When should you try the sharpest blade, the FEATHER?

[axledobe]

You're fine to try them. You might find you love them. I've never even drawn blood with a Feather blade. I like them but don't love them as I find other blades much smoother and less irritating. If your thread title was Gillette Silver Blue related, I would say wait. To me, GSBs are sharper than Feathers and you are more likely to burn yourself up. GSBs are fantastic blades but they are also the ones I respect most. Also note, for me, Feathers don't last very long. I use them two and out. YMMV

 

[parachutefactory]

I tossed my 2 day old ASTRA sp and put in a new feather......
Lo and behold, holy smokes. This blade is so friggin smooth.

I didn't know what smooth really meant when people on forum said "xxx is so smooth and sharp" now I know what that means.
I don't know if my beard is really that course, but with derby's and astra's that I've tried so far, I had to keep doing short strokes to clear a problem area.

With feather, it is so effortless and it glides over my most sensitive neck area with significantly lesser effort than I did with other dull(er) blade.

I didn't want to push it to the limit so I stopped after I thought I achieved a pretty good shave, but I think I found myself my FAVORITE blade even before my polsilvers and voskhods came in.

Oh jesus, why do I have to fall in love with one of the more expensive blades.

Anyways, Thanks for the encouragement guys. I wouldn't have popped open that sampler 5 pack of feather until I have tried all the mid-tier blades because that seemed to be the rite of passage for a lot of people searching for their favorite blade.





Thumbs up!

 

[parachutefactory]

oh my wife touched my face and she said it has never been this smooth! we are both impressed

 

[Eeyore]

When you order them in bulk from Asian sellers, they are not that expensive.

 

[gigmaster]

I use Feathers in my safety razor all the time. I got my first Feathers by a strange quirk of fate. I have shaved with a straight Dovo razor for 35 years. I occasionally used an old Gillette SuperSpeed, but the blades that were available were garbage, so it stayed on the shelf for decades. A few years ago, I migrated to using a Parker Shavette (which I absolutely love) that came with 300 Derby blades. Up until a few weeks ago, it gave me the closest shaves ever.

I saw a Feather razor on Ebay, new in the package, with a few Feather blades, all for a mere $10.00. The razor was black ABS and chrome, which I thought looked very elegant, so I thought I'd give it a try. I really didn't expect much for $10.00, but I really liked the way it looked. When it arrived, I was expecting a light, cheaply-made plastic toy with some cheap razors. Boy, was I ever wrong!

The razor had plenty of weight to it, looked exquisite and striking, and the ABS was not cheap plastic, but felt more like the stock on my old M-16, solid and reliable. The head was nice and wide, and the trap-door mechanism did not feel cheap, but very solid...way better than my SuperSpeed. The blades were wrapped airtight and loaded easily. It was a perfect fit with no wiggle at all from the blade. My first shave with it put me in shock. It was so smooth, it didn't even feel like it had a blade in it. If I couldn't hear it cutting the hairs (yes, it is so sharp you will hear the hairs being cut), I would've thought it wasn't doing anything. When I finished shaving, my skin felt like it was glowing, and smooth as a beach ball, everywhere, even my Adam's Apple ( a real problem area for me). When I rubbed my neck, I think it actually squeaked.

I pretty much use Feathers exclusively now, in both the Feather razor and my Parker shavette. I get around 4-6 saves from a blade, but I am very picky. You can probably get 8-10 decent shaves with each blade, depending on your beard. Mine is like barbed wire.

I like Derbys, too, but Feathers are superior to anything I have ever used....even better than my Dovo, or Genco straight razors.

As far as newbies, I don't think the Feathers present any extra hazards from that of other high-quality blades. Like knives, I think you are in more danger of being cut from a less-than-sharp blade than a sharp one. With a sharp blade, even if you do get cut, it won't hurt as bad.....

I would recommend Feathers to anyone, without reservation.

Knight of the Shavette, Order of Pinuad, 1st Class

 

[gigmaster]

Yeah, but Feathers still only cost around 3 bucks for 5 blades. What do those ugly, nasty cartridges, like Fusions, Mach IIIs, etc...cost theseadays? $20.00+ for 4 blades?

Just think of Feathers as the Cadillac of razor blades......you deserve it.

I tossed my 2 day old ASTRA sp and put in a new feather......
Lo and behold, holy smokes. This blade is so friggin smooth.

I didn't know what smooth really meant when people on forum said "xxx is so smooth and sharp" now I know what that means.
I don't know if my beard is really that course, but with derby's and astra's that I've tried so far, I had to keep doing short strokes to clear a problem area.

With feather, it is so effortless and it glides over my most sensitive neck area with significantly lesser effort than I did with other dull(er) blade.

I didn't want to push it to the limit so I stopped after I thought I achieved a pretty good shave, but I think I found myself my FAVORITE blade even before my polsilvers and voskhods came in.

Oh jesus, why do I have to fall in love with one of the more expensive blades.

Anyways, Thanks for the encouragement guys. I wouldn't have popped open that sampler 5 pack of feather until I have tried all the mid-tier blades because that seemed to be the rite of passage for a lot of people searching for their favorite blade.





Thumbs up!

 

[parachutefactory]

I use Feathers in my safety razor all the time. I got my first Feathers by a strange quirk of fate. I have shaved with a straight Dovo razor for 35 years. I occasionally used an old Gillette SuperSpeed, but the blades that were available were garbage, so it stayed on the shelf for decades. A few years ago, I migrated to using a Parker Shavette (which I absolutely love) that came with 300 Derby blades. Up until a few weeks ago, it gave me the closest shaves ever.

I saw a Feather razor on Ebay, new in the package, with a few Feather blades, all for a mere $10.00. The razor was black ABS and chrome, which I thought looked very elegant, so I thought I'd give it a try. I really didn't expect much for $10.00, but I really liked the way it looked. When it arrived, I was expecting a light, cheaply-made plastic toy with some cheap razors. Boy, was I ever wrong!

The razor had plenty of weight to it, looked exquisite and striking, and the ABS was not cheap plastic, but felt more like the stock on my old M-16, solid and reliable. The head was nice and wide, and the trap-door mechanism did not feel cheap, but very solid...way better than my SuperSpeed. The blades were wrapped airtight and loaded easily. It was a perfect fit with no wiggle at all from the blade. My first shave with it put me in shock. It was so smooth, it didn't even feel like it had a blade in it. If I couldn't hear it cutting the hairs (yes, it is so sharp you will hear the hairs being cut), I would've thought it wasn't doing anything. When I finished shaving, my skin felt like it was glowing, and smooth as a beach ball, everywhere, even my Adam's Apple ( a real problem area for me). When I rubbed my neck, I think it actually squeaked.

I pretty much use Feathers exclusively now, in both the Feather razor and my Parker shavette. I get around 4-6 saves from a blade, but I am very picky. You can probably get 8-10 decent shaves with each blade, depending on your beard. Mine is like barbed wire.

I like Derbys, too, but Feathers are superior to anything I have ever used....even better than my Dovo, or Genco straight razors.

As far as newbies, I don't think the Feathers present any extra hazards from that of other high-quality blades. Like knives, I think you are in more danger of being cut from a less-than-sharp blade than a sharp one. With a sharp blade, even if you do get cut, it won't hurt as bad.....

I would recommend Feathers to anyone, without reservation.

Knight of the Shavette, Order of Pinuad, 1st Class

I felt the same way yesterday. It was a new world opening up to me.

By the way, do they still sell that on ebay? Tempted to get one for my dad and convert him to DE shaving.

 

[parachutefactory]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/251007913611?nav=SEARCH

Is it this one?

 

[FireDragon76]

Feather's are so sharp you won't even feel the damage till after the shave, if it is a bad shave. That's sort of why I don't like that type of blade.

It's fine to try a feather blade after a month, or even two weeks. It really just depends on what you want out of a shave.

 

[parachutefactory]

Feather's are so sharp you won't even feel the damage till after the shave, if it is a bad shave. That's sort of why I don't like that type of blade.

It's fine to try a feather blade after a month, or even two weeks. It really just depends on what you want out of a shave.

That's exactly why i initially planned on going through milder blades first before trying feathers, but there were so many enablers on this forum I had to pop a feather in only to fall in love with it...

 

[AndyW]

I only tried it again, a year later, after I had gone through a half-dozen other brands in my Merkur Slant. This time, it was like a match made in heaven. Since then, the Feather and Slant have been in a monogamous relationship. No other blades go in my Slant, and no other razor gets to use Feathers.

I started DE shaving with Feathers and had mixed results. After a while they seemed rough in my Merkur 38c, so I switched to Polsilvers. Wanting a more aggressive razor I ordered a 39 slant and used the Polsilvers with pretty good success. Just last week I decided to try the Feathers and was pleasantly surprised! It turned out to be a great combination for me too.

 

[rlsinaz]

I cannot tell any difference in quality of shave between blades. So if you want to spend more money and tell yourself it means something, go ahead. There is a big difference in RAZORS, but not in razor BLADES. 5%, tops.

Some last longer than others, but that is about it. The mild Feather AS-D2 will shave very close with a fresh blade of ANY brand. Get the angle right for a given razor. Pressure is not your friend, not even with a mild razors. Long or short strokes depends largely on the contours of your face. If in doubt, change to a fresh blade. Beyond that...there isn't much. Not to getting a good, close, irritation-free shave.

All the rest is done by some for their pleasure, which is fine.

 

[Sipahi]

I cannot tell any difference in quality of shave between blades. So if you want to spend more money and tell yourself it means something, go ahead. There is a big difference in RAZORS, but not in razor BLADES. 5%, tops.

Some last longer than others, but that is about it. The mild Feather AS-D2 will shave very close with a fresh blade of ANY brand. Get the angle right for a given razor. Pressure is not your friend, not even with a mild razors. Long or short strokes depends largely on the contours of your face. If in doubt, change to a fresh blade. Beyond that...there isn't much. Not to getting a good, close, irritation-free shave.

All the rest is done by some for their pleasure, which is fine.

If this is your experience then more power to you. A lot of people can tell clear differences between blades, which you'll see by just the tiniest bit of browsing on this and other sites.

Let's try not to be so quick to dismiss other's experiences based only on our own, shall we?

 

[Marquis_De_Wyld]

Order the feathers first, put them into your razor* and begin from day one, if it is adjustable... Dial it down sure, but it's just a blade. Yes, it's sharp... Yes it will cut you really well if your technique is off, so will a Derby...
used a feather a few days ago, made a right hash of the relaxing shave it should have been... Point is I learned from it.
The only difference in using a less forgiving blade, is you're going to learn quicker... Plus, you won't get the nasty shock of realising how poor your technique is by having a blade that will tell you clearly when you're doing it wrong after spending months of using well behaved polite blades.
wish that dawned on me when I got into this shaving jolly before I spent months using pretty polite (read:delicate) blades.


* some may say in my case, putting a feather into a shavette after spending 22 years of buggering around with yer Machs and the Iike would be the height of naive optimism....

 

[DK207]

I cannot tell any difference in quality of shave between blades. So if you want to spend more money and tell yourself it means something, go ahead. There is a big difference in RAZORS, but not in razor BLADES. 5%, tops.

Some last longer than others, but that is about it. The mild Feather AS-D2 will shave very close with a fresh blade of ANY brand. Get the angle right for a given razor. Pressure is not your friend, not even with a mild razors. Long or short strokes depends largely on the contours of your face. If in doubt, change to a fresh blade. Beyond that...there isn't much. Not to getting a good, close, irritation-free shave.

All the rest is done by some for their pleasure, which is fine.

Maybe you can't tell the difference between blades, but I definitely can. Thick hair growth and very sensitive skin. Feather and Personna med prep cut through with no problem, others I have tried were not nearly as smooth. My neck told me what the best blades were.

But I agree, razor absolutely makes a difference.

And as always, YMMV.

I have no problem with the cost of Feathers or other similar blades. Work great and still way cheaper than multiblade ***.

 

[rlsinaz]

If this is your experience then more power to you....Let's try not to be so quick to dismiss other's experiences based only on our own, shall we?

Let's not be so quick to dismiss clear thinking, too. I'd love to hear WHY someone thinks brand X turns their face into hamburger, while brand Y is silky smooth. I'd also love to see someone identify razors blade brands in a blind test.

Lots of folks have ALSO had the experience of thinking blades matter a lot, and then finding they stopped mattering when their basic technique improved.

I can explain why a given razor design might match my shaving style. I'd love to hear why some brand of razor blade matches a given style, preferably with more than anecdotal evidence from someone with a few months of DE shaving. Look at the things affecting razor aggressiveness, and then explain how it changes with a different brand of blade. YMMV, but it shouldn't vary THAT much.

 

[Blaidth]

Glad your experience with feathers was good. They were the third blade i tried and i love them too. I have a Merkur 38. My two favorite blades so far are red personnas and feathers. I can make a feather last 7 shaves. I have tried Kais which are also supposed to be sharp as feathers but had my worst shave. Not sure the difference but love the feathers. Now to try some more samples.

 

[Marquis_De_Wyld]

Let's not be so quick to dismiss clear thinking, too. I'd love to hear WHY someone thinks brand X turns their face into hamburger, while brand Y is silky smooth. I'd also love to see someone identify razors blade brands in a blind test.

Lots of folks have ALSO had the experience of thinking blades matter a lot, and then finding they stopped mattering when their basic technique improved.

I can explain why a given razor design might match my shaving style. I'd love to hear why some brand of razor blade matches a given style, preferably with more than anecdotal evidence from someone with a few months of DE shaving. Look at the things affecting razor aggressiveness, and then explain how it changes with a different brand of blade. YMMV, but it shouldn't vary THAT much.

So, in many aspects, you're looking for information based on evidence derived from testing.... What you're describing there is scientific method. I like your thinking. To this end, I am in the process of working on a system to amplify the power of a USB magnifying endoscope I have. I am trying to see if there is any physical difference between the finish of various blades. Currently getting very close up shots of end results. To ensure consistency, I will be only using a different blade... All other variables will be kept as identical as possible (razor used, pre shave & shave routine products same...so fourth).
I am actually quite glad than someone else seems to be considering this angle....

 

[Eeyore]

If this is your experience then more power to you. A lot of people can tell clear differences between blades, which you'll see by just the tiniest bit of browsing on this and other sites.

Let's try not to be so quick to dismiss other's experiences based only on our own, shall we?

Blades are the ultimate YMMV.

I agree with you; please let's stop telling others what differences they should, or should not, feel between blades, and what are, or are not, good blades.

 

[Eeyore]

I'd also love to see someone identify razors blade brands in a blind test.

I did exactly that, as you may well remember. Once by accident, and once on purpose.

It's in the B&B archives, not too long ago (weeks maybe?)