Buying AC blades - a Lottery !!

MPF9

Forum GOD!
I have become rather a convert to Shaving with AC/SE Razors, so have wanted to try the various blades on the market after sampling those I got with my first Razor brought on BST.

In the early days I brought Feather Pro blades from UK supplier at around £7, considerably less than most other suppliers.Like many I was tempted by the idea of trying Schick Proline which we all brought via. Rakuten, I think came in at around £ 8 got P30 pack.

A friend introduced me to Kai Pinks and I liked those, but the cost varied so much in UK not cheap at all.around £15- 17, a bit off putting.However I did want a stock and as Rakuten was gone took a chance and brought a pack of 10 direct from Japan- came in at just under £ 12 as customs had to be paid, Have passed some packs on.

I recently got a Claymore Evolution that took Feather Blades only, I brought some Feather Proguards for use in this Razor. I liked these which worked well in other Razors so decided to stock up, as prices per pack varied £ 15 to nearly £20. I decided to look direct purchase from Japan, and got a 10 pack which came in at £ 9.50 a pack😊. Already passed some on.

Definitely worth looking around at all sources when looking for AC blades as the price variation can be quite big, and if you buy in bulk I am sure you can sell them on quite easily.
 

Shaving McShaving

Senior Member
I live in Japan and I never thought about the price for feathers AC blades. I use feather pro or super pro in my Vector. I’ve tried the pro guard only ounce and didn’t really like it.

Anyway I’ve just checked the price for 10 packs of 15 blades and it comes at 8 260¥ so about 5.36 £ the pack. So the price in UK seems way too high. I understand that there’s the shipping cost but the sellers in UK probably buy a lot of packs each time.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
I think Connaught has pretty good prices for unguarded Feather, Kai, Schick and Proshave AC blades if you buy a 100 (or the ballpark), although it's tough to beat direct import if you chance on a good deal.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
So the price in UK seems way too high. I understand that there’s the shipping cost but the sellers in UK probably buy a lot of packs each time.
I'd thought so as well, but I reckon non-DE blades are a niche in a niche, so I don't think UK sellers buy that many of them.
I think it's also a bit of a chicken and egg situation - people might buy more if the blades were cheaper, but if even the cheapest blades don't sell that much, would the more expensive blades sell well at all if retailers bought a really large amount?
 

Zwilling

Kamisori shaver
I'd thought so as well, but I reckon non-DE blades are a niche in a niche, so I don't think UK sellers buy that many of them.
I think it's also a bit of a chicken and egg situation - people might buy more if the blades were cheaper, but if even the cheapest blades don't sell that much, would the more expensive blades sell well at all if retailers bought a really large amount?
Yes, and if you think about it, at up to 20 shaves per blade, most people would only go through a single cartridge a year even if that’s all they shaved with. It’s a minority sport for sure.
 

Twelvefret

Forum GOD!
Blade use counts will vary with surface area shaved and how often. Plus, I think blade maintainance is a factor. I’ve gotten 10 shaves out of a GEM PTFE, but never a Schick or Feather.
 

MPF9

Forum GOD!
1st January 2024 .

Today I had a Shave with my original Alpha Claymore Evolution, with a Feather Pro on board. The Feather Pro is not my favourite blade, but is great in The EVO.
I have tried most blades, even resorting to importing them from Japan. The Feather Pro is readily available in UK, but one needs to be aware of selecting the right supplier, as the price for 20 varies from £7 to £ 15.90 + delivery.
I have found the cheapest supplier to be extremely reliable.
 
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