Excited....and a little scared of the imminent arrival!

[woodbane]

Howdy all, hah! Bet you all thought I was talking about a baby on the way didn't you?

I just had to come and tell you all about my latest development in the world of wet shaving.

Don't ask me how but I somehow persuaded my wife that I absolutely had to have a Feather Artist Club straight to delve into the world of straight shaving.

I have been looking at the whole straight razor issue for a couple of weeks now and had made up my mind that at this point in time a traditional straight was not for me. I just simply don't have the time or the funds to allow me to get too heavily involved with some of those gorgeous looking straights, strops and stones.

So, I spent about a week reading every post I could find about the Feather Artist Club, Dovo Shavette, Filarmonica, Hess EZY etc. It seems the Feather gets mixed reviews in that people either have no trouble with it or carve their face into mincemeat.

I was particularly encouraged by Joe Lerch's posts that he feels the Feather is a suitable razor for prior DE users as you can apply similar principles such as light touch.

Long and short of it:

My version: I persuaded the wife that in my quest for shaving nirvana and personal growth and development into a fully mature man that I needed to go back to basics and get a straight razor, albeit a disposable straight like the Feather.

Her version: I finally caved in to his incessant whining and allowed him the use of the carefully guarded credit card to purchase this new toy, under closely supervised spending conditions of course!

So, I have a new Feather Artist Club with a pack of the guarded blades and a pack of the Super Pro blades on the way. I ordered the Super Pro's as it seems more people have been having inconsistency issues with the standard pro blades.

Thing is, I'm now a little scared about using the beast when it arrives, so who has some kind advice for a Feather n00b? (and no, I'm not returning it or sending it on to any of you vultures! )

 

[Scotto]

Hi Andy,

Just be very careful - this thing is ridiculously sharp. Everyone poo-poo's the guarded blades, but my limited experience has shown that they are quite nice, and provide a good shave.

I am no str8-meister, but I can tell you that blade angle is even more important with this tool than a DE; there is no safety bar to protect you if you go too steep; it will dig into your skin and give you a nasty gash if you aren't careful. Of course, it is so sharp that the stitches will heal with nary a scar

My advice, for what it is worth: work it slowly into your routine. Do the first pass with the Feather, and then the rest with a DE for a while so you can learn the movements, etc. After a few days of that, do the first two passes with the Feather, etc. until you build up to a full shave.

 

[woodbane]

You know, one of the things I'm most worried about is the whole two-handed thing.

My left hand is about as much use as a wet rag in a thunderstorm. Is there any way to do a straight shave all with the right hand? Or is it something I'm just going to have to practice?

 

[Scotto]

There are those who do one hand only, but you'll have to figure out those contortions for yourself. I am in the same boat as you with my left hand, but with practice, it gets easier.

 

[guenron]

Andy,
Relating back to the experinces of years ago, PREP, PREP, PREP!!! It is so important to have a well prepared beard where the whiskers are fully hydrated. You want those lil' barbae to be engorged with water and ready for the slaughter.

 

[Scootch]

Like Ron said, get the beard good and wet. Huge difference. Personally, I only use the right hand. Getting the neck I can stretch the skin pretty taut just by lifting my head, sticking out my chin and leaning my head away from the side I'm shaving. I get my cheeks taut by closing my mouth tight and puffing air into my cheeks to inflate them, easy - my dad taught me that years ago when he introduced me to manhood with a Philishave *hangs head in shame*.

As to getting over the initial nervousness: You may want to start with small easy areas at first, maybe just do the cheeks for a few days then move on to more challenging spots like the neck, then the jawline and chin (upper lip is the hardest area, imo.) Also, I feel to need to defy the wisdom of Thomas More and belabour the obvious: never, ever, under any circumstance move the blade lengthwise across your skin - perpendicular to the blade only. Even with D/Es and cartidges this is a big no-no, but with a straight you could go really, really deep.

 

[woodbane]

Thanks for the replies guys. Actually, I may have it easier than some with a straight as I do have a goatee, which somewhat eliminates the problematic areas of chin and top lip. Now there's a reason to be thankful of my face fuzz!

Seeing as that leaves me with the relatively smooth surfaces of my cheeks and neck, I'm hoping this may not be as bad as I'm worrying it may be. I have fairly easy stubble, not too wiry or thick (I am fair haired) and the last 2 weeks have seen me getting some really good shaves with my DE, my technique has really improved.

I'll definitely be starting with the guarded blades to see how I go and try to lessen the risk of my peeling part of my face off! Funnily enough I was looking at those guarded blades and it reminded me of a cartridge razor I had back in the UK.

It was made by Wilkinson Sword and was a 2 blade (or maybe 3 blade) cartridge a la Sensor / Mach 3 brigade BUT it had wire guards over the blades. Interestingly it actually shaved pretty well and was damn near impossible to cut yourself with, but not totally impossible! I wonder if they still make those?

Just my inane ramblings about the fact that guarded blades are not necessarily a new thing!

 

[LX_Emergency]

. I get my cheeks taut by closing my mouth tight and puffing air into my cheeks to inflate them, easy - my dad taught me that years ago when he introduced me to manhood with a Philishave *hangs head in shame*.

I just figured that out a month ago. Works like a charm.

 

[LX_Emergency]

Thanks for the replies guys. Actually, I may have it easier than some with a straight as I do have a goatee, which somewhat eliminates the problematic areas of chin and top lip. Now there's a reason to be thankful of my face fuzz!

Seeing as that leaves me with the relatively smooth surfaces of my cheeks and neck, I'm hoping this may not be as bad as I'm worrying it may be. I have fairly easy stubble, not too wiry or thick (I am fair haired) and the last 2 weeks have seen me getting some really good shaves with my DE, my technique has really improved.

I'll definitely be starting with the guarded blades to see how I go and try to lessen the risk of my peeling part of my face off! Funnily enough I was looking at those guarded blades and it reminded me of a cartridge razor I had back in the UK.

It was made by Wilkinson Sword and was a 2 blade (or maybe 3 blade) cartridge a la Sensor / Mach 3 brigade BUT it had wire guards over the blades. Interestingly it actually shaved pretty well and was damn near impossible to cut yourself with, but not totally impossible! I wonder if they still make those?

Just my inane ramblings about the fact that guarded blades are not necessarily a new thing!

Yes they do, I treid some out last year. It was the Wilkinson Sword Quattro and it sucked.

 

[woodbane]

Yes they do, I treid some out last year. It was the Wilkinson Sword Quattro and it sucked.

4 blades? I'm pretty sure they only had two when I used one. Having said this with the benefit of hindsight and being a convert to the DE cause I agree that the shave experience sucked. It felt good at the time, but I was uneducated back then.........

 

[billyjeff2]

You might want to consider reserving a pint or two from your local bloodbank...

 

[woodbane]

You might want to consider reserving a pint or two from your local bloodbank...

Oh gee, thanks for that vote of confidence.

 

[roughrider]

You might want to consider reserving a pint or two from your local bloodbank...

Good advice.

 

[woodbane]

C'mon now, I'm trying to build my confidence level here guys..............

 

[roughrider]

C'mon now, I'm trying to build my confidence level here guys..............

We're just messin' with you bud.

The Feather was the first straight I ever tried. I had good shaves with it. Just remember to take it slow and easy. Pay attention to what you're doing and you should be ok.

 

[billyjeff2]

Umm...actually, I was being quite serious...

 

[rtaylor61]

Andy,

Be sure and have a recent photo for the plastic surgeon to work with!

Scotto offers up good advice. Also, if you don't have the B&B video, get it. Joel shaves with a straight. You'll see the proper way to hold the Feather/straight. Also, in the Pictorials and Videos forum, there is a sticky with a video of Lynn Abrams shaving with a straight.

Randy

 

[obsessis]

it will be easy since you aren't doing your chin/moustache, those are my trouble areas.

be careful along the jawline, i cut myself there a couple times.

just go slow, make sure you know how you want to move the razor before you actually do it....visualize a little bit.

PRACTICE WITH THE RAZOR EMPTY. this is nice about the AC, you can use it without a blade to practice your technique.

It is not as hard as it sounds. you'll probably cut yourself once or twice, but it's not that bad.

 

[AACJ]

PRACTICE WITH THE RAZOR EMPTY. this is nice about the AC, you can use it without a blade to practice your technique.:

EXCELLENT suggestion!

It is not as hard as it sounds. you'll probably cut yourself once or twice, but it's not that bad.

Yes, the blade is so sharp it doesn't hurt as much as a traditional straight when it cuts. And since its such a smooth cut and not jagged, it will heal a lot quicker and with no scarring.

 

[LX_Emergency]

4 blades? I'm pretty sure they only had two when I used one. Having said this with the benefit of hindsight and being a convert to the DE cause I agree that the shave experience sucked. It felt good at the time, but I was uneducated back then.........

They still make the 2 bladed ones as well. Wilkinson Sword just decided to go the Gillette way and add more blades. i didn't really like the WS.

I LOVE my straights however.