hello entropy (name???),

like i mentioned to you during last sunday's chat, it is not a rookie mistake to start with a feather AC. just like learning to ride a bike, it will take time and practice to get used to a feather AC. for me the learning curve was shorter when switching from a DE to the AC than when i switched from gillette cartridges to a DE.

as for the "scary sharp" feather blades, they do dull down the more shaves you rack up on them. feather blades lasted me 2 weeks. i would descibe the first shave on a blade as scary sharp (someone recommended running the blade through a cork to take the edge off). by the third or fourth shave, it is equivalent to using a feather DE blade. finally, by the second week and for the remainder of the blade's useful life, the shave is similar to a traditional straight razor.

with regards to whether a traditional straight razor will give you a better shave, less nicks or irritation, etc., only you can answer that by trying a traditional straight. stropping technique for me was easily learned. honing is a more difficult task that i have not endeavored yet. when i started with straight razor shaving, i chose the feather because the cost of the razor ($100) plus the cost of the blades ($14) was the cheapest way into the club. i liked it enough to try a traditional straight and have learned that with my tough beard i need a super sharp heavier blade. full hollow grind blades just dance on top of my stubble. ben posted photos of feather's japanese handled AC and it is just screaming at me right now <grin>.

as for blade size, if you do go the traditional straight razor route, for your average beard and goatee to trim around, 5/8 would be an excellent size to start with. my favorite dovo razor, if my beard would accept a full hollow blade, is the 5/8 ebony handled silver steel.

so maybe the answer is both a feather AND a traditional straight <grin>.

long-winded, yes, but hope this helps.

thanks,
mike





Quote Originally Posted by entropy
Howdy to all… I’ve recently decided to take the plunge from a safety razor (a Merkur Futur) to a straight rig. I figured since, based on all the research I had done, honing and stropping were the most time-consuming and difficult to master aspects of the straight razor experience, I’d try a Feather (one of the “Artist Club” series). I guess the idea of the precision interchangeable blade appealed to me from both a convenience and shave quality standpoint. Well, going on week # 3 with it, I’m sort of finding it to be very much as someone else in here described – “unforgiving”!

I mean, I haven’t taken an ear off or anything, in fact I’ve actually had relatively few minor nicks and cuts. It’s just that when you’re coming from the incident-free, relatively “boring” world of a safety razor shave, any amount of nicking, cutting or razor burn are kind of a drag… (Yeah, I know – quit whining and get to the point!) So here’s my point – while I feel like I’m getting the hang of the Feather, and there’s no question that it provides an amazingly close shave, I don’t really find my shaving experience as relaxing as it had been. I actually find myself kind of involuntarily tensing up a bit as I’m shaving now. Sort of defeats the purpose…

So my basic question is – if I were to try a traditional straight razor, and take the time to learn proper stropping (and eventually honing) technique, will it reduce the chance of minor cuts/irritation by virtue of its perhaps less than scary sharp blade? I find myself totally hooked on the closeness of shave that I get from the Feather, but I feel like – even if it’s mostly a psychological effect – using a blade maybe just a tad bit less sharp might help me get over the hump. Am I totally over-analyzing this or what?? ? My last question is – what’s a good “starter razor” for someone with an average beard, and probably slightly above average skin sensitivity? I’m looking at a couple Dovo set-ups on ClassicShaving.com. Is 5/8 a good size to start with (I have a goatee to trim around)?

Thanks for already being a great resource for this newbie!