Feather Artist question

[kaptain_zero]

Well, I have managed to adapt to shaving with a straight razor (when I have enough time) and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Now, on to my question... I have a couple of.... uhmm.... features on my face that seem to defy a spike or square point straight razor. My round point blades dispatch the wiskers in those areas neatly without undue concern for "other protruding features" in the vicinity. What I would like to know is where the Artist Club fits in the grand scheme of things points wise. Is it a spike, a square or perhaps a semi-round? It's very hard to tell from the pictures on Classic shaving.

Also wondering if anyone has had a problem with peeling finishes on the brass version. The price of the brass one is more to my liking but failing finishes would soon sour that.

Regards

Christian

[kaptain_zero]

Chris, thankyou for the reply, sounds like it should work ok for me and considering the price difference, I guess I wouldn't get too upset should the razor look a little worn some 50 years down the road......

Only question left now is "To buy or not to buy?" as it seems that these Feather razors tend to spoil their users. I kind of like the rituals of the traditional straight razor but by nature I am, after all..... lazy!

Regards

Christian

"I am a man, but I can change... if I have to..... I guess."
-- Red Green, The mans prayer.

[Coche_y_bondhu]

Hello Christian,

I have started using a Feather Artist RG ($99) recently, only on weekends and other days off when I have more time. I am using the ProGuard blades which have that microcage around the blade for safety.

I am getting very good shaves with it so far and it is a nice change from the DE. It has handsome blue-gray scales and satin-finished bladeholder. No problem with finish peeling.

Some day I might try the real str8 and stropping method, but for now I am "honing" my hand techniques and blade handling versus honing the razor.

If you try the Feather, and you find it is not for you, I am sure you would have no problem selling it on the forums.

Cheers,
Richard
Plano TX

[English]

I've got one and it's a quality item well worth the money. The shave is in another league to most things I've tried. The shave does take time though.
I am inherently lazy too and and I'm currently using the Merkur Progress with a feather. It's good and it's easy and a pleasure to use. But it doesn't have the ...........excitement of the Feather straight.

Incidentaly, I couldn't get on with those wiired feathers, it was like shaving through a plastic bag. Safe but soulless. I felt the same using a Wilkinson twin blade which had wires. The problem is, the blades are not cheap to just bin.

Happy shaving.

[Sam]

mr english echos my sentiments. excellent quality and i also have the same model. i had used regular straights and i went with the regular, professional blades. i need to use it more, but it gives me the best cheek shaves. i like the fact that i dont have to hone and strop and worry about rolling the edge or having it tug or pull on me. and with the strops and pastes, and even without products like tuffglide, heck, it about is equal in cost. but i dont have to worry with the other stuff. not that the "other stuff" is bad, as there is a challange in mastering the art of honing and even blade restoration. i found i was not interested in such minutae and instead focused on the shave. i think tomorrow, or tonight, a full-on feather shave.

sam

[flyfoxx]

Richard and Sam,

How does the performance, of your Feather Artist stand-up, to the pure shaving qualities of the regular straights?

-Greg-

[Joe Lerch]

Well, I have managed to adapt to shaving with a straight razor (when I have enough time) and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Now, on to my question... I have a couple of.... uhmm.... features on my face that seem to defy a spike or square point straight razor. My round point blades dispatch the wiskers in those areas neatly without undue concern for "other protruding features" in the vicinity. What I would like to know is where the Artist Club fits in the grand scheme of things points wise. Is it a spike, a square or perhaps a semi-round? It's very hard to tell from the pictures on Classic shaving.

Also wondering if anyone has had a problem with peeling finishes on the brass version. The price of the brass one is more to my liking but failing finishes would soon sour that.

This is a little difficult to answer. Remember, you have a disposable blade that protrudes past the holder. In that sense, there is a square edge on it but only a tiny one. It's definitely not like a round.

[Joe Lerch]

Richard and Sam,

How does the performance, of your Feather Artist stand-up, to the pure shaving qualities of the regular straights?

-Greg-

My experience is that a str8 can't be made as sharp as a Feather. I've gotten blades from the best honmeisters on SRP.

The other thing about a Feather is that its action is more like a DE than a str8. A str8 always requires a little pressure and has a slight pull. There's none of that with the Feather. You can shave with no applied pressure and there is no pull. Also, when I first started shavinf with a str8, there was always just a slight irritation which I eventually got used to. There was none with the Feather.

[Sam]

Richard and Sam,

How does the performance, of your Feather Artist stand-up, to the pure shaving qualities of the regular straights?

-Greg-

it does not. a regular straight has much more heft and aural feedback. i enjoy a regular straight better. but i never mastered keeping a sharp edge and the shorter length of the blade allows for a better neck shave for me. so i sold all my regular straights, save for one i have in the sell section now

sam

[Joe Lerch]

a regular straight has much more heft and aural feedback

Sam, I think it really depends on the size of the razor. I find the AC to have a pretty good heft. Better than most 5/8 razors. But most of my new razors are 6/8 and up, and the AC certainly isn't as hefty as those.

I find that most 5/8 and 6/8 str8s require a little pressure. On the heftier 7/8 I can use the weight of the razor. With the AC, on the other hand, I never use pressure and use only the weight of the razor. So, the heftiness of the razors below 7/8 offers no benefit. I do find that str8s provide more aural feedback.

[Sam]

joe, you are right, that it depends on the razor itself as far as heftiness and weight. i had a couple of 5/8ths that were light, and the 6/8 SRP group razor is a light one. i also tended to the 6/8ths. i prefer the feather because of the shave i got, but as far as pleasure, i derived much more "pleasure" as it were with a regular straight. there was the nostalgic feel and the beauty of the razor itself. the sounds it made when it shaved, well, u just gotta experience it.

but deep down, i am after the resulting shave. the feather is the single instrument that shaves me the closest and keeps the stubble on my cheeks away the longest. not as much farfiggnuggen in using one, but very effective.

sam

[kaptain_zero]

Ok, now the heft thing surprised me a bit... I have a 6/8 Boker and to me it seems light as a....uhmm feather? I would have thought that cast brass or stainless would have had more heft to it.

As for the round tip bit, my problem area is just under the ears, towards the back. No matter how I twist or turn it ends up being sort of a hollow depression. Not a problem with the Boker, that nice round tip lets me "scoup" it out. I have permanent hair on the upper lip so the nostril bit is taken care of. Still, I manage ok with a 5/8 square point, it's just a bit of a pain in those two spots, I have two more on the chin but those are dispatched with the rear of the blade and I don't think they would be a problem for the Feather.

Bottom line, I guess I'm gonna get one and see for myself. I just hope I don't abandon the old str8s as I do enjoy all the fiddling, honing, stropping etc. and I'm working on some custom scale designs ala Billys Blades. I hope to go one step further and plan to turn a matching brush handle which I hope to get bristled by Shavemac. The tricky bit right now is getting some medalions made with my monogram... I have some ideas but I'm no silversmith and the only guy I know at the Canadian Mint has retired. Mind you, I have not asked him yet......

Well, next week my odometer rolls over the 50 mark... only 13 more winters left to go before I can sit back and watch *my* postie deliver my Ebay winnings!

Regards,

Christian

[Joe Lerch]

the blade in a Feather, to the user, is like a semi-round straight at its point. It may only protrude a little, but it is no spike/square point.

I agree. The only thing I was saying is that you have that blade point, which I make use of sometimes.

[Joe Lerch]

i derived much more "pleasure" as it were with a regular straight. there was the nostalgic feel and the beauty of the razor itself. the sounds it made when it shaved

My experience exactly. That's why I'm still shaving a lot with str8s. I care more about the entire experience than the best quality shave. I don't notice that quality difference until many hours later.

[CRR]

My experience exactly. That's why I'm still shaving a lot with str8s. I care more about the entire experience than the best quality shave. I don't notice that quality difference until many hours later.

Me as well. I'm still a newbie with str8's (about 2 months now), but it is a great experience. My shaves are almost equal between str8's and DE's if I only do N-S passes and some cross grain. If I go against the grain with my DE I can get closer, but it's not something I do on a daily basis.

[Joe Lerch]

My experience exactly. That's why I'm still shaving a lot with str8s. I care more about the entire experience than the best quality shave. I don't notice that quality difference until many hours later.

Me as well. I'm still a newbie with str8's (about 2 months now), but it is a great experience. My shaves are almost equal between str8's and DE's if I only do N-S passes and some cross grain. If I go against the grain with my DE I can get closer, but it's not something I do on a daily basis.

For a while, I was using mostly my Feather instead of the str8s. Then, one day I saw a dejected TI on my shelf and had to use it. I had to face the fact that I'm into it for more than the quality of the shave.

The same is true of DEs. The closest shave comes from my Futur, but I just love using the Vision.