I had some feather blades in my sample pack when I first started wet shaving. Having seen the reviews everywhere, I left these for months while I worked through the pack. Only recently opened the first feather. Was expecting a bloodbath for the first go. But to my surprise, it was one of the most pleasant shaves. Least effort to BBS. Used a DE89 and was careful. Alum did sting a little bit more, but nothing extra ordinary. So, is the reputation well earned?
Is Feather’s fearsome reputation fair?
- Thread starter ToeCrusher
- Start date
Sharper tools are usually the best, but can be unforgiving of mistakes. People that don't have their shaving technique down yet should probably practice awhile before they try Feathers.
I think most people overreact. Yes these blades are sharp. Sharpest blades that I know of. But not to the point where I have to be extremely careful. I use an Edwin Jagger DE89 most of the time and get a good shave. But Feather blades are known to be lacking in smoothness. Nowhere near the Personna Lab Blue in terms of smoothness. And the Feather loses its sharpness considerably after my 3rd shave.
I'm usually more careful when using the blade with my Parker Variant Adjustable especially on more aggressive settings.
A good alternative to these blades is the Astra SP. Very sharp and a lot smoother. And the Astra SP gives me 6-7 great shaves. YMMV of course.
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Regarding the question of sharpness, I am not sure how to describe it. Because of the professional factors of my family, I came into contact with feather brand blades very early, and they are indeed sharp, especially when they are new. I have a strange way to deal with it. I will soak him in the shaving foam for a few minutes, take it out and rinse it out and use it. The uncertain irritation is not known whether the surface is flat or invisible small dust fragments during production. But after this treatment, I feel a bit more stable, but still sharp.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Tomorrow is almost my last day with the R41. Caution to the wind, gonna roll with a Feather. I've been using it pretty much daily. Blades used. Personna Med Prep, Astra Stainless, Polsilver, Timor, Wizamet Iridium. The Personna was the best and Polsilver next. The R41 is not a great razor with a blade that is anything but sharp, so I think the Feather will be fine. I also wanted to try a Kai, but not sure if I will get to.
I tried them in de but not a big fan
I The oneblade I use them and they work very nice
Have to give them a go in the broman
Biggest issue not only having to be carefull (enough experience to handle it) but bladelife is awfull
so wil only and maybe buy feathers when the fhs runs up for the core (just sold the genesis) and I prefer other blades like kai for the rest
I The oneblade I use them and they work very nice
Have to give them a go in the broman
Biggest issue not only having to be carefull (enough experience to handle it) but bladelife is awfull
so wil only and maybe buy feathers when the fhs runs up for the core (just sold the genesis) and I prefer other blades like kai for the rest
Feather is the sharpest, not forgiving, but as mentioned before by @Mark1977 , is good up to the third day.
Feather is my best blade to use with my R41 or iKon Tech. Yesterday, I used Feather at 5th day with iKon Tech and it really was not as smooth as the first day. Big difference.
In any case Feather needs experience and nothing else.
Feather is my best blade to use with my R41 or iKon Tech. Yesterday, I used Feather at 5th day with iKon Tech and it really was not as smooth as the first day. Big difference.
In any case Feather needs experience and nothing else.
Yes, it's sharp, as others have said. But with proper technique, it's just a sharp blade. With poor proper technique, a Feather will let you know who won & who lost.
A feather in a mild razor makes for a heavenly shave. I have a vintage open comb Merkur that is probably the mildest razor I own, and I have used that razor exclusively for the last month or so, with feather blades. I just keep going back to that combo because it’s such a joy to shave with.
I like them. For me sharper is always better. I get very good result from them. I only use them once though. I understand from others that they don’t hold an edge as well as other blades. The Japanese understand quality blades like few others.
As your shaving techique improves, the Feathers become less fearsome! They are good but expensive. I prefer Kai's over Feather.
When i first started using Feathers, they were definitely sharp & scary. In fact, the Devil's Combo at the time was a Merkur Slant + Feather Blade (currently would be the 2011 R41 + Feather blade).
However, when paired w/ a Lady Gillette razor, I got some of the best shaves ever; in fact, that combo made shaving less challenging if that makes sense. Because my shaves were so effortless, I started experimenting w/ other combos. but nothing could match that one until....
The advent of the GameChanger 0.84 razor. With the previous combo, I could get 3-5 shaves before needing to toss the blade. With the current combo of GC .84 + Feather, I get 24 shaves before tossing. Loaded in GC, the Feather blade maintains its sharpness w/o any of the harshness (lack of smoothness) that it is known for.
Now of course, my technique has improved, but I am unable to duplicate the amount of shaves with a Feather blade loaded in other razors. The current Devil's Combo ( 2011 R41 + Feather) still takes maximum attention and focus-but after 3-4 shaves, the blade has to go.
Granted, it will still bite when I'm not careful ( as any blade will) but its sharpness in the GameChanger is a plus.
marty
However, when paired w/ a Lady Gillette razor, I got some of the best shaves ever; in fact, that combo made shaving less challenging if that makes sense. Because my shaves were so effortless, I started experimenting w/ other combos. but nothing could match that one until....
The advent of the GameChanger 0.84 razor. With the previous combo, I could get 3-5 shaves before needing to toss the blade. With the current combo of GC .84 + Feather, I get 24 shaves before tossing. Loaded in GC, the Feather blade maintains its sharpness w/o any of the harshness (lack of smoothness) that it is known for.
Now of course, my technique has improved, but I am unable to duplicate the amount of shaves with a Feather blade loaded in other razors. The current Devil's Combo ( 2011 R41 + Feather) still takes maximum attention and focus-but after 3-4 shaves, the blade has to go.
Granted, it will still bite when I'm not careful ( as any blade will) but its sharpness in the GameChanger is a plus.
marty
It's all about technique, its your fault, not the blades fault.
I can literally shave blindfolded with a feather and get zero nicks, could I have done this 6 years ago when I started DE shaving? Of course not.
Can you shave with a feather with ease? Of course you can! you will eventually develop the right technique and get the right "touch" to do so, so just keep at it.
I can literally shave blindfolded with a feather and get zero nicks, could I have done this 6 years ago when I started DE shaving? Of course not.
Can you shave with a feather with ease? Of course you can! you will eventually develop the right technique and get the right "touch" to do so, so just keep at it.
I am with the consensus here! Out of the wrapper, Feathers are the sharpest blades I have tried. Unfortunately, they fade quickly and are not especially smooth for me!
Many do love them! So Feathers should be on everyone’s ‘to try’ list IMO!
Many do love them! So Feathers should be on everyone’s ‘to try’ list IMO!
They're OK. Sharp first shave, shot by the third. Someone measured a lot of things on here and the Feathers were the thinnest blades he measured. Probably why they are so sharp and fade so fast.
Shot by 5th for me but yeah I had the same results. The price alone makes them not a contender. I found BiC beat them on every aspect and are my favorite.
My experience is in line with most here. Sharp at first and unforgiving, then dull by 3rd shave. I could shave with them and not get nicks, but I have to be so careful as to be stressful in my case. I use GSB and get shaves as close but less worry on cutting myself. More passes needed with the GSB or similar blades I guess, to get the Feather closeness.
I don't think Feathers are anything to fear; razors are supposed to be sharp. If you have a decent lather and pay attention to technique, you'll be fine.
After not using Feathers for a couple of years, I tried one in my Tatara Masamune closed comb razor. The 1st 5 shaves were nothing short of spectacular. Smooth and effortless BBS or near-BBS with no nicks, irritation, or pulling. The slicker the soap, the more the advantages of this combo showed. One thought is that an extra-sharp blade in a mild razor is the ticket for me.
In my 6th shave this morning, the blade had become less sharp and smooth, even with very slick Catie's Bubbles soap. The shave was still in an upper echelon, just not the very top. I usually get 8-9 shaves from a blade. I'll see if I get that far with this one.
In my 6th shave this morning, the blade had become less sharp and smooth, even with very slick Catie's Bubbles soap. The shave was still in an upper echelon, just not the very top. I usually get 8-9 shaves from a blade. I'll see if I get that far with this one.
