Thread: Trading standard str8s for a Feather AC

well... granted ive only had my straights for a couple of weeks, maybe less, i am beginning to wonder if all this is worth my effort... i dont know how to hone, and with the money involved, and the time spent figuring it out i might never even want to do it... so considering the other options, such as sending it out which requires both money, and even MORE time waiting for it to come back... not to mention the variables of who you are sending it to, and the fact that you could send 10 razors of the same make and model to the same person and get back 10 razors all with miniscule differences in their edge (just a fact of life when something is done by hand i would assume) there are so many variables involved with dealing with straights, and i dont have the time, money, or patience to get into it all... stropping alone (while a very minor part of it) is kind of a PITA simply because its another way to screw off your edge, and it takes about 10 minutes to do for a newbie like myself it really is a meticulous thing to do....

so with that said, ive SERIOUSLY considered putting my wapi and my custom paddle up on here for trade to obtain a feather RG.... no stropping, no honing, nothing but shaving...

so what does everyone here think about the feather razors and their ability to provide a shave for someone who wants to scratch "authentic" straights altogether until he has the time/money to invest in all the proper utensils to get it right?

I use a feather as my daily shaver, and keep the traditionals for fun.

Warlock, I don't mean this to be a slam, just an observation: I don't think you're patient enough to learn what needs to be learned to get good results with a traditional straight.

While several most of the members here who have tried Feathers seem to prefer and get more comfortable shaves from traditional straights, you might indeed like the ease and convenience of Feathers.

I agree with steveS, it takes time and patience to aquire the skills needed for shaving with a straight among other things in life. I also thought about using a Feather as a daily shaver but every time i hone a razor up and shave with it it puts a smile on my face. that alone keeps me from changing.

that seems to be my biggest problem... honing... im always worried about how long its going to stay honed for, and then how long its going to take to hone it... not to mention, if im even going to be able to hone it properly... if not, ive just screwed off a perfectly good edge... where as with a feather, i drop it, or screw it off somehow? quick fix... change the blade lol no stropping, no honing, just a DE molded into the shape of a straight razor....

your right, i dont have the patience, or at least... not yet... mainly because i dont have the time/money for it... i work a lot, and im pretty much f'n broke... to buy a stone would kill my bank, and for what? so i can screw off the razor i just spent X amount of dollars on? lol not to mention, ive got to buy all this other stuff to lap it before i even use it... its just a lot more time and money than i have to spend right now... take a look at Bpattons sig line "have norton will dull your blade" this is obviously a guy that took out all the stops and went straight into it, and still has not figured out how to make a perfect edge... not to say he wont in the future, but im about results... i can take time to learn technique and everything, but i think learning technique, stropping, honing, lapping, pasting, all that other stuff is just too much for one shot... thus, why i wanted to trade my stuff in for a feather... if the shave is good, it will be worth my time/money... and i can focus on using proper technique without all the other hassle... then in 6 months or so, when i feel my technique is good and i have $200 to spend on a strop, hone, lapping stone, and razor, i can come back and try to deal with it then...

am i wrong in my thoughts? im here for advice... so please help me

Normally I would not recommend that someone give up on straights this early in the game; however, given your attitude, personality, and financial situation I think that the Feather AC would be good for you. Actually I think that a quality DE like a Merkur HD would be much better. They are a lot cheaper, much easier to learn to use, and give a very good shave (maybe 90-95% as good as a straight) without the steep learning curve of the straight. With a DE you should be able to get very good shaves very quickly and with a minimal investment. You could sell the Wapienica that I gave you for a profit (I was trying to help you out with the price on that one), probably at least get your money back on the Boker razor that Ivo sold you, and sell your Tony Miller paddle strop for only a little bit of a loss (heck I might even be interested in buying it) and I bet you would still be a little ahead or break even. IMO you really sound like more of DE guy than a straight razor guy, and that is absolutely not meant to be an insult. Straights are definately not for everyone, in fact most people think that we are crazy. Maybe when you have more money and time someday you can give the straight another try. Just my .02

well i do have a couple of DEs, and i love em... i want to get into straights, but given the circumstances, the fact that im kind of in a bind right now and wont have money for a stone or the other things needed for it (pasted paddle, etc..) i figure a feather would be something that i could hone up my technique with until im able to go "all in" with a real straight setup...

i mean im open to the idea of keeping it, and just taking my time, using my DEs and waiting till i have the money for a stone... but at the same time i think i would be wasting time i could be using honing my skills... later, i can always sell my feather, and buy a nice kit for a REAL straight after adding some money into the mix...

as i said, im open to any idea... i wish i made this into a poll lol but, i do also take into consideration that almost everyone here is only fancy towards a REAL straight, and are probably not going to willfully suggest a lesser method over the real thing... which is why i have explained my entire situation, to hopefully get some responses that are customized to my personal situation...

if the shave with a feather is in no way comparable to that of a standard straight, then it would be pointless for me to use that to build my skill on... but if it is, it might be worth a shot... i dunno. im just confuzzled lol

warlock,

I think if you don't have the patience for a regular straight you won't have the patience for a feather either. as far as consistency of feathers - you should read some posts of people trying to learn them, here and at b&b (some are complete with pictures). you may be surprised with what you find. i don't want to be discouraging, but that's my observation from what i've read so far.
i think spending more money on gear won't improve your results, only patience will. if you don't have it you should stick with de, m3 or fusion - most of the western world uses them and they seem to be doing ok. i wish you would continue trying straights, but somehow i have the feeling you've already lost your motivation in which case encouraging you would be pointless.

i dont have a loss of motivation to try straights, and i have plenty of patience learning to USE one, but i like taking things one step at a time... for instance, i had the patience to go from a mach 3 to a DE in 1 swipe... spend a sh** load of money on a brush, a couple of razors, a few soaps/creams, the stands, etc... and i have just recently gained the confidence to use them efficiently... took some time, and im still experimenting, but recently i have been getting some AWESOME shaves with the feather blades both in my 38c and my Futur... where as before, i was ready to toss them in the garbage... so patience with me extends very little, but it does extend... if i lend it to one thing at a time... know what i mean?

You may be under the impression that you need master everything at once, and I don't think that is the case at all. For, plus or minus, twenty bucks you can have your razor honed by Lynn, or one of the other "Gold Standard" Honemeisters, and have no doubt about a sharp and consistant edge. Then you just need to work on strop technique (and shaving technique) until you need to run the blade over a pasted paddle to freshen it up. If you do a search you will find many low cost options for a paddle.

It should be months before you need to send the razor out for re-honing. While it's away you can go to your back up razor (which you can afford since you haven't sprung for the Norton and coticule). I suspect many on the forum stop there and never attempt to master honing. In terms of expense you might find that the cost of the Feather blades offsets much if not all of the expense of having a pro do the honing. On the other hand, if you want to try honing you can space out the expenditures and the learning curve, as you are able to commit the effort and resources.

BTW, I have a Feather and like it, so I'm not saying that it would be a bad choice at all. The only thing is, in exchange for convenience you get...well..sort of boring. Super effective, but not much to capture one's imagination.