Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades

[BigJ]

Mysterious, legendary KAI blade 2: Shave #6

Wolfman WR1/WRH 2 handle
Simpsons classic 2 best badger
Vito’s red
Pinaud clubman splash

10/10!! Simply an excellent shave!

 

[freebird0064]

Third shave, three days growth. Changed the razor to a Maggards slant this time. Still got an amazing shave .

 

[Njguy1977]

1st week used 1 blade so far in a Gillette Goodwill. Getting consistent 2 pass BBS shaves everyday, I have never gotten this close of a shave with an open comb razor using top notch blades. I do have to admit, at first you to feel a bit of the blade but you get accustomed to it quickly. Also this blade seems to still remain sharp and ready for more shaves, might put it in a New Short Comb next and see what the results are next week. I do have to admit the crinkle sound the blade makes when you tighten it down in the Goodwill kinda makes you wonder if your splitting the blade in half or opening the door to release the kraken.

Larry

 

[TheBigL]

Shave #3 with blade #2.

Still in the Merkur, used Arko soap, face lathered. Finished with Allman Refined balm.

One side of the blade felt really harsh. The other side was ok, so I finished the shave on the one side and tossed the blade after.

The results were ok, not great. I must really take it out on blades, since everyone else seems to get more mileage.

 

[Grundi]

Mysterious KAI Blade#2 (4 & 5)

TL;DR - Excellent consistency, great shaves, showcases lather attributes

Equipment: Gillette Slim (on 4) with MEM Olive (shave#4), MEM Original (shave#5)

Results Shave#4: DFS+, MEM Olive is amazing once you get it dialed in, and pairs well with the KAI blade. Smooth shave, no irritation, and very little cleanup.

Results Shave#5: Still getting DFS+, but MEM Original has less residual slip than Olive, so I felt more blade and slight irritation when going back over the challenging spots (sides of my neck and corners of my mouth). I'm thinking that these blades really confirm or expose soaps and creams.

Blade#2 Observations: with Blade#2, I feel that I'm passed the initial trepidation and know what to expect when shaving with these Mysterious KAI Blades. Blade#2 is also proving that Blade#1 was no fluke; keeps giving excellent and consistent shaves.

 

[Demolition]

Third shave with the Mysterous Kai blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Omega 10005 Boar
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label

Today's lather was a bit thin, but still exhibited excellent slickness. As a result, the FOCS/Kai pairing was able to glide effortlessly over my skin. Like the previous two shaves, the WTG and ATG passes were smooth and comfortable. The XTG pass was also trouble-free with no signs of the minor tugging that I experienced earlier.

Perhaps most importantly, the extreme blade-feel has abated. Afterwards, there was no sensitivity or post-shave irritation, so I didn't have to bother with ASB.

Now, the question is longevity and, by extension, value for money. Since these blades are kind of pricey, it would be nice to get a decent number of uses before having to bin them!

 

[BigJ]

Mysterious, legendary KAI blade 2: Shave #7

Wolfman WR1/WRH 2 handle
Rudy Vey/EverReady 2-band badger
Haslinger’s aloe vera
Fine platinum splash

9/10 which is excellent on day 7 for me!

Tomorrow I will switch to a Personna lab to ‘bookend‘ these Kai blades between a GSB and lab, two of my ’top-tier’ options. The question is whether the Kai’s belong in the top-tier, or are they just a hair below?

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #1 Shave #6
Got a close shave this A.M. The Kai is slowing down though. Extra touch up passes were needed for a close shave. The extra passes are smooth though. I used my FOCS Razor & Sheep soap. No nicks or irritation noted.

 

[Ron R]

DE SOTD, Sat, Feb 13th 2021

Razor: Gillette British rocket- Mfg 1950,s, mild range, smooth & well built razor. Great razor with a Kai SS extra wide blade.
Blade: Kai SS (5) excellent blade, Sharp & Smooth with great longevity + wider than a standard Gillette blade.
Soap: Colonel Conk Bayrum- mild bayrum scent(version 1) with great lather qualities.
Brush: Yaqi Chianti's 24mm synthetic- excellent lather generator, heavenly cloud like tips, nice gentle scub + great lather painter.
Pre shave: Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser + a dollop of clear Aloe Vera gel on the cleaned beard area.
Prep: Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave: Witch hazel + Ogallala Bayrum & Sandal wood with clove + a dollop of Nivea balm.
Results: 9.5/10 or CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + 1 weeper= excellent shave with my Gillette British rocket + a Kai SS blade.

Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!

 

[JackJ]

Unfortunately, my first Kai blade met a premature end this morning after its 13th shave. It performed well in the cheap Weishi tto I used for today’s 2 passes. After use I opened the razor’s doors to help dry the blade, and then a few minutes later accidentally knocked the whole thing to the ground. The razor looks fine, but the blade flew out and in examining it with a loupe I can see that one of the edges is damaged.

13 shaves off a blade isn’t exceptional for me, but the Kai was going strong and I’m disappointed because I was hoping to go to at least 28 shaves—one for every day of February.

Overall I’m impressed with the Kais. Is there any confirmation whether or not they have a ptfe or similar coating? I ask because, unlike with most blades, I didn’t detect a change in feel after the first shave or two, something that’s often attributed to a coating wearing off.

Looking forward to trying blade number two, but since I acquired a RHawk last week, I’ll be spending time with that for the next week or so.

Thanks again for this very generous PIF!

 

[Grundi]

Mysterious KAI Blade#2 (6)

TL;DR - Got brave, turned up the Slim, excellent shave, some irritation

Equipment: Gillette Slim (on 5) with MEM Olive

Results: Turned up the Slim a notch and definitely felt more blade. The MEM Olive has great slip and protection and I was feeling a bit brave. (I prefer milder shavers). Shave #6 felt more like Shave #2. Nice and close, smooth, but I walked away with a little more irritation than the past couple of shaves.

 

[Balthier]

Razor: FOCS
Blade: Kai blade 2 shave #1
Brush: TGN black badger
Soap: Murphy & McNeil Ouroboros
Aftershave: Cryogen + Kaizen mix

Really good shave was an easy DFS.

 

[Slanterino]

Still not here. I hope it reaches me next week because I'm really stoked to try this blade. It will be the highest end blade I've ever laid my hands on so I really hope it delivers.

 

[BGO37]

Overall I’m impressed with the Kais. Is there any confirmation whether or not they have a ptfe or similar coating? I ask because, unlike with most blades, I didn’t detect a change in feel after the first shave or two, something that’s often attributed to a coating wearing off.

There is no coating on these blades

 

[JackJ]

There is no coating on these blades

And that makes me wonder: Since these Kais perform so well, why are most other blades coated? I’ve thought it may be to protect against micro corrosion of the fine edge between the time of manufacture and first use (when the coating is worn off). If so, is the Kai steel more corrosion resistant than other makers’ stainless? Maybe that also explains their relatively high price?

 

[Demolition]

Fourth shave with the Mysterious Kai blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua 24mm Tuxedo
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

An excellent performance from the FOCS/Kai duo, today. My usual three-pass shave was smooth and comfortable. The ATG pass, in particular, was effortless. The extreme blade-feel and sensitivity that I experienced during my first two shaves have completely disappeared. As a result, no ASB was required.

The blade seems to be in the sweet spot at the moment. We'll see if it can perform consistently over the next few shaves.

 

[freebird0064]

Shave # 4.
Today a decided to see if the razor made much of a difference. I loaded the blade into a pre - war , no name German made travel razor.
Let it be said that this razor does preform well , but not quite as well as the Gillette Ambassador or the Maggards slant.
However, even though I did kind of rush this morning, ( have to get on the road) . The results were just as good as the first three shaves.

 

[Weean]

Mysterious Kai edge 2 shave 1. Rapira Tech, Art of Shaving Lavender, Frank Shaving 20mm best badger.

Back to the AoS Lavender as a baseline soap. I have learnt (after trying to buy a spare for this razor) that there are at least two different versions of the Rapira Tech - the super scary one that everyone warns you about, and this one which is a lttle more assertive than a Gillette Tech, but nothing to worry about.

Giving due care and attention, as this blade/razor combo warrants, this was not a quick shave. There was a hint of tugginess at the chin which slowed thing down even more. I thought I saw a tiny weeper at the end of the first pass, but it had disappeared by the second, so either I imagined it or it really was teeny.

Final result was a very nice shave, although there is a hint of irritation that was missing when using the Wilkinson Sword razor. Still nothing to put me off, though, and I look forward to shave #2 on the edge.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #1 Shave #7
I decided to shave daily for awhile to speed up the Kai testing. I made it to shave #7 but, like @Grundi the Kai is pretty worn out. I will bin the blade & go to a new blade for tomorrows shave. The shave today was acceptable but not close. I used the FOCS Razor & PdP soap.

 

[JAHE]

SOTD (044/2021)
14-02-2021

>> "One blade in February"- challenge <<

Preshave: frigid tap water.
Brush: Omega 10108 Boar
Soap: Taylor of Old Bond Street ~ Royal Forest
Razor: Razorock SLOC
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword China (14)
Postshave: frigid tap water, Fine Platinum AS.

Shave #14. Half of the way of this year's challenge now is completed
The chinese made Gillette Wilkinson Sword is still standing strong. It's an excellent blade, sharp but smooth - I am quite impressed.

Have a nice & sunny Sunday, gents!