Thread: Review - first shave with a Feather SS.

As we say in the military, bottom line upfront (BLUF): Great shave - much better than I thought.

A few qualifiers: My only previous experience with a shavette was with a $20 Parker/Shark blades and all the straights I've been using have come professionally honed within the last few weeks, so I'm working with stealth bombers on that side. Now with that said...

The Pros:

1) Amazing shave. I did my usual 1 pass w/ grain on the face/mouth area + 2 passes (1 with/1 ATG) on the neck, and the shave is as good as my straights as far as I can tell. FAR, FAR better than I was getting with my Parker.
2) No stropping
3) The smaller blade actually works kind of nice with the way my neck hair grows.
4) Great feeling razor. Has the weight like a true straight.

The Cons:

1) Saw a little blood for the first time in a while, but that's probably from me being a somewhat novice with shavettes. The front edge of the shavettes are MUCH less forgiving than the straights. I bumped that front a few times and had to use a bit of tissue.
2) Felt like I had to rinse more. The hairs with an actual straight don't clog up as much (or at all), so I can do a longer pass vs the shavette.
3) I found the SS to be a little tougher under my nose because it's bulkier than my straights.
4) I felt that the shorter length of the blade meant it took me longer to shave, so maybe as a "time saver" vs stropping - it really might be a trade off.

With that said, GREAT razor!! VERY worth the $100. Because I often travel for weeks/months at a time and live in situations (ie barracks/tents) where stropping/honing is just not an option, this is an awesome alternative. I will definitely be using this for travel when a straight isn't viable (but for day to day at home, I'm still a big fan of true straights). Like I said, I got as good as a shave with this as I get with my straights, just a bit more technical in the handling and I like the longer blades on true straights. Thanks again for all the advice!

Excellent choice Ian, good for travel, as you said. Shavettes can be both easy and suddenly difficult to use (if I could document all my nicks and weepers a shavette would be responsible for most of them). I picked up a Feather Professional Shavette the other day on eBay, can't wait to try it.

@razorfeld... It's a great alternative. The last few times I traveled I took my DE because I just can't carry much (meaning strops/honing stones and shipping to have honing done is not reasonable) - but I'm not a fan of the DE shaves. I shave the night before and by noon I have growth. Been trying DEs for months and I just don't get like I get with straights. I'll keep using real straights at home, but this Feather looks like an awesome travel companion. Hell, I'm rubbing my face now thinking of how nice of a shave it is for $100. Great deal for a suitcase shaver.

Major, the shave from a DE although good an acceptable will never be a the same as Str8s. Love the feather system. Been really working through the different models. The SS is great an is actually to this point my choice over the expensive ones. You may want to give the pro guard blades a shot if you find the pros unforgiving. They are my pick to this point.

@rollincoal69... I wouldn't need the guards. The only little bites I got was because of the tip, but it's not hard to adjust. I had gotten too used to shaving with an actual straight. And I agree that these are good, but not as good as a straight. I'll be using my straights at home and taking these with me while traveling to places where stropping/honing will not be possible. The shavette for me is a travel back up. But I'm glad to see that the feather is MUCH better than my Parker. I had about given up on shavettes.

I would never call an Artist Feather club SS a shavette. They are in a category by them self. I had mine for over two years and it's my travel straight. I don't feel it's slower shaving than with any 5/8 straight. It picks and accumulates the soap/cream without hindering the shave IMO.

I do feel the first 3-4 shaves are a little harsh on the face, but after the 4 is good to the 20th shave with little degradation on the quality of the shave. I do strop the feather pro blade on the palm on my hand after I dry it and before putting it back on the feather SS clamp. I believe they last me longer and give a better shave than without hand stroping.

Originally Posted by Double0757

I would never call an Artist Feather club SS a shavette. They are in a category by them self.

Double00 (new handle?) is correct...not in the same class as a DE Shavette.

Most of the blood with new Feather shavers come from the following:

1. Landing errors - that first contact needs to be controlled while you are getting used to it, just a touch is all it takes...baby.
2. Too much pressure & angle - those little spots of blood? Weeper - shaving down the skin enough to draw blood.

The other cuts are the same as any razor - moving sideways, not enough tension (I will try to get a shot of the scar from the strip of skin I pulled off of my adams apple one time with a Feather something... incorrect tension for the pass)

It gets better fast with a just a little practice.

Smooth Shaving...

@MJC - I too agree that the Feather is VERY different from my Parker shavette that uses the half DE blades. With my Parker I was doing 3-4 passes on my neck and was still not happy with the shave. I was about done with shavettes until trying the Feather. I also agree about the causes of cuts - all of mine have been landing errors, generally dropping the front edge before the rest of the blade.

I used mine also for the first time last week. I managed to draw some blood by inattention. I allowed the blade to touch the edge of my ear. They are awesome shaving razors. I'm using the pro blades and enjoy wonderful shaves.

hmm. I always use my Parker when traveling, its the only one I brought on this deployment. I think you've convinced me to buy a feather.