Review Feather AS-D2

Draco Noir said:
Thanks a heap @stillshunter and @Young Buck - that gives me a solid start indeed guys. Shame I've already shaved today, but the AS-D2 is out and lying in wait for tomorrow morning. And loaded with a Feather blade of course ;)

Reassuring to hear it wasn't a walk-in start for you @stillshunter - looks like I have a solid week of Feather ahead of me, getting it right and burning it into muscle memory.
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Be keen to hear about your experiences mate....good or bad. Please consider updating us on this thread...might prove a good resource as others ponder a Feather.
 
Sounds like too much hassle, will be happy to take it off your hands for cents to the dollar to save you the heartbreak :D
 
khun_diddy said:
The perfect Tech head type is found in:

1st pic - razor #2.

3rd pic - first two razors in second row.
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Absolutely agree here - the ones in the first row 3rd pic are not bad, but the British are the best IMO
 
alfredus said:
Absolutely agree here - the ones in the first row 3rd pic are not bad, but the British are the best IMO
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Shaved this morning with 1st razor, second row, third pic (fat handle British). Was very happy indeed (see SOTD).
 
Had a "Eureka!" shave with the AS-D2 this morning, thanks to the tips kindly given by @stillshunter and @Young Buck .

Turns out I had the angle right all along, but adding a few of the other suggestions really changed the game :
  • Firstly, you guys are so right - a Feather blade makes all the difference. No need for scrubbing, buffing and multiple goes at a difficult area.
  • Then leaving out the WTG pass made a big difference too - an entire pass worth of potential irritation and questionable benefit dispensed with. And the combo of Feather razor and blade is easily up to diving straight into an XTG pass, which gets most of the heavy lifting done in one go.
  • And finally, going for shorter strokes than I normally use enabled me to make sure that every stroke of the razor was a good one.
So all in all, a few fairly small changes made a very big change to the end result. It turned out to be the best, most efficient and most comfortable shave I've had yet with the Feather, and with no nicks, no weepers and no irritation. Now to see if this can continue as well for days in a row...

Thanks very much to both of you - great advice that produced a great result :)
 
Draco Noir said:
Had a "Eureka!" shave with the AS-D2 this morning, thanks to the tips kindly given by @stillshunter and @Young Buck .

Turns out I had the angle right all along, but adding a few of the other suggestions really changed the game :
  • Firstly, you guys are so right - a Feather blade makes all the difference. No need for scrubbing, buffing and multiple goes at a difficult area.
  • Then leaving out the WTG pass made a big difference too - an entire pass worth of potential irritation and questionable benefit dispensed with. And the combo of Feather razor and blade is easily up to diving straight into an XTG pass, which gets most of the heavy lifting done in one go.
  • And finally, going for shorter strokes than I normally use enabled me to make sure that every stroke of the razor was a good one.
So all in all, a few fairly small changes made a very big change to the end result. It turned out to be the best, most efficient and most comfortable shave I've had yet with the Feather, and with no nicks, no weepers and no irritation. Now to see if this can continue as well for days in a row...

Thanks very much to both of you - great advice that produced a great result :)
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This is so good to hear. Mate I hope you choose to persevere with it for a bit and see if you, too, witness a change in your skin over time. I'm amazed tbh.
 
Thanks @stillshunter , I was pretty surprised too.

I certainly didn't expect any kind of immediate results, but more a gradual improvement over a few shaves. I think the Feather blade made a huge difference - I had sidelined them a while back after some serious bloodletting. But the mild razor, sharp blade approach seems to be a productive way to go.

The real test will be whether I can use this setup day after day and still remain irritation free. I'll certainly keep you posted on that front!
 
Draco Noir said:
Thanks @stillshunter , I was pretty surprised too.

I certainly didn't expect any kind of immediate results, but more a gradual improvement over a few shaves. I think the Feather blade made a huge difference - I had sidelined them a while back after some serious bloodletting. But the mild razor, sharp blade approach seems to be a productive way to go.

The real test will be whether I can use this setup day after day and still remain irritation free. I'll certainly keep you posted on that front!
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Mate this makes me smile. @filobiblic suggested the sharp blade in mild razor thing to me a few months back and I kinda laughed it off...my diamond stubble with that flimsy bit of metal, pffft....then did tried it to shut him up and prove my point. Ate my words with relish and seconds. Best decision for me so far - shave-wise....still ever grateful to ol' Filo! Might have been the only thing he got right this year, but boy did he!
 
Another excellent shave this morning @stillshunter - sailed straight into an XTG pass, with confidence this time :)

stillshunter said:
Mate this makes me smile. @filobiblic suggested the sharp blade in mild razor thing to me a few months back and I kinda laughed it off...my diamond stubble with that flimsy bit of metal, pffft....then did tried it to shut him up and prove my point. Ate my words with relish and seconds. Best decision for me so far - shave-wise....still ever grateful to ol' Filo! Might have been the only thing he got right this year, but boy did he!
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This made me smile too mate. Reinforces my belief that an open mind to experimenting is one of the best things you can have when it comes to wet shaving. Fortunately, I think most of us here do have open minds or we wouldn't be swimming against the tide, using and enjoying retro shave technology when we could be happy unthinking sheeple shaving with cartridges and canned chemicals...
 
Well @stillshunter and @Young Buck, today made it 5 consecutive days of shaves with the AS-D2/Feather blade combination. Each day the shave has been a little better than the day before - in terms of smoothness of result and enjoyment of the shave itself. And after 5 days my face is still happy - none of the redness and razor rash that used to accompany shaving with the Feather :)

While the Feather isn't any kind of threat to my favourites (Tradere, Wolfman) it has definitely earned a solid place in my razor rotation, and I think will be the go-to razor if my face needs a rest but I must shave regardless.

So thanks again for the great advice : it's saved my Feather from being sacked, and has given me another great shaving option. And for anyone else either considering getting an AS-D2 or battling with one you already have : don't give up on Feather. With the tips posted above you can find wonderful shaves with this razor (y)
 
Thanks go to @MrT for the generous loan of his brand new AS-D2 for the past 2 weeks. During this time I've used the Feather exclusively - and matched it only with Feather blades.

I had fantastic shaves from the start. Smooth and comfortable. My issue was post-shave irritation. Eventually I worked out that it came down to my technique. Due to the very comfortable nature of this razor, I was overcompensating with pressure and causing my skin to be irritated. Once I eased off the pressure and let the razor efficiently take off the stubble the irritation went away.

So to quote a wise fella from earlier in this thread:
filobiblic said:
I'd venture that a great daily shave with a DE is a third razor & blade, and two-thirds technique. Just putting it out there, but I think there would be many "top razors" to choose from. A lot comes to personal preference at the end.
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[emoji15] If only I'd listened to myself...

In all, the Feather AS-D2 is a great razor. It's very comfortable on the skin and gives a smooth and close shave. I feel it would make a great daily shaver (if used correctly). Sure, it does have the quirk of a higher than usual shave angle (similar to an SE actually). But that's just a characteristic of this razor.

For me (as in the quote above), it comes down to personal preference. I like this razor, but I like others more. For example, I find the NEW LC a better razor for me (and it is a fraction of the price).

But if you are interested in a stainless steel razor, then this would be hard to beat. It's a great shaver with beautiful fit and finish. It looks great and shaves a treat. And the price is reasonable for the high class razor that it is.
 
filobiblic said:
Thanks go to @MrT for the generous loan of his brand new AS-D2 for the past 2 weeks. During this time I've used the Feather exclusively - and matched it only with Feather blades.

I had fantastic shaves from the start. Smooth and comfortable. My issue was post-shave irritation. Eventually I worked out that it came down to my technique. Due to the very comfortable nature of this razor, I was overcompensating with pressure and causing my skin to be irritated. Once I eased off the pressure and let the razor efficiently take off the stubble the irritation went away.

So to quote a wise fella from earlier in this thread:


[emoji15] If only I'd listened to myself...

In all, the Feather AS-D2 is a great razor. It's very comfortable on the skin and gives a smooth and close shave. I feel it would make a great daily shaver (if used correctly). Sure, it does have the quirk of a higher than usual shave angle (similar to an SE actually). But that's just a characteristic of this razor.

For me (as in the quote above), it comes down to personal preference. I like this razor, but I like others more. For example, I find the NEW LC a better razor for me (and it is a fraction of the price).

But if you are interested in a stainless steel razor, then this would be hard to beat. It's a great shaver with beautiful fit and finish. It looks great and shaves a treat. And the price is reasonable for the high class razor that it is.
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Thoroughly agree with your sentiments here @filobiblic . A great review. As another learned shaver said before us:
stillshunter said:
But the biggest revelation comes from the fact that I found the Feather offers a smoother more comfortable shave in the longer term. Shaving daily takes its toll, especially trauma caused by repeated aggressive shaves. The more you stress your skin the less close the resulting shave seems - as I believe the skin swells to repair itself. The Feather seems gentler on the skin so avoids, or minimises, this trauma. This is a huge advantage that you only come to appreciate after you've experienced shaving with the Feathers for a time. No more bumpy skin, just smoooooooth to the touch.
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The power of the Feather is in the long-term. I've been enjoying the difference of shaves recently with the likes of my Weber PH, Gillette NEW and Fatboy as well as the Edwin Jagger EJ89. I will concede it is fun to mix things up a bit and I also concede many of these razors might get you closer faster (i.e., less passes), but my face wasn't the better for it. I am convinced none give you the better shave for longer.

Hope more folks get a chance to try the Feather and share their stories. Lot to build on here....shoulders of giants and all....
 
gthomas04 said:
You will learn to never ever listen to this fella he is more a wiseass than a wise fella :)
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Someone quoting you without paying the requisite tribute again GT?
 
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