Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades

[JohnPS]

1st Blade - 4th Shave

Razor - Gillette Heritage Safety Razor
Soap - Catie's Bubbles - Royal Garden
Blade - Kai (4th Shave)
Post - Tea Tree Witch Hazel
Balm - HA Serum + Prorasso Green Tea and Oats

Today I had 48 hours of growth and did my youtube review of Catie's Bubbles - Royal Garden Soap. I found the soap made a big difference in the shave, although this soap is good. My first impression of Captain's Choice Bay Rum soap the day before yesterday really was markedly superior in terms of overall performance, especially in terms of cushion. This soap is slick and is very nice, very pleasant scent but it's also a very faint scent, even though it's a good soap I did miss the cushion of the captain's choice from the day before yesterday.

The 3rd shave was the best by far and the 4th shave was rougher and much like the 2nd shave again. During the shave I continued to speak about Japan, Samurai and about cutting and introduced my thoughts to some of the variable... including speed and stroke length relative to how a razor blade acts relative to its edge. As a blade become rougher, grabbier then I tend to shorten the stroke length and speed, choking up on the razor... I explained why this instinctive behaviour and increase in pressure on the razor became apparent in the 4th shave, including the friction on the edge. The blade is still cutting though the new soap for the review certainly had an impact on the impression of roughness. Soap really does matter. I had a little blood... Though still had a lasting nice shave.

 

[Demolition]

Sixth shave with the Mysterious Kai blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua 24mm Tuxedo
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label

My usual three passes were extremely quick and effortless. The shave was practically over before I knew it! As before, the ATG and XTG passes were very smooth and trouble-free.

So far, the FOCS/Kai combination has been superb. Ever since changing the blade, I've had six nearly-perfect shaves; a welcome departure from the inconsistency of the first blade. As usual, there was no post-shave irritation or sensitivity, so no ASB was required.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #3 Shave #5
Another nice close shave this A.M. The Kai is slowing down though. No nicks or irritation noted.

Merkur Futur & Stirling Sheep soap were used.

 

[Chard52142]

Fri 26th SOTD Blade#1 Shave#4 - Noticeable slight reduction in general performance.
Soap The Goodfellas Smile Abysso
Brush Yaqi 24mm Silvertip
Razor Yaqi DLC
Blade KAI 4th (Mysterious KAI Blades PIF Participation)
Post & Aftershaves Ice Water + Thayers + Hyaluronic + TGS Abysso
Good soap. Nice scent and strength. Quality and performance are very satisfactory too...
Shave with razor paired with the blade is still good but noticeably reduced smoothness and efficiency. Still, it was comfortable in 3passes for a mostly bbs to dfs result with 1 micro creeper.

 

[Tanuki]

Kai 1 / use 7

I'm still getting very, very close shaves from the Kai.

Lather is ready, razor is rinsed and warm. Better put the blade in!

>Gillette Cavalier New Improved - likes a shallow angle with the Kai
>CBL Tonsorial Roasted Oatmeal Stout soap - aromatherapy
>Semogue 1470 boar

Warm, comfortable, comforting, and very, very close.

 

[Demolition]

Seventh shave with the Mysterious Kai blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Classic 20mm Angel Hair
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

All aspects of today's shave were excellent!

The Fine Classic made a fantastic lather with only a few swirls of RR Santa Maria del Fiore and my usual three passes with the FOCS/Kai duo were sublime. Very smooth and comfortable; completely effortless. As usual, there was no post-shave irritation.

This Kai blade has been superb, so far. There has been no recurrence of the extreme blade-feel, tugging, or roughness of the previous Kai blade. Now, I have no doubt that the previous blade was defective in some way, perhaps due to the nature of its packaging (i.e. loose in the wrapper, not glued down).

 

[xiletero]

Fatip 3 on 3rd use
RR GC OC 084
Fitjar
Trafalgar T2
alum
Rosewater tonic
Proraso Red AS
Trader Joes hyaluronic serum
Aquavelva 5in1

2 pass shave. Close shave, no issues besides: a LOT of burning w AS......lot of it.....I sometimes ge tome....but this was too much. This blade has been sitting for 15d.....cleaned and loaded.

Close shave, moderate irritation.

Will try the gold Fatip Slant, if it comes w either this blade or a new one.....

 

[Slanterino]

I'm going to do an evening shave later with my gillette black beauty or slim and vicco cream with the same blade on a day of growth.

I hope it's not like the first time with my 37c.

 

[Njguy1977]

Blade #2

46 Aristocrat - amazing shave, comfortable, noticeable blade feel, smooth
Fatboy setting #4 - close shave, really noticeable blade feel, some weepers, not as smooth as the Aristocrat or OC razors.

Right now the Goodwill, SC New, and Aristocrat worked the best with this blade.

Larry

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #3 Shave #6
The Kai blade gave me a close shave this A.M. but its slowing down more. Three passes plus 4 touch up areas that the blade missed. Going to use blade #4 for tomorrows shave.

Merkur Futur Razor & Arko soap used.

 

[Slanterino]

Holy crap, I got an effortless BBS with a Gillette Slim adjustable on 6.

Shave #2

Razor: Gillette Slim adjustable on 6. Maybe I could have done 7 but past experience tells me I'm pushing my luck.
Brush: Omega boar because I use nothing else.
Cream: Vicco turmeric

What a difference a change in razor made. It's like a match made in heaven with old slimmy.

Compared to my Merkur 37C, which was an absolute disaster, the slim made short work of my 1 day growth and gave me an effortless BBS.

With this Kai blade, old slimmy just banzai charged it's way through my hair like it's iwo jima. I'm not kidding.

The cut was effortless and smooth. No tugging or pulling, whatsoever. Just sliced right through like a katana. I could even go ATG on my moustache area easily and smoothly.

At the end of it all, I had no nicks or discomfort unlike the previous time. The aftershave tingled a little but that's normal. With the 37C, it burned like a flamethrower. Only issue was a slight redness on my neck which I blame on myself for going aggressive there. Bear in mind, I haven't used slimmy in ages so I must have forgotten what it was like.

And my face is not burning now. So YAY! Kai and the 37C made my face burned for a long time after. Sad!

So I'm real happy with this combo. Before I started, I could feel a strong sense of dread using Kai again because I got flashbacks. Luckily I didn't retreat from the fight.

Next one up should be my black beauty.

 

[TheBigL]

After taking a little break from the Kai, I've had 2 shaves on Kai #3 in a Krona.

I had trouble getting it even in the razor, especially since sometimes I loosen the razor head to rinse - depending on the shaving lubricant of choice.

The blade feels really sharp, but harsh to me. I can either get a close shave with irritation or just an ok shave that doesn't tear my face up. I haven't been able to really enjoy this blade yet.

 

[woodwzrd]

Blade 1 Shave 8

Pre Shave: Hot shower and Neutrogena face wash
Razor: WCS Toothsome head
Blade: Kai
Brush: Maggard Synthetic
Soap: Stirling Executive Man
AS Balm: Nivea
AS: Stirling Executive Man
Beard Oil: Stirling Executive Man
EDT: Stirling Executive Man

Full on Stirling Executive Man morning. I attacked a three day stubble with a little hesitation since this is the 8th shave with this blade but to my delight it sliced right through. Nice smooth three pass shave with no nicks, weepers, or irritation. Afterwards I hit my face with my alum block and there was no out of the ordinary bite. I continue to be impressed by this blade.

 

[Njguy1977]

I’ve noticed a noticeable difference between the fat boy and the slim. Most blades that work well in a fat boy don’t cut as well with a slim and those that work horrible in the fat boy cut smooth and close in the slim. Must be the difference in the head geometry between the two. I will move into the slim next week with blade #2 and the onto the black beauty to finish up my reviews.

I’ll be honest, the trial of these blades has been fun. If the opertunty comes again with another brand of blade, count me in!

Larry

 

[B_R_A_D]

Shave #1 with Mysterious Kai blade #2

Razor: Timeless .95 Titanium OC / Scalloped Top Cap & .95 Titanium SB / Smooth Top Cap
Blade: Kai Stainless Steel (1)
Brush: Chisel and Hound “Buffalo Valley” 26mm V9 Fanchurian
Lather: Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre
Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre Aftershave Splash
Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre Aftershave Balm
Additional Care: Timeless Lather Bowl
Omega Alum Stick

So just to follow up with my last shave with blade #1. Shave #1 was fantastic but shave #2 was horrible, the blade tugged horribly and was actually painful. I had contemplated trying it again to see if it got better like the shave before. Well, there was no blood other then a few weepers when I finished the shave but the next day I actually had a couple scabs on my chin, goatee and lip where it appeared like hairs were pulled out, taking some skin with it. I decided it wasn’t worth it to try that blade again so tossed it after 2 shaves. I also let my face heal for a few days.

Today I tried a fresh blade. I decided to use the .95 OC for the WTG and XTG passes to mow down the hair so there would be almost nothing left for the ATG and hopefully not having any tugging or very minimal in the problem area. Well the first 2 passes with the OC were great, no issues at all and mowed down 6 days growth like it was a days growth. The ATG was better, had some tugging on the chin, goatee and lip but it wasn’t painful and I just had to take my time.

Todays result was completely different then the last shave and similar to the first shave with the last blade. It was BBS with no cuts, weepers, irritation, redness or bumps and almost no feedback with the alum. My wife even commented that it looked like one of my best shaves I’ve had. I’m really curious to see which way the next shave goes.

 

[Chard52142]

Sat 27th SOTD Blade#1 Shave#5 & the last (will be ditched)
Cream Ach Brito Lavender 1st Use
Brush Yaqi 24mm Green Mink
Razor Gillette Slim N4
Blade KAI 5th (Mysterious KAI Blades PIF Participation)
Post & Aftershaves Ice Water + Thayers + Hyaluronic + Proraso Green Splash
Nice cream. Very creamy and slick with a light lavender scent.
Shave with razor paired with the blade for 3passes at setting 9-9-7 was reasonably comfortable but it was obvious the blade is not as good anymore. Managed dfs result without any blood which I am satisfied with. The blade will be ditched. Excellent aftershaves.

 

[Demolition]

Eighth shave with the Mysterious Kai blade #2

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia 24mm Fan-shaped Tuxedo
Soap: Vitos Classic Eucalyptus and Lanolin

Another smooth, trouble-free performance from the FOS/Kai pairing.

Aided by a very slick lather, my usual three passes were effortless. There was slightly increased blade-feel over yesterday's shave, but nothing compared to what I constantly felt with the first Kai blade. A lovely shave, all around!

As mentioned before, I think that my first Kai blade may have been defective. Its wildly inconsistent performances from shave to shave are completely unlike the steady, effortless shaves that I've received from the current blade. When this blade finally packs it in, I'll be curious to see how consistent the next blade will be.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #4 Shave #1
The Kai shave this A.M. was close & smooth as usual. It seems I will never get more than 7 shaves from the Kai blade though.
No nicks or irritation noted.

Weapons used: Merkur Futur Razor & VDH soap.

 

[Grundi]

I’ll be honest, the trial of these blades has been fun. If the opertunty comes again with another brand of blade, count me in!

They have been excellent and a wonderful distraction for all that's going on around us!! We've been doing 3 - 4 a year and hopefully can continue doing these (both Participation and Challenge PIFs).

 

[Grundi]

It seems I will never get more than 7 shaves from the Kai blade though.

Let's face it, Bro, yours and my beards are brutal on any blade!!