The Chinese vendor Sapphoo is already known. It makes copies of Feather / Kai razors with Artist Club blades. As well normal shavettes with hald DE blades. Already offers the AC blades separately, at a good price. Now it expands its offerings, not only on modern SEs. https://it.aliexpress.com/store/group/Lame/4857004_517364779.html These blades seem interesting to me. Type Feather (Proshave) Type Kai Captain (Blue, without guard) Type Kai ProTouch (Red, with guard) On average they have a price of about € 0.50 per blade. These days I am doing a test with the Sapphoo Red blade. This is formally proposed as a replica of the Kai Captain Titan Mild MG ProTouch. The first use (yesterday) was less comfortable than the original. Even today, the feeling is that the edge is different. Same effectiveness, but different protection. In fact it can be seen that the guard is different. The protections are wider, and less rounded. To the eye they are very similar. There are only a few differences: • welding points, four instead of seven and less sharp • straight shape of the guard openings, instead of a taller and wider bell shape • the primary bevel is longer, and the secondary bevel shorter (different angle) • steel has a different color and texture, due to the lack of Titanium and PINK treatments http://ilrasoio.com/viewtopic.php?p=207192#p207192 Full size 1500x1500px https://i.imgur.com/tEaS25k.jpg So the performance, albeit similar, is different. In the short term, I don't think the real differences can be understood. I find no abysmal differences with the originals, especially after the first use. Indeed the quality of Kai is the long-lasting ability of high performance. I think this detail is difficult to replicate.
The only Chinese razor I have ever purchased was from Amazon, and labeled simply “Silver Tone Razor,” a 3 piece razor that cost around $3. Very light, and blade alignment not very precise. If you were very careful with placing the blade in you could get a reasonable comfortable shave. I gave both away to friends looking to get into DE shaving. One still uses it regularly, another used it as a gateway to a better vintage Gillette. So based on that experience I would not be inclined to buy a Chinese clone.
for the first one, there is a brand Nikky or ニッキー, 日本利器工業 in japanese, and they have AC Blade product indeed. https://www.amazon.co.jp/日本利器工業-ニッキー-プロシェーブ-２４枚入り-理容業務用替刃/dp/B0075ZEPOA but their new product is designed like this: and can only be used on their own shavette. i suggest you ask seller which style the blade is. for the second and third one, i should warn you that there's chinese word "专利号"(means Patent No) on the left corner of the pack. and the following letter ZL are actually initials of Chinese Pinyin for 专利(Patent). that is absolutely not japanese way. the ture Captain Titan mild Protouch MG should have a black pack. https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/biz/beautycare_shaving_captaintitanprotouch.html
The central holes are different. BUT, AC shavette does not use holes. And modern SE uses just the external ones. For sure. This is a chinese replica. No patent at all. Just watch the packaging, all the terms mixed to spear on the design. Only the color changes, and the image is wrong on the Blue. And false on the Red, with no circular hole. But the Red is not that bad ...
From my reading on the forums, generally Chinese clones and Chinese razors are poor quality, but usable. Chinese blades range from okay to dismal. There have been two exceptions that I know of. The Merkur Futur clones are better quality than the originals, and Chinese Schick injector blades are well regarded. Edit: Almost forgot, Rockwell. The Rockwell Model T is Chinese made, and Canadian assembled. It's a pretty good razor too.
I recently purchased Kai mild Artist Club blades. The aliexpress vendor, not Sapphoo) stated made in Japan. The cartridge holder says China. I tried for a refund and got the runaround. I left negative feedback. The blades are made in China and of no use. Never again aliexpress. You get what you pay for.
From research that I've been doing on blade coatings, the longevity of the KAI blades compared to the Chinese replicas is almost certainly due to the titanium coating on the KAI blades.
