General / Hawk blades

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
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pausted
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General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Up until now, I have been using either a Feather Pro or a Kai mild PINK blade in my two AC razors. I slightly prefer the Feather Pro. The longevity seems to be a bit better, and, of course, they are cheaper. Recently, I bought some samples of other blades in order to give them a try. Jason at Try-A-Blade has a good selection. I bought three of each: Schick Proline, Kai Captain Original, Kamisori, and Feather Super Pro. Over time I will experiment with each blade. I'm using the General for testing.

Last week I used the Schick Proline. The first shave reminded me of the Feather Pro. Very sharp and not really smooth, but BBS in two passes. The next two shaves were much smoother and again, BBS. Then on the fourth shave it deteriorated. It didn't get tuggy but it just quit cutting. After my normal two passes, I still had some light stubble. I used it for a fifth shave and got the same result as #4. So, if I can get only three good shaves from the Proline, it won't make the cut. ( No pun intended :) ) I'll reserve final judgment until I try the other two Prolines I bought to see if I get the same results.

Yesterday, I loaded the Kai Captain Original. After two shaves, I like this blade a lot. Sharp, smooth and very effective. I like it better than the Kai Mild. I think its sharper. We'll see how it does as the days go on. Too early to judge longevity.

More to come.....
Best regards,

Basil
Tucker
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by Tucker »

I'll be interested to hear more reviews, as you work through the blade samples. In my aluminum hawk, I like Feather ProGuard and Kai Mild Pink Blades with the Kais being cheaper. In my aluminum Colonial General, I really like Feather Professional (unguarded) with Kai Mild Pink being a close second. I'll have to try the Kai Captain Original. I have seen a buzz about the Schick Proline, but that is disappointing about the longevity.
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Tucker, to be more specific, both my Hawk and General are the aluminum versions. I use a stainless handle (Maggards MR11) to add a bit of weight. I previously tried the Feather Pro Guard blade in both razors and didn't care for it. The shave is super comfortable but not really close, at least for me. I have laid in a supply of Feather Pros and until I decided to try these other blades, I had settled on the Feather Pro in both razors. I guess I just don't know well enough to leave things alone. :D
Best regards,

Basil
jar
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by jar »

Really glad you are doing this; I've been pleasantly surprised by my aluminum Hawk but only Feather AC Pro blades so far.
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Jar, you can't go wrong with the Feather Pro. I get at least 10 excellent shaves in either the Hawk or the General with the blade. It is my benchmark when testing these other blades.
Best regards,

Basil
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Sam
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by Sam »

I got to borrow a Hawk with some Kai blades and some Feather blades. The 1st shave I thought that the Feather was sharper but aftershave 3 shaves I thought that the Kai blade gave a better shave.
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

Most recently using the General I've seen the Feather Pro provide 20 very acceptable shaves, but the Kai Mild only yielded 14 before I had to switch it out.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Today I enjoyed shave #11 with the Kai Captain Original. This blade performs very well and longevity is quite good. It reminds me of the Feather Pro. In fact, if I were to do a blind test, I don't think I would be able to tell the difference. So, it boils down to price. Generally,, Feathers are cheaper but if I were to find a deal on the Kais, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them. Good blade!

Next week I'm going to try another Schick Proline. Although the first try was disappointing, I want to see if it was just a bum blade or maybe a mistake in my prep or technique. I don't want to leave a bad impression about the blade without giving it another try.

More to come.....
Best regards,

Basil
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

I like the Feathers' price. I'm probably going to stockpile a few more, but first I'm going to use up a cartridge or two of the Kai blades. They really do quite well in the General.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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drmoss_ca
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by drmoss_ca »

Sooner or later I was going to do it, and today I succumbed. I put a Feather Professional Super into the General, and it completely alters the character of the razor. This blade is slightly wider than the Professional, and that means the cutting edge is that little bit closer to the safety bar, which translates into a highly aggressive shave which wasn't very comfortable and required an effort to use less pressure than the weight of the heavy brass razor. It is more aggressive than the Cobra adapted for Professional Supers. I shan't do it again, as the whole point of this razor is that it is mild yet capable of a close shave.

C.
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

Chris, thx for the update on the Super Pro.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

I just completed shave #6 with the Schick Proline blade. The experience with the second Proline has been much better than the first try. I don't know what happened before so I guess I'll just chalk it up to a bad blade. I am getting acceptable shaves each morning and the blade acts like it could continue to go on for several more shaves so longevity seems to be fine. I say "acceptable" because the shaves, while comfortable and smooth, are not quite as close as the Feather Pro or Kai Original. Not a great deal of difference, but noticeable. I believe the Proline is simply not as sharp as the other two. As others here have said, and I agree, the General is a mild razor and relies on a sharp blade to achieve it's effectiveness. I rank the Proline below the Feather and Kai for the reason stated. Of course, as always, YMMV. One day' I'll use my last sample Proline in the Hawk razor to see if there is a difference in performance.

I'll use the Proline for one more shave tomorrow and then Monday I'll switch to a Kamisori as the final blade in my test. I bought three samples of the Feather Professional Super but based on Chris's post above, I'll leave them out of the test. Maybe one day when I feel extra adventurous, I'll give one a try. :)

More to come....
Best regards,

Basil
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

It'll be interesting to find out how well the Hawk and the Schick perform together.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Gary, I'll post results when I try them.
Best regards,

Basil
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

This morning I completed shave #10 with the Kamisori blade. My conclusion is that this blade performs on a par with the Feather Pro and Kai Captain Original. One slight difference is that the first shave was rougher and less comfortable than the other two when new. After two shaves it hit it's stride and provided smooth, effective shaves. Another good blade.

After my tests, I would rank the blades:

#1. Feather Pro. Good performance and longevity. Availability is excellent. Many vendors stock them. Best price.

#2. Kai Captain Original. Performance and longevity equal to Feather Pro. May have trouble finding them. Most vendors carry the Kai Mild PINK. IMO the Original is a better blade. Also, more expensive than Feather.

#3. Kamisori. Again, good performance and longevity. I have not done a diligent search but at first glance, these are hard to find. Don't know about prices in quantity.

#4. Schick Proline. I find the blade to be not as sharp as the other three. While providing a comfortable shave, they don't shave me as close.

Thanks for reading about my little test. I hope it provided some meaningful information.
Best regards,

Basil
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

Basil, using the General every day I get very similar results from the Feather Pro and the Kai Captain Mild. They both seem to maintain their excellent edge for 2 or 3 weeks or more before I change them out. My current supply of Kai blades is pretty limited, but I did score several cartridges of Feather Pro blades recently. Considering the longevity of these blades, (20 excellent shaves or more per blade) it will be several years before I run out of Feathers.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

Gary, I think we are experiecing about the same longevity with these blades. Correct me if I am wrong but I think you said you are doing a single pass shave these days. I do two full passes and get about ten great shaves from a Feather Pro or Kai Captain. If you are getting 20, does it make sense that we are getting about the same performance?
Best regards,

Basil
pausted
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by pausted »

brothers wrote:It'll be interesting to find out how well the Hawk and the Schick perform together.
This morning, I completed 12 shaves with the Proline blade in my Hawk razor. I would say that the blade performed marginally better in the Hawk than earlier in the General. I believe the Hawk is a slightly more aggressive razor than the General which might account for the better performance by the blade. I still conclude that the Schick blade is not as sharp as either the Feather Pro or the Kai Captain and will continue to favor the Feather over all the others. I'm sure glad about that because I have a bunch of them. :)
Best regards,

Basil
brothers
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Re: General / Hawk blades

Post by brothers »

pausted wrote:Gary, I think we are experiecing about the same longevity with these blades. Correct me if I am wrong but I think you said you are doing a single pass shave these days. I do two full passes and get about ten great shaves from a Feather Pro or Kai Captain. If you are getting 20, does it make sense that we are getting about the same performance?
Yes, good point.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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