Artist Club SS razor clone- mini review

[StillShaving]

I bought a copy of the Artist Club SS razor from AliExpress last year and used it once or twice before putting it away, thinking I would focus on it sometime later. Last week I loaded a new Feather Pro blade into my SS clone and began using it. My experience was that the lip does make a big difference, bigger than I expected after last years test shave.

I should have kept a journal of each shave while it was fresh in my mind but the first thing I noticed was that the blade angle needed to be noticeably steeper with the SS. My first shave was not very close as I tried holding it at about the same angle that I do with my DX or KureNai GF 35. Even after a second pass I left a lot of stubble behind and did not get a very good shave. During the 2nd shave I increased the blade angle somewhat and started getting a better shave, though I was still a little timid not wanting to nick myself. But I did get reckless in that I made a few long strokes WTG at a quicker pace than normal. The kind of stroke that would have bitten and drawn some blood along the way 95% of the time if attempted with another shavette. On the 3rd shave I started to trust the razor a little more and increased the angle and got a really nice shave. I was still using light pressure but starting to get a feel for the lip. By the 4th and 5th shave I was doing a 2 pass shave with touch ups around and under the chin and ATG on the sideburns, getting a great shave (probably what many call DFS). This is hard to quantify or describe but I felt that I was using more pressure when compared to the other shavette styles and getting away with it, but it was pressure to ride the lip and not more pressure at the point of cutting contact. Not once did I get a nick or any razor burn.

In short I do think the lip assists in a positive way. Much like the top cap or safety bar of a DE razor provides a second contact point on the face to help balance and distribute the pressure so that it is not resting solely on the blade. It is not huge so I don't want to overstate it, but it is something rather than nothing. The lip bulge does interfere with the blade angle and requires a steeper shave angle so perhaps that will shorten blade life? Even though I had a positive experience I am not sure I want to introduce it into my shavette rotation yet, since it has such a different feel.

Someone who likes to use DE shavettes and traditional straights would probably prefer the DX/RG. Someone just looking for good experience might prefer the SS. Of course YMMV. Picture of the SS clone used:

 

[StillShaving]

Question for those who have used a real Feather SS and AliExpress copy. Does these clones give the same shave performance? I have always planned to get a real Feather SS in order to get a higher quality razor and to support the company which came up with the invention.

 

[Sisyphos]

What is Artist Club razor?
A razor made by Feather? A razor that takes AC -style blades?

 

[Shutterbug57]

The Artist Club is a trademark of Feather razors. They use it for shavette and blades. It is corporate intellectual property.

 

[Seveneighth]

You and I have discussed the lip before and I believe have contrasting ways of using it, so I don't think my experience will help you. I use the lip at a shallow angle with pressure on the lip (not on the blade edge). Using the razor like this, I get better shaves from the authentic ss.

 

[kingfisher]

I've never tried any of the clones, but the authentic SS is my favorite razor. I have never tried any other shavette so I can't compare to another shavette, but I do have to use a steeper angle with the Feather SS than I do with a real straight razor.

Still, I LOVE the Feather SS, and I think that little bump was an ingenious invention.

 

[Sisyphos]

The Artist Club is a trademark of Feather razors. They use it for shavette and blades. It is corporate intellectual property.

You are inconsistent. It is defininitely not a shavette. Shavette is the name of a disposable blade straight made by Dovo,

You just proved yourself that a trademarked name can be a generic name !

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I use a Feather Artist Club DX, here is my shave of the day image for today.



It is my understanding that 'shavette' refers to any single edge razor, folding or kamisori style, from any manufacturer, that has a replaceable blade. These may be half DE blades or proprietary blades such as the longer Feather AC style blades. The razor may simplistically be thought of as mimicking a straight razor and they are used with a similar technique. Single edged razors such as Ever Ready, Gem, and Genesis OneBlade are not included in this group. An Artist Club razor is a specific design of shavette only made by Feather, although other manufacturers such as Kai make Artist Club style razors such as the Captain. They may also make their own blades which may be interchangeable with Feather Artist Club blades. Razors such as the Kai Captain are not, and cannot be, labelled as Artist Club razors for reasons of trademark, copyright, and intellectual property. To summarise, shavette is a generic term for certain type of razors made by several makers, and Artist Club refers only to the Feather brand of shavette.

 

[kingfisher]

I use a Feather Artist Club DX, here is my shave of the day image for today.

View attachment 1058924

It is my understanding that 'shavette' refers to any single edge razor, folding or kamisori style, from any manufacturer, that has a replaceable blade. These may be half DE blades or proprietary blades such as the longer Feather AC style blades. The razor may simplistically be thought of as mimicking a straight razor and they are used with a similar technique. Single edged razors such as Ever Ready, Gem, and Genesis OneBlade are not included in this group. An Artist Club razor is a specific design of shavette only made by Feather, although other manufacturers such as Kai make Artist Club style razors such as the Captain. They may also make their own blades which may be interchangeable with Feather Artist Club blades. Razors such as the Kai Captain are not, and cannot be, labelled as Artist Club razors for reasons of trademark, copyright, and intellectual property. To summarise, shavette is a generic term for certain type of razors made by several makers, and Artist Club refers only to the Feather brand of shavette.

Technically, Sisyphos is correct. "Shavette" is a trademark for a razor made by Dovo. If you can't call the Kai Captain an Artist Club razor, then you can't call the Feather SS a shavette. Can't have it both ways.

Having said that, I agree with you that the term "shavette" has come to mean any kind of open-blade razor that takes replaceable blades, in the same way that "Kleenex" has come to mean facial tissue, even if it made by Puffs or another manufacturer.

Any razor that is currently called a "shavette" by most people could also appropriately (and perhaps more correctly) be called a "replaceable blade straight razor."

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Technically, Sisyphos is correct. "Shavette" is a trademark for a razor made by Dovo. If you can't call the Kai Captain an Artist Club razor, then you can't call the Feather SS a shavette. Can't have it both ways.

Having said that, I agree with you that the term "shavette" has come to mean any kind of open-blade razor that takes replaceable blades, in the same way that "Kleenex" has come to mean facial tissue, even if it made by Puffs or another manufacturer.

Any razor that is currently called a "shavette" by most people could also appropriately (and perhaps more correctly) be called a "replaceable blade straight razor."

Interesting, I did not know that and I stand corrected It is odd though that there are many such non Dovo razors openly on sale on the websites and in the catalogs of major suppliers that are described as 'shavettes'.

 

[rudyt]

The lip bulge does interfere with the blade angle and requires a steeper shave angle so perhaps that will shorten blade life?

I had the same first impression until I thought of it some more. There are two ways to mitigate the steeper angle (which I don't like either).

The easiest solution is what @Seveneighth suggested - use a shallow angle and some pressure, which maximizes the benefit of the lip bump.

The other solution is increase the blade exposure by using a Feather Professional Super blade - they are slightly wider than the regular Feather Pro.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

 

[Dave-the-rave]

This image sort of suggests a wee bit of pressure.

 

[Seveneighth]

This image sort of suggests a wee bit of pressure.

View attachment 1059040

Yep - that's how I use the SS.

I use the DX like a straight razor.

 

[StillShaving]

You and I have discussed the lip before and I believe have contrasting ways of using it, so I don't think my experience will help you. I use the lip at a shallow angle with pressure on the lip (not on the blade edge). Using the razor like this, I get better shaves from the authentic ss.

Yep - that's how I use the SS.

I use the DX like a straight razor.

I do not sure I am following your comments above. Since there is no lip on a straight razor, by definition all contact pressure is focused at the blade's edge except when held completely flat, a method that usually does not shave very well. In contrast the SS design allows some pressure to be distributed onto the lip, much like riding the top cap of a DE razor. But since the blade edge is making contact with the skin there is also some pressure there.

But my main question is are you saying that you hold both razors (traditional straight and Feather SS...or if you have one...a Feather DX and Feather SS) at the same shaving angle? I found that I needed to increase the angle of the SS when compared to shaving with my Feather DX or a DE shavette. I have not tried the Super Pro blades in my SS clone, which might allow the shave angle to be reduced.

I am still learning the subtleties of the SS, so I am not claiming to know the best approach, just sharing my experience after a lot of shaves with the Feather DX/RG and DE shavettes. If I held my SS clone as shallow as my Feather DX it would leave behind a 5 o'clock shadow or more. But maybe I need to learn how to press the lip down (pressing down perpendicular to the cutting plane) to stretch more???...though it would not be possible to press down very much on parts of the face like the jaw or chin.

 

[StillShaving]

I was not expecting as much discussion about trademarks of artist club, shavette, feather, dovo, etc. I hope most of us try to respect and acknowledge trademarks, patents, and intellectual property in general. But there is also the need to use common, simple, language so that communications is clear. In my experience from reading online and in this forum, shavette (lower case) has become a shorthand for the whole class of disposable blade straights regardless of style or manufacturer, while artist club (lower case) or AC has become a shorthand for subset which use the 50mm blades popularized by Feather.

Feather/Jatai makes my favorite blades and razors, so they have my business, though Kai and Schick are good.

 

[Seveneighth]

I do not sure I am following your comments above. Since there is no lip on a straight razor, by definition all contact pressure is focused at the blade's edge except when held completely flat, a method that usually does not shave very well. In contrast the SS design allows some pressure to be distributed onto the lip, much like riding the top cap of a DE razor. But since the blade edge is making contact with the skin there is also some pressure there.

But my main question is are you saying that you hold both razors (traditional straight and Feather SS...or if you have one...a Feather DX and Feather SS) at the same shaving angle? I found that I needed to increase the angle of the SS when compared to shaving with my Feather DX or a DE shavette. I have not tried the Super Pro blades in my SS clone, which might allow the shave angle to be reduced.

I am still learning the subtleties of the SS, so I am not claiming to know the best approach, just sharing my experience after a lot of shaves with the Feather DX/RG and DE shavettes. If I held my SS clone as shallow as my Feather DX it would leave behind a 5 o'clock shadow or more. But maybe I need to learn how to press the lip down (pressing down perpendicular to the cutting plane) to stretch more???...though it would not be possible to press down very much on parts of the face like the jaw or chin.

I shave with the SS and the DX quite differently. The DX I use with a light touch and at the same angle as a straight.

The SS is also at a flat angle but I use the lip to shave with as per the diagram. It is easier with a super pro blade as someone mentioned above. The effect this has seems to be a form of mild skin stretching. So much so that when I am shaving well I don't need to pull the skin with my other hand.

 

[kingfisher]

I shave with the SS and the DX quite differently. The DX I use with a light touch and at the same angle as a straight.

The SS is also at a flat angle but I use the lip to shave with as per the diagram. It is easier with a super pro blade as someone mentioned above. The effect this has seems to be a form of mild skin stretching. So much so that when I am shaving well I don't need to pull the skin with my other hand.

It is definitely possible to shave with the SS without doing any skin stretching. Makes it a good choice for somebody who wants to continue open-blade shaving but has lost mobility in one or both shoulders.

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

I have both the original and the clone of the SS. They look and shave identical for all practical purposes. Easy to use, very forgiving, good shave.

I like them, but struggle to get more than 4 comfortable shaves out of a blade. I have some theories about that, one being that the local water is hard, because while on holiday I used a blade for 9 shaves without any issues.

When I bought the original SS I didn't have enough experience to understand the difference between the SS and the DX. I wanted to experience the difference without spending a considerable amount of money, so I modified the clone. I sanded the lip away, finished on a 3k grid stone to give it a similar profile to the DX. I like it! You can use a much shallower angle, and I may be partial, but I think it gives a closer shave.

 

[kingfisher]

I have both the original and the clone of the SS. They look and shave identical for all practical purposes. Easy to use, very forgiving, good shave.

I like them, but struggle to get more than 4 comfortable shaves out of a blade. I have some theories about that, one being that the local water is hard, because while on holiday I used a blade for 9 shaves without any issues.

When I bought the original SS I didn't have enough experience to understand the difference between the SS and the DX. I wanted to experience the difference without spending a considerable amount of money, so I modified the clone. I sanded the lip away, finished on a 3k grid stone to give it a similar profile to the DX. I like it! You can use a much shallower angle, and I may be partial, but I think it gives a closer shave.

Interesting. So you left the original SS with the lip, but sanded down the lip on the clone to look like a DX? Isn't the clone made of Zamak? I would be afraid that the sanded part would get water rot.