Japanese Feather Artist Club...

Hi, Im new to the forum, but I did want to post my comments on the Non folding feather razor DX.

I have been using mine for about 6 months now, and I Literally could not be happier about the performance of this razor. I get darn near bbs shave w/ only 2 passes, first wtg,then xtg, after that I'm usually done. If I take the 3rd pass, atg, man I have NEVER had a smoother shave then that.

With that being said, if a newbie to "cut throats" was looking for this to be their first entry razor, I say go for it, but be warned this thing has absolutely 0 forgiveness factor, 0!! I have years of experience w/ trad cut throats, and I find myself using this puppy everday now, (less work, and yes I am lazy). But dont get lazy scraping this oversized scalpel over your face/neck, you will pay for it, u might end up with a nasty field trach. (yes Im a medic too) I see some folks have problems gripping this blade, but I really dont have any problems at all, I easily have 5-6 different hand grips I can use comfortably, and can shave every nook and cranny on my face with my Right hand. It is perfectly balanced, and glides smoothly over your skin, with the feather blades intact, no pressure needed, pressure will make you bleed with this thing. I have only been using the super prof blades by the way. If your new, the best advice I can give is take your sweet time, and take your time placing the blade on your face/neck areas, making sure it is flush and angled properly, then safely hack away. Be patient with it.

I have tried just about every reasonable form of shaving, my grampy teaching me cut throats at age 14 though (31 now). Only 1 small scar too!! The price tag is a little on the hefty side, like 189 us I think, but how can you put a price tag on your enjoyment of a daily neccessity in life, anyways?

Now, to my only complaint.

Feather sends you no sheath or convinient storage for the razor, I saw one of those clear plastic sheaths for sale on here somewhere, but I cant find the post anymore, ***so any help is appreciated on that.**** Yes, I know they send you a rinky dink looking "display case", but #1 mine broke after attempting to use it for storage, #2 I damn near lost a finger trying to get it out one time.

If your on the fence about purchasing one of these gems, go ahead and put a blanket over the barbed wire, and hop on over, you will not regret it, (unless the fence was electrified, or theres a rottweiler waiting for you) lol

Sure, it takes some getting used to, but its worth the effort.
This, along with my KAI Captain Excelia is a daily shaver for me. In both of these razors (holders) the Feather Super Professional is the blade of choice for me. Its the sharpest blade on the market for this style of razor, and its very, very sharp. You could perform surgery with this blade. I'm not kidding.

While not for the faint of heart or the shaky of hand, this razor gives a shave like no other. Once you get used to it, it is comfortable to use and compared to other non-folding straights, it is very well balanced - even perfectly balanced, I would say.
You can alter the landscape of your face if you're not careful, but it glides through whiskers as though they weren't even there. Most of the time, I can get away with one pass from this razor.

At this point I can shave about as quickly with the non-folding AC DX as I can with any other razor I've ever used. It takes some technique, but get it down and you'll be rewarded with a bbs shave every time.

The angle is important with this razor, particularly with the sharper blades. It doesn't shave like a traditional straight. You need to use a very, very slight angle. The razor should be nearly flat against the skin. Follow this advice and you'll shake your head in disbelief at how well this thing shaves.

Not everyone likes it, it seems. But for me, its my best and favorite shaver.

Price: I aquired mine from the shave mall here and after using it well worth it. Comparing it to the the folding Artist Club there is more metal comprise in the handle and a slightly heavier weight.

Craftsmanship: Its simple very simple. Its' quality comes from that simplicity, it looks nothing like anything anyone uses which is a sign of quality because of the look and the weight I really like.

Ease to sharpen: Its disposable so once it starts to drag it get dropped.

Lasting edge: Im currently on my 4th shave and my super blade is still going strong. I hope I can make it to the 7-10 range.

Shaving Smoothness: Its is amazing I actually get a better shave from it. I actually get a better technique because of the construction. It has helped me change my other Feather Straight to extend it, by tighting the pivot screw like it so I dont hold it the traditional way which has cut my irritation factor down by like 98%. Serioulsly, I like it. Like the youtube video of it, its that simple, really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rh9hTuDBKU
Ease to maintain: Similar to other Feather Artist Clubs cleaning periodically of the razor housing is simple. You simple take apart the housing, rinse any debris out and reassemble.

I am somewhat torn with this razor... while I do like it, and I do think it is well made, it just doesn't do much for me, and personally I feel the "Japanese Style" feather is highly overrated. While again, it isn't bad by any means, it is no better than the folding feather, and while I LOVE traditional Japanese (non-folding) straight razors, I am not overly fond of a non-folding feather. Since feather straights are so fearfully sharp - I feel you lose quite a bit of control with the Japanese version, as the handle is weirdly shaped (it isn't ergonomic - and has contours that look neat/nice - but don't feel right in any position) and the handle is way too thick. The rubbery material around the handle I also have mixed feelings about. While it feels nice, it takes away from your ability to feel feedback from the blade cutting your wiskers, thus further alienating you from the shave, and making it even harder to control in a highly precise manner.

Like all feather straight razors, this will provide you with a scary close shave, although it does take a little getting used to, and is not foriving in the slightest. It's quite convienient to not have to worry/bother with honing, stropping or any other maintenence, and feathers are nice to have around when you feel like having a lazy straight razor shave. For some strange reason, I find blades last me longer in the Euro version feather - but cest la vie, it could just be me.

In my eyes - I feel the folding feathers look better, have way better balance, allow far greater control, are easier to use, and are WAY more travel friendly (unless you carry around the bulky plastic case with the razor - it has nothing to protect the blade). It's a neat little collectors item for the obsessed, and it does change things up a bit and offer a different experience for feather users - but I cannot and will not believe anyone truly gets better results from this version of the feather (in fact I strongly feel it is the opposite) and without the ability to get a wood handle on this razor (from the factory) as you can with the folding feather, I for one think the clear choice is the folding feather.

Overall - it's a "neat" little razor, but there is no logical or functional reason to get this version over the standard folding version... in fact, I feel it's the other way around! Feather A/C Japanese... over priced and overrated!

To discuss this review, please see THIS thread!