SMF

For one or other stupid reasons, I dug out my remaining Feather AC tonight and shaved with it. It's been nine years since I used it regularly, and I still have a great pile of blades that I haven't been able to force myself to use through the efficient but oh-so-boring Cobra. I must have developed the heavy-handed touch needed for my SS straights, as the AC slickly removed no end of divots from my face. I currently look like that infamous photo of Joel Whatshisname, who proudly posted his bleeding face here in the early days after his first meeting with the Feather (he felt the photo reflected badly on the razor!) I take full blame for my state. I'm used to using a real straight and I shaved with the Feather the same way. I recall I used to be so very careful with it, but back in those days I did three passes and eventually, despite my care, I had to quit as I had a bare micron or two of skin left. Of course, having a platelet count an order of magnitude below the bottom of the normal range doesn't help, but one has to try, and the chance for another Artists' Club shave might not come again. A young buck who trusts his luck and his skill might well decide to show off both by using one of these dermatome-shavers, but mortals ought probably to stand well clear.

Chris

Mortals ought steer clear is sound advice.

Every now and then we have to go back and re-experience what we once had abandoned, just to make sure.

Hope your skin heals soon.

Chris

We've read posts wherein the guy thinking about starting straight razors thinks the AC would be a good place to start. Not necessarily.

brothers wrote:We've read posts wherein the guy thinking about starting straight razors thinks the AC would be a good place to start. Not necessarily.

It's a 2-way street, IMO. A lot of newcomers to SRs complain about tugging, which is something that won't happen with a Feather AC - the SR blades are just too sharp for that. OTOH, the sharpness of the blade, along with its lighter weight, has the potential for a disaster, if you don't know how to approach it.

Personally, I have great shaves with my Kai Captain J-Type, very smooth, close and almost always nick free. A great alternative to the Feather Pro or Pro Super blades are the Kai Mild blades - they're sharp enough, and quite a bit smoother.

Standing clear, I don't even want to watch.

I concur with my learned colleague in Mississippi

i remember when those were all the rage here at smf.....thankfully i missed it

clive

Thank you Chris,

I was looking at MY feather today... then I read your post and put it back on the shelf.

Rummaging around in my collection, I found a Traveller (SRP) restored Wostenholm I-XL frameback, registered Sept 10, 1850 according to the stamp on the tang, that did not have that many shaves on it after he restored/honed it.

Together with my Saville Row silver tip (tortoise hog? The first badger brush I ever bought), an old puck of Trufitt and Hill shaving soap in the wood dish and a quick stropping on the ol' 827, I had a very nice shave... even if I was a bit heavy handed.... A touch of Razor Rock's aftershave wax finished it up and I was quite pleased with myself. I may not have the muscle memory for honing yet, but at least I didn't strop the life out of that razor and shaving 2 handed came back pretty well.

I am sorry you had to suffer the aftermath of that Feather shave, though.

Kaptain "I like old straights" Zero