After using almost exclusively Merkur blades for several years, out of a combination of availability and habit, I tried a Feather blade this morning. For the first few strokes, I was wondering whether I might have forgotten to put the blade in the razor because I could not feel it doing anything, but then i realized that it was actually cutting the hairs. Now, my shaves have always been slightly erratic so Im not going to pronounce it a clear winner yet, but as first impressions go... wow!