Thread: Feather question

put in a new feather today in my Fatboy on 9 setting and like it was a month ago when I got my DE out ( only use it once or twice a month now) same as always , fresh smooth BBS shave. pitched the blade and will look forward to the next blade. I cant imagine a Feather DE blade not cutting,, but some of the more delicate faces out there cant take them, Tc

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Which feather do you use? I use the pro in my Mongoose and it's a great combination.

The SE and DE blades are very different. Kind of like comparing a full hollow straight with a half wedge.

DEs I Havent tried them in another DE yet, cause I only Use Des when I`m in a hurry

Gentlemen,

For a time, I had a running battle with the Feather DE blade: more than any other blade, it shaved smoothly in one razor and ate my skin in another. In the end, I discovered the Feather to be the most eccentric of all the blades I used.

The Feather is smooth in my Timeless CC and OC razors, as well as the Charcoal. It did well in the iKon Shavecraft 1 and 2, which I no longer have. Interestingly enough, both Polsiver and Gillette yellow bombed in the Timeless. Once gone, I'll retire the two permanently. For the ATT R1, I find the Astra a perfect fit, although I have not tried the Feather in it yet.

I use the Feather DE blade for only two shaves, as I find it gets rough on the third. For that reason, I usually have a huge supply on hand — I just ordered 200 more.

For the single edge, my blade of choice is Feather Professional.

The best blade I ever used for sharpness and smoothness was the Gillette Swede from the 2007-2008 time period. They quit making them. The close second was the Feather. It is now my top DE blade in any contraption I've used it with, which is most of them. Gillette 7O'clock yellow is a close second, and Astra SP, Polisilver, Gillette Nacet are also great. Like Obie I just ordered 200 more Feathers as well. YMMV

Here is my experience with Feathers.

They are very high quality. By that I mean consistency, quality controls etc...

High quality doesn't mean a great shave for everyone with razor blades due our physical differences.

Many people, myself included, consider them to be the sharpest blade on the market. Again, that doesn't make it better. The complaint I've heard is that they are so sharp that some people can't use them without cutting themselves. This applied to me until I started with a Straight.

As I learned how to use a straight, the skill transferred to double edged safety razors. I now use Feathers in Muhle R41, which is the most aggressive double edged safety razor on the market as far as I know.

A very light touch is needed with them. Also, in the Muhle they are a one or two pass blade. Going for the third pass is when the trouble starts.

Still havent used a DE since I made this thread, probably should just to see if another razor, different technique can get them to work. But Ive been having great success with my honing recently and well I presently have a backlog of 4 straights I have yet to try, I expect that number to grow before it shrinks as I am about to start a stay at home vacation and the missus will be working and kids at school

DE blades are different in many ways.
The one way almost no one mentions is the packaging.
Some have the paper tack glued to the blade with 'gummy' stuff.
The gummy stuff can build up and make a DE head behave badly.

A solution is to untighten the head and pour HOT water over the blade
before and after shaving.

Once in a blue moon I will also hit the open shave head with soap scum remover.
One that works in the sink after shaving (not the bleach stuff). Soap also builds up and changes the
way the head holds the blade. When finished shaving loosen the head, rinse well, air dry well and
enjoy the day.

I commented on Feather just recently on another thread. I'll cut and paste that here;

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Well, in decades of shaving with a DE, I have indeed tried Feather blades. And they are indeed extremely sharp - or at least that's how the edge presents itself in my shaving experience - EXTREMELY sharp. They are also, IMO, very unforgiving. You need light pressure. VERY light pressure, and your first few shaves with Feather will usually produce cuts, nicks, and irritation. To this day, I still end up cutting myself with Feather every so often, even if I am very careful. It's usually on the 2nd pass. Setting 3 on the Merkur.

In my eperience, any mistakes you make while shaving are greatly amplified by a Feather blade. I mean greatly amplified. Razor burn, rash and irritation combined with cuts may indeed make a newbie shy away from them. Or they just may NOT be for YOUR face or YOUR style of shaving.

Personally, they are my 2nd favorite blade, as long as I remember I'm using them and have to back off.... I mean really back way off on pressure, and pay attention to the detial of my shaving form and technique while shaving with them. If I make even the smalest mistate, ZipZop! I have a nick on my face.

My favorite blades by FAR are the Russian Voskhod bladess. Now available for $11.00 from Amazon (Prime Shipping Included). These blades are miraculous. Smothest and most comfortable DE shave I have ever produced from a safety razor. I'm tempted to order 1,000 of them just in case the factory in Russia ever shuts down.

My 2 cents worth on Feather blades. YMMV of course. And in this case, YMMV is really true. It may vary greatly. Some say they are the best blades ever produced, some cut their face to pieces with them every time they shave with them.

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My thoughts on Feather. They take a gentler "touch" and your face, shaving style, and razor can certainly come into play on whether or not they work for you.

Mahalo!

-ZipZop

The only blades available in dubai at the stores are feathers. Which means iv almost exclusively used them. Besides once i got a pack of merkur in a package along with a new razor. But agreed they are viscious! I find them better in the barberpole than the futur. The weight of the future almost makes it feel sharper.


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I use Feathers exclusively. Not the ones pictures but the yellow package. I agree they are extremely sharp but after trying numerous different blades in a variety pack and having most of them pull my hair I decided feather was the way for me. I usually do 2 passes with soap and then buff little areas with the razor and water. The most trouble I've had with feather blades is if I hold a bare one in my hand and edge up my mustache with it. The slightest wrong move and I'm dripping juice to the monster in the pipes. That's what I told my son anyways.