A bad batch of Feathers?

After trying some blades that I didn't get in my sampler, I went back
to good ole reliable Feathers this last week. I'm not getting cut, but it
feels like I'm shaving with a aluminum can with major redness & 2 ingrown hairs which I never get. Prep is the same, MWF & Cella are my go to soaps. I've heard of a single defective blade, but not a whole pack of 10.

Anybody ever have a defective pack?

I'm finding I have a similar situation with Astra SP blades...

I've been using Feathers regularly for a year now, and never had a bad blade, let alone a whole pack. That's not to say it could never happen. Where did you get them from? Your usual supplier? Have you tried another pack to compare?

Dalejr said:

I'm finding I have a similar situation with Astra SP blades...

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I used an SP that I got in a blade trade in my Old Type the other day, and it didn't seem to go as well as I remembered these blades to be. The Astras were the 2nd blade I ever used in a DE, but that was over a year ago. I was thinking my technique had improved and I had used better blades since then. I had thought these were among my top 5 blades until my shave on Monday. Never even thought about this being a bad blade.

you did get your feathers from a reliable usa vendor right?

Altair said:

you did get your feathers from a reliable usa vendor right?

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Yes, locally here in California. I don't fault the vendor.
They're very well known here.
I'm giving my face 24 hrs to heal & then I'll open
another pack.

I had a similar problem with some Astra SP blades a while back. I got a 100 blade pack and all was well with the first box or two. I put the first blade of the a new box in my razor and it was horrible. I finished my pass and put the second blade in and it was the same. I opened a new box and put a blade in my razor and it was just fine. I threw the rest of the box away and all my blades from that pack have been great.

Kilgore said:

Yes, locally here in California. I don't fault the vendor.
They're very well known here.
I'm giving my face 24 hrs to heal & then I'll open
another pack.

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Yeah all the USA vendors are very good. most likely just a bad box.

Dalejr said:

I'm finding I have a similar situation with Astra SP blades...

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+1. Sharp blades which easily cuts a shaver's face.

Kilgore said:

After trying some blades that I didn't get in my sampler, I went back
to good ole reliable Feathers this last week. I'm not getting cut, but it
feels like I'm shaving with a aluminum can with major redness & 2 ingrown hairs which I never get. Prep is the same, MWF & Cella are my go to soaps. I've heard of a single defective blade, but not a whole pack of 10.

Anybody ever have a defective pack?

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Sometimes maybe 1-2 blades in a pack are not as good as others.

A vendor across the pond provides the best pricing even with shipping costs.

Kilgore said:

After trying some blades that I didn't get in my sampler, I went back
to good ole reliable Feathers this last week.

Click to expand...

Feathers are great blades, but because they are so dam sharp they need extra care. If you have been using the other blades, you may have gotten used to a little extra pressure. When you tried the same technique with the Feathers, they let you know it.

I usually find that I need to be conscious of the fact that I am using a Feather, else my face gets 'punished'.

Strange. I had an issue with my last Feather. Usually, I get 4 shaves and then I change it out. The last blade, the third shave started feeling rough. The 4th shave was really rough, left red patches all over the place even though the shave itself was DFS++.

This blade was from the black pack. I will try one from the Yellow pack and see how I go, even though they are supposed to be the exact same blade, just for different markets.

inspiringK said:

Feathers are great blades, but because they are so dam sharp they need extra care. If you have been using the other blades, you may have gotten used to a little extra pressure. When you tried the same technique with the Feathers, they let you know it.

I usually find that I need to be conscious of the fact that I am using a Feather, else my face gets 'punished'.

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I made sure I went lightly. I tried the Astra & the red IPs & found those
blades to be very weak. I stepped cautiously back to Feathers knowing
full well to apply no pressure at all, barely using enough just to hold the
razor.

I had a similar situation. My first Feather shave was terrible...it was lots of tugging and pulling. The second blade was smooth as silk and the third was in between...

Maybe, just maybe...the Feathers are so sharp that even the slightest variation in production gets amplified on the face whereas other, less sharp blades "hide" this because they are not ninja sharp to begin with.

Is that possible?

nav said:

Maybe, just maybe...the Feathers are so sharp that even the slightest variation in production gets amplified on the face whereas other, less sharp blades "hide" this because they are not ninja sharp to begin with.

Is that possible?

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I guess this makes sense. Feathers are also never that smooth to start with, so any variation beyond the starting point is bad too.

Personally, I find that feathers are really harsh on the first shave, and while the second shave is good, it isn't better than any of my other go-to blades.

My thinking is that if you haven't used feathers before, there is nothing wrong with your pack. Just my opinion

I find that Feathers are very smooth, and tend to cause me no irritation. Super Iridiums and Balanzos are close, but I really prefer the Feather.

GreekGuy said:

Personally, I find that feathers are really harsh on the first shave, and while the second shave is good, it isn't better than any of my other go-to blades.

My thinking is that if you haven't used feathers before, there is nothing wrong with your pack. Just my opinion

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They're my go to blades & yes the second shave is smoother.
It's just odd how 2 blades in a row where just plain torture
no matter how light & slow I took it. It's never happened before,
not even when I was a newb. I took a day off & used an IP Red
so my face is getting better now.

It happened to me once.One side of the blade was smooth as silk,the other side was like using a tin can.Put in a new blade and got a great shave.