Learning to shave with the Feather Artist Club

[Cheesepiece]

I have never corked a blade but I palm strop all new blades before I use them. I think I even did it with the Proguards when I tried those but I'm not sure it has any effect, even on ordinary blades it might be overkill, but I still do it.

 

[NeilJ]

Another lovely shave this morning, close and comfortable, just what I'm aiming for. I think the improvement is due to a number of little things and not one game changer. I was quite disheartened the other week, my face was covered in scars and I suffered from irritation on my cheeks which I rarely get. I took about 4 days off and had a rethink, since then my shaves have been brilliant and I am putting it down to these little changes I made.

I'm holding the AC roughly a spines width when I'm shaving, before I was using it in a more open angle and I think I was scraping my skin rather than just cutting the whiskers.

I'm using as little pressure as I possibly can.

2 passes only WTG and XTG

I am never tempted to get too clever around the tip of my chin, it's awkward and I still get BBS without going AGT so it's not worth the risk.

I have bowl lathered on my last couple of shaves and I seem to nailed the consistency that suits my shaves with the AC, I feel it gives me a bit more control.

I am lucky that I am pretty ambidextrous and I have forced myself to use both hands on each half of my face, using my slightly less dominant hand feels just as natural as my other hand now.

Lastly and I think the most important aspect for me is that I have realised that a 2 pass shave is everything I need, I'm not chasing absolute BBS as I don't need to, I shave every day and prioritise skin condition over BBS. Having said that my shaves are closer and more comfortable than using my DE.

These things have helped me get to a place where I am very happy with my results, I am a newby to this type of shaving so what might work for me might not be right for everyone and I am certainly no expert but I thought I would give a view on what is helping me along the AC journey.

 

[UKRob]

Thanks to this thread I am soon to try this new method of torture.

A question. Does it make sense to cork a blade before it‘s first use? Another possibly stupid question. Can guarded blades be corked?

There are certain brands of blade that I cork including Feather and Kamisori. My preferred blade is Schick as I don’t find the need to cork these although they don’t last as long as Feather. I don’t see any problem with corking a guarded blade but, having said that, I just don’t like - or see the reason for - guarded blades. I suspect that they are the main reason some people find discomfort when shaving.

 

[wintoid]

Having said that my shaves are closer and more comfortable than using my DE.

That's really cool. You've certainly got there quicker than me.

 

[lloydrm]

Day 59 - Feather Artist Club DX with Feather Proguard

I woke really early today, so I have time to shave without the bath water running, so I could hear the sound of hairs being cut. Unfortunately, it didn't help much. Today's shave might have been very slightly better than yesterday's, but basically it's not an experience I want to repeat. I removed and replaced the blade to be sure it wasn't something wrong with the loading.

Same thing. Weepers coming from nowhere, and a sore feeling when I've finished. I was using the same soap and the same blade. I think perhaps tomorrow I am going to bin that blade (after only 2 uses!) and go with something else. I will probably also push the soap back into the storage box from whence it came! I never really liked that particular soap anyway, despite the hype.

Anyway, 3 passes WTG/XTG/ATG and reasonably close. A sore face and lots of weepers. If it had been like this at the beginning, I think I would have given up.

Same experience here with feather’s guarded blades. Weepers all over no mater what I tried.

 

[wintoid]

Same experience here with feather’s guarded blades. Weepers all over no mater what I tried.

oh! Thanks, useful to hear!

 

[Merkurologist]

My Feather Artist Club should be here next week. I'm looking forward to join the braves club

Well the razor arrived but seller forgot to send the blades that were included in the deal

The razor looks very nice and it has a nice weight to it. I can't wait to have my first go with it.

 

[NeilJ]

That's really cool. You've certainly got there quicker than me.

I still think there is a lot to improve on, that's the beauty of this hobby, you never stop learning. Everybody has different skin and facial hair, I'm lucky that I have an average beard growth rate and my results look acceptable after 24 hours, somebody with a faster, darker growth might need that 3rd pass to achieve the same result.

The Schick Proline's have also been a godsend, bit more forgiving than the Feather Pro's.

 

[p.b]

Personally I think these razors need a good soap. @wintoid that might be the problem? Why not try a known soap before binning the blade?

 

[wintoid]

Personally I think these razors need a good soap. @wintoid that might be the problem? Why not try a known soap before binning the blade?

You could be right. I went back through my posts on this thread, and I was using a Feather Proguard at the beginning with no problems.

I've already binned the blade, and done a sneaky one-pass with a Feather Pro though. I think I will use a soap I actually like tomorrow.

 

[Merkurologist]

Day 58 - Feather Artist Club DX with Feather Proguard

Well that's weird. I had 2 days off, and today was a bloodbath. I'm not saying I cut myself exactly, but there were weepers all over the place. I don't get it. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but I'm wondering if it was either the blade, or perhaps my lather wasn't up to scratch (I used a very popular big-name artisan American soap that I don't particularly rate). I checked the blade, it was definitely loaded fine, and it was a brand new blade too.

WTG/XTG/ATG today, and a little sore. Disappointing. I hope it's a fluke, and doesn't relate to me taking 2 days off for DE shaving. Not particularly patchy today, but I'm not enjoying feeling my face because it's sore. A sore face is a very unusual thing for me.

If the lather was your issue then maybe the lather was too dry, for SR I prefer my lather to be less cushioning and more watery.

 

[UKRob]

You could be right. I went back through my posts on this thread, and I was using a Feather Proguard at the beginning with no problems.

I've already binned the blade, and done a sneaky one-pass with a Feather Pro though. I think I will use a soap I actually like tomorrow.

Right from the start you have gone against the logic that recommends cutting down on variables. You have two different types of Feather razors, loads of different blades, who knows what number of soaps and, therefore, an impossible task in trying to learn what helps and what doesn’t when using a straight razor. In nearly two months I really don’t think you have learned half as much as if you had simplified the process. I guess you would not do this in your professional life if faced with a similar issue, so why complicate matters in your private life? Go back to the start - select one razor, one type of blade, one soap that you know works - use them until you cannot see a daily difference. Then, and only then, make changes.

 

[wintoid]

Right from the start you have gone against the logic that recommends cutting down on variables. You have two different types of Feather razors, loads of different blades, who knows what number of soaps and, therefore, an impossible task in trying to learn what helps and what doesn’t when using a straight razor. In nearly two months I really don’t think you have learned half as much as if you had simplified the process. I guess you would not do this in your professional life if faced with a similar issue, so why complicate matters in your private life? Go back to the start - select one razor, one type of blade, one soap that you know works - use them until you cannot see a daily difference. Then, and only then, make changes.

I totally get your point but this is a recreational activity,and that doesn’t sound as much fun to me!

 

[UKRob]

I totally get your point but this is a recreational activity,and that doesn’t sound as much fun to me!

Then I refer you to posts #1,#4 and #7 - you seem to have strayed from the path - and, recreational or not, you have not learned a great deal that could not have been learned within 30 days. However, we all have only one face, so good luck from now on.

 

[Cheesepiece]

This is wintoid's thread on his progress and AC journey, and he might do things differently to you.
I agree with @UKRob but I'm not about to start telling him how to live his life.
We all learn from our mistakes, Wintoid maybe just takes this to the extreme here and wants to make lots of mistakes and get very, very proficient, over a very long learning curve.
You're right, it's his one face that he's practicing on, not mine or even yours. And he's in it for the fun, whatever form that takes.

It does run contrary to how I learnt DE and certainly how I picked up what I know of AC, SE, injectors...
Many ways to skin a cat. My way is limiting variables but then again, I want results and want to learn fast because I don't like being crap at stuff.