Maybe Feathers are TOO sharp?

I'm pretty new to DE shaving. I've only been doing this since Christmas. I use a Merkur Futur dialed back to 1 and I get damn good shaves with it. I started out with the Merkur blade that came with the razor and it worked well. I then switched to red Personnas and they worked flawlessly for me. Lately I've been using feathers (on my 3rd blade) and I end up bleeding. Every. Single. Time. It never fails.

I'm guessing my technique needs some work? I don't know. I'd hate to ditch the feathers ( I bought a 50 pack) before learning what I might be doing wrong.

I agree completely. I've been claiming for some time now that blades don't have to be as sharp as Feathers are. They are TOO sharp.
You can much more safely get as close a shave as with a Feather with a bit less sharp and more forgiving blade.

Feathers are great blades, but you have to pair them with the right razor. In my rotation, Feather are matched with Slant razors. Using them in others give me mediocre to disastrous results.

When I had a Futur, my experimentation found that Super Iridium was the best blade to put in there. I don't know if SI is still available, but I think that PolSilvers are the same thing.

IMO the problem is not how sharp they are but how stif that steel is. Put them aside for a while. Try with a silver blue or a derby (one at a time, At least 20-30 shaves with the same razor, blade and soap). After some 3 months you can go back to the feathers for revenge. That will at least give you some time to improve your technique and will bring in some confidence. Now that doesn't mean you will ever prefer feathers.

Put them aside for now. Try a 5 or 10 count of several other razors - Derby, Astra, Personna, etc. I honestly have never noticed a difference with Feather blades, but I went thru a 100 pack of Derby before I tried them. I also tend to like mild razors. I don't get cut by more aggressive razors, but I tend to spend the next 8 hours walking around wondering where the top few layers of my skin have gone. If Personna (red?) work for you, use 50-100 of them, and try the Feathers afterward.

Amen. Feathers are not to be feared, they only want respect. Give your technique some time to improve and then go to the feathers.

rlsinaz said:

Put them aside for now. Try a 5 or 10 count of several other razors - Derby, Astra, Personna, etc. I honestly have never noticed a difference with Feather blades, but I went thru a 100 pack of Derby before I tried them. I also tend to like mild razors. I don't get cut by more aggressive razors, but I tend to spend the next 8 hours walking around wondering where the top few layers of my skin have gone. If Personna (red?) work for you, use 50-100 of them, and try the Feathers afterward.

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rlsinaz said:

Put them aside for now. Try a 5 or 10 count of several other razors - Derby, Astra, Personna, etc. I honestly have never noticed a difference with Feather blades, but I went thru a 100 pack of Derby before I tried them. I also tend to like mild razors. I don't get cut by more aggressive razors, but I tend to spend the next 8 hours walking around wondering where the top few layers of my skin have gone. If Personna (red?) work for you, use 50-100 of them, and try the Feathers afterward.

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Yes, Red Personna. I was really starting to feel like a pro with those! LOL I guess the feathers remind me that I'm still a novice.

dpm802 said:

Feathers are great blades, but you have to pair them with the right razor. In my rotation, Feather are matched with Slant razors. Using them in others give me mediocre to disastrous results.

When I had a Futur, my experimentation found that Super Iridium was the best blade to put in there. I don't know if SI is still available, but I think that PolSilvers are the same thing.

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Same here, I can only use my Feather's in a '58 SS. In any of my modern razors I always get irritation, with out fail. To me they are perfect for their purpose, but are very fickle and require the right hardware/software match to get a great shave. Don't get rid of your 50 pack, just try different combo's of gear. (a good excuse to SWMBO to try out some new stuff)

SWMBO is pretty awesome about my hobbies. Luckily!

bhicks12187 said:

Don't get rid of your 50 pack, just try different combo's of gear. (a good excuse to SWMBO to try out some new stuff)

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I can hear the conversation now ...

"That's right, dear ... I just bought a $175 razor from eBay so these 25cent blades don't go to waste."
"That's fine, honey ... You know how great I look in the Catholic School Girl outfit? How do you like these plaid shoes?"

dpm802 said:

I can hear the conversation now ...

"That's right, dear ... I just bought a $175 razor from eBay so these 25cent blades don't go to waste."
"That's fine, honey ... You know how great I look in the Catholic School Girl outfit? How do you like these plaid shoes?"

Click to expand...

That sounds like a win/win for me

If they are too sharp, cork them to take the edge off the blade. Then use a mild razor if you've got one.

They should also mellow out with a few shaves. After shave 3, they should be pretty tame.

I notice whenever I use a new feather blade the first shave is always a little rough. After I use it the first time the next shaves go real smooth for me. Kinda weird. I also started on feathers when I bought my de starter kit in october. Tore my face up pretty bad at first. I would use them on a real mild razor.

Sorry double post

I always get a weeper or two from a feather UNLESS I use the in a Tech. Then they are real nice.

The sharper the better. Once you get your technique down. You will love the feather. It will cut with the least resistance. So you will not experience irritation. Save them! You will go back to them. And most likely love them. Don't worry about it. Just use what works for you now. Try using alum after each shave. It will tell you where you used too much pressure or other mistakes. ,then once you are not making the mistakes, try the feather. Once you get the technique down, it will be second nature. Until then, just enjoy what works. You are getting there.

Inari7 said:

I always get a weeper or two from a feather UNLESS I use the in a Tech. Then they are real nice.

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Well, it makes perfect sense.

Historically, Feather razors have been relatively mild. They kind of look like knock-offs of Knacks and Techs, etc. It makes sense that Feather would have designed their DE blades to work best with their razors. And, it brings to mind that old Gillette slogan, “If you ain’t got the blade, you ain’t got the shave”-- or else, it is something along those lines.

Newb here but I've found 5 blades that I get a better shave with than feathers. I'll hold on to them and keep practicing & give them another go in a few months...

If you don't like Feathers, don't use them. There are enough alternatives. Blades are very personal, and I think that the Israeli Personnas (PPC) are very smooth for me.

Don't ditch the Feathers yet; maybe you find out that you do like them in a few months from now. If not, you can always sell or PIF them.