Feather All-Stainless DE

[siouxsie]

Hi Folks,

I am rather new in B&B but am keeping a close eye on this Feather All-Stainless DE review as I might invest in one rather than spending more money on other classic Gillettes. I have 8 Gillette DE at the moment so I guess I need to slow down a bit in terms of collection ... not sure if that will work but will try.

How does the aggressiveness of Feather All-Stainless compare to say Gillette red-tip(+ +) and Fatboy set to 4 or 5 ? These are my two favourite DE at the moment.

The blade gap is about like a Fatboy on 3. How it shaves, you'll have to ask Bill and read his review, but the gap is less than a red tip making it less aggressive in theory.

 

[BBchew]

The blade gap is about like a Fatboy on 3. How it shaves, you'll have to ask Bill and read his review, but the gap is less than a red tip making it less aggressive in theory.

Thanks Siouxisie for the reply.

I will set my Fatboy on 3 again with a new Personna blade to see how it shaves as I have been using red tip pretty frequently at the moment.

Definitely need more reviews.

 

[texbilly]

Hi Folks,

I am rather new in B&B but am keeping a close eye on this Feather All-Stainless DE review as I might invest in one rather than spending more money on other classic Gillettes. I have 8 Gillette DE at the moment so I guess I need to slow down a bit in terms of collection ... not sure if that will work but will try.

How does the aggressiveness of Feather All-Stainless compare to say Gillette red-tip(+ +) and Fatboy set to 4 or 5 ? These are my two favourite DE at the moment.

The blade gap is about like a Fatboy on 3. How it shaves, you'll have to ask Bill and read his review, but the gap is less than a red tip making it less aggressive in theory.

I'm anxious to hear more reviews as well. My rough measurements are probably reasonable but it's been some time since I shaved with razors possessing similar specs (Red Tip, Fat Boy, Merkur...). To your specific question, I never found the Red Tip to be overly aggressive but I'd say the Feather feels slightly milder and much smoother.

 

[SirWhiskers]

Smooth but effective is what I'm looking for.

 

[BBchew]

I'm anxious to hear more reviews as well. My rough measurements are probably reasonable but it's been some time since I shaved with razors possessing similar specs (Red Tip, Fat Boy, Merkur...). To your specific question, I never found the Red Tip to be overly aggressive but I'd say the Feather feels slightly milder and much smoother.

Thanks Bill. Read your review. Yes, need more comparison in aggressiveness but as long as it shaves well or clean I guess being a milder razor is not an issue so long as it shaves smoother or cleaner.

When I shave with my Red Tip I do it slowly as I cut my upper lip once, only slightly, but with my Fatboy set at 4 or 5 I speed up considerably but with more passing. I will try to compare them again to see how it goes as adjustable razors can be rather unpredictable in terms of the gap level. I have Slim too and I set that to 7 or 8.

 

[Kevan]

I went ahead and pulled the trigger yesterday. So no shave-purchases over $5 for the rest of the year.

I hope I got the order in before CS went out of stock. I still haven't gotten an email confirmation that said they shipped it.

What I'm hoping for is smooth and effective. Since I only shave twice a week (sensitive skin), I'll put it through a rigorous test against 3 days' hair growth.

 

[Seraphim]

I'd like to thank all of you who purchased the remaining stock of these razor for saving me from myself!








For the time being....

 

[Left Coast DJ]

To repeat what Seraphim said, I haven't shaved with a DE in 6 months. But this balla razor has me looking....

If my math is right, CS has 32 of them right now.

 

[e d o]

Wish the stand was available separately. My Feather travel head/Lux handle frankenrazor would look good in it.

 

[Bay Rum]

Wish the stand was available separately. My Feather travel head/Lux handle frankenrazor would look good in it.

I emailed Classic Shaving and they said it "might" be available shortly.

 

[texbilly]

I guess it's another case of personal preference, but I can't get excited about the stand. Then again, I rotate several razors...

 

[Kevan]

I'll post my impressions here, on the newer thread, from the other one.

PRE SHAVE:

Well, mine came today. That was FAST -- just 2 days after I ordered it from the opposite coast!

First impressions: Quality is second to none. From the finish to the little touches, this is a perfect 10. It's even got little ridges to make sure the blade is aligned properly and doesn't move. In fact, the head is machined in such a way that the two pieces fit together naturally; no Parker wobbling here. Blade exposure on each side is even each time. The matte "pearskin" finish is impeccable too. I've never seen a Merkur Futur/Vision in person but the Feather really does look impressive with a matte finish. And the grip is a deep diamond knurling pattern. Perfect. The design is unique enough to make it seem "modern" at the same time as classic.

It's heavier than my HD Slant and feels slightly less heavy than my Bull Mastiff XL. Very solid/portly feeling. At 3.5 inches long, it's the longest razor I have except for the Merkur Long Classic. But it's still a comfortable length.

First shave tonight, loaded with a Feather. Then I'll test it with a Permasharp 7 O'Clock and an Iridium before I render any judgment.

POST SHAVE:

Well, I couldn't wait. First shave with this baby is done. I'm impressed. I put it through a trial by fire and tested it against three days' growth. It passed the test.

First, let me agree with the others who have stated this: This is an incredibly smooth-cutting razor. Smooth as a baby's butt. I was quite annoyed after the first two strokes, because I had to adjust my angle, and then I thought "Dammit, this thing needs to be angled like a Tech and it's mild enough for a 15-year old's peach fuzz." Ooooooooh, so deceptive. Once I found the sweet spot, took four or five strokes, and rinsed off the lather, the hairs were plentiful and long, similar to what I rinse off from my Slant. Now, it might be the Feather blade that's contributing to that, or the weight of the handle -- I don't know. It's been several months since I used a Feather, and I've never used a Feather in a Tech (which is generally tiny with little heft). But my point is, it was slicing efficiently. More efficiently than I anticipated after having to angle it again.

Then I got a weeper on my jawline. Another reminder that I'm not used to Feathers. The razor is mild, but it can taste blood if you're not careful, even though its head is built for guarding against over-aggressiveness. I ended up with 4 weepers on my jawline and neck, but it's probably a combination of my technique and not respecting the blade.

After two passes (WTG, ATG) and a few touch ups, most of my face was BBS, even the jawline. There were some rough spots on my neck and I was able to get them well enough, but not as easily as I can with a Slant. But that doesn't mean this thing needs as much work as a Tech. It doesn't. Two passes and two touch-ups and I'm sitting here happily faceturbating as I type this.

So overall impression after shave #1? This razor is well-designed and impressive. Everything fits together perfectly and it feels solid and heavy. The fit and finish is perfect and the profile is slim -- not even the fins on the sides of the blade show through. It cuts silently, efficiently, and oh-so-smoothly, giving me little trouble as I sliced off 3 days' worth of beard, though with an angle that I REALLY have to get used to, after having used the Slant and the Muhle/EJ head for so long.

But.....this shave was with a Feather blade. The real test is when I use this with my regular blades, the 7 o'Clock Permasharp and the Iridium. They're far more forgiving on my face than Feather blades, even though this tames a Feather blade as well as an EJ head does. I'm really curious, however, if using a slightly less-sharp blade makes this mild razor into a "stainless steel Tech." I should know in a week's time.

Is it worth $150? Probably not, but it's worth a premium price. Gentlemen who shave every day or even every other day (instead of every two days like me) might achieve BBS with 2 passes and no touch ups -- it's more than a Tech clone. Can you do just as well with a nickel-plated EJ razor or an old Gillette? Sure (though it gave me a better shave than my Slim set on 3 or 4; then again, Gillettes don't really work for me to begin with). But considering the price for straights and high-end vintage Gillettes, it's not THAT outlandish.

I just wish the nice balsa wood box had the Feather logo burned into it or something. That would be perfect.

 

[BBchew]

Good review Kevan.

Do update us on it's performance with different blades please.

I do not think US$150 is very expensive by comparison to some of the old classic Gillettes and I guess it will become a modern classic put it this way so premium price will not be a major concern if it can maintain it's value in future, unless of course new brands start to appear again with similar precision or quality.

There is a very high possibility it will be in my collection sometime this year ...

 

[texbilly]

Good review Kevan.

Do update us on it's performance with different blades.

There is a very high possibility it will be in my collection ...

+1 Kevan! Would love to hear more after your next shaves, especially the shave angle. I still haven't noticed any need for an angle compensation.

 

[Obsessed]

Wowie zowie - this is the first I've heard of this razor. I love my $19.99 Feather Popular, so I can only imagine how nice this one is. I haven't had RAD for quite a while (well, I have been thinking of picking up an EJ89L), but this is very tempting.

 

[Kevan]

+1 Kevan! Would love to hear more after your next shaves, especially the shave angle. I still haven't noticed any need for an angle compensation.

Might be just me. I use a very shallow angle with my other razors, especially the Slant. Generally I eschew most of our popular wet-shaving mantras, including "no pressure!" With a little pressure and a shallow angle. I'm still able to get better shaves than in the Fusion days (though nothing quite beats the Fusion at stubble-patch elimination, rough as it is in doing so).

In any case, I'll update everyone in 3 days when I use my regular blade, the Indian 7 o'Clock green.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Nice review. This razor has definitely got my interest. It is a little more attainable than the PILS.

 

[Kevan]

Okay....just finished shave #2. Iridium blades.

85%-90% BBS with 3 passes plus touch-up. Still smooth and comfy. They took one more full pass than the Feathers in this razor, but that's no big deal.

This razor has earned a contract extension to be my main shaver for the time being. I feel bad for ever speculating it was a Tech clone!

It's no world-beater and the shave isn't really superior to a DE89L, but I'm satisfied with this purchase.

 

[texbilly]

Excellent feedback, Guys. Some of the discussion is over in the big Feather thread so a little bump for the discussion to continue.

 

[Harvey]

The Dovo/Merkur Vision razor stand works perfect and looks fantastic. Avail at Classic Shaving.(b/o as of yesterday..as is the razor)