DE Razor Blade Advice, Please!

[jwg663]

For years I've been using Feather Platinum DE blades.

I used to buy 20x5 packs from the same eBay seller & literally never had a rough one & easily got 3 or 4 shaves to a blade. However, the last lot I bought came from a different supplier (my usual bloke wasn't listing anymore).

This lot are very poor: scratchy, rough & blunted after two shaves.

Two questions -

Is their poor edge due to bad storage before arriving at me? There's no sign of rust & the packaging hasn't been affected by damp.

Are razor blades counterfeited? The packaging is exactly the same, but the contents are of poor quality.

FYI, I've switched to Muhle blades. much better!

[macdaddymac]

Run them through a cork before use, had a similar issue with a poor batch

[MartinMW]

Hi,

Sounds like they may be counterfeit to me.

I’ve had occasion where I have had the odd bad blade in a tuck, but your experience sounds like it’s more than just the odd blade.

Have a Google for counterfeit feathers and see if there are any pictures to compare. There are usually some small differences in packaging and printing on the blades themselves. If they do turn out to be dodgy, get back to the seller with the evidence.

It’s highly unlikely the poor edge is due to bad storage if there is no visible damage to packaging or blade.

Cheers
Martin

[dkpw]

For years I've been using Feather Platinum DE blades.

I used to buy 20x5 packs from the same eBay seller & literally never had a rough one & easily got 3 or 4 shaves to a blade. However, the last lot I bought came from a different supplier (my usual bloke wasn't listing anymore).

This lot are very poor: scratchy, rough & blunted after two shaves.

Two questions -

Is their poor edge due to bad storage before arriving at me? There's no sign of rust & the packaging hasn't been affected by damp.

Are razor blades counterfeited? The packaging is exactly the same, but the contents are of poor quality.

FYI, I've switched to Muhle blades. much better!

I'm pretty sure DE blades have been counterfeited, and Feathers being well-known and comparatively expensive could be a potential target.

I more or less exclusively now use Feathers and my expected pattern of use, is that the first shave can be a little rough given how sharp they are but the second, third and fourth are very smooth. I bin them at that point. They shouldn't be rough at all on the second use.

I can only suggest buying from a reputable seller, and I have had great service from Connaught Shaving.

[jwg663]

Thanks for the replies & advice.

The plastic case, cardboard slip, wax-paper wrapping & blade printing is all exactly the same as my previous batch. It's just the edge that isn't!

Returning them isn't an option. I bought them several months ago. They're stored in an airtight box with a couple of silica gel packs; the same method as I've always used.

Didn't know about the cork trick. Happily, I have one to hand from a wine bottle & will try it when I'm feeling brave!

I'm very happy with the Muhles - they're a step-up from the Feathers, I think.

[oldoakknives]

If you ever want to try something else I find these give me the smoothest shave in a vintage Gillette Tech 3 piece razor.

https://www.joom.com/en/products/625...f14d01d51c9a48

[Mick P]

When I was involved in dealing with counterfeitting a couple of decades ago, DE blades were copied mainly in India by the million and sold on eBay.

I bought some 7 O'clock blades and yes they were counterfeit, I took a stupid risk and got done. I should have known better.

[Maris]

When I was involved in dealing with counterfeitting a couple of decades ago, DE blades were copied mainly in India by the million and sold on eBay.

I bought some 7 O'clock blades and yes they were counterfeit, I took a stupid risk and got done. I should have known better.

I used to use 7 o'clock blades but unfortunately they are made in Russia.

[Barryboy]

When I shaved by DE I found that Gilllete Blue were my preferred blade and I couldn't get on with Feather.. but of course we're all different. Some sellers offer mixed packs of 5 blades which might be worth a look.

[craggie]

Almost certainly fake. EBay doesn't sell de blades now, you're better off anyway using an established outfit like Connaught as already mentioned, La Barbiera, or Bigdealsmart.

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[Michael 38]

I can remember buying guilette sensor blades from a market stall years ago and they were all blunt presume they were snides only bought them from proper shops after that

[burnside]

BigDealsMart and LaBarberia are decent online sellers and I believe they sell Feathers.

[Lelykins]

I have previously used Feathers then 7 O'clock yellows and have now settled on Nacet which i find suit me well in the Gillette Super Speed. Had some dodgy Feathers once, bloody awful..

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[gunner]

When I shaved by DE I found that Gilllete Blue were my preferred blade and I couldn't get on with Feather.. but of course we're all different. Some sellers offer mixed packs of 5 blades which might be worth a look.

I've used Astra to date but just picked up one of these mixed boxes to try a few different brands.

[Mj2k]

I've used Astra to date but just picked up one of these mixed boxes to try a few different brands.

The best way. I did that, then grew a short beard, amazing how long a mixed selection lasts when you just do a neckline and the stray cheek hairs!


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[bootneck]

I'm just trying derby tokai blades and up to now I like them around £6 for a 100 I think not quite feather sharp but nice


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