1954
Grated Speick stick
Omega boar brush 10049
2 passes (with touch ups if needed)

First shave with the second Feather blade, this time in a new combination with the FT razor. Great shave again, very comfortable, no sting afterwards. Will keep using this blade in this razor, so I can properly tell (again) when it starts going downhill. The first Feather blade gave me 2 comfortable shaves.

 

[BradWorld]

Interesting point BradWorld. Perhaps the key to my early success with this Kai blade was the fact that I was using a very mild razor. I wonder how my face would hold up if I used this blade in a more aggressive razor?

My personal preference has always been milder razor and sharper blades. This is just how I’ve managed my wet shaving since I started.

I was a mild razor guy for years, and only ventured into more aggressive territory on rare occasion, and with little success. But I kept trying because when I did get into a more aggressive razor, the shave was much closer despite irritation and bits of red stuff coming out of my face. So I knew there were better shaves to be had. I just kept at it, increasing razor efficiency little by little, and evolving my technique. Once I learned how to shave steep, I was able to use any razor successfully, and mild razors stopped satisfying me. Once again, refinements in my technique revealed how to get great shaves from mild razors too. And blade pairing became more and more important.

The biggest lesson in blade pairing came to me when I first got this very same Wolfman 1.15 razor. My favorite blade at that time was Polsilver SI. But the Polsilver shaves were a bit rough in that Wolf. I tried a bunch of blades with varying levels of success. Someone recommended Perma Sharp in the gold tuck. Never liked that blade before, but gave it a shot in the Wolf. It was a match. The Perma Sharp is very sharp, and smoothed that razor out. This gave me the opportunity to really enjoy my honeymoon period with the Wolf, and learn how to use it very well. Now I can use that razor successfully with just about any blade. However, the Perma Sharp is still the best fit for the Wolf. But for me, the Perma Sharp shines brightest in the Wolfman razors. Every other razor I own can do better with another blade.

And this is the first shave with a Kai that wasn’t a total disaster for me. So that is progress as well.

 

[Yuritau]

Completed a non-challenge intermediary shave today, as the thought of having a Feather be my first ever shave with the Fendrihan Mk II kinda recalls to mind Micheal Douglas' exclamation in The Ghost and The Darkness: "You went into battle with an untested rifle?"

I've seen enough mixed reviews of the razor to have some apprehension, and had a QC issue that required a replacement from customer service at Fendrihan to resolve before I could trust it with a shave.

So I tested it with a Wilkinson Sword Classic and I am pleased to report that I see no reason not to resume the festivities.

 

[fast shaver]

Feather Blade #2 Shave #3
Tools: DOC Razor & PdP B&T Soap.
Had a nice three pass shave with touchup this A.M.
The DOC Razor & Feather blade make a great combo.

 

[BigJ]

Feather blade two, shave #2

Razor: Wolfman WR1
Brush: Graydog palm wood 2-band badger
Soap: Haslinger’s schafmilch
AS: Speick splash

Rating: 9.5/10.

Discussion: Top notch (for me anyway) kit today to give this blade every opportunity to shine. And it did very, very well: sharp with a fine shave.

Still I have the feeling that this blade is just waiting for me to make any error in technique to ‘bite.’ Hence the less than perfect score.

 

[Ted A]

Kai blade #1, shave #6

Razor: Art of Shaving
Blade: Kai (6)
Bowl: Captain’s Choice Copper
Brush: Omega boar 10049
Lather: Cooper & French Santa’s Workshop
Aftershave: Florida Water
Balm: Cooper & French Santa’s Workshop

Another pleasant, no issues shave. 3 passes and buffed under my chin, as always. DFS+

 

[lancre]

Feather Blade - Edge #2 - Shave #5 & 6

Equipment:
Razor: Ikon X3 Slant
Blade: Legendary Feather
Soaps: NO Night Before
Brushes: Ever Ready 200M restored Synth

The Results:
Both BBS. But I had to work at it. THis blade feels like it's coming to the end of it's life.
A close, comfortable shave with no drama. No weepers, no nicks, no irritation.

 

[Demolition]

Seventh shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Accoutrements Stout 24mm Angel Hair
Soap: RazoRock Black Label

Another quick, trouble-free shave from the FOCS/Kai duo.

All three of my passes were smooth and comfortable. This blade still feels extremely sharp and efficiency remains very high. I had no issues removing the stubble from any of my trouble spots (which basically comprises my whole face ) and was left with an easy BBS. As usual, there was no post-shave irritation, so no ASB was required.

A lovely shave, overall.

 

[gvw755]

Shave 7 with the Feather blade. Razor was still my Gen 1 Aristocrat OC. The WTG pass had some blade feel initially, however it ended up clearing more stubble than the Kai. ATG pass was very smooth and efficient and I was able to get away with very minor touch up to get another BBS.

Once again, the same pattern is holding, where the Feather is slightly more aggressive and has more blade feel than the Kai. The Kai feels milder and is just a very comfortable blade in comparison in the same razors. Both blades will get me a BBS, but they will do it differently.

Tuesday is my slant day once again, and I have decided that with seven shaves on each blade, the formal part of my challenge will end with each blade having a chance of being loaded in my other Black Friday acquisition - the Fatip Lo Storto Testina Gentile. The Kai is already locked and loaded.

 

[Mike M]

Feather shave#8

Razor: King C Gillette
Blade: Feather
Soap: Proraso Sandalwood (red)
Brush: Omega Professional

Tonight's first pass WTG was OK but nothing special, I think this blade may be hitting its limit on only it's eighth shave. The second pass XTG was also ok but it is easy to notice that it is not mowing down the stubble like it did. The real problem was when I got to the third ATG pass, it was rather uncomfortable, particularly on the neck. The neck also required a touch up pass, but it didn't seem to make that much difference to the finish on the neck which was still rough.
Last night all it took was a single touch up pass on the neck with the Kai. After this shave I had some irritation on my neck and had to breakout the witch hazel to cool it down a bit before applying the moisturizer. I don't know how long the Feather will last but I definitely feel the Kai will last longer.

Tomorrow Kai

 

[cwright]

Kai #1 Shave 6
RR BBS AS, Stirling soap, Proraso Red pre shave, Stirling Evergreen Forrest, Stirling Splash, Stirling Balm.
No drama 3 pass DFS. Kai delivered another great shave, slowing down a little more in my problem spots, usually shave every other day, this one in 24 hrs. Will try again Wed night, getting close, may be time to move on. Shave (6) goes to Kai, Feather gone before (6). Final comparison, nod goes to Kai, 1st and 2nd shaves very similar, 3rd and after go to Kai, closest and more comfortable.

 

[Vraad]

sixth shave was so buttery smooth and a toss up.

 

[fast shaver]

Feather Blade #2 Shave #4
Tools: DOC Razor & Talbot Trust Soap
Another close three pass shave plus touchup.
The Feather blade is showing no signs of slowing down yet.

 

[Seelector]

Feather blade #2, shave #3

Razor: Karve CB with open comb B plate
Brush: Omega boar
Soap: Bartigan and Stark Timberyard

The Feather is starting to show its age on the third shave. It's still sharp enough not to drag, but doesn't glide around my face like it did on the first two shaves. I still ended up with a DFS+ over most of my face, but got a couple bad weepers under my chin. I can tell already that these are going to turn into ingrowns. I usually switch to a new blade after 3 shaves, so time for this one to go into the can and onto Kai #2. Maybe I'll try to push Kai #2 and Feather #2 past my usual three shave limit.

Halftime Results
I've used one Kai and one Feather blade for three shaves each, with FEATHER IN A COMFORTABLE LEAD!! It's smoother, glides through the toughest stubble with no issues (at least when it's new), and gives me less irritation.