Thread: Feather Razor

Hello
I am new to here
What do you think of the Feather razor? How good is it?
Will you recommend him for a beginner?
I don't want to sharp my blades and so on in the begin, and thought about using a thing like this that I can replace the blade every time it get dull
What do you guys here think? does some one use it?

A few members here use it and it gives them great shave but it's extremely sharp so you need to be VERY careful not to cut yourself with it. So it's a tradeoff -- you don't need to learn to maintain your blades but your shaving technique has to be EXTRA-delicate.

so how do you learn it? as a beginner?
also
Is shaving with a regular Straight is less demanding? I mean is it less "sharp" and why?
and can it be done?
Can I learn if as a first step into straight razor?

You will be more likely to nick yourself and leave your face feeling very harsh but the shaves will be extremely close.
Straights don't get that sharp (they're designed to be re-sharpened), so they're more forgiving, but you will need to learn to at least touch up your razors and strop them.

I see
So, are they guys here that use it?
Also
Does it have the same "feeling" of a straight razor?

I have shaved with a feather razor for roughly 7 years and a traditional straight for about 6 months before that (I had terrible experiences with the taditional because it was not shave ready and I gave up).

I like the feather razor because there is no need to worry about honing or stropping. You do get an excellent shave with it. The razor is incredibly sharp, and therfore, unforgiving. For many years I only ever did one pass over my entire face. The shave was always top notch and very little nicks and cuts (except when I rushed a shave).

There are some issues with the feather. First, although you get a great shave with the feather, I have been trying to do multiple passes with it (i.e. shaving against the grain and across it). Trying to do three passes with the feather is a disaster. Going sideways on the cheeks is impossible to do without a few minor nicks (if lucky). Going sideways across the chin also leads to nicks and cuts (and those hurt). Shaving upwards is ok but you have to go slow. Mostly, the nicks are always on the chin (except if you go sideways). The second major issue with the feather (for me anyway) is that because it is so sharp, the irritation tends to be brutal. Three passes with that razor and I always have redness (even when the pressure I apply is light). One day of severe redness with the feather forcesyou to take a few days off because if you shave the next day following severe redness, your face will feel like butchered raw meat for about a week.The only solution I have for that is to apply a film of pre-shave oil before each pass. The Art of Shaving has great oil for that but it is expensive and leaves you face feeling greasy.

Recently I have a desire to go back to the traditional straight. I now know the razors I bought years ago were not shave-ready, and hence, my shave was like using a butter knife. More importantly, the traditional is much more forgiving. You can shave upwards and sideways without needing a second towel to dab the blood. The trick is to adeqautely learn how to hone and strop (which I am awful at but eager to learn).

The traditional is more expensive at first. It is not as sharp, but causes much less nicks. Additionally, the feather blades are hassle free, but a few shaves and they need to be replaced (therefore a traditional is cheaper over time).

My suggestion is to go with the traditional for heavy daily use and practice honing/stropping (which you may enjoy). Also buy a cheaper ($4 to $10) feather razor for "touch-ups" which may occasionally be necessary because the traditional is simply not sharp enough.

I think I am like you here
So I guess the only problem with Straight razor is that I am afraid of having it not "sharp" enough to shave me
So I will have to control and know the art of honing/stropping, and I am not sure of how good will I be with it

I like the idea that the Feather come "sharp ready"
Also, did you tried the "pro guarded" ones? (The thin ones)

I use both and here are my thoughts:

1) Unless you have a good razor that has been expertly honed and you have good stropping technique, the Feather will likely be sharper. The Feather is surgical sharp. The blade gets better - I find that shaves 2 - 5 are very nice - this is the result of the first shave taking the harshness off the edge. I get

2) While both types of razors need a light touch, the Feather requires a lighter (very light) touch. A heavy hand will result in nicks, cuts and burn - especially if you do multiple passes. Having said that, I've gone with, across and against the grain with my Feather - with no real problems.

3) The Feather (and I assume you're referring to the Artist Club style) has a slightly shorter blade than most traditional straights.

4) The Feather is heavier than most traditional straights (excluding very large-blades 8/8 and bigger or meat choppers).

5) Becuase of 3 and 4, you get less feedback from the Feather (the shave is almost silent - with a traditional straight you can hear/feel the hair being cut). Practially, this means that you get no warning - for example, with a straight, you may feel the razor stalling - with the Feather, you just get cut if you run into problems.

6) The shaving angle is different - the Feather has a shallower angle - this also varies with the type of blade you use in your Feather. If you set the razor on your face at too great an angle, this alone can result in a cut. I found that when I was starting with the Feather that I avoided this problem by starting with the razor almost flat against my face and slowly raising it to what I felt was the good angle - which is less than the 30 degree angle generally used with a traditional straight.

7) I find that take shorter strokes with a Feather than I do with my traditional straights.

8) There are several types of blades for the Feathers - including one with a wire guard to avoid cuts as you get used to the razor. If you're careful/worried, then I'd start with the guard blades - but if you've got some experience under your belt, you might just go to the regular blades. The two other commonly available blades are the Professional and Super Professional. They differ in blade thickness and how much of the blade is exposed. I've only ever used the Super Pros - they're supposed to be more like a 6/8 or stiffer razor, which I like as I have a heavy beard. I've heard that most people who have used a traditional straight prefer the Super Pros - again, I can't compare them to the other blades, but they work for me - classicshaving.com has pictures of all of the different types of blades and explains the differences.

9) I like the Feather and use it every now and again - I bought it as a travel straight and its perfect in that role. However, I prefer my traditional straights for a variety of reasons - I like the fact that different razors shave differently and the honing/stropping aspect.

If you want a straight shave without the hassle of learning to strop and hone or having to worry about taking care of a traditional straight, the Feather may be the razor for you. However, there is always the possibility of getting a bad blade every now and again (it happens, but not often as Feather's quality control is very good). When used properly, the Feather delivers a great shave - there's no right or wrong, just personal preferences.

Finally, if you don't want to shell out for the Feather, the Dovo Shavette is a good option - the stainless version costs about $30 - in addition to being cheap, you have the option of using special blades or using an adapter that allows you to use 1/2 of a standard DE blade, which gives you lots of blade options.

To answer your question, the Feather is neither better nor worse than a traditional straight, its just different.

Hope this helps.

So
If I don't want to stron and so on
and used to DE razor
Will the feather be nice with me? and I will start with the "PRO gourd" ones
What do you think?
Worth a try?
Also I will take the club DLX, so it is a good holder for the blade, isn't?

Originally Posted by EAD

the club DLX, so it is a good holder for the blade, isn't?

All holders made by Feather are high quality and designed with functionality in mind. The real differences are in aesthetics.