The battle of the sharpest: Feather vs Bic Chrome Platinum.

[28Notch]

Good afternoon gentlemen,

This is to share our experiences with what are considered to be the two sharpest blades out there, namely Feather Hi Stainless and Bic Chrome Platinum.
I've used both blades, mostly in mild razors (Gillette Tech, KGC, Slim Adj. on milder settings <6).
These are my findings:
On the first shave, Feathers are amazingly sharp. No other blade has given me this "wow" effect. I believe their reputation is largely due to this very high sharpness during the first shave. Put a fresh blade in a relatively mild razor and you can hardly feel you are shaving. Just amazing.
In comparison, the first shave with a Bic CP is good, but not exceptional. The blade feels sharp and reasonably smooth, not unlike any other good quality blade.
On the second shave, however, the things change. Feathers still feel quite sharp and crisp, but the "wow" effect isn't quite there anymore. I get a nice clean shave, with what feels as a good sharp blade. It is similar to what I get with the Bic on the first shave. In comparison, the Bic CP on the second shave is almost scary sharp, definitely sharper than Feather at this point. Not the smoothest perhaps, but in a mild razor, it is a pleasure to use.
On the third shave, Feathers start to feel a bit dull to me. Still no tugging, but the initial sharpness is long gone by now. Bic CP, in contrast, is still very sharp and reasonably smooth. No problem.
On the fourth shave. Well I only tried Feather once for a fourth shave. Not a good experience. The blade is plain dull, like Derby or SuperMax dull. To me Fathers are good for maximum of three shaves, that's it. With the Bics I could get a pretty OK fourth shave. The blade still feels sharp, but somewhat rougher than before. If I only go for two-pass (WTG XTG) shave there is absolutely no problem. An ATG pass may give me some mild irritation.

So, these are my thoughts. Given the price difference between these blades, I see no point of buying Feathers anymore. At 4-5 times the price, they give me two perfect shaves (three with some compromises), while Bic CPs give me at least three perfect ones.

That's exactly my experience with other razors, but reaching the same conclusions that you have.

 

[ShaverAZ]

Same experience here. I expected the über-spendy Feathers to not only be sharp, but to have better longevity. 3 Shaves max and aready getting a little tuggy, they were a big disappointment. The BiC Platinums are more reasonably priced and, for me at least, have a longer useful smooth shave life.

 

[Cheksa]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I was wondering. I see a lot of arguments in favor of the Bic put the financial aspect forward.

Where I live, 100 Bic blades are roughly the same price as 100 Feathers.

Would you still consider it's a tight game?

A lot of people mentioned the Bic last longer, but from my very limited personal experience I shave between 3 and 4 times with both. Then there seem to be a QC issue with Bic.

So again, I understand it's a very legitimate question to consider Bic over Feather when they cost a fifth of the price. But, is it still worth a consideration when they're priced similarly in your opinion?

On a side note, Nacet is also around the same price here in Singapore.

 

[nav]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I was wondering. I see a lot of arguments in favor of the Bic put the financial aspect forward.

Where I live, 100 Bic blades are roughly the same price as 100 Feathers.

Would you still consider it's a tight game?

A lot of people mentioned the Bic last longer, but from my very limited personal experience I shave between 3 and 4 times with both. Then there seem to be a QC issue with Bic.

So again, I understand it's a very legitimate question to consider Bic over Feather when they cost a fifth of the price. But, is it still worth a consideration when they're priced similarly in your opinion?

On a side note, Nacet is also around the same price here in Singapore.

For me, I'd choose BIC over feather even if pricing was reversed.

The BIC gives me just as close a shave, lasts longer and is less harsh on my skin than the feather.

Re: nacet
I rate it much lower than feather, BIC and Wizamet. Not quite sharp enough for my preference.

 

[know1special]

I hold both pretty dear, honestly.

The Feather is the blade that basically taught me how to Shave™.

After years of using duller, smoother blades and making only incremental progress in technique I decided to load up a Feather and see what happened. First go was not pretty. Nor was the second or third. But I stuck with it, making changes here and there to angle, pressure, direction, etc. After a few weeks there was a kind of cumulative effect and my skill and confidence had both been transformed.

Stuck with the Feather for quite a while but then one day randomly tried a Bic CP from a blade sample pack and never really looked back. Immediately found that it was easily the Feather's equal in efficiency and had greater longevity to boot. Not to mention cheaper. And no wax.

That was years and years ago. The Bic has been my daily driver ever since. I usually toss them after 4-6 shaves but have taken a couple past 40, just for giggles.

I'm well aware of the mixed opinions regarding the Bic but I have to say I've used hundreds of these things now and never had a single issue. From a Baili BD171 all the way up to an R41 they've been nothing but solid, reliable performers for me.

Still keep a few Feathers around, though. Don't want to forget where I came from.

 

[Cheksa]

Thank you both for the input! I'm currently rotating between Feathers, Voskhod, and Bic. Trying not to add another brand to the mix for now. I enjoy Bic and Feather more than Voskhod, but I can't really figure out which one I prefer between these two. I'm afraid most of my opinion is skewed by my limited technique.

I'll keep trying and hopefully will find an answer at some point