A Feather Convert!!

shrink

shrink

Joined
Sunday June 6, 2010
Thanks to Damian Murphy (for sending me some sample blades) I have been lucky enough to get to try a few things I had wanted.

Been getting on OK with derby's of late, but with some irritation on my neck, which i assumed was just my stubborn hair.

Got tons of blades to get through, but tonight, on nothing but sheer reputation, i cautiously loaded up a feather into my 1904 and gingerly went for it!

What can I say, I had an astonishingly good shave. best I've ever had. What normally takes me 3-4 passes, took about two passes with a few touch ups. The blade cutting through my stiff hair with ease, while not aggravating my sensitive skin. No nicks, no razor burn, and pretty much a full on BBS with very little effort.

next up I want to try Iridiums as they are supposed to be almost as sharp, but slightly smoother, and that would be just lovely for me.

All in all very impressed with the feathers. My face is happy.

Tonights shave:

Pre-shave - Hot shower, wash with clinique face soap, thorough hot water rinse.
Shave Soap - Crabtree & Evelyn Nomad
Brush - New Forest 2201
Razor - Merkur 1904
Blade - Feather stainless

After-shave - Alum block (run under shower and rubbed over face, left for about 1 minute), Cold water rinse
Balm - Clinique Post Shave Healer
Moisturiser - Simple for men daily moisturiser
 
Glad you like them. They are my favourite blade.

Iridiums are nice... they may be smoother, I don't know. But they're certainly not as sharp. I feel the hair tugging more anyway, in spite of thorough prep. Still a very decent blade, but Feathers really are ace, at least for my beard type.

John
 
Be interested to hear how many shaves you get out of a blade there Shrink, im thinking that i should give them another go now my technique has improved.
 
I think its why it wasnt so bad for me.. Been using Derby's for almost a year now, and having got my technique down as best i could with them, moving to a blade that cuts so much easier was a piece of p**s.

Was able to use almost no pressure at all, and in my small 1904 the sharp blades worked wonders. No nicks, no bleeding, and only the tiniest bit of redness on my neck today (where normally its much worse) will try another few shaves and see how i can narrow down perfect feather technique.

I have a combination of very sensitive skin, but very brittle tough hair. So sharp blades seem the way forward for me.
 
That's a good point you make there Shrink. About having started with the Derbys before moving on to the Feathers. I'm sure that some guys trying a DE for the first time load up an already aggresive razor with the likes of a Feather then launch right into the first shave with the same pressure & gay abandon we can get away with when using a Mach 3 or a throaway. The resulting experience can easily be enough to colour their views for a very long time. Glad it's working out for you though M8.

JohnnyO. \ :geek:
 
Agree with Johnny. I did exactly this, loaded a Feather in my very early DE shaving days and felt it was pretty sharp.
Have not tried it again ever since, in truth I've been kind of 'avoiding' the Feathers.
Now that I feel my technique has indeed slightly improved, however, things could be much different.
Should have another attempt soon, I guess.

Nice review, Shrink.
 
i have found they work best on the end of a very light razor. Where theres almost no weight being pushed onto your face. I found in the 38c barberpole that the feathers were harder to control and came out more aggressive

In my little 1904 its a hugely rewarding combination
 
I took heed of the propoganda and, having bought a selection of blades various from Connaught, which included some Feathers, I left them to one side until I had stopped shredding my face with lesser blades.

Now? I'm impressed. They seem to do in two passes what some other blades can't manage in three. And they outlast other blades. Life's too short to shave with blades that are past their best, and most get binned after two or three shaves. Feathers give me at least four, comfortably. Which, to me, implies that the engineering expertise and content of a Feather blade appears to be superior. I note that they are the highest rated blade according to the blade reviews on SMF - although these reviews are subjective, they do include a microscopic examination of the blade edge, and the conclusion was that there appears to be an additional hone on Feathers.

We're all different, obviously. This place would be very quiet if we all liked the same thing and everybody agreed on all aspects of the art of shaving. Feather blades won't suit everybody. But I ordered another supply.


Regards

Ian
 
me too.. ordered 50 more on this forum at a price i couldnt possibly refuse :)

given 4 shaves a blade, thats pretty much enough feathers to last me until this time next year!
 
as an update... i've moved away from feathers for now.

Whilst i found them excellent in my Merkur 1904, and still do. The heavier head and slightly different profile of my new EJ razor meant feathers were mildly too aggressive.

It goes to show you that what works in one razor, may not be perfect in another.
 
shrink said:
as an update... i've moved away from feathers for now.

Whilst i found them excellent in my Merkur 1904, and still do. The heavier head and slightly different profile of my new EJ razor meant feathers were mildly too aggressive.

It goes to show you that what works in one razor, may not be perfect in another.
Click to expand...
That's a very good point. I like the Feathers a lot, and have learnt to use them with great care in my 38R razor, but having recently acquired a PIFd Super Speed from the fantastically generous Chris, I wouldn't if I shouldn't try one in this and see how it goes with a longer handle and lighter weight.
 
i found the small and extremely light 1904 encourages a light touch, and the feathers work well here. The EJ is alltogether more solid and weighty, and as such i find smoother blades provide an overall more enjoyable experience
 
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