SharpSpine's OneBlade Journal (now w/ CORE)

In other words, gentlemen, as in much of the wet shaving world, there is no one right answer.  Obviously, if this was a True or False test the correct answer would be D) All of the above.

Do let us know when you try the Feather SE blades or the OneBlade for your comparisons.

Will do.

After shaving with the oneblade for 2 weeks now, and dialing it in, I think I prefer the gem to the feather. Just a little closer shave,perhaps because I've been using the gems for years in my other SE's. At first, I thought the feather was better but now I favor the gem,although they both are great choices for this razor.

Has anyone found differences between the 10 and 5 pack feathers?
The few feathers I've used on OB are 5 packs 2-3 years old but I read some are finding differences between the two types of packs.
FWIW, IME, and IMHO, before OB I thought Feathers' edge was less refined and smooth than GEMs. With OB the difference got a lot smaller, but its still there.

Has anyone found differences between the 10 and 5 pack feathers?
The few feathers I've used on OB are 5 packs 2-3 years old but I read some are finding differences between the two types of packs.
FWIW, IME, and IMHO, before OB I thought Feathers' edge was less refined and smooth than GEMs. With OB the difference got a lot smaller, but its still there.

I have both the 5 and 10 pack of feathers. It's my understanding they are the same blade and feather just re-packaged them into a ten pack.

Thanks Barry. That's what I was hoping to read

By the way, SharpSpine, I saw you mention elsewhere that you've been shaving with a "slack skin, added pressure" technique that's worked for you. This of course goes against what I've learned to do with most DE and SE razors, but it does have me curious, especially with the OneBlade. Can you explain what you mean by this technique, and what the thinking behind it is? (As you can tell, I'm now curious to try it.)

Sure thing onethinline. It's a pretty simple concept but as it is basically opposite of what we've been taught it does take some practice. I've found this most useful on my lower neck where my skin is the most sensitive.

Skin stretching makes it easier to irritate the skin. With a slack skin approach there is a little ripple of skin in front of the blade that raises the hair up to the blade instead of trying to bring the blade down to the hair. I have only ever done this successfully with a rigid SE blade.

I once watched a straight razor shave that utilized this technique and it completely opened my eyes to this possibility. I experimented with it and found it worked well for me. There was definitely a learning curve and I did cut myself a few times. Optimal lather is a must for me with a preference for slickness. I've tried to find that video but can't seem to at the moment. While this technique does increase the risk for cutting yourself if you happen to get too big of a skin ripple which gets caught up in the razor head, it also can greatly reduce skin irritation if performed cautiously.

Edit: Also, I only recommend this with razor that have ether a solid guard bar or a closed comb. When I tried to do this with an OCMM it was not pretty. I still have no idea how that guy was able to do it on the video with a straight razor.

I've used the Gem in my OB shaves #1 and 2. Tomorrow I'll use the Feather for #3. I'm looking forward to the experience as I try to figure out what the OneBlade is. I think it'll be defined by the shaves it provides, in comparison to the razors it was designed to replace or compete with.

Thanks, Brian! I'll experiment with that, particularly on my lower neck, where I still get minor "pinkness" (I suppose redness is the more correct term), even with the OneBlade. I take it the OneBlade accommodates this greater pressure approach pretty well.