Okay, as a new-within-the-last year DE shaver, I am irrevocably sold on this wet-shaving thing, ne'er to return to a cartridge or rotary. I would confess a "disturbance in The Force" lately, calling me to come over to the Dark Side, and try to "go Straight." I echo the sentiments of many would-be str8'ers, not wanting to get tangled up in the high-maintenance aspects of the traditional str8. To that end, the Feather Artist series with replaceable blades holds an attraction for me, but now, I need to ask, and I'm sure that if I spent hours perusing old threads here I could find the answer, but here goes... I get about 4-5 DFS's from a Feather New Hi-Stainless DE before the edge starts losing its zing, but even at ~$36 / 100, it pencils out as a way-economical move away from carts, among many reasons to defect from the beastly-expensive plastic-enshrined multi-blades. Now, in a cursory price check of the replaceable blades for a Feather str8, it seems that $1+ per blade is the norm. So, I'd be interested to know what kind of "mileage" Feather str8 drivers are getting; shaves per blade, and can the blades be touched up or stropped to increase mileage? I realize that str8ing may not be like DE'ing in terms of economy, but I don't want to be chased off by the price, either. Any words of wisdom from the Feather str8 guys? Thanx--NCV
I'm curious too. I just bought a Feather DX and some blades. If I can learn how to shave with it I would like to know how long the blades last for others too. I just get two shaves out of a feather DE blade so I am worried about the single edge versions.
No experience with those blades specifically. But it sounds like they are just elongated injector blades, which are thicker than DE blades. Injector blades do last longer than DE blades. I usually get 3 shaves from most DEs but I'm on my 5th with an injector today and the blade's still ok. Some guys say you can get up to 10 shaves from an injector blade. I'm tempted to go the str8 route too but I think if I do, it'll be with a Whipped Dog. No blades to buy ever again.
Firstly, maintaining a straight razor is very easy to do and only becomes a headache if you want to maintain a big arsenal. I only use one straight and it's cake. For your question though, even though I've never used one any thread I've read on the Feather or Kai shavette is the blades last from 10-15 shaves. Keep in mind that these razors are much sharper and can bleed you much easier than a regular straight razor can. They're cost is the only reason I don't get one for myself for occasional use though.
If you haven't tried them yet, I would recommend the Feather ProGuard . Excellent blade designed to be quite forgiving while still giving an excellent shave. Not only nice to learn with, but to keep using.
I have a Feather AC DX. The first blade I tried was a Feather Pro Guard. I replaced it after 8 or 9 shaves. For the most part, I was only using the AC on weekends. If I were using it everyday I think I could easily get 10 or more shaves from a single blade. Especially as my technique is much better now. I use the Professional blades in a Cobra and 10 shaves is about my average. I purchased the AC to see if I would like shaving with a straight. I do like the AC, so I will eventually purchase a straight and everything needed to mantain one.
The Feather DX (and KAI Captain who use the same blades) razors are my most used razors. Guard and Light blades don't give me good shaves (but work very good for others it seems). Pro's, super Pro's and Kai mild blades are the ones I like best (2 passes on the face and one on the head is all it takes for me to obtain BBS). I use them for 15 shaves and then put a new one in. When I first started using them I could only get about 4-5 out of a blade. btw it's possible to strop the blades, just put them half way out of the DX and strop them on a pasted strop, that way you can keep them going for a lot more shaves. Works best with a non folding IMHO and if you use the RG model it's best to tape the razor as the coating will suffer if you don't.
I have been wet-shaving for 6+ months, and until recently with DE's. However, like you, I wanted wanted to try a str8 razor, and I finally decided to order a Feather SS - details/photos here in my own thread about it. After trying the folding and non-folding SS, the CJB (Korean copy of the RG), and now the folding DX, I prefer much more the DX style of head, which lacks the extra lip/guard from the SS: Now, addressing your question on longevity, the feedback I have gotten in the "other" Shaving Forum is that most people get between 7-14 days from a single Feather blade. Keep in mind that you have Feather blades and KAI blades, with and without "guard", so your mileage is sure to vary depending on your beard and on what blade you get. I am right now using a Feather Pro blade and today was #6 or #7, and it don't quite feel I need to try a new one yet. You can also strop Feather blades to make them last even longer - there is a link on the other forum about that. Send me a PM/email if interested. Starting with a Feather AC str8 does have a little bit of a learning curve because generally speaking, the blades are (to most people) sharper than a well honed & stropped traditional str8 razor. This means that you have to take an extra light touch and that you have to try stretch your skin to make the shave smoother and uneventful. In fact, the blades become less harsh and more mellow after a few uses - some even recommend corking a new blade to remove this initial harshness. You can watch many videos on youtube where you can see folks shaving with a traditional str8 and folks shaving with a Feather str8, and you can easily tell the lighter touch used on the Feather. I am not trying to scare you, just be mindful that you have to take it slow and be extra careful. All that being said, I would not look at using a non-traditional str8 like the Feather AC purely from a money point of view. After 4 weeks of using exclusively these Feather str8 razors (and CJB clone) I sold all of my DE's. I "really" enjoy shaving with a str8, and find that I have more control. It still takes me a little longer to shave with the Feather str8 razor, but I get a DFS every day with just two passes, with no cuts/nicks and no razor burn, and I hope to get even better as I get more experienced. To me, shaving is a lot more enjoyable with a str8 razor. Will
