Need advice on blades for my Feather RG artist

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:58 pm

Hello all. New to the forum and new to straight shaving. Actually I have been shaving for several months with a cheap straight with the disposable Dorco platinum ST 300 blades. They gave a nice shave but I realized that I absolutely wanted to stay with straight shaving so I took the plunge and bought the feather. I took the persons advice at Classic Shaving and bought the Pro Guards. I like them alot. Very smooth shave. I keep reading horror stories about how sharp the other feather blades are that im actually afraid to try the pro series out. Has anyone else here used the Professional blades with the Feather artist and if so is the shave much better than the Pro Guards? Being that Im a noobie to the straight scene, should I stick with the Pro Guards until I get more experience? Sorry if it is a silly question but as I said Im a noobie and I always believed in the dumbest question is the one that isnt asked. Thanks again!

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:21 pm

When something gives you a good shave, you should stick with it. You can just keep using the guarded blades forever if you like the shave. (Schick had a razor with wires wrapped around it too, and they just sold it as a regular item.)

In my opinion, if you want to change, the Pro Super are "friendlier" blades than the plain Pro - the Supers are still extremely sharp, but not quite as crazy sharp as the Pro, and the Supers have the advantage of being smoother to shave with. Not everybody agrees with this.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:18 am

By the time you have used a pack of the guarded blades I would think you could try some of the 'real' ones. NTS is exactly right when he says the Professional Super blades are better - they aren't suicidally sharp, but still perfectly good for two weeks of daily use on my beard. They give more feedback in that you can feel the hair being cut (like a proper straight, though with much less tugging). The Professional blades just glide smoothly through hair, skin, subcutaneous tissue - all without you feeling a thing!

Chris

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:19 am

Thanks guys. Ill wait till this pack of Pro Guards are done then ill try the Pro Supers.

loueedacat1 · Post by **loueedacat1** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:29 am

...and then get a traditional straight....

this reminds me I want to try a feather AC someday. I'll have to drop holiday hints on that one.

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:08 pm

Actually louie, I am considering a traditional straight but I have NO idea where to begin. Do I buy one of the package deals from classic shaving? Do I buy a separate blade, strop ect? What type of stone do I need? These are the things Im trying to figure out. I most definately want a traditional straight in my kit. Im totally hooked on straights now. Im sorry I didnt do this years ago. Im also afraid that I dont have the required skills that are needed to properly strop, and hone a straight and I really dont feel like using my face as a laboratory lol. So Ill just use the feather for now and give the Supers a try.

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:11 pm

I'd go with Vintage Blades, http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/x ... hp?cat=142, especially if looking for a new presharpened blade.

They sell Tony Miller Strops, which are top notch. You can go with Tony himself, but I don't know if he still sells sets with razors. You have more of a blade choice with the former.

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:02 pm

Thanks ScottS. Much appreciated.

loueedacat1 · Post by **loueedacat1** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:19 pm

Albo5542 wrote:Actually louie, I am considering a traditional straight but I have NO idea where to begin. Do I buy one of the package deals from classic shaving? Do I buy a separate blade, strop ect? What type of stone do I need? These are the things Im trying to figure out. I most definately want a traditional straight in my kit. Im totally hooked on straights now. Im sorry I didnt do this years ago. Im also afraid that I dont have the required skills that are needed to properly strop, and hone a straight and I really dont feel like using my face as a laboratory lol. So Ill just use the feather for now and give the Supers a try.

I think there are different ways to go, depending on whether you want to minimize costs or just get some nice stuff because if you are hooked you are going ot get the nice stuff anyway.

strop - I would definitely get the good red heirloom latigo wiht canvas from tony miller. It's so good it's worth the price.

hone - I'm learning here. I started with a yellow coticule and DMT 325 to lap it and am so in love that I'm buying a blue coticule and yellow green escher. Howard Schechter at theperfectedge.com is awesome to work with.

razor - I won a free basic DOVO in a giveaway and that little bugger set off my addiction. Then I bought a 175 dollar le grelot from rasurpur and a fillarmonic 13 from classic whihc I love but is a bear to hone. Many say buy a used honed one on BST at SRP. Whatever you do, get it honed by a honemeister first.

So that's not the budget route. But not too bad price wize. But if you know you have the bug get nice stuff because you are going to do that anyway and any budget stuff you buy will go untouched once you upgrade.

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:21 pm

Thanks for the excellent advice loueedacat1. I totally agree about buying the nice stuff. I remember when I started playing guitar I knew I was hooked and went out and bought a top of the line Les Paul. That was thirty years ago and I still have and play that guitar so I can totally relate to that line of thinking. With regards to a strop, I see these paddle strops. Are they any good or should I go for a standard hanging strop like you suggested? Also, How many shaves do you normally get before you need to use the hone? I understand the stropping is critical before each shave but should the honing be done on a set time table? Again sorry for the silly question. I just want as much info from people in the know before I buy the equipment. I also want to make sureI buy the RIGHT equipment and not stuff that is not needed. Thanks again.

loueedacat1 · Post by **loueedacat1** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:44 pm

Albo5542 wrote:With regards to a strop, I see these paddle strops. Are they any good or should I go for a standard hanging strop like you suggested? Also, How many shaves do you normally get before you need to use the hone? I understand the stropping is critical before each shave but should the honing be done on a set time table? Again sorry for the silly question. I just want as much info from people in the know before I buy the equipment. I also want to make sureI buy the RIGHT equipment and not stuff that is not needed. Thanks again.

1. I got a TM paddle strop and don't use it anymore. It's beautiful, but too narrow for me and I do better with the hanging strop. Also, no linen side on the paddle, and the pastes you put on the paddle I found caused me to mess up my edges. so I would definitely get a TM hanging strop with red latigo leather and canvas. It's out of stock at the TM store, but Vintage Blades and I theing Straight Razor Deign and at least one other store carry them.

2. I learning how often I have to go to hone. I like the advice that it's better to touch up on the hone every three shaves even if you don't need because then you won't have to really sharpen it since you'll be keeping it sharp. But some go 15 shaves, some longer.

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:35 am

Albo5542 wrote:Thanks for the excellent advice loueedacat1. I totally agree about buying the nice stuff. I remember when I started playing guitar I knew I was hooked and went out and bought a top of the line Les Paul. That was thirty years ago and I still have and play that guitar so I can totally relate to that line of thinking. With regards to a strop, I see these paddle strops. Are they any good or should I go for a standard hanging strop like you suggested? Also, How many shaves do you normally get before you need to use the hone? I understand the stropping is critical before each shave but should the honing be done on a set time table? Again sorry for the silly question. I just want as much info from people in the know before I buy the equipment. I also want to make sureI buy the RIGHT equipment and not stuff that is not needed. Thanks again.

Pasted paddle strops are very convenient for touch up, but the hanging strop is a thing of beauty and what I prefer for daily stropping

My compromise was to go w/ a 2-sided paddle -- 1 micron and 0.5 micron, and a hanging strop.

Albo5542 · Post by **Albo5542** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:07 am

Hey all. Been a while since I been on here. NASTY bout of the flu

. Anyway Ive been considering the DOVO Micarta blade from Classic shaving but they seem to be back ordered but I did pick up a DOVO shavette about two weeks ago with the black holder from classic shaving. I know its a training blade but damn I cant put the thing down. I use the DOVO longs with them, combined with a nice oil I got from art of shaving and I find Im using this thing everyday. The balance and shave performance are amazing with this thing. Im still going for a traditional straight and as soon as classic has the Micarta in stock ill get one. Any one have any experience with the Micarta? Pros or Con? Good choice for a first real straight? Oh yeah. The shavette beats the feather hands down, at least for me, in terms of shave quality, ease of use and balance. My beard isnt exactly a soft one and the shavette makes it efortless.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:24 am

The Micarta handled Dovo with the fake damascus blade? I have a white and a black and are nice enough. You should know they are stainless blades, though, and thus harder for a beginner to hone.

The other thing to remember is that no traditional straight will ever glide through hair quite as easily as the disposable blade in a Shavette. The main reason for going traditional has to be the satisfaction of doing it all yourself, not the sharpness of the blade.

Chris