You’ve finally taken the step to get yourself a Feather Artist Club Razor handle. Congratulations! But just when you thought your decision making was over you realize you have to choose a blade. Yes, there are five different ones. But don’t worry, we’re going to break it down into an easy-to-understand way so you can make the best decision. By the end of this article, you will be able to more easily decide which blade or blades are right for you!

There are five different Feather Artist Club Blades: Professional, Super, ProGuard, Light and SoftGuard. Each blade type has a slightly different profile which cater to different hair densities, hair thicknesses and safety levels.

But before we get started, one note of caution. Please do not use double edge blades or any other type of blade in the handles. First off, the Artist Club Blades were made specifically for the Artist Club handles so they work perfectly in sync with each other. You have a beautiful, high-quality tool, so why cheapen it with a lower quality blade? Plus, it just looks bad when you see an improperly fitted blade in the handle.Secondly, Artist Club Blades span the full length of the razor head. When you use shorter blades in the handle, you increase the risk of cutting yourself or the client. Due to the corners being sharp, if you’re not careful, this can scrape or nick the skin. And let’s not forget the difference in blade exposure. The more exposed the blade is, the more difficult and awkward it will be to shave with it.

Thirdly, Artist Club Blades will last a long time. Each blade can go through a full-face shave without changing the blade. Other blades tend to wear out quickly and having to do a blade change in the middle of a service is not ideal. Furthermore, neither Feather nor JATAI is responsible for any misuse of the product and using it in a manner that it was not meant to be used.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go through each Artist Club Blade…

PROFESSIONAL BLADES

If you’re looking for the most versatile blade that’s generally good for all types of shaving, the Professional Blades are it. They can be used for full face shaving, necklines, outlining, lineups and more. This blade is best for someone who is experienced in shaving and does general basic shaves for themselves or their clients. It has a blade exposure of 8mm. For 20 blades in each cartridge, it’s $14. That’s $0.70/blade. These are the cheapest of all the blades.

PROGUARD BLADES

ProGuard Blades are the same as the Professional Blades except they have a built-in guard for safety. This guard is tiny and visible if you look very closely at each blade. It doesn’t interfere in the shave, but it will be less aggressive on the skin and help prevent nicks and cuts. This type of blade is great for someone who wants extra safety for themselves or their clients or barber students who are learning how to straight razor shave. This blade is a bit more expensive because of the added safety feature. For 15 blades at $16, this comes out to $1.07/blade.

SUPER BLADES

For those barbers and home users who deal with thick heavy facial hair, the Super Blade is the best choice. With the greatest blade exposure (8.2mm) this blade packs in some extra special shaving sauce that the other blades can’t handle. You can use this blade on thick full heavy beards and mustaches without needing to trim them down first. It’s amazing! Shaving with a Super Blade is…well…super. One Super Blade cartridge contains 20 blades and costs $16. This comes out to at $0.80/blade.

LIGHT BLADES

On the opposite spectrum is the Light Blades. These blades have less blade exposure than the Professional Blades (7.4mm). Because of this, these blades are nice for shaving sensitive skin and reducing irritation. It’s also good for women’s shaving who often have light, thin hair such as peach fuzz. One cartridge comes with 20 blades and costs $16. This comes out to $0.80/blade.

SOFTGUARD BLADES

Like the Light Blades, SoftGuard Blades have low blade exposure. But they have an extra layer of safety with a built-in guard. These blades are good for using on sensitive skin, reducing irritation and women’s shaving like the Light Blades. But with the built-in guard it’s good for someone who wants the extra safety. It’s $16 for 15 blades which is $1.07/blade.

Now that you understand the differences, let’s take a look at what’s the same.

WHAT’S THE SAME

All Feather Artist Club Blades are made by Feather in Japan and fit all Feather Artist Club Razor handles. They all come in a cartridge that features a no-touch system for safety and sanitation that allows you to insert blades without touching them. On all the cartridges is a hole at the bottom which is for inserting used blades and for safe disposal. All blades are made of stainless steel and are put through a triple grinding process that allows for superior sharpness, quality and consistency.

All blades also have a subscription option. If you’re someone who shaves regularly, it may be of benefit to sign up for the subscription program to save up to 20% on blades. You can set the frequency and quantity to meet your preferences. See subscription options on each blade product page.

A last note, you might want a couple different blades for different situations. The choice is yours! Once you’ve decided on the blade you want, the only thing left is your shaving technique, skin quality and wet good product choice (face wash, shaving cream, moisturizer). If you’re still unsure, you can visit this page for more detailed information on the Artist Club handles and blades in a more visual format.