Anyone else think the sharpness of Feather DE blades is overrated?

I find Personna barber, lab, and hospital-use blades to all be sharper.

 

I have not tried those blades so I cannot offer any opinion. I can say that Feather's are sharp, but are somewhat overstated as being blades only suitable for a more experienced shaver.

 

Agreed. Sometimes people get swept away by hype.

 

They are the sharpest blade I've ever tried but they are also pretty relentless for me. I tried really hard to like them. I'm sure I'll give them another go in a year or so.

 

It took me three tries over about a years time before I had the shave where everything clicked for me. They are definitely sharp and I get two awesome shaves out of them. After that, they seem to deteriorate very quickly for me. The third shave is really marginal at best for me.

 

feathers were my first blade... so by-in-large, i really don't know anything different... i haven't tried personna or barber or hospital use blades... shark pulls a little, derby pulls a lot, gillette 7's greens are pretty okay, bluebird makes me feel a little raw... i have a list of blades i have yet to try (about 15) and a hundred voskhod blades in the mail to compare... so i always thought feathers just... were... nothing special really

 

I find them to be extremely sharp, but they don't last. Two shaves and they're done. They aren't smooth blades. I find sharp, smooth blades to be far superior, blades like the Gillette Yellows and Med Preps (labs too), my favorite DE blades BTW.

The same thing for Feather SE blades too, but for certain AutoStrop razors they're the only game in town.

 

This was my reaction to the ninja's as well. Only blade I would consistently get nicks from when I stared with DE's. Tried in several different razors, and never got a comfortable shave. Other blades I can get close, comfortable shaves for 5-7 days for cheaper prices.

 

Yup.. The only Feather blades I use are the SE and only when I want to use certain autostrops.

 

for the hype and such... I personally think you should have some experience before a feather or any other aggressive unforgiving blade... As a beginner might blame a couple nicks, razor burn, razor rash and such on a more aggressive and sharp blade. I think stick with a milder blade that you can get a DFS shave with... THEN go for the more aggressive ones to find a blade that really works well and get bbs or what not every shave.

Just to keep the blame on the technique instead of the blade so the learning curve is faster. This will stop you from shying away from blades later on that could work wonderfully for you.

but thats just me . I think hey if you want to start out and don't blame the blade go for it. All blades are sharp and can cut you.

 

I know when i started with DEs The package my family got from my brother had quite a few razors and a whole ton of blades. He insisted that we shouldn't use the Feathers for that reason, that we weren't experienced. From then on I had wanted to try one, but I had read so much hype about how they are super scary, etc, that I wouldn't go near the pack I had. Later I talked to my brother and he told me exactly wwhat Regan mentioned...all blades are sharp and can cut you! Feather was the first blade he used (him being in Japan, they are the most accessible too), and is the only one he uses in his DE.

But I agree...It's all experience. Personally I think feather blades will do two things: 1.) Make you perfect your technique pretty fast to avoid cuts, or 2.) make you hate wet shaving.

 

I was not overly impressed with Feathers when I tried them, yes they are sharp. No they do not offer a comfortable shave for myself. I believe the Russian blades overall out perform any Feather.

 

I guess I'm an outlier,lol

The first time I ever did wet shaving was with a feather... in the shower with no mirror and a bar of body soap... Two years later and I've only managed to cut myself twice... Once with a straight using my left hand on a blind side of my arm... and once when I couldn't get my razor to unscrew and grabbed the handle with a towel instead of the head

 

<stepping up onto soap box> I don't buy into the terms "forgiving", "unforgiving", "mild" or "aggressive" when it comes to blades.

Forgiving/unforgiving - all blades are sharp. They are designed and meant to cut with minimum effort. All blades will slice you when your technique is off and/or you're not respecting the blade. There isn't a single blade out there that will say, "Oh, hey! Watch it there, Bud. Keep doing it that way and I'm going to slice you. I'll let it pass this time, but next time I won't be so forgiving."

Mild/aggressive - funny how people will say that a blade will work in one razor but not another. Ever wonder why that is? I don't believe it's so much the blade that is mild or aggressive, but the razor. Different razors have different gaps, making the RAZOR milder or more aggressive. Different razors clamp down on the blade differently, making the angle of the blade to the razor head different, forcing the user to adjust and find the proper angle to hold the razor for a comfortable shave. Remember, all blades are flat before they're put into the razor.

All that being said, I will agree that some blades are sharper than others. This leads to people commenting on a comfortable shave, or a shave that felt like the blade was pulling whiskers out rather than cutting them. And don't forget, even a "dull" blade will not forgive carelessness and cut you up nasty.

I'm finished.

 

You'd be surprised... Actually sometimes I feel like they are saying just that! Especially when I do make a mistake and I instantly think, "ohhh noo", but as I give it a second and then another second and I see no blood. I sigh in relief, re-focus on my technique, and finish the shave with the utmost care. In a way I feel like the razor was telling me to pull my head out and pay attention! Thank you my fine metal friend. :biggrin:

 

There is sharp, darned sharp, and surreal, mind-blowing, can cut through an engine block in one stroke sharp. I think Feather blades fall into that last category.

 

I saved the feathers for last out of my original sampler pack. I found my technique improved when I started to use them, they seem to be very unforgiving with my set-up, so I had to very mindful of pressure and angle. It is an ok blade for me, but it really helped me refine my technique.

 

I have used the yellow packs and the black packs and they are "supposed" to be the same blade. I find that the black pack Feathers are not as smooth as the yellow pack. I can use the yellow pack blades in my Fatboy or Slim and adjust high and low for great BBS shaves with little to no irration. I palm strop them and can get up to 8 good shaves. The black pack are sharp but not as smooth as the yellow and about 3 to 4 shaves max for these. But YMMV