Feather blades - strong irritation

I was all excited about trying Feather blades until I shaved with them and found them to be pain on a stick. What!? I lathered up, heated the razor in hot water, and expected something radically different. Youch!

So, I've tried Merkur blades which I am content with and Feather blades which sting like the fiery blades of Satan's deluxe shaving kit, and I was curious if anyone else had a similar reaction to them. My skin just doesn't like them.

Anyone else out there that can't handle Feather? What worked better for you?

The first time I tried Feather blades was in a Merkur razor. At the time I was using Merkur blades. I did not like the Merkur blades at all. This was when I first came back to DE shaving after years of not using a DE razor. I found the Feather to be really nice and smooth.
What I have found out since is that Feather blades are great in a mild razor such as Merkur or Edwin Jagger but in a more aggressive razor such as Parker, they can cause irritation. I only use them in my Merkur now.
For smoothness in any razor I like the Astra SP blades.

Veritates said:

Anyone else out there that can't handle Feather? What worked better for you?

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Time worked better for me. You're pressing too hard, but you will develop a lighter touch with time and adjustment.
For me:
2 months in, Feathers cut me.
6 months in, Feathers were OK in a Blue Tip
12 months in, Feathers were OK in a Slim
24 months in, Feathers are great in everything.

Yeesh, I'd be scared to try them in anything else. I've been using them in my Merkur 34c. Maybe I'll relegate them to the back of the cabinet and try them again in the spring. I'll give Astra a shot in the meantime.

It depends on the razor for me. I really dislike feathers in my British NEW but really like them in a TECH or Merkur 38C. I have some Single Edge Feather and it's the same story. Depending on the razor, it can be great or horrible.

They bite too much in my R41, so I PIFed my small collection in favor of Shark SS and Dorco ST301.
Feather are overrated. At more than three times the price of the cheapies, I don't see the attraction.
I get 7 days of smooth sailing with Shark SS, and a BBS outcome that lasts me almost all day.

But there are plenty who would take a different view.

Limekiln said:

They bite too much in my R41, so I PIFed my small collection in favor of Shark SS and Dorco ST301.
Feather are overrated. At more than three times the price of the cheapies, I don't see the attraction.
I get 7 days of smooth sailing with Shark SS, and a BBS outcome that lasts me almost all day.

But there are plenty who would take a different view.

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yeah, I'd be abit skeered of a Feather in an R41 too!

Try a Feather in a Tech- gives me an amazingly close, smooth and confortable shave. Not a weeper, nick or hint of redness in sight.

I liked them ok in my Feather Popular the first time I tried them, but have been working my way through a sampler since upgrading to my 37c. Used the Feathers in them this morning. Pretty good shave. They are a little less smooth than my Personna Reds or Astra SPs on the first pass, but may actually be smoother on the second and third. I like them ok, I would put them in my top 5, but they don't seem to give me significantly better shaves than some of the cheaper blades I've used.

If you don't like them, then you don't like them.

Enough other blades to choose from.

I can't say it's anything like Satan's shaving kit, but I haven't been able to figure out this blade. It's legendary in it's sharpness, but my experience in a Sheraton, Red Tip and Parker 26C have been awful. Right off the bat it doesn't feel sharp or smooth. I continued for a few shaves and have not been satisfied. Could I have a bad batch? I've tried 3 or 4 from the pack. A Dorco 300 feels smooth compared to the Feather.

I picked up a box in Thailand and will try one from that. If it doesn't rock my world first shave I'm PIFing the box!

Veritates said:

I was all excited about trying Feather blades until I shaved with them and found them to be pain on a stick. What!? I lathered up, heated the razor in hot water, and expected something radically different. Youch!

So, I've tried Merkur blades which I am content with and Feather blades which sting like the fiery blades of Satan's deluxe shaving kit, and I was curious if anyone else had a similar reaction to them. My skin just doesn't like them.

Anyone else out there that can't handle Feather? What worked better for you?

Click to expand...

CT23 said:

I picked up a box in Thailand and will try one from that. If it doesn't rock my world first shave I'm PIFing the box!

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A B&B worthy solution!

Douglas Smythe posted this earlier today. Will try when I use a Feather.

Veritates said:

I was all excited about trying Feather blades until I shaved with them and found them to be pain on a stick. What!? I lathered up, heated the razor in hot water, and expected something radically different. Youch!

So, I've tried Merkur blades which I am content with and Feather blades which sting like the fiery blades of Satan's deluxe shaving kit, and I was curious if anyone else had a similar reaction to them. My skin just doesn't like them.

Anyone else out there that can't handle Feather? What worked better for you?

Click to expand...

As you can see from our members, the razor of choice is an important factor on satisfactory shave results. For me the Feathers work in a 40's style Super Speed.

The idea of 1st shave not being as smooth as the second has been discussed often and seems to apply to Gem PTFE single edge blades also. But we're talking about Feathers; If the first shave is bad for you, just go WTG and try shaving as usual for the second. I don't strop my blades, I just use them; Simple and a lot less trouble. I understand the concept of stropping; I was a meat cutter for several years as a post-retirement job and have known how to sharpen blades since I was young. Of course, as Alex says, razor choice is a factor.

Tried them in a single ring yesterday. A bit of irritation today.

Veritates said:

I was all excited about trying Feather blades until I shaved with them and found them to be pain on a stick. What!? I lathered up, heated the razor in hot water, and expected something radically different. Youch!

So, I've tried Merkur blades which I am content with and Feather blades which sting like the fiery blades of Satan's deluxe shaving kit, and I was curious if anyone else had a similar reaction to them. My skin just doesn't like them.

Anyone else out there that can't handle Feather? What worked better for you?

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Can I ask why you are heating the razor up?

paintflinger said:

Can I ask why you are heating the razor up?

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Shaving with a hot razor is nice. I believe that this gent is simply putting his razor in hot water before his shave. I do the same. I soak my brush while I shower. When I facelather, I put my razor in the same coffee mug that I soaked my brush in which warms up the razor.

Why do you think that Feather blades should work for you, btw? Especially since you mention that you like Merkur blades?

StAndre said:

Tried them in a single ring yesterday. A bit of irritation today.

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That is a long time for reaction, it usually occurs within mins or hours for me, not days.

IMO Feathers are very sharp, but not the smoothest of blades. I don't use them in aggressive razors - Gillette Bulldog, or Old Types, but they work well for me in milder razors, like my President and 58 TV.