Sharpest Blades

[Lane101]

Feather, there is electron microscopy analysis posted here that show that Feathers have the narrowest blade tip angle versus other analyzed blades. The downside is that this makes them more susceptible to the microchipping from beard hairs that wears blades down with the result that many B&Bers only realize one or two shaves from a Feather blade.

I've also seen Nacet blades mentioned here as being sharp though possibly not as sharp as those from Feather.

 

[Eben Stone]

Here's one of the analysis threads as mentioned by @Lane101 if you want to geek out on the numbers:

Post in thread 'Blade bevel angle' Blade bevel angle - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/blade-bevel-angle.642750/post-12383564

 

[Freddie]

I suspect you'll receive a large range of answers to this. As @Lane101 said, objectively speaking, Feather is definitely the sharpest blade. In terms of the best combo of sharpness/smoothness I find both Gillette Nacet and Wizamet SIs fit the bill best. As always, YMMV.

 

[Jay21]

I’ve never used a Feather, but for me, the sharpest are in order:

1) Nacet
2) Silver Blue
3) Treet 7 Days Platinum
4) Personna Blue USA
5) Shark Platinum
6) Dorco Prime

 

[DEgeezer]

Feathers may be the sharpest, but not the smoothest. And I can only get 3 or at the most 4 shaves before they lose their edge.
Nacets seem nearly as sharp, and definitely smoother. In my opinion Nacets are followed closely by GSBs.

 

[bubo_strix]

In my experience:
Feather
Bic Chrome Platinum
Wizamet
Nacet
Permasharp

 

[JimL911]

First shave with a Feather is rough. 2nd is not bad. 3rd is a bloodbath.

 

[Mike M]

Sharp does not necessarily equal smooth, there are many sharp blades and many smooth blades, but not many sharp blades that are also smooth.

1) Feathers are sharp but do not last long, I have never managed to get more than 6 shaves from one and are rough on the first shave and on the last few.
2) BIC Chrome Platinum are just as sharp as feathers but after the first couple of rough shaves it smoothes out and gives plenty of great smooth shaves. I have got up to 37 shaves from one.
3) KAI are as sharp as feathers and although not quite as long lasting as BICs though they give less rough shaves. They are a little wider than most blades giving more blade feel. I have made into the low 30s with them.
4) KCG are not quite as sharp as the others but smooth from the get go. I have managed 38 shaves with one.
5) Personna Med-Prep a sharp, comfortable, long lasting blade

My preference is for a smooth shave and that often depends on the razor too. The smoothest razor I own is the Muhle R89 that could give a smooth shave even loaded with rusty nails. For the sake of comfort some of the blades I prefer are not as sharp.

Personna Platinum
Astra SS
Gillette Platinum

My Lupo 95 SB seems to get along best with the Shark SS and has difficulty with many good blades, and I do not consider them to be sharp at all

 

[Lockback]

Feathers are universally regarded to be the sharpest. I had two tucks, gave one away, and still have one I haven't dug into yet. So I can't speak from experience about Feathers but there are a lot of reports that they're not terribly smooth. And I treasure smoothness over sharpness. Granted, I don't have the world's heaviest beard although it does grow pretty fast. But the blades I find that work best for me are Gillette Perma-Sharps, Gillette Nacets, Gillette 7 O'Clocks SharpEdges and P&G Astra SPs. All are sufficiently sharp but also (usually) quite smooth, depending upon which razor they're in.
I also like Shark Super Stainless and several other blades that few would consider to be the sharpest but they still deliver excellent shaves in the right razor.

 

[Barbarian80]

In my experience:
Feather
Bic Chrome Platinum
Wizamet
Nacet
Permasharp

If I had to recommend 5 blades these are the ones. There may be cheaper blades that work but these ones give me the best and closest shaves.

 

[Miketorrge]

Feather, there is electron microscopy analysis posted here that show that Feathers have the narrowest blade tip angle versus other analyzed blades. The downside is that this makes them more susceptible to the microchipping from beard hairs that wears blades down with the result that many B&Bers only realize one or two shaves from a Feather blade.

I've also seen Nacet blades mentioned here as being sharp though possibly not as sharp as those from Feather.

Nacets are very good. Wanted to see if there were any others I was missing.

 

[Miketorrge]

Sharp does not necessarily equal smooth, there are many sharp blades and many smooth blades, but not many sharp blades that are also smooth.

1) Feathers are sharp but do not last long, I have never managed to get more than 6 shaves from one and are rough on the first shave and on the last few.
2) BIC Chrome Platinum are just as sharp as feathers but after the first couple of rough shaves it smoothes out and gives plenty of great smooth shaves. I have got up to 37 shaves from one.
3) KAI are as sharp as feathers and although not quite as long lasting as BICs though they give less rough shaves. They are a little wider than most blades giving more blade feel. I have made into the low 30s with them.
4) KCG are not quite as sharp as the others but smooth from the get go. I have managed 38 shaves with one.
5) Personna Med-Prep a sharp, comfortable, long lasting blade

My preference is for a smooth shave and that often depends on the razor too. The smoothest razor I own is the Muhle R89 that could give a smooth shave even loaded with rusty nails. For the sake of comfort some of the blades I prefer are not as sharp.

Personna Platinum
Astra SS
Gillette Platinum

My Lupo 95 SB seems to get along best with the Shark SS and has difficulty with many good blades, and I do not consider them to be sharp at all

Those are some amazing totals for your shaves!

 

[SharpieB]

Feather, KAI and BIC would be my top 3 for the sharpest blades.

 

[OldSaw]

Feather.

 

[BobbyB]

Of all the blades I have used so far, my Bic Chrome Platinum blades are the sharpest and most durable so far. When I use up my current inventory in early 2025, I may give the Nacet blades a try.

 

[BigJ]

There are many variables in play here. For example, by sharpest do you mean on shave 1 or over the life of blade? Similar considerations are relevant with the smoothest and most comfortable categories.

For me, Feathers are the sharpest on shave 1, but they are done by shave 4. In contrast, Kai are as almost as sharp on shave one, then they last for 7-10 (sometimes more) shaves. Personna labs (or med preps) take a shave or two to hit their stride, then they provide at least 10 comfortable shaves. Wizamet SI (or Polsilver) are other sharp blades that are good for at least 7-10 shaves.

GSB and Personna reds (Israeli) are smooth and comfortable out of the wrapper.

Hope you find these comments useful!

 

[Lane101]

Feathers are universally regarded to be the sharpest. I had two tucks, gave one away, and still have one I haven't dug into yet. So I can't speak from experience about Feathers but there are a lot of reports that they're not terribly smooth. And I treasure smoothness over sharpness. Granted, I don't have the world's heaviest beard although it does grow pretty fast. But the blades I find that work best for me are Gillette Perma-Sharps, Gillette Nacets, Gillette 7 O'Clocks SharpEdges and P&G Astra SPs. All are sufficiently sharp but also (usually) quite smooth, depending upon which razor they're in.
I also like Shark Super Stainless and several other blades that few would consider to be the sharpest but they still deliver excellent shaves in the right razor.

With your excellent fact based research there is no need for direct experience to have a valid view on Feather blades. The same goes for any other of the shaving tools or products we use. In reality there if far too much variety available to us (a good thing) to be able to personally try everything.

Funny, I also have a tuck of Feathers that are yet to be used. It was purchased in the fall of '22 as part of 10 tuck "Popular" variety pack to kick one of my Connaught Shaving orders above the free shipping minimum. The pack also includes tucks of now possibly unobtainium made in Russia Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette Platinum blades. The pack also includes yellow Gillette 7'oclock, Treet Platinum, Persona Platinum, Tiger Superior and Super Shave X blades (also a puck each of Derby Extra and Astra SP that I already use). 70 quality blades landed for under $10 U.S. back then. I also have yet to use the KCG blades that came with my razor.

At some point when I'm less focused my soaps and new razor I'll need to bring some of these out and see if they deliver similar quality shaves to the Dorco, Astra SP and Derby blades I currently use. They haven't been a priority as, unlike my soaps and creams, so far I've experienced no difference in shave quality among my three brands of blades other than in the area of blade longevity.

 

[KW Driver]

It really depends on the hone progression and skill with them. Most all of my straights take superb edges if I do my part

 

[euro]

Feathers are the sharpest, I have no idea why some people mention the sharpness of the Nacet when we talk about the Feathers because Nacet isn't in the same league as the Feather. I would put the Nacet in the same ballpark as the PermaSharp and the Wizamet Super Iridium. IMHO they are very similar and they're very good blades. I find the Wizamet to be more smooth than the PermaSharp. IMHO the Feather can be very aggressive but sharp doesn't always mean better. Example, I have been shaving with the Fatip OC v2 and the Feather blades for a very long period. I used to shave every 3-4 days but then I wanted to try out daily shaving. It didn't work with the Fatip and feather, it was way too aggressive on my short stubbles. I tried it with a Wizamet blade and poof, no issues at all. I can shave daily with this razor and blade if I wanted.

But what works for me might not work for you, YMMV. You really should buy a couple blade sampler packs that's the only way to find out the perfect blade.

I would recommend the following:

Astra SP's; they are super mild and forgiving. The new Indian Astra SP's are the same blades as the Russian ones, I tried both of them out.
PermaSharps: they're like the Astra SP's but on steroids, they're sharper but in a good way. They last longer on my face (usually 5-8 shaves).
Wizamet Super Iridium: Super smooth blades, they're like the PermaSharps but smoother.
Nacets: IMHO, they're pretty much similar to the PermaSharps and the Wizamets. They are good but I didn't buy them in bulk because I already have a couple 100s of PermaSharps, Astra SP's and the Wizamet razors.
Fatip blades: these blades are very underrated they're one of the smoothests blade I ever tried, they last for 13+ shaves on my face.
Feathers: they are sharp but all blades are sharp, if you use it in a mild razor then it's hard to but yourself. This was the first blade I tried in my new Fatip CC razor and it was super mild, IMHO a great start to try out this blade if you never used it. On my Fatip OC it's much more aggressive and easier to cut myself. This blade lasts for more than 24 shaves on my face, but I usually toss my blades away after 3-4 shaves. I read somewhere on the internet that one dude got more than 100 shaves out of one Feather lol thats insane, try that when you already have 800 Feather blades.

 

[awk_m4]

Feather are my favourite. For me I find they are smoother in my milder razors.