Feather Blades -- is it me or are they very close in sharpness to ASTRA SP?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by waddowedonowmo, Feb 10, 2016.

  1. waddowedonowmo

    waddowedonowmo Well-Known Member

    Today was my second shave with Feather blade. Yesterday I used Gillette ball end Tech. Today Fat Boy set on 4. I was expecting "HOLY SH** !! that's sharp!!" What I got was "OK, not much different than ASTRA." Am I missing something?
     
    AGHisBBS, Robyflexx and Jorvaljr like this.
  2. '65 G-Slim

    '65 G-Slim Well-Known Member

    I haven't used a Feather in any of my adjustables yet, only Techs. Got a great shave on the third use last night. I'll give it a go with my Fatboy tonight and see what happens.
     
  3. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    The same blade can have a different feel in a different razor. Head geometry, how the head flexes the blade, blade gap - all affect how that blade is going to feel on your face. Not all razors are created equal.
     
  4. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Feathers and Astra's are often seen as "in the same ballpark" kind of blades. For me, Astra's are not quite as sharp, but feel smoother. I transitioned from Feathers to Astra SP's mostly due to the price, and I've found I can use the SP's in a wider variety of razors.
     
  5. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Thank you @PLANofMAN . That's the kind of review that got me to try Feathers.
    Now I'll give Astras a go.
     
  6. Sir.$-Mad

    Sir.$-Mad Well-Known Member

    I was using Feather for a long time, I tried out an Astra SP last Monday and it gave me a really nice shave, even the bottom of my neck which is very sensitive. I think I'm going to switch to Astra SP.
     
    PLANofMAN, Joef, AGHisBBS and 2 others like this.
  7. mikewood

    mikewood Well-Known Member

    I think it's this is truer than we know. Feathers have a bad boy reputation that is not warranted with all faces. Yours may be one of them.

    Honestly if I shuffle a few razor blades and load one blind I seem to get the same shave with few exceptions. I adapt my technique to the blade somewhat bust mostly I can't tell much difference. It's taken me almost two years to get to this point and you might have the same experience. It's a fun hobby.

    Enjoy.
     
  8. ObiDon

    ObiDon member in questionable standing

    I've been using the Feather in all of my razors exclusively for over a year, and they are the undisputed sharpest DE blade you can put in your razor. Having said that, that's for the first two shaves, at least for me. I do a three pass shave and after 2 shaves they fall off for me. I use a very light touch and I have a soft beard, so if I try to go the third day I need to start using pressure, and that leads to irritating, so I toss the blade after 2 shaves. The blades are the cheapest part of my shave, so the price of 100 Feathers on the bay or Amazon works for me. YMMV
     
    Boojum1, RyX, waddowedonowmo and 2 others like this.
  9. Bosoxfan

    Bosoxfan Active Member

    I put a Feather in my Mergress and did not get a good shave at all. Thought it was a bad blade so put another one in the next day and same thing. Even tried a different setting and had the same result. Went back to my GSBs which work great for me. I think it's a YMMV thing.
     
    waddowedonowmo likes this.
  10. LuvWetShavin

    LuvWetShavin Well-Known Member

    Seen lots of comments saying "use a feather blade in the AS-D2" and i wont argue as it was a great shave but the other day i decided to try one of my Astra SP blades in it and it was even a better feeling shave .. the Astra SP's work great for me in all my razors
    .... of course YMMV
     
    waddowedonowmo likes this.
  11. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Both Astras and Feathers are similarly thin and I believe are similarly sharp. To me the Astra is smoother than than Feather and a maybe a whisker less sharp, but still in the ballpark...
     
  12. '65 G-Slim

    '65 G-Slim Well-Known Member

    4th shave (but the first) in my Fatboy, set on 4, might be able to get one more multi-pass shave out of it, but then it's into the bin.
     
    waddowedonowmo likes this.
  13. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    That's been my experience @'65 G-Slim . I use a Fatboy @4 with a feather. Doing W,X,&ATG 4th shave is about the end. I've used Feathers in all my Gillettes; 3pc Tech, a '47 SS, '54 Flairtip. Great service, but I'm gonna check my blade stash to see if I have Astras. I just recently opened a pack of Voskhud and found them acceptable, service life to be determined.
     
    waddowedonowmo and PLANofMAN like this.
  14. CandyVanMan

    CandyVanMan Member

    I only get good shaves with Feather blades in my Hone 15, in all my other razors I get a lot of blade chatter with them.
    Seems like they are too flexible for my very very coarse beard, my face is like a wire brush after just over a day without shaving.
    Astra SP seems to be stiffer, as they don't give me nearly as much blade chatter as the Feather blades do.

    YMMV
     
    waddowedonowmo likes this.
  15. Boojum1

    Boojum1 Valet Parking Available Here

    :signs011: +1 Feather are my go to blade.
     
    waddowedonowmo and ObiDon like this.
  16. youngunn

    youngunn Where's my TSD aftershave balm???

    I think I get some junk feathers from time to time. Some are super sharp and amazing, others are tugging and crap almost immediately.
     
    Bosoxfan and lradke like this.
  17. lradke

    lradke and doggone it, people like me

    I agree. I don't use them anymore, the novelty has worn off. They are sharp but I find they dull completely by use number 3. I happily stick with my personna platinum's where I can push out 6+ shaves with a single blade...for 1/4 of the price of a feather.
     
    dscaver likes this.
  18. Morning Shave

    Morning Shave Well-Known Member

    It cost me about eighteen dollars a year to use Feather blades. If that's your preferred blade, why give it up to save a about nine dollars? I purchased Feathers in bulk for about twenty one cents each on Amazon.
     
  19. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Gotta look at it this way - you're cutting your blade expense in half! And that's why we're all here, isn't it? To pay less for blades than what we were paying? :taunt002:

    Just messin'!
     
    bdalemauger likes this.
  20. Morning Shave

    Morning Shave Well-Known Member

    I disagree, not at the expense of enjoyment. Otherwise, why purchase a Feather or Icon?
     

Share This Page