Feathers are just a great blade! "Just" being the operative word here ...

[JCinPA]

Well, after putting both my feet firmly in my mouth in one of the recurring Once you go Feather, you never go back! threads, a gentlemanly member graciously sent me a couple of Feather blades to revisit. Thank you very much! I had tested these some time ago and decided not to repurchase them, so I appreciate it.

Well, the short background -- I've been brush and soap lathering for close to twenty years now, but just started on the DE a little less than a year ago. I learned to shave, and did shave with, a Schick Injector back in the early 70's, but had gone up the Gillette ladder of products since my college days. Being somewhat 'old school' and former military, and in the financial business for 20 years, I am used to shaving every day. I cannot abide what I’ve come to call the “Yasser Arafat Look” that seems to be all the rage these days. Indeed, I’ve only taken about a half-dozen days off from shaving since last April.

I always get DFS results, and BBS whenever I really want to with a little extra effort. I have had a total of about 3 uncomfortable shaves in the last year. I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89, then ran through a half dozen other razors before deciding to get a Bob’s Razor Works XXL handle to stick the DE89 on, and that is it! No more fiddling around, this is the ‘one razor to rule them all’ for me. Since the Feather is often highly-touted in the EJ, I thought it high time to give it another run.

Today, I got a DFS, as per usual, no issues, no razor burn, in fact very little alcohol burn from the Pinaud Lilac Vegetal I splashed on afterwards, it was a very nice shave, indeed. However – you knew there was a but coming, right? – it was no better (or worse) than I get with my daily blades, the Gillette Super Platinums, Black (Indian, AKA: Ninja). It was the same. Great, comfortable DFS, with just the merest hint of stubble right under the right jawline, where I always have it (unless I decide to spend the time eradicating it for a BBS). The shave results and face feel are, in fact, about as identical to my Gillette Blacks as can be. Now, at about 1:30 PM, I am experiencing the same face feel I always do at this hour. No better, no worse.

This is in no way a criticism of any kind, I always thought the Feather was a good blade, and I am acknowledging that they are the equal of my favorite, buy-in-bulk, daily shaver blades. The only reason I am even bothering to write this is that it is an odd product, in the way its aficionados rave about it. I don’t mean in the same way the Arkoleptics do, we tolerate them as the fun and entertaining creatures that they are—not in the same way the Vegomatics praise their AS splash (for the record, I have been ‘chosen’ ) – no, the …. What to call them? Featherbrains? No, that’s not right, we don't want to inflame. Well, lets just call them the FeatherFans—they are different. They actually BELIEVE their product really is the best on the planet!

And Feathers get talked about around here in almost reverential tones. “There’s the Personna reds, the Astras, the Personna meds, the Gillette (insert color here), the… blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, then there are … (suck in your breath a little, widen your eyes) the FEATHERS!” All as if there are all the other blades over here, and then there is the Feather, over there, in a class all by itself.

I say baloney! I’m not bashing the Feathers at all! They are great blades! But they are just great blades, like the Personna meds/labs or the Gillette Blue/Black (interchangeable in my mind, both sets). If they were truly in a sharpness category all by themselves, I should have had a different shave this morning and I did not. It was just as good, but certainly not better than I get with my ninjas or my NOS Schick Plus Platinums.

Plus (and I will report back in a couple days), I don’t get as many shaves on these. I can go a week on a ninja or NOS Schick, but will admit the weekend shaves are perhaps not quite as close. But changing a blade on Monday morning and using it through Sunday works very well and comfortably for me on my favorites. The Feather has always lost its close or its comfortable (or both) shaving quality in the 3rd shave. Maybe I could get through number 3, but since I hate changing blades mid-shave, and since I can’t tell whether it will make it through shave 3, I treat them as a 2-shave blade. For the sake of the next comment, let’s treat them as a 3-shave blade, though. And have me take a hypothetical day off each week with my Gillette Blacks, so we have a 3-shaver versus a 6-shaver, OK? Using today’s West Coast Shaving prices for 100-packs of blades, we have $40 for the feathers and $32 for the Gillette Blue. Since we get twice the shaves out of the Gillettes, though, let’s double the Feather cost to $80 and we get a ratio of 2.5 times the per-shave cost for the Feather. ($80/32)

Now, the Featherbrains FeatherFans often reply, “Who cares, it’s still pennies, not even the cost of a cup of Starbucks!” That is true, but I think like an economist, so if the per shave cost is 2.5 times higher, should I not expect better results with the Feathers? I certainly don’t get worse! I get the same excellent, close, comfortable shave results as I get with the Gillette Blue/Black! Um, so why the huge increase in cost? It’s not the pennies, it’s the economic value in question here. I can certainly afford the darn things, and I’m no penny pincher, by any stretch of the imagination.

So all this is to simply say to the Featherbrains FeatherFans … “Hey, Feathers are a nice blade! They provide high-quality, close, comfortable shaves, just like all the other blades that provide high-quality, close, comfortable shaves!” They are very nice!

But they are not in a category unto themselves. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Of course, YMMV!



[disclaimer]

This was written somewhat tongue-in-cheek and no disrespect is intended to the Featherbrains Feather Fans.

[/disclaimer]

[utahusker]

"Of course, YMMV!"

I think you summed it up here.

[Chester]

I think that was very well-put, quite frankly. I feel the same way about feathers. At the same time, they are not terribly forgiving, and I think they do best in the most mild razors. I only get a few shaves out of them, too.
-- Chet

[turtle]

I find that if I pair up feathers with my milder razors (tech, DE89, SA on 3, etc) I get fantastic shaves out of them.

If I stick one in a rather aggressive razor I still get fantastic shaves but I need to be more careful than I like being forced into.

The last Feather I used I got 7 shaves out of it before giving it the 86 down the medicine cabinet slot. Shave #7 was stretching it a little though.. should have pulled it on the first pass and used something else but I didn't and I paid for it too.....

[kingfisher]

I like Gillette Blues OK, and I can get a pretty good shave out of almost any blade I try, but the Feather has the best first-pass of any blade on the market, IMO. It's not head-and-shoulders above the rest, so I mix it up, but I enjoy the days I get to shave with a Feather, especially the second shave. They are really nice on their second shave.

[JCinPA]

I like Gillette Blues OK, and I can get a pretty good shave out of almost any blade I try, but the Feather has the best first-pass of any blade on the market, IMO. It's not head-and-shoulders above the rest, so I mix it up, but I enjoy the days I get to shave with a Feather, especially the second shave. They are really nice on their second shave.

Well, I hope everyone got the tongue-in-cheek part. I'm not bashing the Feathers, or the FeatherBrains It's a good enough blade, no doubt about it. It's just not that 'special' in my mind.

One question for you, though? What the heck difference does the 'best first pass' mean in the real world? Who does a one-pass shave? I am looking forward to tomorrow's shave, and I will go on to 3 and 4, however many it takes. But my experience has been (and a lot of others, too) that these don't stay as comfortable or as effective as other top tier blades, on average. Of course turtle does not find them that way! That's the name of this game, isn't it?

I don't begrudge anyone liking them, I don't really care about the cost factor--or I wouldn't if I got head-and-shoulders above the rest kind of results ... but I don't. This is a YMMV game, to be sure, and Feathers are as good as any other high-quality blade ... but to treat them as if they almost have to be categorized by themselves is preposterous, IMNSHO. They are very nice. They are not 'special', or any 'more special' than personna meds or Gillette Blues, again, IMO.

Hope I did not step on any toes, but I really appreciate Hayden for sending these to me. I'm glad I tried them again after having tried perhaps 18 blades or so, and after having gained a lot of experience and settled on my favorite blade. I needed to revisit them again, if only to determine that they are, in fact, "Just great blades."

[Obi Wan]

I'm FeatherFan and happily call it the 'best blade currently available'. Common consensus states Feather blades excel as stubble killers not as daily shavers. Anyone who has used a Feather blade with a few days stubble will REALLY get to see what this blade can do rather than JUST do.As you shave daily I'm not all surprised you have come to the conclusion you have.

If I'm shaving daily I'll use a blade like a GBE NOS or Astra Platinum, but if I have missed a day or 2 (my job doesn't require me to shave everyday though) I'll reach for a mild razor like EJ DE89L/ Fat handled Tech and a Feather blade or alternatively an aggressive razor like a Merkur Futur dialled to just over 6 with a milder blade.

One weekend try missing a shave for a day or 2 then lather up with Arko mmmmmmmm sweet smelling Arko (I suddenly fancy some lemon drizzle cake) apologise to Yasser Arafat, then try the Feather.

[Island Dreamer]

Well of my, now, regular five - Astra SP, Personna Lab, German Wilkinson, Derby, and Feather, I think the Feathers are a cut above (no pun intended) but they are not three times better than the Astras or Derbys although they're three times the price nor twice as good as the Personnas or Wilkinsons). I use them strictly in my ball end Techs of which I own a gold and silver. However, that combo gives me the best shave I get out of all the combos available to me between razors and blades.

[man00ver]

I'm not a Feather fan, though they do well enough for me. But John, the DE89 is probably not the best handle for evaluating the differences between blades of a certain sharpness. It's mild enough to offset the fine points of distinction. And, like Obi Wan points out, having some extra growth to mow is a better way to check efficiency of reduction, which is asserted as a strong point of the Feather.

But, the 7-Black is also a very sharp blade, and smoother too IMO, so I largely agree with your opinion anyway.
That said, it's probably high time I went for an extended Feather flight with the balance of my sampler packs.

[bkfist]

Being a Featherbrain FeatherFan I totally agree with your assessment that they are nothing "way beyond special" Don't need to be talked about with hushed tones or genuflecting... LOL (although I can NOT comment on their comparison to Gillette blacks, as I only had 1 in a sample pack a while back and I've never been able to find any Gillette blacks in stock anywhere to add into an order.)

For me, in a Feather AS-D1, I get 10 to 14 good shaves from one. (I usually replace my blade about once a month - but I'm using a Feather straight or standard straight as much, or more, than I use a DE in the average month.) The AS-D1 requires a much shallower blade angle than most other razors, and I think having the blade hitting the hair more "straight-on" keeps the edge sharp longer because the blade isn't catching the hair and the hair bending the edge of the blade back as the blade cuts through the hair.

For me the Feather's advantage over say, Personna Med/Lab blades is consistency. Every Feather I've used has been the same sharpness out of the package. I have some Personna Meds and some Personna labs that are nearly as sharp as the Feathers, but I also bought a 100 pack of labs at a different time from the first batch of labs, and that batch is "garbage" to me... I find it hard to tell the difference between those junk labs and an Astra (except there is no glue along the edge of the lab blades.) Feathers work extremely well in all 3 of the DE razors that I am likely to use. (Feather AS-D1, Feather Popular for travel, and my Gillette Old Type)

Unless I get a bad batch of Feather blades, I'll pay the premium price for them to *know* that every blade is going to be of equal quality for me. Should I *ever* get a batch of bad Feather blades, my opinion of them will change drastically and I'll likely be looking for another blade to replace them with, until then I know they work well in my razors, and they are consistent for me.

The Feather AS-D1 killed my DE Razor AD, the Feather Blades killed my Blade AD... But I'm still a soap slut!

[JCinPA]

Yowza Brian! I had to look up a Feather AS-D1, I had no idea what you are talking about. Saw the price, and that AIN'T happening.

I am turning into a "soap slut", though! It might be too late for me!

ObiWan, your comments make a ton of sense. I bet a Feather in a red tip would be just the thing for a 'Yasser Arafat' cleanup. Wow! You're a FeatherBrain FeatherFan and an Arkoleptic, too? Poor fella.

Yeah, I can't get to skipping two days, it drives me nuts. If my hair gets on my ears, I go nuts, too. I've been out 20 years, but ten years on active duty created some pretty strong ingrained habits, I guess.

[JCinPA]

Actually, Arko may be the easiest to lather product on the planet, all kidding aside. And great lather, too. But I'm just not gonna taste it!

[SteveWY]

I have really enjoyed the well done analysis and opining in this thread. Some well-intentioned banter and respect for opinions! Thank you gents! I'm with others in that I tend to be cautious with absolutes.... "The Best... The Worst". In reality, I have and still get good-to-great shaves with about 5 brands... Reds, Crystals, Astras, Personna Supers and really even the rebranded Dollar Store, K-Mart "generics" (I think they are Personna). That said, I think that my go-to rotation blades (Astra SP and Personna Blue Labs) at 9-13 cents each are a pretty good choice for me. I always get 5-6 darn good shaves, BBS if I buff and touch up, rarely if ever get a nick or weeper, no irritation. (I discovered those issues were more about me than the blade). Any way, the Feather is a great blade. No doubt. Is it it 3-4 times sharper/smoother/lasting? Not for me. YMMV. Shave on FeatherFans!

Just call me Astra SuperMan!

Well of my, now, regular five - Astra SP, Personna Lab, German Wilkinson, Derby, and Feather, I think the Feathers are a cut above (no pun intended) but they are not three times better than the Astras or Derbys although they're three times the price nor twice as good as the Personnas or Wilkinsons). I use them strictly in my ball end Techs of which I own a gold and silver. However, that combo gives me the best shave I get out of all the combos available to me between razors and blades.

[JCinPA]

This is a good place for a little teasing banter, isn't it? I think that's why I like it so much. And the knowledge level. This reminds me of some pretty narrow gun forums I frequent. Very, very nice guys, with an incredible pool of knowledge, that (usually) don't take themselves too seriously.

Well, until you start a 1911 vs Glock topic, anyway.

[Island Dreamer]

1911 every day of the week (even though I own a couple Glocks too).

[JCinPA]

No Glocks. But I understand.

[SteveWY]

JC, I'm with you on all that! As far as... "Well, until you start a 1911 vs Glock topic, anyway"... Oh, you opened a can of worms! I own and shoot Glocks, a 9mm and a .40. I carry the .40 on duty as an issued handgun. I have nec=ver been a .45 guy so I won't debate! :) I get in enough banter with the DE crowd!

This is a good place for a little teasing banter, isn't it? I think that's why I like it so much. And the knowledge level. This reminds me of some pretty narrow gun forums I frequent. Very, very nice guys, with an incredible pool of knowledge, that (usually) don't take themselves too seriously.

Well, until you start a 1911 vs Glock topic, anyway.

[JCinPA]

"Once you go 1911 (Glock) you'll never go back !!!!!! "



Shave number Two

Was wonderful, as well. As noted by many, the second shave on a Feather is better than the first, but this is common with many blades. Got a little closer DFS which felt smooth maybe two hours beyond where Day 1's shave did. Still, nothing markedly different than I get with my Gillette blacks, however.

I reiterate, it is a very nice blade, indeed. NOT



But very nice. Very nice shaver.

Shave #3 will go up in an hour or two. We shall see if it holds up!

[cluelessdude]

Sorry but what's the price you pay for 100 blacks? At WCS it's $40 or $50 (can't recall which of the two).

100 Feathers can be had for $27 shipped.

To me Feathers give a superior shave (YMMV). I love them. I feel like it's much easier for me to use the right technique when using Feathers as compared to other blades where I get casual and sometimes bear down because they aren't as sharp.

[JCinPA]

Sorry but what's the price you pay for 100 blacks? At WCS it's $40 or $50 (can't recall which of the two).

100 Feathers can be had for $27 shipped.

To me Feathers give a superior shave (YMMV). I love them. I feel like it's much easier for me to use the right technique when using Feathers as compared to other blades where I get casual and sometimes bear down because they aren't as sharp.

I paid $50 (shipped) for 140 blades from an Indian vendor on eBay. That's 36 cents per.


Day Three Shave

Well, it did not fall apart, shaved a little less close than shave #2 but about the same as shave #1, still on a par with my Gillette Blacks. I will go to 4 shave on it tomorrow.

Same conclusion: Very nice blade, I get why they are so popular ... not any better (or worse) a shaver than a half dozen other blades for me. Of course my mileage is ALL screwed up, we all know that, right?