ouch said:
Kinda like having 4 best friends, but which one is the BEST?!
I prefer the Feathers in my Merkur Classic, not the long handle, but the short handled one. They also work great in Long Handle, HD and Satans Razor.
Wow!!!
- Thread starter JMT
- Start date
Kinda like having 4 best friends, but which one is the BEST?!
I prefer the Feathers in my Merkur Classic, not the long handle, but the short handled one. They also work great in Long Handle, HD and Satans Razor.
I have found that the sharper blades (in my case, Feathers and Swedes) do well in some of my razors but not others. So far, nothing can go wrong in my 1960 Fat Boy, but one of these in a Super Speed or Futur has been trouble. Ironically, I had better luck with Feathers in an HD than the Swedes. YMMV, of course. OH, and Derbys and Israelis work well no matter the razor it seems.
Dennis
Dennis
- Thread starter
- #23
I have so far only used the feather in my Merkur HD. I am going to try thenm out in each of my razors to see if they work better in one than the other. So far I have no complaints. I will make very sure to pay close attention to any signs of blade wear. Thanks for the warnings.
If they stop making Feather blades, I'll have to grow a beard!
After reading all the reviews on blades here on BB I purchased 100 Derby blades because they seemed best all around. The Derby blades had a very difficult time getting my whiskers cut and left my face very irritated because I need so many passes to get a decent shave. I have to tell you that I almost gave up on wet shaving until I tried a Feather blade. Cut through without tugging or pulling; I can get a good shave with 2 passes and BBS with 3. I use a Gillette FB dialed to 3.
My advice, is the same as some others have given here:TRY THEM!!!
BTW, anyone want 95 Derby blades real cheap!
After reading all the reviews on blades here on BB I purchased 100 Derby blades because they seemed best all around. The Derby blades had a very difficult time getting my whiskers cut and left my face very irritated because I need so many passes to get a decent shave. I have to tell you that I almost gave up on wet shaving until I tried a Feather blade. Cut through without tugging or pulling; I can get a good shave with 2 passes and BBS with 3. I use a Gillette FB dialed to 3.
My advice, is the same as some others have given here:TRY THEM!!!
BTW, anyone want 95 Derby blades real cheap!
That is why getting the sampler from Letterk is such a good idea. Allows you to give them all a shot at minimal cost before making a large order. Shouldn't be hard to get rid of those derbys though...as for the feathers, never drew any blood, just left my face a bit sore after using them multiple days...maybe I am using a bit too much pressure? They sure left me smooth though...and noticed they worked very well on my hard to get neck areas...I have a slant on order and if anything am thinking a feather in there would be great for the T&C of those tough areas...
- Thread starter
- #26
After using the feathers for a couple of weeks and using them in different razors I have come to the conclusion that with the feather blade the type of razor makes a big difference. I have found that I have one razor in particular where the feather does very well, a 1953 Super Speed. In other razors I get some irritation and occasional weepers or even cuts bad enough to need a styptic. The result with ths feathers is usually a very close shave but it is not always that comfortable.
With the derby blades that I have been using they always seem to provide a comfortable shave no matter which razor I am using. It might not be a super close BBS shave like with the fether but it is much more enjoyable. The only problem I have with the Derbies is that they do not seem to last very long. I usually get three really good shavs with a Derby and then on the fourth shave I notice some pulling and very slight irritation. Luckily they are dirt cheap and I can get away with only using them three times without too much guilt.
So, I will continue to use the feather blades on occasion, but probably only in certain razors. As it stands the derby will remain my go to blade and the blade I use on a daily basis.
With the derby blades that I have been using they always seem to provide a comfortable shave no matter which razor I am using. It might not be a super close BBS shave like with the fether but it is much more enjoyable. The only problem I have with the Derbies is that they do not seem to last very long. I usually get three really good shavs with a Derby and then on the fourth shave I notice some pulling and very slight irritation. Luckily they are dirt cheap and I can get away with only using them three times without too much guilt.
So, I will continue to use the feather blades on occasion, but probably only in certain razors. As it stands the derby will remain my go to blade and the blade I use on a daily basis.
I am a newbie to classic wet shaving, though I have "wet shaved" with commercial muti blade shavers and gels for years. To date I have tried Merkurs and Feathers.
It is my (limited, inexperienced) observation that the Merkurs offer a smooth, consistent shave and are more "goof proof" than the Feathers. In my experience with the Feathers, I notice a closer shave when I get it right, and more nicks when I get it wrong. I have not settled on a favorite yet. In shaving against the grain in tight areas, such as upper lip/moustache area and peak of the chin area, I find it quite difficult to avoid nicks with the Feathers, which means I back off a bit, and the net result is a less close shave than the Merkurs.
I also notice more irritation with the Feathers, which does not make sense to me. I would think that a sharper blade, used properly, would cut more cleanly, tug less, and therefore irritate less. Perhaps the Feather at the same setting (I am using an adjustable Merkur Vision) is just too damn sharp for my face?
It would seem to stand up to logic that a sharper blade would withstand fewer shaves, which would support the commentary that when a Feather goes south, it should be changed immediately. The sharper the edge (in general) the thinner, more fragile and less stable the edge will be, resulting in a breakdown of the edge in one area, while it holds in another, causing a tug from the area which is now dull, followed by a nick from the area which is still sharp.
I sharpen my own chef's knives using stones and oil, and though I can put almost a scalpel-quality edge on a knife, I do not do so. I have found that an edge of that level of sharpness becomes dull almost immediately, while a less sharp edge will last at least a month without resharpening or realignment ("steeling" the blade). I think this insight is related to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of blades of different sharpness levels.
I guess we need super slo-mo photography and macro lenses to see if observation confirms, but I think this is what is happening. Then again, I could be delusional and speaking from an endorphic high resulting from the newbie shaving experience. Man oh man do I enjoy the sound of the DE razor cutting the hair on my face!
Take all of the above with a grain of salt, since I am only beginning, and hope to offer updates.
Scruffyv
It is my (limited, inexperienced) observation that the Merkurs offer a smooth, consistent shave and are more "goof proof" than the Feathers. In my experience with the Feathers, I notice a closer shave when I get it right, and more nicks when I get it wrong. I have not settled on a favorite yet. In shaving against the grain in tight areas, such as upper lip/moustache area and peak of the chin area, I find it quite difficult to avoid nicks with the Feathers, which means I back off a bit, and the net result is a less close shave than the Merkurs.
I also notice more irritation with the Feathers, which does not make sense to me. I would think that a sharper blade, used properly, would cut more cleanly, tug less, and therefore irritate less. Perhaps the Feather at the same setting (I am using an adjustable Merkur Vision) is just too damn sharp for my face?
It would seem to stand up to logic that a sharper blade would withstand fewer shaves, which would support the commentary that when a Feather goes south, it should be changed immediately. The sharper the edge (in general) the thinner, more fragile and less stable the edge will be, resulting in a breakdown of the edge in one area, while it holds in another, causing a tug from the area which is now dull, followed by a nick from the area which is still sharp.
I sharpen my own chef's knives using stones and oil, and though I can put almost a scalpel-quality edge on a knife, I do not do so. I have found that an edge of that level of sharpness becomes dull almost immediately, while a less sharp edge will last at least a month without resharpening or realignment ("steeling" the blade). I think this insight is related to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of blades of different sharpness levels.
I guess we need super slo-mo photography and macro lenses to see if observation confirms, but I think this is what is happening. Then again, I could be delusional and speaking from an endorphic high resulting from the newbie shaving experience. Man oh man do I enjoy the sound of the DE razor cutting the hair on my face!
Take all of the above with a grain of salt, since I am only beginning, and hope to offer updates.
Scruffyv
Funny--one web site told me Feathers are for experienced shavers. As I get more experienced and start using across and against grain cuts--the more I like Merkurs and the less Feathers. When I first used a Feather I thought they were great--not so anymore.
I could almost envision using a Feather for the first with the grain pass and then a Derby or Merkur for the against the grain and blade buffing passes.
As of now though, I'm sticking with Merkurs.
I could almost envision using a Feather for the first with the grain pass and then a Derby or Merkur for the against the grain and blade buffing passes.
As of now though, I'm sticking with Merkurs.
M
member 1211
Could I possibly convince someone to send me a single feather blade to try?
M
member 1211
Thanks Randy!
My pleasure. They will be on the way shortly!
Randy
Randy
