Who else thinks feathers are overrated?

[sumit]

I know YMMV, but still who else other than myself thinks that feathers are overrated and overpriced? I also think they're too rough and those with sensitive skin would most likely get irritated skin from them. A good blade should be smooth and sharp, not extremely sharp and rough.

[Greyfox]

Me. They are great for 2 shaves and then ready for the trash can. They degrade quicker than any blade I have ever seen. Given their price they should be a lot better after 2 shaves.

[Giant Kiwi]

I started using feathers about a month ago and assumed my irritation was down to technique.

I am actually starting to wonder if it might be the blades.
Lovely smooth shave with a '60 SS and Timor blade.

[sumit]

There are still some great blades that are sharp and because of their smoothness they're also forgiving of subpar technique as well, which is an advantage that feather doesn't have IMO.

[Easttexasman]

Not me.If I shave with a DE,a feather is the only blade I will use.I get around 4 shaves out of one blade and I am satisfied with that.

[GreekGuy]

I don't like the bevel that feather uses, It seems harsh to me on the first shave. After the first shave, they aren't any sharper than any of my other blades. Coupled with the price, its not worth it to me. They are definitely one of the better blades on the market, but some people act as if they are the greatest product to wet-shaving since the badger brush.

[CWR]

Me. They are great for 2 shaves and then ready for the trash can. They degrade quicker than any blade I have ever seen. Given their price they should be a lot better after 2 shaves.

For me it's the opposite. The first two shaves I get with a new Feather are rough-stuff, but the next 3-5 are gold...

[cfender]

I really want to join the "Feather is Overated He Man Women Haters Club" but every time I go back to the Feather after using other blades, even blades that work good, I am reminded of their superiority. I'd love to find a really cheap blade from a far away land with exotic or old-school packaging that I could replace the Feather with, but so far I haven't found it.

Have tried:

Personna Labs and Meds
Personna Reds
Personna Barbers
Astra SP
Derby
Merkur
Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow

[mwleach58]

Feathers are, by far, my favourite and most-used blades. Yes, they are expensive, but for the quality of shave they give me, I'm happy to pay the premium.

I get a good 6 shaves from one blade - however, I have a small van dyke beard, so I'm not covering quite as much facial real estate per shave as if I was totally clean shaven, but still, they are #1 with me.

[TallyShave]

I think the whole fascination with "sharpness" is overrated in general.

[talibeard]

After the first shave, they aren't any sharper than any of my other blades. Coupled with the price, its not worth it to me.

My experience as well. I don't find them rough on the first shave btw. but the second is below a lot of third shaves from other blades and then they have to go out.

They are definitely one of the better blades on the market, but some people act as if they are the greatest product to wet-shaving since the badger brush.

Boar. You mean boar-brush.

[doug1066]

I find them highly over rated. But, that is my personal opinion. My favorite blades are Wilkinson Sword Classics and I know that most people dislike them.

[coyotewhisper]

Feathers are overrated in my opinion, they are a good blade. There are other blades that I find to be better such as Gillette Blue, most of the 7 o'clock blades. There are others too numerous to mention.

[Blix]

No.

[TZee]

They are not overrated nor overpriced IMHO. I haven't tried every blade out there, but I have used CVS Personnas, Astra SP, Merkur, and Derby. I've had the best shaves with the Feathers, followed by the Derbys. The Astra SPs didn't do anything for me.

If you can make cheaper blades work, that's great. I admit that it takes some getting used to, but once you do, oh wow, do they shine.

[wimbouman]

Certainly not overrated.
Maybe not your choice.

[MoJoe]

You can't fake sharp and they are as sharp as advertised. A lot of folks like sharp hence the passion for them. Personally, I like them. Then again, I'm on a run of using less sharp blades so they're only use Feathers occasionally.

[kingfisher]

I think the whole fascination with "sharpness" is overrated in general.

This doesn't make much sense to me. If you want to cut something, you need something sharp.

I think the people who think Feather blades are overrated are likely those with thinner or less coarse facial hair, and the guys who rave about Feathers are the guys with steel for stubble. I've tried: Dorco, Gillette Greens, Gillette Yellows, Kai, Astra SP, Astra SS, Timor, Bolzano, Med Preps, Personna Labs, Gillette Bleue Extras, Gillette SuperThins, Bluebirds, Souplex, Shoguns, and probably a bunch of others that I've forgotten about.

I like several of those blades, and would be OK using them if Feathers weren't available.

But Feathers still work better than any of the above for me. Sometimes I wish I had softer facial hair or less dense growth. I would love to be able to just buy a cheap blade and get good results. But the cheaper, duller blades just WILL NOT go through the areas on my chin where my beard is densest.

[talibeard]

I think the people who think Feather blades are overrated are likely those with thinner or less coarse facial hair, and the guys who rave about Feathers are the guys with steel for stubble.

Without trying to get a debate about who has the toughest beard I think my hard to cut whiskers are exactly the reason why the Feather only delivers once (that superb shave I mean). The sharper the wedge the more vulnerable the edge so to speak.

Some less sharp blades can stand up to it longer and that is why I find my optimum in the slightly less sharp category. The razor plays an important role here too; in a Tech or SS I really need a Feather to get a close shave while in (slightly) more aggressive razors like the R89, the LP1822 or my Gladweg other blades are in the same range (a bit less the first shave and better after that) as the Feather but with much better stamina.

[kingfisher]

I think, metallurgically, that harder metals/alloys hold an edge better than softer ones. I don't know that sharper necessarily means faster degradation. Certainly the amount of sharpness drop-off might seem more dramatic because of the extreme thinness of the edge.....