I used my limited Japanese reading skills with some slight Bable fish thrown in and it does not say much other than Hi Stainless Single blade, and other the other one it say blue something(Neiter bable fish translated it properly nor I knew it but I think it is steel) On the package of the blue blades they say Fazer-S for the DE's and Fazer SE for the SE blades. On this page http://www.feather.co.jp/jGeneral_Mens01.htm It gives the measurement for the blades and the other note.(Hi Stainless has a coating on it and the fazer series is carbon steel.)
The answer is that (probably) no one here has tried them, so no one knows for sure. I searched for quite a while for an on-line seller where I could get a small quantity, and the only thing (both product and info) I ever found was on the Feather site. I just sent an email asking about the FHS-5 blades. I'll let you know what they say.
There exists a Feather shop. It is in Japanese only and bable fish renders it inoperable. The red SEs are for hobby and the blue SEs are "traditional use". I assume that to mean that they are for shaving. I translated the Japanese using Word 2007 translator. So here is the web address for those of you feeling daring. They include a VAT of sorts so they offer sales outside of Japan. I looked at the order page and you have to register. This is difficult if you cannot read Japanese but if you want to translate with Word you could. I may do it for fun.
By "blue," do you mean the FHS-5's? That's what I was able ascertain from what translate.google.com made of them. I had to cut and paste the Japanese text. It couldn't translate when I gave it the URL. It looks like minimum purchase is one case of 24 boxes (120 blades total for the FHS-5's, 240 for the FAS-10's). The good thing is that the FHS-5 are the one's I suspect will fit in a Valet. FHS-5 Coated Platinum Alloy (Silver blade): FAS-10 Carbon Steel (Black blade):
I've used Personna Gem blades with the spine removed in a Valet. The shaves are good but caution is required. The thought of using a Feather blade in the same razor is quite unnerving to say the least.
The black blades are the hobby blades. If any one can translate the order page and put through a successful order I will buy two packs of the non-black blades. Let me know what the total is. I know it will be pricey but it is a delicacy right?
Some models of Valet have raised lettering on the head that make GEM blades incompatible. These Feather blades have a cut out that appear to the extrusions in the Valet head. I printed out a full scale image and lined it up as best I could and it seems like it would work. But it didn't shave well...the paper got soggy. I've shaved with the flat Valets, but I'd be interested in comparing the different models. Also, I had vintage NOS GEM and Valet blades In both cases, I wasn't sure the roughness wasn't age related. The Feathers certainly have a reputation as being aggressive, but I've been surprised often enough that I like to try, albeit cautiously. Heheh. It might be nice to have some new production blades that fit unmodified in a Valet.
Well, the text on the page right after "Open the Door" page seems to be images, so Google can't translated. I found the FSH-5's on the first link under the "B to B" list on the right side of the page (hence the minimum quantity). They are the last item on the first page. Note, these blade are not available under the (apparent) Shaving menu, even though they are pictured in the image. The text next to the image in that list says: The text I already translated was following the link marked in blue text. The text on the two buttons doesn't translate either. If I press the right button, I end up on the description I already translated. If I click the left button, I get the following: So I suspect the right button is "Details" and the left is "Add to cart" or "Buy." If I enter '1' in the box and click the left button, I get: The three buttons next to the bulleted items didn't get translated. From the icons on the buttons and the bullet list next to them, I guess they are Update, Continue Shopping and Checkout. I'm not going any farther than that! The next screen is probably credit card info and such. Google's not bad at Japanese! Don't we have a member in Japan? I wonder if the blades are available in shops or at the Feather Museum? Hope that helps!
I would suggest using a Gem Micromatic razor, or adding a spine from a worn Gem blade, so you can use almost any single edge razor.
I found someone in Japan who found these blades in packs of 100, no 5-packs, but each blade is wrapped. By the time I pay him shipping, and then resell and re-ship, the price per blade would be roughly $.70, which is probably within reach of most of you. Any takers? I'm thinking of collecting funds before purchasing. I'm even wondering if there's a chance I'll end up getting more than 100 at a time. Actually, he can also get the 5-packs, but the price is noticeably higher, and the shipping is more because of weight. If I get a positive response, I'll calculate an exact price.
