That is very unusual. Polsilver and GSB are usually great blades. Maybe try a different razor.
Kai vs Feather blades. What is better?
- Thread starter bgusty
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That is very unusual. Polsilver and GSB are usually great blades. Maybe try a different razor.
I just bought 100 Kai on Amazon (Prime) for $27 today (1/29/2018). That is the cheapest I have seen to date.
I've been watching. They dropped like a stone on Amazon. If I ever grab a 100, that'll be the place.
With Amazon, it could go even lower. I usually put in the cart and keep up with prices that way.
I hope it does not turn out that I have replied to this thread before and don’t remember - in every class and format of Blade, in my experience, go with the KAI. You won’t be sorry.
For me the Kai performs differently depending on what razor I use it in. I've used it in a late 40's Aristocrat and a '61 Fatboy and found it not comfortable at all in those razors. Smooth, but not as sharp as either Feather or a good Russian blade.
But I've used a Kai in my Rockwell 6s (plate R3) for the past four shaves and it's turned in very good performance in that razor. I'm going to go for shave 5 tomorrow and if possible, #6 on Thursday. In the Rockwell it's a forgiving blade that is very comfortable.
But I've used a Kai in my Rockwell 6s (plate R3) for the past four shaves and it's turned in very good performance in that razor. I'm going to go for shave 5 tomorrow and if possible, #6 on Thursday. In the Rockwell it's a forgiving blade that is very comfortable.
Also, Gillette Yellows are around 14 bucks now. That's pretty amazing, IMO.
Yep. I ordered those along with the Greens (Stainless steel) around a couple of months ago. Great blades.
Neither. I wasn’t impressed with either blade. Of the two the Feathers were sharper and the KAIs were smoother, but neither of them really did it for me. The KAIs seemed dull and the Feathers were rough, but not anywhere near as sharp as the common consensus around here would have me believe.
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Kai's over Feather's by a mile, Feather's are among my least favorite blades. Kai's are among my favorite blades, I just don't think either blade is worth the price.
I find these two to be sharpest two blades I've tried, Feather being slightly sharper of the two.
They also happen to be my two favorite ones, but that's very "YMMV thing" as we all know.
Of course I cannot claim I tried "all" of the blades out there, but I'm curious what others did you find that are significantly sharper than these two. In case I haven't already, I'd like to give them a try ?
I find the KAI blades to have the parallels to GSB that have been discussed quite a bit here, in that they have a certain smoothness to them that can give me the feeling of "did I just put a razor blade to my face?". Where the KAIs don't live up to their reputation is in sharpness; so KAIs are exceptionally smooth, but lacking in sharpness. The biggest detractor is the price, hands down, and I know that nobody will argue that the per-blade cost (not factoring individual user longevity) is exorbitant.
As far as Feathers go, I won't deny that some people may perceive them as sharper or the sharpest. I've only used a few, but I think this is due to them potentially having a lower grind angle/bevel and possibly a less polished edge (in comparison to other blades I've used, particularly Russians). This leaves me with a blade that feels prickly, as well as skipping and tugging and missing patches of whiskers. The second, and part of the third, shave yield acceptable results, but the shallower ground edge becomes crumpled and ends up even rougher than the first shave by the end of the third. My facial hair might not be the most dense, but I think it's extremely coarse. The only other blade that's given me similar results was a 7 O'clock Sharp Edge (Russian yellow), and maybe a pre-'16 Derby, but at least the Derby tricked me into thinking it was smooth. I just don't think roughness is the greatest indicator of sharpness.
As for blades that I think are really sharp?
Polsilver SI, Nacet, GSB, Perma-Sharp Super, and pretty much in that order. They're all blades that slice through my 12g copper wire whiskers like a hot knife through butter; don't tug, skip, feel rough or prickly (Polsilvers and Nacets can initially, but I don't get Dante's inferno when I splash on some alcohol-based aftershave); they last forever; and, most importantly, can all be picked up for around $15 for 100.
@Bbb34 - if there's one of them you haven't tried I'd gladly PIF you a couple (of each if you haven't tried any of them). I think postage to Canada from the US is only about $1 anyway, no skin off my nose.
Thanks for detailed info and very generous offer. I'll gladly pick up a box of each with my next purchase, just to experiment a bit, no need to go through the trouble of mailing those, but I do appreciate the offer. If they indeed turn out to be as sharp or sharper than Feather for me, even better, more options to consider.
Feathers and Kai both slice through my beard exactly the way you describe those other ones do for you. Several others I tried were not nearly as sharp. I read a lot of praises about 7 O'clock yellow ones, but for me they didn't get anywhere close to Feather or Kai in sharpness, where Derby I absolutely hated, it just was not a great fit for me.
I just completed 6 shaves on a Kai in my Rockwell 6s/R3 and the blade could have easily gone for another but tomorrow morning I want to give a Feather a spin in it. I haven't used a DE Feather blade in a few years (I used an SE FHS-10 in a Valet Autostrop about a year ago...VERY sharp).
I plan to start with plate R2 using a Feather and move up from there if necessary depending on results.
I plan to start with plate R2 using a Feather and move up from there if necessary depending on results.
I find that the 7o'clock Yellows and the
7o'clock Blacks are both sharper than
Both Feathers and KAI's and Lord's
Silver Star's are much sharper than Kai's..
But I have to say it " YMMV "
Yeah, YMMV for sure applies to most things shaving.
The reason I tried 7 O'clock actually was reading in other threads how sharp they are. It wasn't even close to Feather sharpness for me, go figure eh.
I still have 3 left, maybe I give them a try again sometimes down the road.For me Kai gives me few more shaves than Feather consistently, but I find Feather slightly sharper.
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