- Thread starter
- #41
Interesting. I'll see if I can still find those over here. Sounds like they went the same way as the Gillette handles. They had more metal and felt more solid in the past, even for the same models.
Thanks for the tip @frstplce !
Feather F3 Shaving Razor
- Thread starter jaybird210
- Start date
Interesting. I'll see if I can still find those over here. Sounds like they went the same way as the Gillette handles. They had more metal and felt more solid in the past, even for the same models.
Thanks for the tip @frstplce !
- Thread starter
- #42
Looks like others agree with you. From a general quick search, they seem to be very hard to find, and the one that I found available is being sold for around $50... 10 times that of the new handle. I guess they are not in production anymore. bummer...
There is an eBay seller with them for $11. Free shipping in the US but not sure what international would cost.
Feather Mr3 Neo [US Seller] 795864738670 | eBay
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Feather Mr3 Neo [US Seller] 795864738670 | eBay
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #44
Thanks for the link @frstplce
For $11 I would have considered it, but unfortunately the seller is charing $18 for the shipping to Japan... not sure why it would cost that much. Maggard Razors can send me a couple pucks of soap for around $5. I guess they get some sort of retailer bulk shipping discount as opposed to an individual just shipping a package out.
On a separate note, I just did a quick 2 pass shave with the FII (2 blade) cartridge this morning, and it was a surprisingly nice shave. May have been one of the best all around of the 3 types of Feather carts I've been trying. I'd say for smoothness I feel like the F3 has it very slightly, but post shave felt really good, and as for closeness I feel like the FII gave a closer shave with less effort.
With Gillette carts I do like both the mach3 and the sensor, but with Gillette I find the mach3 works better for me. I know many prefer the sensor, and I also do like the sensor, but the sensor gives me good shaves while the mach3, great. With the F3 vs FII, I found that the FII might have the edge. It has only been one shave, so I might come back and revise my opinion later... but for now the simple 2 blade FII has take a slight lead as my preferred Feather cart.
The handle is a bit on the cheepy side. I'll try the FII cart on the FIII handle to see if there's any difference in feel.
For $11 I would have considered it, but unfortunately the seller is charing $18 for the shipping to Japan... not sure why it would cost that much. Maggard Razors can send me a couple pucks of soap for around $5. I guess they get some sort of retailer bulk shipping discount as opposed to an individual just shipping a package out.
On a separate note, I just did a quick 2 pass shave with the FII (2 blade) cartridge this morning, and it was a surprisingly nice shave. May have been one of the best all around of the 3 types of Feather carts I've been trying. I'd say for smoothness I feel like the F3 has it very slightly, but post shave felt really good, and as for closeness I feel like the FII gave a closer shave with less effort.
With Gillette carts I do like both the mach3 and the sensor, but with Gillette I find the mach3 works better for me. I know many prefer the sensor, and I also do like the sensor, but the sensor gives me good shaves while the mach3, great. With the F3 vs FII, I found that the FII might have the edge. It has only been one shave, so I might come back and revise my opinion later... but for now the simple 2 blade FII has take a slight lead as my preferred Feather cart.
The handle is a bit on the cheepy side. I'll try the FII cart on the FIII handle to see if there's any difference in feel.
US international shipping rates can be terrible if you're just a regular person doing the occasional shipment.
I did find another for $18.99 from a seller from Lithuania. They may have better shipping terms since they are shipping to the US for free.
Feather Safety Razor F System MR3 NEO and spare blade 2pcs 795864738670 | eBay
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #46
Thanks again for the tip! u're right, this one is looks to have included shipping worldwide. hmm... tempting, but still a bit on the expensive side for something that was probably available for about a third of that price back when it was in production... I know, I'm a cheapskate. 
I'll try the different carts with the F3 handle. It's a bit plasticy but feels pretty solid, and happy with it so far. The thinner FII handle is not bad either, although it doesn't have that much metal. Just a strip of aluminium down the back from the looks of it, but it felt OK for the shave the other day. It also has the same head locking capability of the MR3 thin handle, which is nice for shaving under the nose.
I'll try the different carts with the F3 handle. It's a bit plasticy but feels pretty solid, and happy with it so far. The thinner FII handle is not bad either, although it doesn't have that much metal. Just a strip of aluminium down the back from the looks of it, but it felt OK for the shave the other day. It also has the same head locking capability of the MR3 thin handle, which is nice for shaving under the nose.
My F3 arrived yesterday and I love everything about it!
As we might expect from Feather, the F3 looks like something they used in Blade Runner and the blades are ridiculously outrageously sharp.
I had an excellent face and head shave, extremely close and efficient and fun!
Got to admit the MR3 Neo is way smoother but the F3 is a formidable razor.
Why did they stop calling it the Samrai?
Comparing the F3 with the MR3 (along with some other threads on this forum) has made me realise that the big difference is in the head design.
The MR3 has a narrow head with closely spaced rigid blades (like the Tri-Flexxx, Quattro and GT5).
The narrow head makes it very manouverable and the closely spaced blades make the shave very smooth.
But it’s harder to rinse and concentrates the pressure over a smaller area so it can incite razor burn.
The F3 has a wider head with sprung blades (like the Mach 3 and Caliber) so it’s easier to rinse and kinder to the skin because the pressure is distributed over a larger area but it feels rougher across the face because of the blade spacing.
Ha ha - it’s nice to be able to have two different but equally different cartridge razors from Feather.
I haven’t tried the MR2 but I bet that’s great too
As we might expect from Feather, the F3 looks like something they used in Blade Runner and the blades are ridiculously outrageously sharp.
I had an excellent face and head shave, extremely close and efficient and fun!
Got to admit the MR3 Neo is way smoother but the F3 is a formidable razor.
Why did they stop calling it the Samrai?
Comparing the F3 with the MR3 (along with some other threads on this forum) has made me realise that the big difference is in the head design.
The MR3 has a narrow head with closely spaced rigid blades (like the Tri-Flexxx, Quattro and GT5).
The narrow head makes it very manouverable and the closely spaced blades make the shave very smooth.
But it’s harder to rinse and concentrates the pressure over a smaller area so it can incite razor burn.
The F3 has a wider head with sprung blades (like the Mach 3 and Caliber) so it’s easier to rinse and kinder to the skin because the pressure is distributed over a larger area but it feels rougher across the face because of the blade spacing.
Ha ha - it’s nice to be able to have two different but equally different cartridge razors from Feather.
I haven’t tried the MR2 but I bet that’s great too
The F3 head soon loses its super sharpness and by shave #3 it becomes one of the smoothest cartridge available. By shave #5 I can't get a full BBS, especially below the chin where my whiskers have whitened and became very coarse. Still it a pleasure to use for the whole life span (10-12 shaves). That makes it my second favorite cartridge, bested only by the old pre-2018 Mach3 Turbo.
I believe the name differs for unknown marketing reasons. They are still "Samrai" for their domestic market:
Thank you - that’s very interesting information.The F3 head soon loses its super sharpness and by shave #3 it becomes one of the smoothest cartridge available. By shave #5 I can't get a full BBS, especially below the chin where my whiskers have whitened and became very coarse. Still it a pleasure to use for the whole life span (10-12 shaves). That makes it my second favorite cartridge, bested only by the old pre-2018 Mach3 Turbo.
I believe the name differs for unknown marketing reasons. They are still "Samrai" for their domestic market:
I too get coarse white hairs on my chin so I’m interested to see how many shaves I can get from an F3 cartridge.
By the way, I stopped chasing BBS at all costs. I only do two passes, especially with a multi-blade cartridge.
Considering the costs you are encountering to find Feathers, have you considered a Korean cartridge? Dorco has a three blade that might be to your liking. Dorco has 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (two of them), and 7 blade systems. The handles are interchangable for the 3 and above. My personal preference for the 3 is a 6 handle (not 6 plus). That's what I use for around my mouth. I can only get three shaves out of a Gillette but when using the Dorco 3 exclusively I can get two to three weeks on a three pass shave. Korean products may be more accessible for you.
I've tried the 3, 5 and 6+ Dorco system and the only one that works for me is the 5. I think Dorco cartridges are far superior to their DE blades in quality and sharpness but I still prefer Feathers. I can buy Feathers on Amazon at a relatively low price.
I see what you mean about the smoothness increasing.The F3 head soon loses its super sharpness and by shave #3 it becomes one of the smoothest cartridge available. By shave #5 I can't get a full BBS, especially below the chin where my whiskers have whitened and became very coarse. Still it a pleasure to use for the whole life span (10-12 shaves). That makes it my second favorite cartridge, bested only by the old pre-2018 Mach3 Turbo.
I believe the name differs for unknown marketing reasons. They are still "Samrai" for their domestic market:
On shave #2 my F3 blade has already become noticeably smoother and it’s a really beautiful shave.
Here in UK I can get Feather F3 and MR3 from Connaught cheaper than Mach 3 and with next day delivery.
I'm glad your experience mirrors mine. You are in for a treat with those nice cartridges
Hello, all,
I am a GEM Micromatic Open Comb shaver with full satisfaction.
Due to flight restrictions, I need a cartridge razor. Feather, of course.
With the only concern of shaving closeness, what is your Feather cartridge razor to go? Any mix and match of cartridges and razors?
Thanks a lot.
I am a GEM Micromatic Open Comb shaver with full satisfaction.
Due to flight restrictions, I need a cartridge razor. Feather, of course.
With the only concern of shaving closeness, what is your Feather cartridge razor to go? Any mix and match of cartridges and razors?
Thanks a lot.
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I found a place selling nine packs of carts for about $2.50 usd. Well, I had to pick up a few and a handle. Looking forward to giving it a shot tomorrow.
2 pivots plus a dampener! A bit like a Personna Floating Head, no?
2 pivots plus a dampener! A bit like a Personna Floating Head, no?
First shave was very solid and smooth. Handle is very heavy for a cartidge and the three pivot flexibility is seamless and quiet. Interesting shave. I did get a bit of redness on my neck. Some of that may be pilot error or just the fact that Feathers are so damn sharp. Their DE blades give me some issues too.
But, I feel the cart likely has legs and maybe will even out a bit. I have 37 more carts, maybe will pick up a few more. But at this point, I likely have enough razors for a lifetime. DE, injectors, twin carts, Kai-3, and Feather F3. I can get a good shave from them all. This rig might go to my son in a few years, have to see how it handles. Plus I will convert the first cart to a Super Click DE shaver once it has reached the end of its life. I like how it is quiet, my converted Gillette Flexballs are noisy as hell.
But, I feel the cart likely has legs and maybe will even out a bit. I have 37 more carts, maybe will pick up a few more. But at this point, I likely have enough razors for a lifetime. DE, injectors, twin carts, Kai-3, and Feather F3. I can get a good shave from them all. This rig might go to my son in a few years, have to see how it handles. Plus I will convert the first cart to a Super Click DE shaver once it has reached the end of its life. I like how it is quiet, my converted Gillette Flexballs are noisy as hell.
