Kai Blades, a Review

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 12:38 pm

From Japan come the Kai blades. Not as well known as Feather, there is little information on these except their Country of Origin.

Description: These blades present in a cardboard box of five with the blades individually wrapped in what appears to be a stout sort of wax paper. Very clean with no glue, there is very little disclosed information as the blade and wrapper are devoid of any printing and the box only states they were made by the Kai Corporation for V Two international Ple Ltd. Obviously a contract blade but actually manufactured by who I do not know.

Characteristics: I believe this the first blade I've seen that has no writing of any sort on the blade or wrapper. Since they were made by a factory for another company they are obviously a contract blade whose maker didn't want them identified. One may assume the maker has some other brands of blades out there and doesn't want to compete with itself. I have read that these are the same as Feather but they are not. The two brands do not share any surface characteristics or markings and the blade is ground differently. The grind on Kai is a long sloping one from the table to the second bevel which is a very quick hone to the edge. The Feathers show a much higher quality of consistent line with a three part grind/bevel/hone.

Use: These are good blades, not Feathers, but good, better than the Swedes and most others I've tried. Very consistent performance in that they shaved about the same in all the razors used and did particularly well in the Futur. Sharp. smooth, consistent, relatively inexpensive, World class blades. Rated 7.

D.Irving79 · Post by **D.Irving79** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:45 pm

ill have to try these. our faces seem to like the same blades for the most part.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 3:05 pm

Just pm me Dave, I'll send you a few.

Straight Arrow · Post by **Straight Arrow** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:00 pm

Where did you get these Squire?

D.Irving79 · Post by **D.Irving79** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:10 pm

Squire wrote:Just pm me Dave, I'll send you a few.

done and done.

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:09 pm

I think a member is still selling these in the Shopping forum.

One question - are they more forgiving than Feathers?

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:31 pm

Paul, that's a good question both simple and difficult. To say a blade is more forgiving is another way of saying it's less sharp or smooth than the one to which the comparison is made. Why would one use a lesser blade?

The way I see it is the learner blades are to get technique down, (Derby, Crystal, et al) and once technique is learned use the top shelf blades.

Reverend Jim · Post by **Reverend Jim** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:24 pm

I wouldn't say that the Kais are less sharp or less smooth than Feathers but I got a very good shave with the Kai without getting cut up like I do when I use a Feather. More forgiving? I'd say so.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:25 pm

Since I don't think that the Feathers are as good as the Swedes, I don't know quite what I'd make of this one.....could go either way, I guess.
Regards,
Gordon

k1rod · Post by **k1rod** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:12 pm

Squire wrote:
The way I see it is use the learner blades to get technique down, (Derby, Crystal, et al) and once technique is learned use the top shelf blades.

I've been thinking about this lately and I think you may be spot on. I'm not sure the traditional advice about jumping right in to a sampler pack is the way to go. Some of the blades in my sampler pack that I had originally discarded as "not for me" turned out to be fine after had my tecnique down more properly. Maybe the way to go is to start out with a fairly benign blade like a Derby, Dorco or Crystal, and stick with it until tecnique is mastered. At that point, I think one might be able to make better use of a sampler pack to fine tune the shave.

Now I can see somebody say, "If you stick a new shaver with one blade and that one blade turns out to be terrible for that person, they will quickly abandon wet shaving. I'm not sure that's true. I'm not really sure that any quality blade will/must be bad for some people. I think we adapt to our razors and blades. If we are used to a motion/angle/pressure etc that works well with blade we are used to, or our skin has adapted to a blade we are used to, then it all doesn't work for a different blade, we chalk that blade up as "no good for me". But what it really might be is that the blade would be OK if we just spent the time learning and adapting to it. (This is assuming a quality, top tier blade here, I'm not talking about Sputnik's).

My dad was a wet shaver as was my grandfather. They had no allegiance to any particular blade, they just bought what was on sale or convenient. I would propose that anybody could get a good shave out of say a Derby blade, if they worked at learning and adapting to the blade. And once learned, along with mastering the DE razor, the person should then try out other blades to optimize the shave.

What do you think? Does this make sense or am I "all wet"? I might be all wet. It wouldn't be the first time.

-r

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:45 pm

Well, that was the essence of those lengthy debates about 'sampler packs' that we had awhile back. I, and Squire I believe, were among the ones firmly on the side of what you suggest: ie. getting a generally recognized 'milder' non-problematic blade and sticking with it while you developed basic proper DE technique. Only after that should one start experimenting around with sampler packs and such, if one wished. This is still my view.
Regards,
Gordon

k1rod · Post by **k1rod** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:11 pm

Well Gordon, then with you and Squire in agreement, I am in good company! Part of the downside to being a noob is not having all the history of all the water that's gone under the bridge. If this has been discussed at length already, please pardon!

Regards,

Rod

GA Russell · Post by **GA Russell** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:40 pm

Yeah, but it's no fun sticking to one blade (or one brand of any other of the components)!

I bought four brands of blades to start with, and I am enjoying seeing the differences. Sure, my technique is better now than it was a month ago; and I certainly hope that it will be better a month from now than it is today.

I think it was Zach who posted yesterday that we here have taken up wetshaving for different reasons. I guess my motivation was more in regard to the fun of the hobby rather than the perfection of the technique. One of the results of the enjoyment of the hobby is that shaving is no longer a chore for me, but a pleasure.

And I've learned a lot about lathering with cream, which alone has made the experience worthwhile.

My feeling now is that if you are not cutting yourself, and your shave is close enough to go to your place of employment with, your technique is good enough to try more than one brand.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:06 pm

Rod, No problem. I couldn't remember the time line exactly, as to when those threads occurred. It was not that long ago, though....this year certainly. But yes, one such thread was extremly lengthy as I recall.

GA, A lot of us here are, in truth, hobbyists....or become such after we're around this crowd for awhile. But most newbies aren't. They're initially here because they're not okay with their current set-up, or simply are interested in how to shave in a more traditional ( and pleasant ) manner. And for them, I've always thought it poor advice to suggest that they delve into lots of widely varying blades, switching off every day or two, putting all their emphasis on equipment, when it should be on developing sound technique. Of course, if the kick of constantly trying new things is even more important then the actual shave, and one is willing to put up with mediocre shaves, irritated skin, and even nicks for an indefinate period to time, then I guess that's okay.....but I can't really support it. One of the main advocates on the other side of that prior debate I mentioned would declare his morning excercise a "good shave"...."only got two nicks!....". And mind you, this was after a couple of years of DE shaving. To me, there's something wrong with that.
Regards,
Gordon

gsgo · Post by **gsgo** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:07 am

Just adding my $.02 on blades and sampler packs.

As a still relatively new DE shaver (100+ shaves) I would strongly recommend to new shavers that keeping it to one razor and one brand of blade is the way to get started and further to that - one brush, one cream/soap and whatever aftershave routine makes your face feel better.

I bought my sampler pack pretty early and couldn't wait to start trying out every blade, then the AD's took over and before you knew it I was buying soaps and aftershave products and forgot about learning. Not saying that this is right for everyone (insert YMMV) but it really comes down to technique.

With the right technique, an experienced shaver could coax a shave out of pretty much any product on the market.

Best regards,

Gary

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:25 am

Well, I am also a newbie, <100 shave with a DE.

I got a 59 SS blue tip, and some derby's and some VDH. And the first shaves were good. And then I damn near skinned myself when I switched to a slim adjustable. SO I went back to the SS. And then I got wicked razor burn from US personnas, so I went back to derbys. I disovered I got closer shaves from Tryphon creams, so I didn't go back to VDH though.

So what did I learn? I call it fidelity the hard way. I'm now using a Fatboy -- with the Derbys, which I still don't love. I have 8 other kinds of blades, but I bought more Derbys, so I can learn to shave with the Fatboy before I switch blades.

So yes, Fidelity is worth it. I paid for that lesson. Hopefully another newbie will read this and learn without having to go to work and be asked if their wife attacked them with a Ginsu knife.

GA Russell · Post by **GA Russell** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:54 pm

Gordon, I agree with everything you say.

Perhaps the advocates of fidelity have been implying "so long as you are cutting yourself", and I haven't picked up on it.

divotmax · Post by **divotmax** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:43 am

I just had a chance to use some KAI blades and I was really impressed. I used four blades for four shaves each, probably could have gotten a few more shaves from each blade, but that's when I normally change blades anyway. Obviously very consistent quality from blade to blade. I found them very, very sharp, and very, very smooth. IMO as sharp as the Feathers but smoother, and Squire was right on with his review. I'd have to put these right up with the top 2-3 blades I use, and will certainly get a stock before they change them.

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:09 am

Squire wrote:To say a blade is more forgiving is another way of saying it's less sharp or smooth than the one to which the comparison is made.

I think of "forgiving" as being perhaps marginally less sharp, but somewhat smoother.

Post by **ichabod** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:28 am

k1rod wrote: My dad was a wet shaver as was my grandfather. They had no allegiance to any particular blade, they just bought what was on sale or convenient. I would propose that anybody could get a good shave out of say a Derby blade, if they worked at learning and adapting to the blade. And once learned, along with mastering the DE razor, the person should then try out other blades to optimize the shave.

What do you think? Does this make sense or am I "all wet"? I might be all wet. It wouldn't be the first time.

-r

Most shavers of past generations, that I have asked anyway, only did one pass, and did a second pass for the 5 o'clock shadow before going out, if necessary.
I think the fact that most of us do multiple passes means we are more "blade sensitive" than generations gone by (when multiple passes weren't quite the norm, in my impression). I think that if I were "stuck" with whatever blade showed up on the shelf when I was in the need of a pack, and I shaved with one pass each morning, the differences between blades might not be so huge.
I'd also say that there are blades that are just not up to snuff, and they're a different matter completely.

But, on the point of sampler packs and experimentation, I'm against anyone ordering a sampler pack along with his first safety razor, for example. Squire is quite the opposite of a beginner, and so is a perfect candidate for a sampler pack and all these blade reviews.