Thread: Feather Artist Club - Why so much?

Well at the risk of asking a stupid question, I was curious, why are the Feather Artist Club razors so freakin expensive? I mean the razor is beautiful, but why is a disposable blade razor so costly? It seems the Kamisori (et al) are a better bargain and you don't have to order refill blades. Am I missing something? I look forward to hearing other's feedback.

I shaved with an Artist Club SS with Pro blades for 6 months, then went to western straights. The Feather is well designed and constructed. It's the best replaceable blade straight available. It's Pro blades are typically sharper than most straights which gives closer shaves than most other razors. To compare costs, you have to consider lifetime costs of both type razors not just the initial razor cost. Total costs of regular straights have to include initial razor cost, strop(s), periodic honing/mailing or buy the hones and learn to hone yourself. With the Artist Club, buy blades in bulk, no stroping, no honing, always have a sharp blade. Most straight shavers of any type razors are mostly concerned with the pleasure of the hobby not the cost. It's a personal choice.

Thank you Ray. You really opened my eyes and made me think of the other intangibles I over looked. They really are beautiful pieces of work. Something about Japanese and Italian designs just scream...Wow!

Additionally, I like the design of the Japanese straights as I have a hard time seeing the left side of face when holding a traditional straight. I am a total newbie though so I am sure that will get better

its not that expensive , this is quality . shavettes are cheap , but the feather system is in a class of its own , they are well made , and will last a lifetime and still be a quality tool. the benchmark of disposable blades razors. now add up a quality straight , 150.00 (not in the high end), strop 50.00, , then add in the honing , which isn't that much after you finally learn to shave and strop correctly , lets say a couple honings 40.00 so the feather really isn't any more expensive and a fresh blade is right there at your disposal . so to answer your question , its not so expensive ,, a true straight is in my opinion a better shave , but they are not any sharper . tc

Yup,a lot of intangibles I failed to think of.

Does the Feather give you a better shave than a DE? Or is it a Ford vs Chevy YMMV thing

I had all the Feathers and sold them. Just picked up a Kai Captain and it is very close to the DX. The workmanship isn't as good as the Feather but it is much less and uses the same blades. I use my straights most of the time so it didn't pay to go overboard with a Feather. You will get a very similar shave with the Kai as with the Feather. Just shaved this am with the Kai Captain and it gave a great shave equal to the Feather. The Kai Captain goes for about $60 compared to $150 for a Feather DX. If you are going to use it every day, then you may want the Feather. If you use it once or twice a week the Kai will do just fine.

It's a precision made piece of shaving equipment. I've had 3 over the years and each one just oozes quality. There is absolutely no slip or movement in the blade. Compare a Feather and blades to the cost of buying cartridges.

I had the folding DX and gave it to my son as a nice gift. The Feather blades are great. I have a Sam Seong and a CJB both cheaper and as handled kamisori shave me well. The Feather was a very nice piece of work but I didn't like it as a folder.
The blade you chose, and I haven't tried them all is important.I read somewhere that the Pro line changes its with dimension slightly to expose more of the cutting edge. I went from the Pro Guard blade to the Pro Super.
From a vendor's site
"" A bit more aggressive to meet the demands of a tougher beard. In addition to a greater blade thickness the blade is also a bit wider allowing greater edge exposure.""
~Richard

There are some great threads on the Feather in the "Shaving with a Shavette" section of the forum.

They are all (and there are a lot of variants) different and very YMMV.
The blade choices just up the variables.

I've settled on the DX Folding and the Feather Pro or Kai PINK blades for my use.
The best travel straight system I have found (drive/check/mail) as a razor and almost a years worth of blades (YMMV) take up as much room as a tooth brush and a pack of gum.

The learning curve is steeper than with a conventional straight (there will be blood) but they are very efficient with a little practice.

I have a Parker SR1 and the Feather. It's not even a close competition and I look at the Parker as a waste of $15. I paid $70 for the Feather on Amazon and I like it. I like my TI better, but the Feather is great for mornings I don't have time to strop.