Learning to shave with the Feather Artist Club

NeilJ

NeilJ

Forum GOD!
I've been having some great shaves of late, uneventful but that's good. I can get as near BBS as possible with 2 passes which is perfect for me so it's just a case of carrying on what I am doing.

I had 7 shaves out if the Schick then banged it on my mirror as I used the AC to clean up my neck on my lockdown haircut last night so I binned it for a new one. I think 10 shaves out of the blade would be quite possible as it still felt sharp after 7.
 
Cheesepiece

Cheesepiece

Stickler
Well... Modern Man shipped my Feather Pro Supers on 25 May but Royal Mail have yet to attempt a delivery.
Rakuten shipped my Pro Lines on 26 May but they're coming from somewhere further afield.
I was hoping to wield the Kai once my Diane blade went dull but if either of these two don't land here soon I may have to start a new blade in the Dubl Duck. No great shame as it's a wonderful razor / blade combination to use.
 
wintoid

wintoid

Out of control
Day 63 - Feather Artist Club DX with Kai Protouch MG (2)

I continue to play with slightly rotating strokes, something more like a mild j-hook. I'm so relaxed and confident with this blade. The track record of cuts is very low, and today was no exception.

WTG/XTG/ATG and a top drawer shave. Comfortable and close. I'm trying to find a patchy bit to complain about, but I just can't. This is a very pleasant way to shave indeed. The only criticism I could make is that I always have that lingering doubt that I've allowed myself to get too confident. I'm guessing that will pass.
 
Merkurologist

Merkurologist

Forum GOD!
I had my second shave with the Feather Artist Club SS and the Feather Professional blade.

I'm smiling to myself, after the first shave I was " Yes, this is very good, very efficient, very comfortable BUT I miss the 3" blade and the feedback of a traditional straight razor " and now I'm considering wether I need my straight razors anymore.....it's crazy but it is what it is! .... I get a BBS shave with less hassle, superbly comfortable, job done.

Surprisingly, the b!ade was so nice today, so smooth and sharp as before. I had 2 days growth and it took it down effortlessly.
No weepers, the soap was MDC and the lather was a bit more like I use for DE shaving and it worked very well, I think it must be due to the fantastic slickness of the soap.


wintoid said:
The only criticism I could make is that I always have that lingering doubt that I've allowed myself to get too confident.
Click to expand...
Relax, enjoy it, you earned the right to feel confident. When you stop for a few weeks then you won't feel so confident you can still do it :) but after the first few strokes you'll realise that it's like riding a bike.
 
NeilJ

NeilJ

Forum GOD!
I'm really happy all you fellow Artist Club shavers are getting along well with your razors.

I'm almost at the point know where I can shave at the same speed as a DE, the difference is negligible. I am settled on a two pass system but I am trying to fine tune my shave to be as efficient as possible. I'm already looking forward to my next shave after I've splashed on the aftershave.

One thing that has definitely improved is my lathers. At first they were too pasty and not slick enough, now my lathers are rinsing clean off the blade under running water. I am testing my soaps to see which ones offer the best performance. I only have around 14 different soaps/creams but today's has moved to the top of my table so far, Pre de Provence 63, absolutely superb performance with a very nice unusual scent.
 
Cheesepiece

Cheesepiece

Stickler
Cheesepiece said:
Well... Modern Man shipped my Feather Pro Supers on 25 May but Royal Mail have yet to attempt a delivery.
Rakuten shipped my Pro Lines on 26 May but they're coming from somewhere further afield.
I was hoping to wield the Kai once my Diane blade went dull but if either of these two don't land here soon I may have to start a new blade in the Dubl Duck. No great shame as it's a wonderful razor / blade combination to use.
Click to expand...
The Prolines from Japan which dispatched on 26th May landed today 4th June, along with the Feather Pro Supers from Modern Man (UK) which dispatched on 25th May.
I'm not sure whether a): to be gobsmacked at the speed of Japan Post, b): stunned by the pace of Royal Mail 48hr post.
I'll go with gobsmacked at Japan Post, Royal Mail's reputation does precede it.
 
wintoid

wintoid

Out of control
Day 64 - Feather Artist Club DX with Kai Protouch MG (4)

Sunday. Nice leisurely shave. WTG/XTG/ATG and generally pretty good. A little less close under the jaw on the right hand side than I would like, but still a very good shave.
 
wintoid

wintoid

Out of control
Day 65 - Feather Artist Club DX with Kai Protouch MG (5)

I can't help feeling that the Protouch allows me to be quite sloppy. At the other extreme, a Feather Professional will punish any sloppiness. I can shave for days on end with a Protouch, but with a Professional I would lose my nerve after a shave or two, especially if I have work VC meetings to do. I don't know how I get from being able to use a Protouch confidently to being able to use a Professional confidently. It feels like my confidence has to take a knock to learn.

Anyway, today was uneventful. Three passes WTG/XTG/ATG. 5 shaves on the blade now and the result is still close. I'm not sure whether perhaps the Protouch feels a bit scrapey compared to other blades, but always very safe and the end result is consistently comfortable. The moustache area continues to be the highlight of the Artist Club experience for me.
 
Merkurologist

Merkurologist

Forum GOD!
wintoid said:
I don't know how I get from being able to use a Protouch confidently to being able to use a Professional confidently.
Click to expand...
With time and practice, like most things, practice makes perfect.

Today I had the 4th shave with the feather professional and it felt smoother than ever, I think that it has to do with me getting used to the blade angle. I think I'll shave with a SR next time to see what's the difference.

I have more blades to test now but for the moment I find the feather pro very good. I'll see how many shaves I can get out of one blade.

I've always got my best shaves with a SR, not even the R41 can beat it BUT I think the Feather Artist Club does beat it, with its sharper blade.

I could adapt my shaves to 2 pass for a BBS result but I enjoy every minute so there's no point in doing so, the same experience with SR, I can adapt the shave to cover WTG, XTG and ATG on 2 passes but I have the time and there's no point in cutting short the enjoyment :wink:

I'm thinking about getting a DX but I'm not sure I'll find something that will improve my shavings, I've read comments that the DX feels like shaving with a conventional straight razor and the only thing that comes to mind is the feedback, the 3" blade can't be.
 
NeilJ

NeilJ

Forum GOD!
I'm still thoroughly enjoying my shaves too. I'm at a point now where I'm struggling to get a better shave unless I went for a 3rd pass which I don't need to do as I'm an everyday shaver. I still nick myself occasionally but nothing major. I've six 2 pass shaves on the Schick Proline and it still feels very sharp.
 
wintoid

wintoid

Out of control
Day 66 - Feather Artist Club SS with Feather Professional (3)

I decided to try again with a Professional because I have one already in use in my SE, hoping that the blade might have smoothed after a few uses. I was very careful, and very light with my touch. The first WTG pass was OK. The second XTG pass produced a number of small weepers, and I decided to abandon the shave at that point and go back to the SE.

The unguarded blade I've used most successfully is the Super. I think I might try to have a little spate of using the Super, possibly in the SS, and see if I can master that one configuration.
 
NeilJ

NeilJ

Forum GOD!
I've noticed that my skin has been a bit dry under my nose, I think I've been using too steep an angle to get my moustache area done. I used a shallower angle today and it seems much better whilst still getting BBS above my lip. The AC is far superior than a DE for getting those awkward bits under the nostrils, for me anyway.

My DE is sitting on the windowsill in its stand wondering when it will be used again. I think as long as the time allows the AC will be my preferred method of shaving.

7 shaves with the Schick now and no signs of it losing its edge. I would really like to get proficient enough to give the Feather Professional blades a go again in the not too distant future.
 
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