Feather vs. My Straight Razor

I've been shaving with a straight razor for just over a year. I recently got a DE razor with some Feather blades, and wow. The Feather blades slice right through my hair without any pulling. It's the "knife through hot butter" experience I've read about.

Now, switch back to my straight razor. I've used a few razors, and have never had one that felt as sharp as the Feather blade on my DE razor. It may be due to my shaving angle or my stropping, I know. I suppose my question is: Is it possible to get a straight razor as sharp as a Feather blade? If so, is it possible to do it with a 4000/8000 Norton stone? I've been honing my blade with that. It shaves pretty comfortably, but it always gives a little resistance when it touches my hair.

Abosolutly you can get as close or closer,I always do, but my blades get pro honed.

I got one of the blades pro honed once. He did a *great* job, but the Feather still felt like it gave a smoother shave. Now, this was a while ago, so I might be remembering wrong. It may also have been a bad technique I was using at the time that gives me the impression that the Feather is sharper. I'm pretty sure I was applying too much pressure when I was stropping.

Are many perameters to this sport,you mess up one and you get a less than stellar shave,takes awhile.

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Originally Posted by mstalker

Is it possible to get a straight razor as sharp as a Feather blade?

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Yes it's possible depending on the razor & who's honing it.

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Yes it's possible depending on the razor & who's honing it.

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And using it.

I also have been straight shaving for 15 months and started out using the Feather Artist Club SS kamisori style razor with their Pro blades but have been using western straights now for 9 months. The Feather Pro blades are reportedly sharper than their DE blades. The Feather ACSS razor gave consistent close comfortable shaves with no pulling even in my tough beard areas on my chin & neck. I've also gotten close shaves with western straights but have discovered that I like the nostalgia effect of owning, stropping and using vintage razors. The Zen experience of a good shave includes using a sharp blade but goes beyond mere sharpness to include all the other gratifying aspects of owning and using a finely crafted straight razor.

Like you, 6 month into my straight razor shaving I got a feather for my son and shortly after, one for myself. At the time I was getting into honing and when I had frustration on a razor, I would go to the feather to remind me how good it can be and calm my face a bit. I had always kept pro hones blade with me and it was a razor honed on an Escher that made me want to pursue that sharp and smooth shave I had with it.

Now, I do get better shaves out of a good number of my blades than I do with the feather. When a razor hits (sharpness and smoothness come together) it is better than any feather or KAI captain blade I've tried. Yes, I have to go beyond the 8k to achieve this! Now, after I finish a razor on the 8k, I go to the 16k Shapton glass for eassy sharpness, and then, to an Escher, Gokumyö 20k or Zulu with Escher slury to achieve better sharpness and smoothness than the Feather blade. IMHO, the Feather blade is a contender for a two pass razor (that's how I define the sharpest razors I have). My shaves with straight are closer than the feather for the most part,some are about the same, while others could be less sharp and smooth than the feather (those are the blades I'm trying to tweak).

My travel razor is now the feather razor. I enjoy using it but honing is where my heart is at, at this time. I've been getting some amazing shaves with the Gokumyö follow by some CBN pasted strop progression ( .25 and .1). It's silly money on hones and paste, but that's what I enjoy, the experimenting!

I'm going to say, that you can achieve a BBS shave out of the 8k with little to no irritation, but it's going to require good honing and then, more passes and advance shaving technics, like scything motion and perfect angle, to get it (for me at least). I don't stop on the 8k and shave any more, like I used too (to see if the edge was shave ready). I now have markers that I use ( TPT, leg/arm hair test) to know if its ready to move to the finer polishers.

I started my son and a co-worker on straight razor shaving with a feather. No stropping, good edge and easy maintenance. Now they have moved to full straight, and they have their feather to fall back, when the edge is not there. Double O

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Originally Posted by Double0757

Like you, 6 month into my straight razor shaving I got a feather for my son and shortly after, one for myself. At the time I was getting into honing and when I had frustration on a razor, I would go to the feather to remind me how good it can be and calm my face a bit. I had always kept pro hones blade with me and it was a razor honed on an Escher that made me want to pursue that sharp and smooth shave I had with it.

Now, I do get better shaves out of a good number of my blades than I do with the feather. When a razor hits (sharpness and smoothness come together) it is better than any feather or KAI captain blade I've tried. Yes, I have to go beyond the 8k to achieve this! Now, after I finish a razor on the 8k, I go to the 16k Shapton glass for eassy sharpness, and then, to an Escher, Gokumyö 20k or Zulu with Escher slury to achieve better sharpness and smoothness than the Feather blade. IMHO, the Feather blade is a contender for a two pass razor (that's how I define the sharpest razors I have). My shaves with straight are closer than the feather for the most part,some are about the same, while others could be less sharp and smooth than the feather (those are the blades I'm trying to tweak).

My travel razor is now the feather razor. I enjoy using it but honing is where my heart is at, at this time. I've been getting some amazing shaves with the Gokumyö follow by some CBN pasted strop progression ( .25 and .1). It's silly money on hones and paste, but that's what I enjoy, the experimenting!

I'm going to say, that you can achieve a BBS shave out of the 8k with little to no irritation, but it's going to require good honing and then, more passes and advance shaving technics, like scything motion and perfect angle, to get it (for me at least). I don't stop on the 8k and shave any more, like I used too (to see if the edge was shave ready). I now have markers that I use ( TPT, leg/arm hair test) to know if its ready to move to the finer polishers.

I started my son and a co-worker on straight razor shaving with a feather. No stropping, good edge and easy maintenance. Now they have moved to full straight, and they have their feather to fall back, when the edge is not there. Double O

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Sorry, for the long winded post, I was writing about the Feather artist club straight razor. I have shaved with DE feather and they are sharp, but not as smooth as the feather artist club family blade. I prefer the smoothness of a straight than DE feather shave any day! Double O

You can get a sharp as feather edge. Suehiro gokumyo 20 k and .1 micron cbn on hard wool, or a hard jnat and leather. My dark blue Escher I haven't been able to get what I can off my jnats. And .3 micron al/ox lapping film on a granite surface plate, but its harsh.

I would like to think I can produce a sharper edge. Somehow I don't think so. It's hard to compete with a laser cut teflon-coated perfect factory disposable edge of which Feather is arguably the sharpest in the market. Under a microscope our 'pride and joys' probably would not stack up. But who cares as long as we are shaving better with our "pride and joys"?

I think that there are other factors besides the level of sharpness that give us a BTFS. (better than Feather shave)

It is unlikely that any of us who hand hone can match the machined honing and stropping precision of a Feather in sharpness along the ENTIRE blade. I use Feather Super Pros and several SR in rotation. They all perform admirably, but I use a bit more caution with the Supers. If comfort includes confidence and relaxation, then I am more comfortable with my SR's than with the Super Pros. :)

BOTTOMLINE:
You just need the edge to be sharp enough (SE) to deliver a great shave. Not much is gained past a certain threshold of sharpness. There is such a thing as too sharp. The Feather Super Pros are at this level IMHO.

The issue of sharpness of the edge is a different matter than comparing the shaves from the two. I have doubts you can get the edge as sharp as a DE which is machine made however no DE will shave as close as a straight. The R41 comes as close as any I have ever seen myself but it's still not a straight shave.

People shave with DE's? Blasphemy I say! :rofl2:

Gokumyo 20k + stropping on 0.25 micron diamond or CBN followed by 0.1 micron CBN is sharper than a feather blade. I have posted electron microscope images on this forum that demonstrate this.

Most of the straight razors in my rotation are honed this way at the moment AND for comparison I have shaved with a Feather AC at least 20 times in the past 3 months with either a Pro or Super Pro blade. I have also shaved at least 100 times with a DE using a Feather blade. I have no doubt that my straight razors are sharper than a Feather blade.


What surprises me here is that so many believe that a blade sharpened on a machine in a fraction of a second MUST be sharper than one carefully honed by hand on the finest hones and stones available. To me that is like saying that you couldn't sand a piece of wood by hand better than a belt sander.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I get the same from my suehiro20k, (.5 micron so more like 30k, shapton 30k is .49 micron) 3 of my jnats and .3 micron all/ox lapping film on granite surface plate. The film is a little harsh, the others are not at all.