Anything sharper then a Feather?

I bought a pack of 10 blades a couple of weeks ago to give these things a shot. I have read many times that these are extremely sharp blades, even too sharp for some people. After using them a couple of times, I found that my shave is probably a little closer then when I use my Wilkinson's but not to the extent of some of the things I've been reading about them here. All in all, these are great blades though and I will continue to use them and most likely order a lot more but is there anything out there that is sharper?

In a word, no.

Might try Kai blades, though. They are also legendarily sharp. Seem to hold their edge a bit longer, too.

I have not found a sharper blade.

Sharper blades? Probably not. Close to as sharp? A few. Better blades? A few.

Sharpness, while it can make the job easier, doesn't dictate how close you get. I know that's not answering your question, but that would be why you're not noticing a night/day difference between the Wilks and the Feathers.

But, yes, like the others said in terms of sheer sharpness, Feather and Kai are about as sharp as they come.

I've heard rumors that the Gillette Silver Blue blade is sharper, but I haven't tried it myself. Other contenders would be the aforementioned Kai, along with the Bolzano and the Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge (Yellow).

As always, YMMV.

The Gillette Silver Blue doesn't get much mention, or much love, here. But I've tried a couple and thought they were very sharp.

Walter Sobchak said:

Sharpness, while it can make the job easier, doesn't dictate how close you get.

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+1, there are more factors at work.

To the OP; you might have had too much confidence in the mythical stories on Feathers. Yes they are (one of) the sharpest around but also famous for not holding their edge. Even the bluntest blade out there will be sharper than your knives ever will be even after you tossed them so they are all fairly sharp but you will have to pick the one that does the job best. That is, best for you!

We need Kyocera to create a ceramic blade but besides that Gillette yellow are a no go for me, but I need some coatings on my blade, maybe ill try the 1 iridum to see how they stack... I got 3 shaves out of a feather as with most other blades so... But I'm putting them against med preps and P-reds

Feathers are the sharpest I have tried. Personna Medical Prep blades and KAI are not too far behind and IMHO much smoother.

In order for a blade to cut well, it has to be sharp and smooth. Feathers are very sharp blades but there are a good number of Gillette blades that cut better than a Feather because they are at least as sharp but also smoother.

The way the edge is ground also makes a difference.

Sharp maybe, but i only get 2 shaves...........I now use Personna Barber

wulfgar1976 said:

In order for a blade to cut well, it has to be sharp and smooth. Feathers are very sharp blades but there are a good number of Gillette blades that cut better than a Feather because they are at least as sharp but also smoother.

The way the edge is ground also makes a difference.

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Can you elaborate on what you mean about the blade being smooth? Is it whether the blade tugs or not, for example?

jmorris said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean about the blade being smooth? Is it whether the blade tugs or not, for example?

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Carbon steel blades are a good example of sharp blades that lack smoothness. They can take and hold an edge better than stainless steel but are often uncoated, which is why they can pull a fair bit - particularly on the first pass. A stainless blade that isn't particularly sharp in the scheme of things but is well coated - like a Gillette Super Silver, for example - might also pull but although it will be harder work IME, it is less likely to cause irritation.

One of the things I like about Gillette blades is that along with being sharp and smooth, they generally wear consistently over a longer period of time.

And then there are blades like the Derby, which are neither sharp nor smooth

Several posts in here explain why a blade must be sharp and smooth-cutting. There is always some drag on a blade cutting though something. If you reduce the drag the blade will cut easier. A blade that is less sharp than another can cut more easily and more effectively if it moves through whatever it is cutting with no drag. In the end, you'll have to decide what blade works most effectively for you despite other people's opinions of what blade is sharpest.

jwilock said:

In the end, you'll have to decide what blade works most effectively for you despite other people's opinions of what blade is sharpest.

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This is very true and the only thing that matters, although I would replace "sharpest" with "best". People often equate one with the other, but they can be very different.

I'm a relative newbie, so pardon my ignorance, but wouldn't the experience of the sharpness of the feather blades depend on the razor being used? I'd imagine that if you use a feather in a more aggressive razor then it would be a different experience.

I hope no one in here is getting the wrong idea about why I started this thread. I am simply open to trying new things and thought that if there are any blades out there that are sharper then Feather's, I'd like to give them a try. I like the Feathers and find that they are very sharp and also smooth (based on the definition provided by wulfgar) and will continue using them, as I mentioned in my first post. If there is nothing else sharper then a Feather, no big deal.