EXCELLENT report. Keep 'em coming!
Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades
- Thread starter Grundi
- Start date
I’ve heard these blades have great longevity. I intend to push this to its max haha. I’ve only pushed a couple blades to 4 before because I’m sampling a lot being new to DE shaving. But as long as it doesn’t get tuggy or dull I’ll keep the experiment going with this single blade. Feel I can get 5-10 with it easily just from what I’ve read about it
Blade 2 #2
Half Head half face and the other half w a Feather #4 or 5 to compare (last shave w it was great using Merkur 510)
Razor: Karve OC C (one of my go to razors)
MDC
Semogue Mistura (1st use)
Alum
Witch Medicated
Speick AS
Speick AB
This was sort of a comparison; my last great shave was w this Feather blade and Merkur 510.
Half head with the Kai, a bit blade feel, smooth no issues x 2 passes. Face 2+ passes no issues (now the lather was almost gone....new brush).
Interestingly the head shave w Feather....first half I thought I had NO blade....didn't feel much, but it was cutting. Second pass I did feel the blade. Maybe less irritation. Now I went to the face....felt OK but I had 3 weepers (new record). I have never used Feather past 3, they usually cause me to bleed some 1-2 and I toss them. If I didn't have the bleeding I would have chosen the feather...now I will almost call it a tie. Interestingly I still haven't had a shave with a Kai with little or no irritation.....they shave close but I get some more burning compared to other blades..... Will keep on shaving.....next must be another Gillette razor.
Half Head half face and the other half w a Feather #4 or 5 to compare (last shave w it was great using Merkur 510)
Razor: Karve OC C (one of my go to razors)
MDC
Semogue Mistura (1st use)
Alum
Witch Medicated
Speick AS
Speick AB
This was sort of a comparison; my last great shave was w this Feather blade and Merkur 510.
Half head with the Kai, a bit blade feel, smooth no issues x 2 passes. Face 2+ passes no issues (now the lather was almost gone....new brush).
Interestingly the head shave w Feather....first half I thought I had NO blade....didn't feel much, but it was cutting. Second pass I did feel the blade. Maybe less irritation. Now I went to the face....felt OK but I had 3 weepers (new record). I have never used Feather past 3, they usually cause me to bleed some 1-2 and I toss them. If I didn't have the bleeding I would have chosen the feather...now I will almost call it a tie. Interestingly I still haven't had a shave with a Kai with little or no irritation.....they shave close but I get some more burning compared to other blades..... Will keep on shaving.....next must be another Gillette razor.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
Fourth shave with the Kai and maybe it it is subconscious but I perceive a slight lessening in the performance. Maybe because I am nearing the point where I normally change blades, or perhaps because the vintage Shulton cream is very hard to lather. But, a good shave nevertheless although I am consciously using very light strokes with this blade. One more shave tomorrow then I will switch to another blade brand but I will retain this Kai blade and return to it.
TLDR: Kai vs Feather both very sharp very smooth. No extra precaution seemed necessary to me and they were both very enjoyable blades that lost little or nothing over a 3 shave 3 razor head to head comparison. In a blind test I would not be able to make a distinction between them.
Kai pro...NO WAX! Man that is nice. Hate that messy stuff.
Kai con....center hole is a bit small for cheap csb razor. Hard to get on stud of cap and even harder to get off
Feather pro..."MAYBE" held its edge a touch better
Feather con....I hate wax!
Shave parameters:
- wash face with arko used as bar soap and leave sit on whiskers
-general gathering, beard/body/hair care
-load vdh deluxe off the puck and face lather
-more general grooming as soap works on whiskers
-more water on brush and rework the face lather
-1 pass shave, sort of xtg sort of atg, slight reapplication of vdh to difficult areas under jaw bone, touch up buffing under jaw bone
-very liberal application of the infamous veg
-more general grooming as AS soaks in
-apply Redkin Brews aloe formula shave balm
+Gillette SS
(the straight handle, all silver, knurled all the way) KAI BLADE very nice. Smooth. Effortless. No nicks or irritation. Smoothness was most notable characteristic to me. FEATHER BLADE very nice. Smoother than I remember. Maybe just short of the kai in smooth category. Effortless. No nicks no irritation.
+gillette old type, 1 blade shim(short comb unsure of thick or thin cap) KAI BLADE perhaps a bit more efficient I guess I would say. Hard to explain but just felt like I could feel a bit more blade and the whiskers come off just a bit easier. Still smooth. Just a different razor. FEATHER BLADE same results as the kai.
-csb shaving (merkur clone? Idk. It is a 3 piece with more gap, more exposure, and less rigid hold on blade) KAI perhaps losing just a tad in the effortless glide through the whiskers. Still very smooth and sharp and the loss is compared to itself and not other blades. Still performing at the top of the spectrum. I like that this razor has more blade feel than the milder razors. I like to feel the blade for some reason. Less rigid makes it more audible which I like as well. However both these blades are so smooth and sharp there is not much audible feedback. I would say none in the Gillette's. FEATHER BLADE still doing its thang. Mirroring the shaved of the kai. It perhaps did not have the slight loss in "sharpness" that the kai seemed to. However it was so minimal in the kai it could be mind tricks or just the day I happened to be having.
Conclusion
Kai and feather seem very similar. Both just a bit better than my Treet platinum when new and both hold their edge a bit better. But not totally different worlds or leaps and bounds or what have ya. I have a feeling to some this statement may render the whole review as worthless since Treet do not have near the rep that these other 2 blades have. And perhaps my face just cannot appreciate the difference. Idk. Just my experience.
THANK YOU to those who made this possible. I enjoyed the chance to compare some blades and really pay attention to some details of a few of my DE razors. Now if you will excuse me I am about to have SR stropping withdrawls. Must get them back to use and make sure they did not rust in there sabbatical lol
Kai pro...NO WAX! Man that is nice. Hate that messy stuff.
Kai con....center hole is a bit small for cheap csb razor. Hard to get on stud of cap and even harder to get off
Feather pro..."MAYBE" held its edge a touch better
Feather con....I hate wax!
Shave parameters:
- wash face with arko used as bar soap and leave sit on whiskers
-general gathering, beard/body/hair care
-load vdh deluxe off the puck and face lather
-more general grooming as soap works on whiskers
-more water on brush and rework the face lather
-1 pass shave, sort of xtg sort of atg, slight reapplication of vdh to difficult areas under jaw bone, touch up buffing under jaw bone
-very liberal application of the infamous veg
-more general grooming as AS soaks in
-apply Redkin Brews aloe formula shave balm
+Gillette SS
(the straight handle, all silver, knurled all the way) KAI BLADE very nice. Smooth. Effortless. No nicks or irritation. Smoothness was most notable characteristic to me. FEATHER BLADE very nice. Smoother than I remember. Maybe just short of the kai in smooth category. Effortless. No nicks no irritation.
+gillette old type, 1 blade shim(short comb unsure of thick or thin cap) KAI BLADE perhaps a bit more efficient I guess I would say. Hard to explain but just felt like I could feel a bit more blade and the whiskers come off just a bit easier. Still smooth. Just a different razor. FEATHER BLADE same results as the kai.
-csb shaving (merkur clone? Idk. It is a 3 piece with more gap, more exposure, and less rigid hold on blade) KAI perhaps losing just a tad in the effortless glide through the whiskers. Still very smooth and sharp and the loss is compared to itself and not other blades. Still performing at the top of the spectrum. I like that this razor has more blade feel than the milder razors. I like to feel the blade for some reason. Less rigid makes it more audible which I like as well. However both these blades are so smooth and sharp there is not much audible feedback. I would say none in the Gillette's. FEATHER BLADE still doing its thang. Mirroring the shaved of the kai. It perhaps did not have the slight loss in "sharpness" that the kai seemed to. However it was so minimal in the kai it could be mind tricks or just the day I happened to be having.
Conclusion
Kai and feather seem very similar. Both just a bit better than my Treet platinum when new and both hold their edge a bit better. But not totally different worlds or leaps and bounds or what have ya. I have a feeling to some this statement may render the whole review as worthless since Treet do not have near the rep that these other 2 blades have. And perhaps my face just cannot appreciate the difference. Idk. Just my experience.
THANK YOU to those who made this possible. I enjoyed the chance to compare some blades and really pay attention to some details of a few of my DE razors. Now if you will excuse me I am about to have SR stropping withdrawls. Must get them back to use and make sure they did not rust in there sabbatical lol
Kai Blade #1 Shave #2
Another smooth & close shave this A.M. I used the Schone Razor & Stirling Sheep soap. It doesn't get better than this.
Another smooth & close shave this A.M. I used the Schone Razor & Stirling Sheep soap. It doesn't get better than this.
- Thread starter
- #187
Mysterious KAI Blade#1(6)
TL;DR - Very good shave, but Blade#1 is done
Equipment: Merkur 20C with MEM Olive Shave Cream(3 - getting it dialed in)
Results: Shave #6 was a very good shave, DFS-. I had 2 days growth, didn't shave Thursday, and I've been trying to get the MEM Olive dialed in (and I think I'm close). I noticed a bit of roughness with the WTG pass but smoother during the ATG pass. I figure the blade, at 6 shaves, was struggling with the extra day's growth. Even still, I managed to achieve a very good, 2-pass with cleanup, shave.
Shave Note: MEM Olive has excellent slip and protection which may have helped extend Blade#1 to 6 shaves. To me, the scent profile for MEM Olive is an excellent vintage men's scent lightly reminiscent of Skin Bracer.
Longevity: for me, Blade#1 gave me 5 excellent shaves and 1 decent shave.
TL;DR - Very good shave, but Blade#1 is done
Equipment: Merkur 20C with MEM Olive Shave Cream(3 - getting it dialed in)
Results: Shave #6 was a very good shave, DFS-. I had 2 days growth, didn't shave Thursday, and I've been trying to get the MEM Olive dialed in (and I think I'm close). I noticed a bit of roughness with the WTG pass but smoother during the ATG pass. I figure the blade, at 6 shaves, was struggling with the extra day's growth. Even still, I managed to achieve a very good, 2-pass with cleanup, shave.
Shave Note: MEM Olive has excellent slip and protection which may have helped extend Blade#1 to 6 shaves. To me, the scent profile for MEM Olive is an excellent vintage men's scent lightly reminiscent of Skin Bracer.
Longevity: for me, Blade#1 gave me 5 excellent shaves and 1 decent shave.
Shave number 5 on Blade 1 today. I was in a rush, so one pass with the Fatip Lo Storto. Very good result. I continue to get the impression that this particular blade is not the smoothest, and now I'm wondering if that's maybe due to more blade feel from the slightly greater width. I don't think "blade feel" and "smoothness" are necessarily inversely proportional, but maybe I'm conflating them a bit. Also wonder if these Kais are indeed uncoated, and if that has anything to do with perceived smoothness.
But I am still very much liking the results--efficient without being irritating. Glad someone else is due a Kai-Feather comparison. They really seem very similar to me, which is to say: excellent.
But I am still very much liking the results--efficient without being irritating. Glad someone else is due a Kai-Feather comparison. They really seem very similar to me, which is to say: excellent.
Shave No. 3
Razor: Blackland Tradere OC
Soap: Proraso Red
Brush: Yaqi Black Resin 24mm Silver Tip Badger
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block
The Tradere is the most aggressive razor of my lot but I still got a fantastic shave. I'll be running a blade PIF or two myself to make room for the Kai's.
On to the Game Changer 84 OC next.
Razor: Blackland Tradere OC
Soap: Proraso Red
Brush: Yaqi Black Resin 24mm Silver Tip Badger
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block
The Tradere is the most aggressive razor of my lot but I still got a fantastic shave. I'll be running a blade PIF or two myself to make room for the Kai's.
On to the Game Changer 84 OC next.
Shave #4 I think. Still in the Slim on 5- I don't like changing blades among razors, fwiw.
I did palm strop before use with a Palmolive stick. While I got a pretty good shave, I nicked my chin and had some weepers around my throat. The blade just still felt a little harsh. The first two shaves were great, but it has fallen off quickly - not unlike a Feather to me.
I did palm strop before use with a Palmolive stick. While I got a pretty good shave, I nicked my chin and had some weepers around my throat. The blade just still felt a little harsh. The first two shaves were great, but it has fallen off quickly - not unlike a Feather to me.
Shave #4 ( Blade 1 )
Gillette Slim ( set to 4 )
Kai stainless
Omega 49
Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber soap
Another perplexing shave. It has been 2-3 days since I shaved last so I had a decent thicket of whiskers. My first pass WTG seemed fine, and I was thinking at this point I've got the Kai+Slim dialed in. Pass 2 (XTG ) was just a tad tougher than usual but not unpleasant and considering my 3 days of growth not unexpected. My ATG was fine. Finished up with a wet splash, then an application of my AS splash. No burning sensations and I felt fine and had a very close shave.
And then the 4 or 5 slooooooooow weepers began. Pretty lowkey except one on my jawline ( I never get them there ). They didn't hurt, and I'm not experiencing any irritation even a few hours later.
Now I'm going to admit I'm not a giant fan of overly sharp blades and hence I don't always have the best technique for them. I've always liked milder blades and I'm positive I have some lazy habits that lead to mishaps with blades like Kai's. The funny thing today is the shave was extremely nice overall and even the XTG pass was what I get many times when I go 2-3 days between shaves so I'm not blaming the blade. Heck, almost any XTG pass is always the worst of my passes with any blade.
So I will keep evaluating. Contemplating a move of this blade to my Feather Popular but I think I'd like to give the Slim one more run with it.
Gillette Slim ( set to 4 )
Kai stainless
Omega 49
Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber soap
Another perplexing shave. It has been 2-3 days since I shaved last so I had a decent thicket of whiskers. My first pass WTG seemed fine, and I was thinking at this point I've got the Kai+Slim dialed in. Pass 2 (XTG ) was just a tad tougher than usual but not unpleasant and considering my 3 days of growth not unexpected. My ATG was fine. Finished up with a wet splash, then an application of my AS splash. No burning sensations and I felt fine and had a very close shave.
And then the 4 or 5 slooooooooow weepers began. Pretty lowkey except one on my jawline ( I never get them there ). They didn't hurt, and I'm not experiencing any irritation even a few hours later.
Now I'm going to admit I'm not a giant fan of overly sharp blades and hence I don't always have the best technique for them. I've always liked milder blades and I'm positive I have some lazy habits that lead to mishaps with blades like Kai's. The funny thing today is the shave was extremely nice overall and even the XTG pass was what I get many times when I go 2-3 days between shaves so I'm not blaming the blade. Heck, almost any XTG pass is always the worst of my passes with any blade.
So I will keep evaluating. Contemplating a move of this blade to my Feather Popular but I think I'd like to give the Slim one more run with it.
Shave 3 Blade 1
Last night I threw this blade into my gold tech instead of my Merkur. I figured it was about time to see what the puppy could do. The Merkur doesn't give me the control over the blade I would like. Its a good razor but blades don't really shine in it.
In the tech the KAI is fantastic. I have not noticed any drop off since I have started with it. By this point I toss Feathers. I did a 3+ shave with Eaton College as my buffer. Great shave. I don't know if I said that already.
My only issue is when I went against the grain under my chin. No matter what blade I use it always draws some drops of blood, so I don't fault the blade. The only time it doesn't is if I use a cart. Does anyone know why that is? Are cart blades more rigid?
Overall, high marks for this blade (see what I did there?). I try to get at least 6 shaves from a blade so more to come.
Last night I threw this blade into my gold tech instead of my Merkur. I figured it was about time to see what the puppy could do. The Merkur doesn't give me the control over the blade I would like. Its a good razor but blades don't really shine in it.
In the tech the KAI is fantastic. I have not noticed any drop off since I have started with it. By this point I toss Feathers. I did a 3+ shave with Eaton College as my buffer. Great shave. I don't know if I said that already.
My only issue is when I went against the grain under my chin. No matter what blade I use it always draws some drops of blood, so I don't fault the blade. The only time it doesn't is if I use a cart. Does anyone know why that is? Are cart blades more rigid?
Overall, high marks for this blade (see what I did there?). I try to get at least 6 shaves from a blade so more to come.
Razor: Karve SS CB SB-B
Blade: Kai (3)
Brush: RR 400 matte black
Bowl: Timeless
Soap: Arko
A/S: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue
Post: Nivea Sensitive Cool Balm
The Karve SB-B plate is hands down my favorite, and the Kai blade upped the blade feel substantially in it. This was not a favorable outcome for me. I had a good shave but it wasn’t my normal great feeling shaves I get with this razor. I’m going to try it with the A plate next, probably both the OC and SB in the next few shaves. Even with the extra blade feel today though the blade was still very smooth, although not as sharp as the first two shaves with it. Have a great day y’all!
Blade: Kai (3)
Brush: RR 400 matte black
Bowl: Timeless
Soap: Arko
A/S: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue
Post: Nivea Sensitive Cool Balm
The Karve SB-B plate is hands down my favorite, and the Kai blade upped the blade feel substantially in it. This was not a favorable outcome for me. I had a good shave but it wasn’t my normal great feeling shaves I get with this razor. I’m going to try it with the A plate next, probably both the OC and SB in the next few shaves. Even with the extra blade feel today though the blade was still very smooth, although not as sharp as the first two shaves with it. Have a great day y’all!
I love reading people's review that aren't all praise. It brings balance to the force.
Shave #2
Karve CB, plate B SB
Arko
My first shave as reported earlier in the thread, was with plate C. Today I used plate B. The shave was very comfortable and almost effortless. Quite a change from plate C with this blade. I have as close to BBS as I can possibly get with my skin and almost no irritation. My wife reports almost no redness on the neck. I will follow up tomorrow with a growth report. I find with some milder razors, the shave feels like my closest, but the growth comes in faster. This will be interesting to see if the shave is as close as it seems right now.
I also find it very interesting that Jmp63 Had almost the exact shave today. The only differences are that his razor is SS instead of brass, and the blade is on its third shave instead of its second. My opinion is that these differences are inconsequential. But here's what is interesting: Jmp63's favorite plate in the Karve is B. Mine is C. Jmp63 found the B plate a bit too blade forward for his liking with the Kai, as I found the C plate a bit too much. Given that, I predict Jmp63 is going to enjoy his shave with the A plate as much as I enjoyed my shave today with the B plate. I will be watching for his next report!
My next shave will be with the A plate, also. However, I doubt if we are going to have our shaves coincide on the same day. I go five days between shaves since my retirement. I will make sure this stays consistent through the testing phase of these blades. My shaves change significantly with different amount of days growth, so the only way for me to accurately evaluate a blade is to always have the same amount of days between shaves. This I have learned over the years.;
Karve CB, plate B SB
Arko
My first shave as reported earlier in the thread, was with plate C. Today I used plate B. The shave was very comfortable and almost effortless. Quite a change from plate C with this blade. I have as close to BBS as I can possibly get with my skin and almost no irritation. My wife reports almost no redness on the neck. I will follow up tomorrow with a growth report. I find with some milder razors, the shave feels like my closest, but the growth comes in faster. This will be interesting to see if the shave is as close as it seems right now.
I also find it very interesting that Jmp63 Had almost the exact shave today. The only differences are that his razor is SS instead of brass, and the blade is on its third shave instead of its second. My opinion is that these differences are inconsequential. But here's what is interesting: Jmp63's favorite plate in the Karve is B. Mine is C. Jmp63 found the B plate a bit too blade forward for his liking with the Kai, as I found the C plate a bit too much. Given that, I predict Jmp63 is going to enjoy his shave with the A plate as much as I enjoyed my shave today with the B plate. I will be watching for his next report!
My next shave will be with the A plate, also. However, I doubt if we are going to have our shaves coincide on the same day. I go five days between shaves since my retirement. I will make sure this stays consistent through the testing phase of these blades. My shaves change significantly with different amount of days growth, so the only way for me to accurately evaluate a blade is to always have the same amount of days between shaves. This I have learned over the years.;
Kai blade 1
Shave 1:
Tabac
worn out old boar brush but it still works
King C Gillette razor. I enjoy using this razor. Fairly mild and does the job.
The first two stokes and I was thinking there was a lot of blade feel. But then it settled down and I head a nice, safe 3 pass DFS + shave.
Shave 2:
Proraso blue cream
Omega 005 boar
QShave adjustable on 2.
I maybe should have increased this to level 3. The shave was just DFS. But another uneven 3 pass shave.
so far I like this blade
Shave 1:
Tabac
worn out old boar brush but it still works
King C Gillette razor. I enjoy using this razor. Fairly mild and does the job.
The first two stokes and I was thinking there was a lot of blade feel. But then it settled down and I head a nice, safe 3 pass DFS + shave.
Shave 2:
Proraso blue cream
Omega 005 boar
QShave adjustable on 2.
I maybe should have increased this to level 3. The shave was just DFS. But another uneven 3 pass shave.
so far I like this blade
Razor: Merkur clone on wcs 78bl handle
Blade: Kai blade 1 (2)
Brush: TGN black badger
Soap: CRSW Limenthol
Aftershave: Mostly cryogen with a little kaizen mixed in.
The blade felt a little smoother or sharper unlike feather where it's just slight decline from shave 1 imo. Was a really good shave felt smooth and effortless.
Blade: Kai blade 1 (2)
Brush: TGN black badger
Soap: CRSW Limenthol
Aftershave: Mostly cryogen with a little kaizen mixed in.
The blade felt a little smoother or sharper unlike feather where it's just slight decline from shave 1 imo. Was a really good shave felt smooth and effortless.
Shave No. 4
Razor: Game Changer 84 OC
Soap: Mama Bear Aged Spice
Brush: Rudy Vey 24mm Silver Tip Badger
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block
This shave overall was excellent but I felt a bit of stubble in the neck area. Also got a tiny weeper.
I'll stick with the Game Changer 84 OC for the next shave to try and tell if the blade is aging.
Razor: Game Changer 84 OC
Soap: Mama Bear Aged Spice
Brush: Rudy Vey 24mm Silver Tip Badger
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block
This shave overall was excellent but I felt a bit of stubble in the neck area. Also got a tiny weeper.
I'll stick with the Game Changer 84 OC for the next shave to try and tell if the blade is aging.
A stellar shave today using a once used Kai in my H & S 17-4 P076 SB. The blade is incredibly smooth & sharp!
2nd Kai shave-
Razor- stock muhle r41
Blade- Kai (first one second shave)
Pre shave- AOS sandalwood pre shave
Lather- AOS Oud shaving cream
Post shave routine- general acne wash, then blackhead scrub, then cold splash and alum block, cold rinsed off followed with AOS sandalwood after shave balm
over 8.5/10 shave DFS easily obtained. 3 passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) kind of rushed this shave so I’m lucky I came out alive!
To talk about the blade itself it felt still very sharp but kind of “smoother” to put into my own words it didn’t feel like I would slice my neck open or anything. Didn’t feel tuggy either. Undecided how I feel about this “drop” in performance. I think it will be evident over the next few shaves. If it smooths out a bit more and can stay there another few shaves after I’ll be very happy. As in get 6+ shaves from this blade without the sharpness drastically decreasing or it start tugging.
Edit* just broke my alum block oof... thank god for Amazon prime one day delivery
Razor- stock muhle r41
Blade- Kai (first one second shave)
Pre shave- AOS sandalwood pre shave
Lather- AOS Oud shaving cream
Post shave routine- general acne wash, then blackhead scrub, then cold splash and alum block, cold rinsed off followed with AOS sandalwood after shave balm
over 8.5/10 shave DFS easily obtained. 3 passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) kind of rushed this shave so I’m lucky I came out alive!
To talk about the blade itself it felt still very sharp but kind of “smoother” to put into my own words it didn’t feel like I would slice my neck open or anything. Didn’t feel tuggy either. Undecided how I feel about this “drop” in performance. I think it will be evident over the next few shaves. If it smooths out a bit more and can stay there another few shaves after I’ll be very happy. As in get 6+ shaves from this blade without the sharpness drastically decreasing or it start tugging.
Edit* just broke my alum block oof... thank god for Amazon prime one day delivery
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