As everyone here had mentioned; Feather blades are thee sharpest. That’s not an opinion but a fact as tested by many. Because it’s so sharp I have to be considerate to which razor it goes with. If Feathers weren’t in my stockpile I’m be just as happy with my other blades. I’m a one and done with all my blades now so longevity isn’t an issue.
Sharpest DE blades not a Feather?
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A user here was kind enough to shoot me a source for 200 Feathers for $38.50! I signed up on their website but, the promo code didn't work so the order is pending. At ~$0.20 per blade, that puts them pretty close in price to a lot of blades in common use.
Most Feather ads I saw in my initial searching were $0.50 per blade in large quantities and over $1.00 per blade for 30 blades or less.
The 30-pack price and my 200-pack price are essentially the same when shipping is factored in on the 30-packs!
KAI, BIC Chrome Platinum
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Found a tuck of Nacet's in my stash so, dropped one in a Lambda Ares today. Wow! What a shave! 
How do you tell they are made in Verona, VA, USA? I bought a box that is wrapped in white paper (no labels) from the Personna store on amazon.
They should be marked with product number BP9020 on the bottom of the box, next to a bar code.
The more recent packages have this printed on the bottom of the box:
AccuTec Blades, Inc.
1 Razor Blade Lane, Verona, VA 24482
It's possible that older boxes don't have the address, but should at least be marked with BP9020 and AccuTec. The blades are individually wrapped in plain white paper. Each of my blades is laser etched with "Personna Super" and "Personna Made in USA".
I use exclusively Lab Blues, after trying at least 20 blades. Plenty sharp for me, smooth enough to shave every day.
I'm the odd man out, though, and I didn't like AccuTec AccuForge. They just didn't feel as smooth to me. I have a 250 blade carton of them, though, so I will try corking them to see if it helps.
Regardless, I bought enough Lab Blues to last me nearly 15 years at 4 shaves/blade. They can still be had for $15-16/100; that's roughly half the price of the AccuForges.
I'm the odd man out, though, and I didn't like AccuTec AccuForge. They just didn't feel as smooth to me. I have a 250 blade carton of them, though, so I will try corking them to see if it helps.
Regardless, I bought enough Lab Blues to last me nearly 15 years at 4 shaves/blade. They can still be had for $15-16/100; that's roughly half the price of the AccuForges.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I'm familiar with the Kai SS blades and have used them for a few years and they are sharp and smooth.
Folks who say they are not sharp I have to argue a little on that for the simple reason I can get 10 decent shaves with 1 blade and most other blades I use get 6 shaves so that makes them least 40% better in longevity at achieving a decent shave.
I believe it's their metal make up or metallurgy + heat treatment processes that make their blades last longer, let's face it to get a decent shave it has to be sharp at 10 shaves!
Kai blades are pricer but are worth the extra costs if they last longer + they will boost efficiencies in a mild razor also because they are slightly wider than Gillette standard blades.
If a person wants a nice sharp blade Personna comfort coating(lab blues) are excellent and slightly better for comfort than a Feather + better longevity. Personna reds are sharp and smooth that I use and I can get 6-7 decent shaves also. Personna has been making razor blades for over 100 years.
I don’t get the love for Nacets. They’re just slightly tuggy and a touch duller feeling than Astra SPs for me. Not as tuggy as some Treets that came with a brush
I miss the Crystals.
I miss the Crystals.
When I rate a blade for all around performance, that being Sharpness, Smoothness, longevity, and cost, Feather certainly isn't at the top. I'm only able to get 3, maybe 4 comfortable shaves with a Feather.
I'd say Morris Inox Stainless, which were blades extremely common here in Italy and they cut even more than Feather blades... which is not necessarily a good thing, in my opinion. However, not only does it seem they were almost ignored outside Italy, but their production has also been discontinued... so, at the moment I'd say there's little choice.
Imho, Nacet are quite good but not even comparable to Feather (which I consider maybe the best blade still in production).
Imho, Nacet are quite good but not even comparable to Feather (which I consider maybe the best blade still in production).
Yup, these are the only two blades i would put next to feathers.
For me, nacets, personna, gsb etc etc are just not sharp enough.
The Bic is a spectacular blade and pairs beautifully with the blackbird.
I get 5 shaves from a Bic (I use soft water for razor rinsing).
Feather gives me a single shave and while it's just a tad sharper than the Bic, i hate that the edge dies after a single shave.
I do keep a few tucks of feather blades because i use them on special occasions and don't mind the single use for this purpose. I use around 10 in a year
For me Perma sharp. I think Feathers are overated. There I said it
These have the address and are marked with BP9020, but the blades have no marking. One of the 1/4 sides have what looks like a production flaw (look like they've been scraped but are still smooth). To the OP, for me, I've only used 3 of these so far, but they are less forgiving than Feather blades with the same razor. So they might be sharper IMO.
The marking is faint, it is laser etched so depending on the light it may be hard to see. Similar to photo below...
I have tried more than 200 blades and have black super tough whiskers that are blade killers. Now with some grey ones.
The only blade that was equal to Feather for me was the old Iridium -Super (PPI) before they changed it in mid-2020. And the Polsilver Super Iridium made by PPI. The last batches were made in 2016.
The old 7 o'clock Sharpedge was almost as sharp as a Feather. I am talkin before the @2017 packaging. But in some razors sometimes I can notice a tiny difference with a Feather.
The only blade that was equal to Feather for me was the old Iridium -Super (PPI) before they changed it in mid-2020. And the Polsilver Super Iridium made by PPI. The last batches were made in 2016.
The old 7 o'clock Sharpedge was almost as sharp as a Feather. I am talkin before the @2017 packaging. But in some razors sometimes I can notice a tiny difference with a Feather.
For sharpness, BiC and Kai.
With the exception of the Personnas, that is pretty much my ranking of Feather substitutes as well.
Personnas are too expensive in my neck of the woods and as I like them less than BiC Chrome Platinums and Nacets, I see no reason to use them regularly
Some shavers do not get along with BiCs and claim that their performance is more razor dependent than other blades. This is, however, not my experience and I found that they perform well in all of my razors and in a measured test of 42 commonly used blades they were the second sharpest blade after Feathers.
B.
I seldom use Feathers, being a cheap b#stard, but the best price for them, barring a special sale, is at americansalonsupplies.com I do use Wizamets and I’ve found Dorco 301 s to be quite sharp. Longevity isn’t great for me, but considering the price it is very acceptable. Ymmv as usual.
Jack
Jack
As someone here once said, "Do not fear the Feather." Anyone else remember that?
