Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades

[Grundi]

View attachment 1225576

After receiving the blades in the post yesterday. I put them in the KcG and tried the blade for the first time on video for my amateur YouTube channel and gave thanks on the video as well as my first impressions on the Kai DE blade. I also spoke a bit about Seki city and the culture of knives and other things about my times in Japan. Kai blades transported through time and space... interesting stuff...

I did not have any expectations of the DE blades. I found it to be middle of the road to be honest. Rougher than the Red Israelis, Astra greens, but smoother than Muhle and Merkur. I used the Palmolive lather for it's wide known qualities, inexpensive and wide availability and the KcG as it gives a near identical shave to a DE89, r89 etc. also this razor is widely and relatively cheaply available globally. Judgement on blade differences, to me, is nicely detectable on mild razors.

I must admit my skin still felt abraded by reviewing the Supply Co. SE razor yesterday which was unpleasant.

The Kai got to a DFS so much happier than yesterday. I will continue to use this blade and will change razors tomorrow and see how it goes.

Thank you so much for sending them to Australia, much appreciation for joining in this PIF.

Great video!! Very engaging and loved hearing about the festivals in Japan!! It must be quite an experience to be close to those huge drums and the roar of the crowd!! I did notice that even on your 3rd pass, you could hear the blade. (I'm going to try one of my remaining blades in my KCG razor, too!!)

 

[jesseix]

Not sure if this is bad form, but would anyone who received a pack of these be willing to sell me 1 or 2 blades, shipped in a regular envelope like it sounds like these went out?

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Just buy them on Amazon. Kai

 

[Tanuki]

Not sure if this is bad form, but would anyone who received a pack of these be willing to sell me 1 or 2 blades, shipped in a regular envelope like it sounds like these went out?

PM me, I'll mail you a couple of mine. I don't think that will set too bad a precedent. It might make me look like a piker, compared to the generous @Grundi and @AnimalCatcher !

 

[jesseix]

PM me, I'll mail you a couple of mine. I don't think that will set too bad a precedent. It might make me look like a piker, compared to the generous @Grundi and @AnimalCatcher !

Thank you my good man, I’ll ping you

 

[Demolition]

First shave with the Mysterious Kai blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Maggard 18mm Timberwolf, Travel-Size
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

An excellent performance from all aspects of today's shave.

The Maggard 18mm Timberwolf is tiny, but lathers like a champ. A few swirls of RR SMdF produced enough rich, slick lather for my usual three passes.

Meanwhile, I switched to a new Kai blade in the FOCS. This blade's first use felt smoother and had less obvious blade-feel than the first use of the previous blade; the older blade left my skin feeling sensitive on almost every use.

All three passes were smooth and comfortable. The ATG pass was particularly effortless. Before I knew it, the shave was over. It's nice to have one of those "autopilot" shaves where you don't have to constantly think about what you're doing! With the previous blade, I often caught myself wondering if (when) it was going to tug or snag.

Finally, there was no post-shave irritation, so no ASB was required.

 

[Weean]

Mysterious Kai edge 2 shave 4. Rapira Tech; Haslinger seaweed (tallow) soap; YaQi Giotto 24mm synth.

Another great shave, although I'm running out of ways to say "this is an excellent blade that rewards careful use". I'm going to duck out of this thread for a bit to finish off the London Bridge I had already loaded when these plopped onto the mat, and I'll return with blade two in a while.

 

[JohnPS]

Great video!! Very engaging and loved hearing about the festivals in Japan!! It must be quite an experience to be close to those huge drums and the roar of the crowd!! I did notice that even on your 3rd pass, you could hear the blade. (I'm going to try one of my remaining blades in my KCG razor, too!!)

Thank you, I am glad you liked my video!!! You've made me pleased that I can return the kindness of the gesture... my video is "temiyage" for the kindness shown. Yokatta!

Yes the festivals are those most memorable life experiences and immersion into Japanese culture and tradition. It's one of those experiences where you have to be there... the whole build up during the daytime... the energy... the organisation... the people... the teams everywhere... the floats... the pulse of the place... everyone can feel the energy. Hard to describe really... (and there are many different kinds in each area)

The floats have armies of people under them... all pushing each of them. I was right at there at the front... awesome position.... At the beginning the drums beat in unison... the "battle cry" is RAW, honest, emotive and HUGE! The response, the beating of the drums... hits your whole body suddenly... honestly it's a rush I've never experienced before and different from sky diving and other thrills. I've climbed trek in the andes, climbed mountain peaks... but!!!! Matsuri should be on everyone's bucket list!

Yes my new phone take much better videos and sound... 24 hours of growth and I think the camera picked up the stubble well for the 2nd pass when I showed the razor with the lather and cut stubble. I am learning how to take better videos too... this channel is my first time being in front of a camera. It's almost 10pm and the shave has lasted reasonably well, with my growth it's evident by evening if something shaved well or not by feeling my regrowth.

I would love to hear your experience of the KcG with the Kai???

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #2 Shave #6
Got a fair shave today but needed a lot of touch up passes. Will go with blade #3 in my Futur razor.
Todays razor was the FOCS with PdP soap.

 

[JAHE]

SOTD (051/2021)
20-02-2021

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

Preshave: frigid tap water.
Brush: Semogue 830
Soap: Razorock ~ Dead Sea
Razor: Razorock Gamechanger 0.84 OC
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword China (20)
Postshave: frigid tap water, Razorock Dead Sea AS

Shave #20.

Another great shave today, smooth and close (almost bbs), very similar to yesterday's shave. The loss of the blade's sharpness isn't debatable anymore, however, the blade still gets the job done in a very nice way, there is neither tugging nor uncomfortable roughness... there still is no reason to quit this challenge.

Enjoy your weekend, Gents !


JAHE - still in!

 

[fast shaver]

SOTD (051/2021)
20-02-2021

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

View attachment 1225714
Preshave: frigid tap water.
Brush: Semogue 830
Soap: Razorock ~ Dead Sea
Razor: Razorock Gamechanger 0.84 OC
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword China (20)
Postshave: frigid tap water, Razorock Dead Sea AS

Shave #20.

Another great shave today, smooth and close (almost bbs), very similar to yesterday's shave. The loss of the blade's sharpness isn't debatable anymore, however, the blade still gets the job done in a very nice way, there is neither tugging nor uncomfortable roughness... there still is no reason to quit this challenge.

Enjoy your weekend, Gents !


JAHE - still in!

This thread is about Kai razor blades VERSTEHEN..!

 

[Ted A]

14th shave on the first blade. I only did two passes with it in the Rockwell 6C, plate 3. Low energy and in a rush. But it’s still a DFS with no drama at all. These blades are impressin me.

 

[Ron R]

DE SOTD, Sat, Feb 20th 2021

Razor: Gillette SS flare tip reg- MFG 1956 B2 4th qtr, mild razor, well built for a TTO, works well with a Kai blade IMO.
Blade: Kai SS (7) Sharp & smooth, great longevity, extra wide.
Soap: Haslinger Schifamilch, mild scent with excellent lather qualities.
Brush: Yaqi lucky dice 26 mm Tuxedo knot, Excellent lather generator, cloud like soft tips, has some back bone, excellent 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: Razorock American barber with witch hazel + a dollop of Nivea balm.
Results: CCS,DFS,BBS, + no irritation + no weepers = Excellent shave with my Gillette flare tip with a Kai SS blade.

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

 

[Grundi]

Thank you, I am glad you liked my video!!! You've made me pleased that I can return the kindness of the gesture... my video is "temiyage" for the kindness shown. Yokatta!

Yes the festivals are those most memorable life experiences and immersion into Japanese culture and tradition. It's one of those experiences where you have to be there... the whole build up during the daytime... the energy... the organisation... the people... the teams everywhere... the floats... the pulse of the place... everyone can feel the energy. Hard to describe really... (and there are many different kinds in each area)

The floats have armies of people under them... all pushing each of them. I was right at there at the front... awesome position.... At the beginning the drums beat in unison... the "battle cry" is RAW, honest, emotive and HUGE! The response, the beating of the drums... hits your whole body suddenly... honestly it's a rush I've never experienced before and different from sky diving and other thrills. I've climbed trek in the andes, climbed mountain peaks... but!!!! Matsuri should be on everyone's bucket list!

Yes my new phone take much better videos and sound... 24 hours of growth and I think the camera picked up the stubble well for the 2nd pass when I showed the razor with the lather and cut stubble. I am learning how to take better videos too... this channel is my first time being in front of a camera. It's almost 10pm and the shave has lasted reasonably well, with my growth it's evident by evening if something shaved well or not by feeling my regrowth.

I would love to hear your experience of the KcG with the Kai???

The KcG is the next razor that I'll try the Mysterious KAI Blade#3 in!! So far, I've tried it in the Merkur 20C (very mild razor) and the Gillette Slim (varying between 4 - 6); both combinations performed very nicely.

I dropped a Racer Super Stainless into my Merkur 20C for in-participation comparison, and, although it's a decent, mid-tier blade, I do like the KAI Blade much better.

Reflecting on your video review and the comments of others, there appears to be a progression/acclimation period. On first use, the blade is different than blades we've been shaving with, slightly aggressive, a bit harsher, and will accentuate any pre-existing sensitivity. But on subsequent uses, the blade begins to stand on its own and can be appreciated better. For me, the very first use left my skin feeling a bit irritated but with a reasonably close shave. I'm still getting very good shaves, but my skin isn't feeling as "scraped". Going back to a regular, mid-tier blade helped reinforce this difference.

PS. Tokyo and Seoul has been on my bucket list (but I haven't travelled internationally outside of North America; maybe one day). I will add Matsuri and Seki City to my list!! Maybe even snag a boutique-forged, mysterious meteor dagger!!

PPS Yokatta!!

 

[JAHE]

This thread is about Kai razor blades VERSTEHEN..!

Yes indeed, it is. This post was foreseen for the SOTD thread, my bad. That's what can happen unintendedly if a big thumb meets a small mobile screen...

PS: Next time you might try "Verstanden?"

 

[Tanuki]

Razor: Gillette SS flare tip

Blind spot! I never gave a thought to loading a Kai in a Gillette TTO or adjustable TTO. I sent my 40s SS to the knackers, I don't really want to go into all the settings on my Slim, but flare tip TV special? Here I come.

 

[Ron R]

Blind spot! I never gave a thought to loading a Kai in a Gillette TTO or adjustable TTO. I sent my 40s SS to the knackers, I don't really want to go into all the settings on my Slim, but flare tip TV special? Here I come.

When I was collecting razors back a few years ago you come across razors that seemed to mild for my self. When I install a Kai SS blade it knocks it up a notch and gives myself a great shave and that is worth it to me to put a nice razor back into service and getting used a little more. A lot of my Gillette's are on the mild side with the Super Speeds in particular and now they are just as good as some of my stainless steel 3 pc razors. Tab reveal is still there but I can deal with that no problem(if I remember ).
Shaving is really a learning curve and when self taught you stick with gear that works and technique that will reward a person with great shaves when diligent. Kai SS DE blades are better than shims IMO & are sharp & smooth with good longevity.
Have some great shaves!

 

[JWK1]

Blade #1, Shave #5

Karve with C plate
Arko

I was self scheduled to use a B plate today, but after the last shave I decided to just finish out the testing on this blade with the C plate for all remaining shaves. I reasoned that I know now what the B and A plates will do, and it will add nothing to actually testing the blade. The C plate seems optimal for now, so I'm sticking with that.

The shave was yesterday and was quite a puzzler. The shave before was one of the best shaves I've ever had; smooth and very close. Not so yesterday. The entire shave was tuggy and rough feeling. My neck was very irritated. I was actually surprised to not see any tiny blood dots from weepers on my towel after the final rinse. I was being very careful through the whole shave, especially the touch ups at the end. However, I knew this was just one of those bad shaves I get from time to time for unexplained reasons. There is no way a blade could go down hill that fast; from a fantastic shave to the very next being horrible.

But here is where it gets weird. My wife tells me an hour later that my neck looks great; hardly any redness. One of my least irritated looking shaves. I notice through the day that the shave feels like close, very close, and there is no raw skin feeling I get from bad shaves. By night time I realize the shave is as close, and perhaps closer than the shave before. Today I am certain of that. I ended up with a fantastic shave, as close to BBS as I ever can get. My skin feels great. Not a hint of irritation or rawness.

I have never had this happen before. I have no explanation, suggested or otherwise. Mysterious Kai blades indeed.

I am more curious than ever to see where this blade is going.

 

[Tanuki]

Kai 1, shave 4

@Ron R snapped me out of a daze, so I finally shaved with my wild caught Gillette Superspeed Flair Tip TV Special.
It's a 1958 D1. If there were Kai blades back then, Gillette should have put some in the blade loader for those of us that find Superspeeds too mild.

.
The Kai is still going strong. It gave the flair tip enough oomph to take two day stubble to DFS+ with ease. I still don't like the TTO head for edge detailing, so I put a loose Feather into my Lupo DC and detailed with the OC side. Perfect!
Accompanied by:
Col Conk Lime for prep lather/wash
Tabac for shave lather

 

[B_R_A_D]

2nd shave with Mysterious Kai blade #1

Razor: Timeless .95 Titanium SB / Smooth Top Cap
Blade: Kai Stainless Steel (2)
Brush: Grizzly Bay “Neptune Hurricane” 26mm Silk Smoke
Lather: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Doppelgänger Black (Sauvage) CK-6
Aftershave: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Doppelgänger Black (Sauvage) Aftershave / Cologne
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Doppelgänger Black (Sauvage) Star Jelly Aftershave
Bowl: Timeless Lather Bowl
Additional Care: Omega Alum Stick

I had mentioned that the first shave with the Kai was great, BBS, and only issue was some tugging on the ATG pass on the chin and goatee area. I was thinking / hoping the blade would feel sharper after the first shave like other blades but was unsure as this blade allegedly doesn’t have a coating.

Well my second shave on two days growth was super close and smooth, BBS again. Unfortunately the blade didn’t feel sharper, it was tugging worse then the first shave. It actually tugged on the WTG pass on the chin and goatee, which has only ever happened to me with a Derby Extra. It tugged on the XTG pass on the chin, goatee and lip, I contemplated calling it there but decided to truck on and since there was almost no hair left, I thought it should be alright on the ATG. Well it tugged pretty bad on the chin, goatee and lip, it actually felt like I was tweezing the hairs rather then cutting them.

Although my shave was BBS, I got a few weepers on my lip and chin as well as irritation on my lip, chin and neck. I have never had irritation on my lip or chin before, my wife also commented on the irritation after my shave.

Normally, when I test blades, I’d try three shaves at least since I had one good and one bad so although this last shave feels like I should toss it, I’ll try one more with it. I’m undecided if I’ll regret that decision or not, we’ll see in a couple days.