Feather shaves
- Thread starter chazt
- Start date
Twelvefret
Forum GOD!
More than anything, you are having fun, and that makes me happy.I’m having the most fun shaves in over a decade with my new AC obsession! But here’s the thing.. my shaves are so good now, I don’t need to shave the day after. The Feather razors are that good!
I agree, they really are "that good". Asking for a friend, would the same blade perform as well in a safety razor design with a guard of some configuration? If not, is part of the effectiveness due to the skills and proprioception of the user?
chazt
shave
I’m slowly working through the various threads in the shavette section. Beyond reading other people’s opinions, my experiential frame of reference is limited to barely over a month of Feather AC shaves with the DX and SR folding versions. Btw, the majority of the conversational threads have been dormant for a while. I invite your current thoughts and comments here going forward. Forgive me in advance if my thoughts seem disjointed and random. They likely are. Please be patient with me.
One consistent observation regarding Feather razors is the commonly stated hypothesis that a beginner would realize satisfying results by starting out with the SS model due to its design, i.e., the skin stretching “lip,” and then work their way through the range, up to the DX, the blade of which is purported to most closely resemble the geometry of a straight razor (note: the preceding may or may not be a run on sentence, although it does seem to be grammatically and syntactically correct as per APA style. My executive function occasionally yields to silliness). As I learn of the range’s evolution, a few questions and comments arise.
In no particular order:
which came first, the blade or the holder? I’m guessing they were originally introduced as part of an integrated system.
design wise, the SR is a logical evolutionary addition to the lineup, finding an interesting niche between the SS and DX.
I wasn’t hip to the common wisdom and started this shaving tangent with the DX. The SR came second. Based on my shaves and experiences to date, I can pretty safely extrapolate that based on what I know of the SS model it doesn’t seem likely that one will wind up on my shelf any time soon. But otoh, never say never..
To date, I’ve used the Kai guarded blade for all my shaves but one. For that shave I used a Feather pro light (green box?) and although I finished the shave, decided that for the time being the guarded blades were perfectly fine for learning the genre.
The wooden scales on the Feather blade holders are quite the bit of eye candy!
Should I, do I, want and or need to try a Kai variant? If so, which one? At this point I don’t want, need or seek redundancy. The Kai Woody is an option in that case. Does anyone have knowledge or even pics of the Kai and Feather holders’ geometry side by side?
Talk to me.
One consistent observation regarding Feather razors is the commonly stated hypothesis that a beginner would realize satisfying results by starting out with the SS model due to its design, i.e., the skin stretching “lip,” and then work their way through the range, up to the DX, the blade of which is purported to most closely resemble the geometry of a straight razor (note: the preceding may or may not be a run on sentence, although it does seem to be grammatically and syntactically correct as per APA style. My executive function occasionally yields to silliness). As I learn of the range’s evolution, a few questions and comments arise.
In no particular order:
which came first, the blade or the holder? I’m guessing they were originally introduced as part of an integrated system.
design wise, the SR is a logical evolutionary addition to the lineup, finding an interesting niche between the SS and DX.
I wasn’t hip to the common wisdom and started this shaving tangent with the DX. The SR came second. Based on my shaves and experiences to date, I can pretty safely extrapolate that based on what I know of the SS model it doesn’t seem likely that one will wind up on my shelf any time soon. But otoh, never say never..
To date, I’ve used the Kai guarded blade for all my shaves but one. For that shave I used a Feather pro light (green box?) and although I finished the shave, decided that for the time being the guarded blades were perfectly fine for learning the genre.
The wooden scales on the Feather blade holders are quite the bit of eye candy!
Should I, do I, want and or need to try a Kai variant? If so, which one? At this point I don’t want, need or seek redundancy. The Kai Woody is an option in that case. Does anyone have knowledge or even pics of the Kai and Feather holders’ geometry side by side?
Talk to me.
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Twelvefret
Forum GOD!
To me, the scales on the SS are the most attractive.
We have to consider the professional market. Would you rather shave someone with one that uses half DE blades or an AC Feather? If the SS is proported to be milder, which would you feel more confident using, the SS or DX?
I've considered the Kai Kasho Captain, but all reviews say it is more mild than the DX.
I think humans are influenced by information from who we consider experts. I've never read a review which says the SS isn't milder than the DX. Now the DX is milder than the Tedalus. It does not help that the DX costs more thant the SS and the Tedalus costs more than the DX.
There is also confirmation bias, the DX is more aggressive (whatever that means) and since that I what I want to think, the revenues support my opinion.
All this said, I am probably going to order a DX for the experience. When I consider folks spending $500 for a DE, that looks like a three-piece Gillette, the DX is now looking cheap and especially for what you can achieve.
Since you have a DX and an SR, the Kai Kasho Captain is the next rational step.
Don't let yourself miss the boat. "It only costs and little bit more........
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chazt
shave
To me, the scales on the SS are the most attractive.
Yes, I quite agree. More of a dog leg, as it were.
We have to consider the professional market. Would you rather shave someone with one that uses half DE blades or an AC Feather?
Depends. Do I want to give my client the closest, safest shave possible with a blade that most closely resembles the traditional barber’s razor, or do I want to save money and use blades which might have a greater tendency to nick my client?
If the SS is proported to be milder, which would you feel more confident using, the SS or DX?
If I were a professional barber, theoretically it wouldn’t be much of an issue which one I used as long as the result was stellar.
I've considered the Kai Kasho Captain, but all reviews say it is more mild than the DX.
I don’t see too many references to Kai AC razors. There must be photos available somewhere of the various head geometries. I’ll snoop around the www, see what comes up.
I think humans are influenced by information from who we consider experts. I've never read a review which says the SS isn't milder than the DX. Now the DX is milder than the Tedalus. It does not help that the DX costs more thant the SS and the Tedalus costs more than the DX.
Perhaps we should talk about a razor’s relative efficiency and smoothness, rather than it’s level of mildness or aggression?
There is also confirmation bias, the DX is more aggressive (whatever that means) and since that I what I want to think, the revenues support my opinion.
? Not sure if I follow.
All this said, I am probably going to order a DX for the experience.
When I consider folks spending $500 for a DE, that looks like a three-piece Gillette, the DX is now looking cheap and especially for what you can achieve.
Agreed. £ for £, $ for $, € for €, it’s hard to get a better shave.
Since you have a DX and an SR, the Kai Kasho Captain is the next rational step.
You are a sly enabler, Sir. I like the way you think.
