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First shave with a Feather

Just had my first shave with a feather today. I have to say, its the blade for me. Very smooth and no pulling of hairs. Also there was alot less irritation on my chin than usual.

Previously i was using a Merkur platinums in my Futur.If it wasnt for B&B i wouldnt have known how good the Feathers (and how bad the Merkurs) were.

Now i just have to source some more:biggrin:

So thumbs up B&B for being an excellent resource. :thumbup: And everyone out there should try a Feather at least once, both me and my father noticed a huge difference over the Merkurs.
 
+1 on the feathers.

Id rather shave with a rusty butter kinfe taken out of a sharps container in a hospital than ever touch a merkur to my face again.

You went from quite possibly the worst blade out there, to the very best blade out there.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Feather are great... I was also under the impression that Merkur were not so bad when I first tried them. Not knowing anything else, yeah, they were ok but not more. I then went crazy on sample packs and buying them in 5-10... I'm still going through those packs at the moment. I discovered that Shogun and me don't get along. Kai is quite close to Feather (sharp/smooth). I also love Astra!
 
Glad to hear you had a positive experience. These are the only blades I use and I think the "Fear The Feather" thing gets a little overblown. As you noted, this blade is all about slicing whiskers off cleanly and it does it very well.

Be sure to let us know how many shaves you get out of a blade. I've seen a wide range of reports on this and am always curious about other user's experiences.

Regards,

Les
 
indeed I gave my feathers a try one morning and never looked back but I always keep a pack of derby extra's as my "go to" blade.
 
I like the feathers, but my bargain hunter impulse makes me look for a blade that performs well for me at a nice price....
 
I've used both the Merkur blade that came with my razor, as well as a few feather blades. I use my feathers sparingly, as judging by the price and the fact that the packaging was in Japanese, I'd guess that they are marked up imports. I've also used store brand (american saftey razor or whatever it is called), but my current blade of choice is Wilkinson Sword, mostly because my mother told me that's the brand my grandfather used to use, but I've also found some success with it.

As I've read on these and other forums, any individual's experience may vary when it comes to blades. It's good to hear someone finding something that works for them.
 
So far, I haven't found a better blade than Feather. I also don't quite understand the "fear factor". Unless you have bad prep and bad technique or a really aggressive razor, feathers are no more "dangerous" than any other blades. My other favourite is Astra which I use sometimes and they're half the price but Feathers are the best.
 
I think the Feather Fear is what kept me from them this long. THe merkur's were supposed to be a middle range "safe" razor. Funny they were supposed to be safe, but gave me more nicks and much more irritation than the "dangerous, take no prisioner" feather.

Price wise, theyre about the same as i was paying for Merkur, about $8 a pack (from TBBS in toronto).

Problem is, in my town (province actually) about the only blades i can find are the white pack Wilkinson, so these will have to be mail order, when i get an order big enough to be worth it. I still have 1.5 packs left so im good for a while.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I think the Feather Fear is what kept me from them this long. THe merkur's were supposed to be a middle range "safe" razor. Funny they were supposed to be safe, but gave me more nicks and much more irritation than the "dangerous, take no prisioner" feather.

Price wise, theyre about the same as i was paying for Merkur, about $8 a pack (from TBBS in toronto).

Problem is, in my town (province actually) about the only blades i can find are the white pack Wilkinson, so these will have to be mail order, when i get an order big enough to be worth it. I still have 1.5 packs left so im good for a while.

:eek: That's it? You need to get some more in case Canada post start a strike or something! :biggrin:
 
...and I think the "Fear The Feather" thing gets a little overblown.

+1... I waited a little too long to give the Feathers a shot. But they CAN bite!

There is absolutely nothing better out there (that I currently know of) that gives me a better shave than a Feather in my HD slant. I find that its the only setup that I can feel that I need to use zero pressure... averything else needs a little 'help' it seems.

I scored a 200 count pack on the bay for $65 shipped... So I should be good for a while.
 
I tried one, found more irritation and cuts but no closer of a shave, but I'm still a DE noob. I'll go back to Dorcos for awhile and try the Feathers again in a month or two..
 
I tried one, found more irritation and cuts but no closer of a shave, but I'm still a DE noob. I'll go back to Dorcos for awhile and try the Feathers again in a month or two..

Sometimes it depends on what razor you're using. I use Feathers in my Fatboy and Redtip, but Isreali's or Derby's in my Super Speed and FatTech.
 
My first impressions of feathers wasn't good. I nicked myself using them in my Red tip and Fat Boy. Then I put one in an old tech, and it answered nicely. BB smooth shaves, every time, no nicks. I don't think that my technique improved overnight, but rather that the slim head allows me to maneuver it precisely. After using a slim head, the TTO heads of the Gillette razors are just too bulky, IMO.

I love how the big TTO razors look and feel, but they don't shave as well for me.
 
Sometimes it depends on what razor you're using. I use Feathers in my Fatboy and Redtip, but Isreali's or Derby's in my Super Speed and FatTech.

I'm thinking different razor settings for different blades; I have a Futur and do not have RAD as yet.

Holy moly. Ive never moved my Futur past 2. You must have the hand dexterity of a surgeon.

Wow! After a couple weeks I was up to a 3 and I'm not that swift yet. That was with Derbys. When I go back to a Feather I'll use a 1 setting, the first one tore me up at 3.

I haven't gone beyond 3 yet.
 
Feathers work well with my less aggressive razors like my blue tip and Milord, although I still have to watch out for that dreaded neck irritation. In something more aggressive like my red tip or HD I will switch to a 7 o'clock yellow or Red IP.
 
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