SMF

... and it was the smoothest, most effortless, "easiest" shave I've ever had.

Agreed Art. Been using the Derby's for a while but have come home. As long as one is careful they cut beautifully.

Max

Art, And it might remain that way. But, give it at least three straight weeks before you make your final judgement.
Regards,
Gordon

HYPEractive wrote:... and it was the smoothest, most effortless, "easiest" shave I've ever had.

careful with them...

---------------

Kent

Julius,
You should have said be very CAREFUL with them. They shave great but if you're not careful, they will bite!

grumpy old codger wrote:Julius,
You should have said be very CAREFUL with them. They shave great but if you're not careful, they will bite!

As will any blade. I think Feathers get a bad rap as a blood-letter! I don't think the Feather has to be treated, and should not be treated, any differently than any other blade. All blades are sharp and are designed to cut. They need to be treated with respect.

"Forgiving" is another term given to blades that I hate because I feel this gives permission for folks to be sloppy with their technique. New guys out there - go slow, no pressure, mind the angle, watch Mantic's videos! I don't think it matters if you start with a Derby or with a Feather, bad technique will show up either way and tell you when you've done something wrong. Learn from that - don't do it again!

By the way, THUMBS UP, HYPEractive, to a great shave!!

bernards66 wrote:Art, And it might remain that way. But, give it at least three straight weeks before you make your final judgement.
Regards,
Gordon

Three weeks?
It might be closer to three days..........

I do think Feathers are “sharper” than other blades. Why they’re “sharper” I don’t know. Whether grind pattern and/or coating technology, they have an ability to cut that feels quite different from other blades.

I agree that “forgiving” is an unfortunate term. My experience with blades has been the same as with razors: there is a learning curve that takes days to weeks. I attribute this to "muscle memory," largely a cerebellar activity, which also allows one to say, play the piano, throw a fastball, or hit a hole in one. I had the same problems with Feathers as many others did. I toughed it out for a week or two, and now I pay as little attention to a Feather as a Derby, Wilkinson, etc. There is no other blade I’ve tried that even comes close to it. The big bonus is that they’re in current production.


Steve

Feathers are a good blade.. I just can't use them right. I can, however, use the Kai blade. Very sharp, and more forgiving than a Feather. IMHO

sgtrecon212 wrote:Feathers are a good blade.. I just can't use them right. I can, however, use the Kai blade. Very sharp, and more forgiving than a Feather. IMHO

I use Feathers as my "Go-To" blade. I must say, I've not heard of Kai blades. Where can I order a sample pack?

Bruno, Yeah, ( chuckle ) for some, three days might do it. Three straight weeks though should tell the OP how the blades hold up for him, are the latter shaves also very good, or no, and especially is he beginning to get that skin thinning effect that sometimes goes with the use of Feathers regularly. Admittedly, it tends to be more pronounced with the Feather AC, but some gents get it with their DE blades as well.
Regards,
Gordon

Feathers are the sharpest blade out there and for that reason are not the best choice for some. The down side is they don't last very long.

I can use a Feather as my polishing blade if I reset the Fatboy to 5 instead of 7 for other blades. Still have to be careful, but less so. Yesterday I got a better shave from a BIC steel disposable than the Feather that left me with a few short stubble areas that the BIC took care of.

As will any blade. I think Feathers get a bad rap as a blood-letter! I don't think the Feather has to be treated, and should not be treated, any differently than any other blade. All blades are sharp and are designed to cut. They need to be treated with respect.

oh please....

no other blade emits weepers, with no prior warning, right after after you have rinsed, applied post-shave and smugly given a final grope around the jawline.

(insert theme from Jaws or Psycho)

------------------

Kent

I need to add that I'm still going around with the scars from 3 days ago when I left my razor set to 7 and got careless. Also I agree with Gordon that for me the Feather is a very short lived blade. I suspect the steel is softer than other blades. That way they can get them sharper. I get at most 2 shaves from one with that magic sharpness.

I get one decent shave out of a Feather. They are far too expensive a blade if I can only get one shave out of them. I still haven't found anything that works for me as good as the my trusty Swedes.

"Forgiving" is another term given to blades that I hate because I feel this gives permission for folks to be sloppy with their technique. New guys out there - go slow, no pressure, mind the angle, watch Mantic's videos! I don't think it matters if you start with a Derby or with a Feather, bad technique will show up either way and tell you when you've done something wrong. Learn from that - don't do it again!

-1. Totally disagree.

I think the data is pretty conclusive around here that the Feather is a more aggressive blade than any others. I see no harm in calling it less forgiving. I've used DE blades for 35+ years, my dad for 65+ years, and neither of us can tolerate Feathers. I would never encourage anyone to start off with such a blade . . . too much risk of injury, too discouraging for too high a percentage of learners, just overall a bad idea, IMO.

Naturally, there is a significant group of men who can tolerate a Feather well. But it isn't everyone, or even (IMO) a majority. If you're one of them, and you like the Feather, that's great. Your face can tolerate the sharpest thing on the market, and you get great shaves from the Feather. Terrific, case closed for you. But it's a mistake, I think, to generalize from that experience and assume that everyone can use them just fine, if only they focus on technique. That simply isn't the case, and in many cases the skin is simply too sensitive to tolerate the Feather.

Not to mention the cuts . . .

For those reasons, I would suggest that new shavers start with something more forgiving (there's that word again!).

Ouchmychin wrote:I need to add that I'm still going around with the scars from 3 days ago when I left my razor set to 7 and got careless. Also I agree with Gordon that for me the Feather is a very short lived blade. I suspect the steel is softer than other blades. That way they can get them sharper. I get at most 2 shaves from one with that magic sharpness.

a Feather in a Vision for 2, maybe 3, days is the best combo I've found.

but eject quickly on the first sign of a skip or pull on day 4.

---------------------

Kent

BeatlesFan wrote:

"Forgiving" is another term given to blades that I hate because I feel this gives permission for folks to be sloppy with their technique. New guys out there - go slow, no pressure, mind the angle, watch Mantic's videos! I don't think it matters if you start with a Derby or with a Feather, bad technique will show up either way and tell you when you've done something wrong. Learn from that - don't do it again!

-1. Totally disagree.

I think the data is pretty conclusive around here that the Feather is a more aggressive blade than any others. I see no harm in calling it less forgiving. I've used DE blades for 35+ years, my dad for 65+ years, and neither of us can tolerate Feathers. I would never encourage anyone to start off with such a blade . . . too much risk of injury, too discouraging for too high a percentage of learners, just overall a bad idea, IMO.

Naturally, there is a significant group of men who can tolerate a Feather well. But it isn't everyone, or even (IMO) a majority. If you're one of them, and you like the Feather, that's great. Your face can tolerate the sharpest thing on the market, and you get great shaves from the Feather. Terrific, case closed for you. But it's a mistake, I think, to generalize from that experience and assume that everyone can use them just fine, if only they focus on technique. That simply isn't the case, and in many cases the skin is simply too sensitive to tolerate the Feather.

Not to mention the cuts . . .

For those reasons, I would suggest that new shavers start with something more forgiving (there's that word again!).

I will agree the Feather is the sharpest thing going. For that reason it is quite capable of taking off more than just a layer of skin along with the intended whiskers. I can see where this can be a problem for folks with sensitive skin. Maybe this is where you're definition (and possibly other's) of "forgiving" comes in. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

When I hear the word "forgiving", I think, "let's you get away with sloppy technique by not cutting you." I'll stand by my statement that getting sloppy or careless with any blade will result in nicks and cuts. I don't believe any blade will forgive carelessness. I will concede to your definition of forgiveness only as it applies to "other blades do not cut as close, therefore are not as prone to take as much skin with each pass, thereby reducing the amount of razor burn and irritation." Again, please correct me and forgive me if I've assumed too much to your definition.

A sharper edge is thinner, and that may be why the Feather blade doesn't last as well for many shavers.