The new Feather AS-D2 is here

The reported mildness of the Feather always put me off, so I'll wait for reviews. But owning two Feather straights, SS and RG, I'm covered. Plus those blades fit my Cobra Classic, and that my friends, is my weapon of choice.

Still, like I said earlier, beautiful razor.
 
Bechet45 said:
So it seems the As-D2 , like its predecessor, is made for the Japanese market - as you'd expect.The packaging of these beautiful razors tells us they are aimed at the home market. I wonder how large that market is what with kamisoris and their modern Feather and Kai equivalents as well as umpteen cartridge razors. Let's say a population of 129,000,000 (it's a bit less) all told and a third each men, women and children (I have no idea) we have 43,000,000 men. They could keep a couple of Feather facoties busy for a while!

I think I'm going to sit this one out.
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When you look at that way Carl the European and US market wouldn't really mean much, because traditional DE is hardly a growing market, and I cannot see many British young Men wanting to shell out £150 on a DE razor, I think most of the Feather brand and development goes on hairdressing scissors and Feather hair trimming straight razors, and the most obvious their blades, I'm thinking some CEO in Feather saying to their designers come on guys lets design and make a stainless steel DE razor not because they need to but just because they can. PS also forgot to mention medical equipment as well, they also have museum here's the link. http://www.feather.co.jp/jMuseum.htm

Jamie

Here's some further information about Feather you may find of interest.


4 Feather Facts For Feather Fans
by JimR Posted on March 5, 2012
Feather 80th anniversary80 years of Feather

Feather is a name well known to those in the Wetshaving gig…their DE blades are (in)famous for sharpness and quality, and their disposable blade straights are the only ones that anyone really takes seriously. Living in Japan, I feel a natural affinity for this company. Wanting to know a bit more about the history of the company, I did some research on the net, and contacted Feather directly to get a little information.

The Feather Safety Razor Company was started in 1932 as the “Japan Safety Razor Company,” this coming July first will be the company's 80th anniversary. According to the Kamisori Club website's English synopsis of Yasuoki Takeuchi's “History and Culture of Shaving in Japan,” the company was initially founded by two German WW1 POWs who stayed in Japan after their release. However, Hiroshi Yoshimura from Feather's Marketing department told me the founder and CEO was a man named Toshio Kosaka, who started the company with help from cutlery distributors and makers. I imagine the discrepancy comes from the fact that at the time (and, indeed, now) it is extremely difficult for non-Japanese to own businesses; Yoshimura was likely the Japanese representative for the Germans involved.
Feather Portable and Gillette Tech...Which is which?Feather Portable and Gillette Tech...Which is which?

According to Yoshimura as well, they started by making double edge safety razors, but of course their primary product was (carbon steel) blades. The Gillette model of the loss-leader worked just as well in Japan as it did in the USA-sell the holders for cheap, so the blades become your cash cow. Later, they began making Valet auto-strop type single-edge razors; for which, in fact, they still make and sell blades (the holders are, sadly, unavailable).

Built on quality products and early market-penetration, Feather lead the Japanese safety razor market for decades, until Schick entered the market with their “Personna” razor. In 1965, Feather had 72.7% of the home-razor market; by 1970 that had fallen to 42.7%. In 1980, it was down to 9.4%, and they never recovered (Takeuchi, “History of Shaving in Japan,” p. 74-95). Now, Feather has joined the current generation of razor madness with their own multi-bladed, gel-stripped gadgeted up cartridges (The “F-System MR3 Neo“), but honestly you're lucky to find any Feather products except their DE blades, or the occasional “Popular” DE holder, on any drugstore shelves.

In recent years, Feather has largely turned from the consumer shaving market to concentrate on professional tools. Their Artist Club professional disposable-blade razors are not only regarded by most users as far and away the best “non-sharpen straight razors” there are, but they have also reached near total domination of the professional market. It's rare to walk into a barber's shop in Japan and not see one in hand or on the shelf. They also make barber's shears, medical tools and more. According to Hiroshi Yoshimura, Feather's expertise in making precision medical tools in particular guides their manufacture of razor blades, so the next time you put a Feather to your face, remember you've got a rather big scalpel there.

For those who want to learn and see more, and happen to be in Japan, Feather has a museum in Gifu prefecture, Japan, with exhibits describing not only their own history but that of shaving in general. I've yet to visit, but I've heard only good things. Here's the link I posted in my last article: Feather Museum (GT).
 
A market is a market, even if a small one, and not to be brushed aside these days. if ever. I could well be a million miles from the truth but after unpacking and then handling an As-D1 I have a strong feeling that Feather is one of the traditional Japanese houses - or part of one, at least. I can't remember the word for it but you can forget any needs other than Japanese being satisfied. We all acknowledge that As-D1s are 'beautiful' and made with 'precision' and these are elements harking back to the days of the Samurai - and they were fond of sharp blades, too, come to think of it!

Hm! posted that and then read your extra info, Jamie, which seems rather to give the lie to my 'traditional' notions! But I still like the idea.
 
I echo all the comments about how beautifully it's made and presented.

If it had, for me, shaved as well as it looked it would be miles in front as my favourite.
 
Thanks Jamie, LTB, Chris et al on the differences between Japanese beards and "western" beards. I seriously wasn't being flippant, I'd initially thought that "western" beards was way too large a generalisation but I'm seeing your point now. I suppose tougher beards are more common in the west than in the far east and it's entitely possible that the AS-D1 was invented for a soft and light wispy stubble.

Still, it's not a razor I'd want personally, I don't have a Japanese beard and therefore I need something that has a blade gap more than a Tech has. And I can get a Tech for a tenner so anything shaving the same and costing £100 more would have to have some sort of magical property, and I'm still not grasping what that property is with the AS-D1.
 
from orig post


Please note that some people got one sentence wrong - you wrote in
your translation: "BUT: the AS-D1 was just to gently." This is not
what I was trying to say - this is the key sentence: * SOME * AS-D1
specimens had an issue of being too lenient due to production tolerances. "

From my tests, I can say that the AS-D2 shaves like the "most aggressive"
AS-D1 specimens (I Compared the AS-D2 to a very early AS-D1 model).


so it is exactly the same as the most aggressive AS D1 ?? bar the cosmetic changes
 
That last might stir the pot a little but I still don't know how aggreessive the most aggressive As-D1 is. For me, 'aggressive' and As-D1 do not fit together so I wonder if the 'most aggressivee' is still a very mild pussy cat.

Has anyone here ever shaved with an As-D1 that was remotely aggressive?
 
Bechet45 said:
That last might stir the pot a little but I still don't know how aggreessive the most aggressive As-D1 is. For me, 'aggressive' and As-D1 do not fit together so I wonder if the 'most aggressivee' is still a very mild pussy cat.

Has anyone here ever shaved with an As-D1 that was remotely aggressive?
Click to expand...

Mine was like a 'training' razor.
 
IanM said:
chrisbell said:
Canuck said:
I didn't know there was a western beard type.
Click to expand...

Isn't it a general principle that oriental facial hair tends to be lighter and less dense than Caucasian?
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If that is the case, it is interesting that Feather blades and Kamisori are so sharp.

Ian
Click to expand...

Removing bumfluff is hard work with a dull blade... it just bends around the blade and never actually gets cut.
 
I have read from people that had a good AS-D1 then sold it, regretted, bought another and found it was much more mild.

So its possible people have bought one and got a duff one straight off.

I'm sooooooooo tempted to try a Feather at some point. But the crazy mild stories really put me off.

RE them being targeted at just the JPN market: They do have a piece on the box about different parts of the world having different box art for the blades. So they clearly expect it to be sold all over.
 
Connaughts have them in now

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/asd2.html

£165!!!!!!! too much for me! I was hoping they may come in a little cheaper then the AS-D1 due to lack of wooden box. £140 and I would of gone for it. Oh well, saves me tonnes of cash!
 
John said:
There's a bit of vintage gillette tech mixed up in there bit pricy, it won't be long before someone buys one and tells all :icon_razz:
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True, but how many would come on here after paying £165 and tell us all they'd bought a duffer?
I'd hold off for a very long time.
 
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