Fake Feathers or do they have a new logo?

[sammar]

Last week I ordered some new shaving supplies including one sample pack of DE blades. Among the new blades there were pack of Feather blades I already had tried, but I noticed that packaging is different than my previous pack of Feathers.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=28657 (http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=28657)


So, had they changed their logo and made some slight adjustments lately or did I got some fake Feathers? I tried to search Internet for images of Feather packs but all I could find had this familiar triangle logo on them...

[pirateskull]

I got a new pack and it had the triangle

[finotti]

May I ask from whom did you get it? Have you contacted the vendor? Have you opened it yet to see how it looks inside?

That is very odd... I just ordered some new Feather's (from Westcoast Shaving, so they should be real) but don't have them with me to look now. (I will write again after I can take a look at them.)

[smalltank]

Usually if they were from FleaBay...look where the shipping location is...Japan is the original place or otherwise being a fake

[Dalejr]

I don't think they are fakes...

[kg0mz]

There is a "Top Rated" UK seller with the rectangular version on eBay.

[finotti]

My new ones have the triangle. (Not that it really means anything....)

[Gone Gray]

I would wager that the ones with the rectangle emblem are counterfeit because why would they give up or change their famous trademark? Also, the rectangle emblem is much easier to make a graphic picture--the real trademark graphic feathers would take more time to duplicate.

Who did you get the blades from?

[rajagra]

The bottom pack has the different logo, slightly different font used for "FEATHER", and a "®" that is absent from the top one.
Does the bottom pack also have any of the traditional typos of a fake?

[sammar]

I bought those blades from Connaught Shaving (United Kingdom).

I opened the package and compared one blade to one from other package and they look identical including those grease drops.

Plastic packages are almost identical, except that triangular version has "J 1" code on corner of back side while square version has "K 1". Printed serial(?) number in the end of the package is of course different, in square version it is "266811F".

[Wil Dorenbos]

I would wager that the ones with the rectangle emblem are counterfeit because why would they give up or change their famous trademark? Also, the rectangle emblem is much easier to make a graphic picture-?

My Feather Pro Guard blades have the rectangle emblem. They come straight from Japan (group buy last month).
My Feather DE blades have the triangular logo, but has been a while since I bought them.

[ikeyballz]

Both of my feather 10 packs, one from dridiot and another from WCS have the triangle.

[Gone Gray]

I bought those blades from Connaught Shaving (United Kingdom).

I opened the package and compared one blade to one from other package and they look identical including those grease drops.

Plastic packages are almost identical, except that triangular version has "J 1" code on corner of back side while square version has "K 1". Printed serial(?) number in the end of the package is of course different, in square version it is "266811F".

Bottom line is the use the blades and see how they shave. No other blade on the market (IMO) shaves like a Feather. They're very distinctive...smoooooooth. Please let us know what you think. I would recommend using the same razor when you compare the blades.

The plastic cases are very generic and I wouldn't place much emphasis on their numbering system. I order my blades from dridiot (B&B Vendor) and, so far, all the boxes have the two feather emblem.

[Gone Gray]

My new ones have the triangle. (Not that it really means anything....)

So, could these be very old stock?

[Wil Dorenbos]

So, could these be very old stock?

Do not know, but the Feather AC SS is a new model, and on the box is the rectangular logo.

[john.bradburne]

the difference in logo is as simple as one is a 5 pack and the other is a 10 pack. but the blades are exactly the same. and if they are fake theyre still giving me BBS shaves:001_tt2:

[Gone Gray]

the difference in logo is as simple as one is a 5 pack and the other is a 10 pack. but the blades are exactly the same. and if they are fake theyre still giving me BBS shaves:001_tt2:

That's good to know.

[Myosin]

Why would anyone fake razor blades in the first place?

It's not like mass producing blades is something you can do in your garage. It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, materials, owning/renting a factory, and labor.

Anyone with the ability to mass produce blades wouldn't take the risk of faking a major brand like feather.

[rajagra]

Anyone with the ability to mass produce blades wouldn't take the risk of faking a major brand like feather.

Well, if they take on Proctor and Gamble, a smaller company like Feather wouldn't be considered a threat.
How to spot a fake Iridium Super Extra Stainless. (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/188454-How-to-spot-a-fake-Iridium-Super-Extra-Stainless.)

[Go West Young Man]

Why would anyone fake razor blades in the first place?

It's not like mass producing blades is something you can do in your garage. It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, materials, owning/renting a factory, and labor.

Anyone with the ability to mass produce blades wouldn't take the risk of faking a major brand like feather.


It's not so much that someone would 'fake' a blade as that either

a) someone is running the machinery after-hours and selling those blades into the 3rd party market. The blades come from the same production line, but without any quality control

or

b) seconds/rejects get quietly rescued from the trash pile and resold to the 3rd party resellers.

[Myosin]

It's not so much that someone would 'fake' a blade as that either

a) someone is running the machinery after-hours and selling those blades into the 3rd party market. The blades come from the same production line, but without any quality control

or

b) seconds/rejects get quietly rescued from the trash pile and resold to the 3rd party resellers.


So let me get this straight.

A) The janitor or group of disgruntled employee somehow manage to run the entire blade making process off the books and without anyone noticing.

or

B) A major and highly reputable company like Feather would sell their rejected blades to other companies, and then allow them to sell those rejected blades under the Feather name.

Neither of those seem plausible.

Many companies change their logos or packaging when they ship to different countries

[Gone Gray]

So let me get this straight.

A) The janitor or group of disgruntled employee somehow manage to run the entire blade making process off the books and without anyone noticing.

or

B) A major and highly reputable company like Feather would sell their rejected blades to other companies, and then allow them to sell those rejected blades under the Feather name.

Neither of those seem plausible.

Many companies change their logos or packaging when they ship to different countries

We already know there are impostors by one of of the above posts. Think bigger...I buy a large batch of finished but unmarked razors blades from a manufacturer (think Third World country) and then package them anyway I want. The markup would be huge. Mobsters have made fortunes from the smallest of margins. It all has to do with bulk. There's a whole web site on how to spot fake cartridge Gillette razors.

[Go West Young Man]

So let me get this straight.

A) The janitor or group of disgruntled employee somehow manage to run the entire blade making process off the books and without anyone noticing.

or

B) A major and highly reputable company like Feather would sell their rejected blades to other companies, and then allow them to sell those rejected blades under the Feather name.

Neither of those seem plausible.

Many companies change their logos or packaging when they ship to different countries


No no no no, you misunderstand.

a) the manager of a plant who is contracted by company X to produce their products fills all the orders for the month, then keeps the plant running for a while longer producing the same products on the same machines and quietly sells those products to a slightly less than ethical wholesaler. The workers have no idea that they're not making these widgets for the name brand company but for an offbrand. This is how almost all the "knock off" goods you see floating around are made.

b) when products are flagged as seconds or rejects, an entire run can consigned for destruction - even if the problems are just cosmetic. Most large brands would rather write off a small portion of their goods than cheapen the brand by letting them get into the market. "Someone" in the plant intercepts the product before it's destroyed and funnels it off to an outside party who then gets it into the regular distribution channels.

These are both extremely common occurences these days, and companies spend a lot of time and money trying to crack down on them. Remember, most manufacturing takes place in China or Southeast Asia these days, and a lot of these countries force companies to have local partners or managers in place. It's really quite easy for the local guys to line their pockets with all sorts of scams.

[takeshi]

I would wager that the ones with the rectangle emblem are counterfeit because why would they give up or change their famous trademark?
Companies do so all the time. Look around on the Feather site. Their online shop uses the rectangular logo.

If you look around you'll find their diamond logo as well.

[Landri]

So... are this the real deal????

[Gone Gray]

Companies do so all the time. Look around on the Feather site. Their online shop uses the rectangular logo.

If you look around you'll find their diamond logo as well.

I looked at their web site and I did not see the familiar logo. Can you give me a link?

[kg0mz]

I emailed Connaught Shaving, the "Top Rated" vendor offering Feathers on eBay...

Thank you for your email

As I mention on the website Feather changed the logo recently. They delayed all June orders because of the change, so only blades shipped July 2011 & later have the new logo.

We buy these direct from the Feather factory. Many blades are sold in bulk to large distributors so these new blades will take a while to show up. We are a smaller company & buy regularly from factory.

Email from Feather about the change:

Dear Mr. Mayhew,

Thank you very much for your order by your e-mail dated May 25, 2011.

Also, please be advised that, from this shipment, the package design (logo)
of both dispenser and pillar box will be changed as shown in the attached
picture.

Thank you very much again for your order, and please feel free to let us
know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

FEATHER SAFETY RAZOR CO.,LTD.
OVERSEAS TRADE DIVISION

[franz]

Well that settles it then. Thanks for looking into it.

No doubt we will have a few more threads on this topic - thread preemptively bookmarked :wink2:

[sammar]

Ok, blades are genuine Feathers. Now we just need some very experienced shavers to evaluate which are better, rectangular or triangular Feathers (like with horizontal and vertical Derbys)... :wink2:

[rajagra]

Glad the mystery is solved.

But I have to say, the new logo is rubbish. It looks like a slug. What were the marketing people thinking?

[Go West Young Man]

They were thinking "Hey, let's generate a huge amount of discussion on the message boards, with our logo front and center on page 1!"

[Blade Boy]

I believe they are the "real deal" here are pics of the pro blades and the carbon blades both with the rectangle logo. Also my Artist club RG packaging has the rectangle logo also and I know it's the real thing.185674185678

[chonax]

It looks like a slug. What were the marketing people thinking?

+1

[Mack The Knife]

Just got mine batch in a few days ago, and yuppers looks like a slug herd