Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades

[Weean]

Mysterious Kai edge 1 shave 3. Wilkinson Sword Classic (plastic) razor, Cold River Select Citrus soap, homemade boar brush.

After an extra thorough rinse there's no sign of any burr or similar on this edge. I did get a couple of weepers today (yesterday, actually, I'm a bit late with this), though I'm putting that down to a system error - for some reason when I'm using my (one) boar brush I can't get any cushion with this soap. It's fine with all the rest.

One thing I'm noticing with these blades is that my stubble seems less sharp/spiky than usual. I don't know if the blades are somehow cutting the hairs squarer than normal. I can't think of a mechanism that could explain that.

 

[geneaut]

Shave 2 ( blade 2 )

Feather Popular
Kai Stainless
Omega 49
RR Blue Label soap

I kept the Kai in the Popular and just did a one pass shave. Got a nice and comfy shave though not exactly super close. I love the combo of silly mild razor and sharp blade. I don't think it would be my daily driver but it's great for casual shaving.

Now I have to decide if I want to retry the Kai in a different razor?

 

[Dean13]

4th use of the Kai blade. Used it in my gillette old type. Smooth close BBS shave. Tomorrow I’ll try it in my Parker 96r. Haven’t noticed any significant drop off in performance yet. Hoping to get a 3-4 more great shaves with this blade. Then I’ll move on to my wizamet super iridium blade that just came in the mail today

 

[xiletero]

Kai 2 shave 5
I decided to brake it in half
Leaf Razor
TOBS sandalwood
Chubby2
Witch medicated
Proraso Red AS
Nivea antiox

3 pass shave, no cuts, close shave some irritation.

I could use one half some other day in a RR razor? will debate that as I do not like that one.

Headshave was w Polsylver 3; using a RR Lupo OC. It was as good as Kai and as irritating to me.... Vinkngs Sword is my new love affair with respect to blades... (so far).

 

[JAHE]

Unfortunately, the blades haven't arrived in Germany as yet. This was to be expected in these times.

Am I the last one waiting for blades to be delivered?

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I switched to my usual blade after five shaves with the Kai and was immediately struck by how much thicker and more rigid my usual blade seemed; I have previously measured my regular blades at 0.1mm thick. I have read threads on B&B and elsewhere that suggest that the opposite is true and that the Kai blade is thicker and more rigid than most blades but that has not been my, admittedly unscientific, observation of these Kai blades. Perhaps someone who has some callipers can confirm the thickness of the Kai blade.

 

[Weean]

Mysterious Kai edge 1 shave 4. Wilkinson Sword Classic (plastic), Stirling Frankincence and Myrrh, Frank Shaving 20mm best badger.

As I've gotten used to this blade, I've rotated from an extreme cap ride to a more neutral stance, and can begin to notice the enhanced blade feel. I'm glad I'm an every-other-day shaver based on today's shave, but it's still acceptably smooth, and there was no post-shave irritation. The edge doesn't feel like it's running out of steam just yet either.

 

[Ron R]

I switched to my usual blade after five shaves with the Kai and was immediately struck by how much thicker and more rigid my usual blade seemed; I have previously measured my regular blades at 0.1mm thick. I have read threads on B&B and elsewhere that suggest that the opposite is true and that the Kai blade is thicker and more rigid than most blades but that has not been my, admittedly unscientific, observation of these Kai blades. Perhaps someone who has some callipers can confirm the thickness of the Kai blade.

Thickness might not be much different but their heat treatment could make it a little more rigid possibly.
There is a table below that leaves measurements, I did measure thickness once with my calipers and it was not unusually thick. Width with my calipers confirmed what is on the charts(.009" thousands of a inch thicker) than a Gillette Astra SP or Gillette 7oClock .

Comprehensive Double-Edge (DE) Razor Blade Data Table

...

www.badgerandblade.com

Have some great shaves!

 

[xiletero]

I switched to my usual blade after five shaves with the Kai and was immediately struck by how much thicker and more rigid my usual blade seemed; I have previously measured my regular blades at 0.1mm thick. I have read threads on B&B and elsewhere that suggest that the opposite is true and that the Kai blade is thicker and more rigid than most blades but that has not been my, admittedly unscientific, observation of these Kai blades. Perhaps someone who has some callipers can confirm the thickness of the Kai blade.

What's your usual blade?

 

[BigJ]

Mysterious, legendary KAI blade 2: Shave #2

Wolfman WR1/WRH 2 handle
Simpsons tulip 3 super badger
Haslinger’s aloe vera soap
Fine platinum splash
Rating: 9.5/10 (another excellent shave!)

This is getting monotonous!! One fine shave after another (and I could get accustomed to this)!!

 

[Grundi]

Unfortunately, the blades haven't arrived in Germany as yet. This was to be expected in these times.

Am I the last one waiting for blades to be delivered?

No, you're not the last; I have several who have not reported receiving their blades yet. No one from Asia or Canada has reported in yet, and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of recipients from CONUS.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

What's your usual blade?

Usually an Astra SS, Lord Platinum, or Feather. Like I say, I have not measured the Kai thickness properly, the Kai just seemed thinner when loading and when I punched the ends to modify the blade. I may have imagined it.

 

[TheBigL]

Had my fifth and final Kai #1 shave. Used with Old Spice cream and still with the Slim on 5.

Hadn't shaved all weekend. The blade did great on my cheeks and upper lip but below the jaw was terrible. I had to go back and touch up. I definitely have a lot of trouble around my Adams apple but this wasn't even that low.

Now to decide what razor to use for blade #2.

 

[JAHE]

No, you're not the last; I have several who have not reported receiving their blades yet. No one from Asia or Canada has reported in yet, and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of recipients from CONUS.

I see. I'm confident they will be delivered soon...

 

[JackJ]

Shave #8 on Kai #1 today. Parker A1R travel razor just because I'm trying this one blade in all of my ~24 de razors. The blade is doing fine--I blame this razor for the bit of irritation I experienced on my 2+ passes today. It's among the least smooth shaver I've got. End result was near BBS, but certainly with more irritation than normal. I expect tomorrow's shave with the Muhle R89 will be much more satisfactory comfort wise. We'll see.

 

[BGO37]

Shave 5
Blade 1
Razor 40's SS

This blade was too much for this razor. My prep was my normal routine of shower, oil, cream. It wasn't a bad shave by any means. I could feel that I took off too much skin on my chin but that's it. Nicks were non existent.

Really I would do this combo again, it will just take time to learn this blade with this razor.

As far as shave quality. This blade is still going strong. I could not tell any noticeable drop in performance. Did 2+ shave with good results. Tomorrow will be shave 6 which is my usual goal with blades. I may push this blade a bit farther just to see what kind of life it has.
8.8/10

 

[woodwzrd]

Blade 1 Shaves 1 and 2

Shave 1
Pre shave: hot shower and Neutrogena face wash
Razor: Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Kai (2)
Brush: 24mm Fine Shaving Synthetic
Soap: PAA Doppelganger Gray Label
Balm: PAA Star Jelly - Doppelganger Gray Label
AS: PAA Doppelganger Gray Label

Went for the sharp blade in a mild razor approach. for the most part, even though it was not as comfortable as I hoped, it was a good shave. On my cheeks it was great. On my neck, for the first pass (WTG) it was pretty good but the second pass (ATG/XTG) was a little tuggy where my hair growth pattern changes direction and gets a little funky. There was a significant amount of bight from my alum block when I was done and a little irritation that followed. 3/5

Shave 2
Pre shave: hot shower and Neutrogena face wash
Razor: '74 Black Handle Super Speed
Blade: Kai (2)
Brush: 26mm Black and White Synthetic
Soap: PAA Doppelganger Gray Label
AS: PAA Doppelganger Gray Label

After the slight disappointment of shave 1 I decided to switch razors. I reached for by Black Handle Super Speed in hopes that the blade smoothed out a little and the Super Speed would be more comfortable. My hopes materialized. This shave was much smoother. Still a little tugging in the funky growth pattern change area but nothing like shave 1. it was comfortable enough that I didn't use my alum block or the Star Jelly this time and there was no irritation when I sprayed on the AS. I will give it one more go in the Super Speed then maybe switch to a more aggressive open comb. 3.5/5

 

[HarleyDChevrolet]

Today was my 3rd shave on the 1st blade. I used the same setup as before, changing only the blade gap on the Rex, going from 3.75 to 4. Still no tugging, harshness, burn or any other undue misery other than a nick caused by poor razor handling. Again the result was BBS! I am usually an every other day shaver but with the Mysterious Kai, I have been shaving every 3rd day as there is no notable stubble for 18-24 hours. I now believe these are in fact, forged out of meteor metal BUT, still forged by Samurai swordsmiths sequestered in the depths of Hashima Island. The experiment continues and will eventually include my 6S and Gillette adjustables.

 

[Cleanface]

Sorry for the delay. Shaves 5 and 6 on successive days noted below.

Shave No. 5
Razor: Game Changer 84 OC
Soap: Long Rifle Rendezvous
Brush: Yaqi 24 mm Silver Tip Red Resin Handle
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block

The Kai/Game Changer Combo Shined today. So the last shave was a fluke. BBS, no irritation. Great Bkade.

Shave No 6
Razor: Karve CB Brass D Plate OC
Soap: Arko Stick
Brush: Stirling 26 mm Best Badger
Captain's Choice Copper Bowl
Alum Block

Could be the best shave of the lot. Perhaps the weight of the Karve contributed to the ease of shaving with this blade. I'm retiring blade number 1 and going into my usual rotation but I'll be back to review number 2 shortly.

 

[Fred D]

Blade - 2 Shave - #1

Razor: Fatip Grande
Blade: Kai 1
Soap: Cella Bio
Brush: Semogue 2000 boar
AS: Clubman Reserve - Whiskey Woods

I decided to try a fresh Kai blade in my Fatip Grande after six great shaves with the Game.Changer .68
This shave was definitely not as comfortable with the Kai blade in the Fatip as it was in the Game Changer, but I was still able to get a BBS shave without any nicks or irritation. I shall see how the next shave goes in the Fatip, but I suspect it will be as enjoyable as the first razor was.
I do love other blades in my Fatip razors, and if I remember correctly I don't think I enjoyed Feather blades in it either, but Gillette Silver Blue and a few others work very well in it. I may have to just use the Kai in other razors, but we shall see after some more experiments.