Feather artist club clone?

[StillShaving]

It’s been a few years since I was into shaving with straight razors. What’s the current status of feather artist club clones? Is there any one in particular that people are going with? I am an Amazon prime member. Are there any to be had there or are people getting them off aliexpress?

I have not investigated offerings on Amazon and I have mostly bought them from AliExpress or sometimes Ebay (the CJB in particular) but that was some years ago, so I am not commenting on razors that might be new designs in the past few years. In my experience the clones shave fine. The blade holding mechanism is slightly different from Feather and the tolerances are not as good. Larger gaps where the pieces fit together, but nothing that really affects the shave performance. I had a pin fall out of one razor and have not yet put it back together as I need to get a different needle nose pliers and/or better vision as it is difficult to position and press back in place. I don't think that would ever happen with a Feather or Kai razor but have had a couple of loose pins with these cheaply assembled razors.

If one were a committed shavette user I would recommend buying a Feather and enjoy it for years and years. With the JPY devaluation relative to the USD, they are less expensive than in the past, making them easier to recommend them over AliExpress offerings. IMO one will enjoy having the higher quality item if they are using it all the time. In that train of thought one could justify a more exclusive product like the Tedalus Essence.

But if one were just starting out with shavettes and not sure they will stick with the artist club blade format or had other budget priorities, then a clone is a fine way to start.

 

[Mr Bedlington]

Absolutely stunning. Do you use it or it is more like working art? Lot of Ron Lake scrimshaw folders are like that.

Yes, I have used it, I like the shave the AC-DX gives out, but to be perfectly honest I prefer using a straight razor.

 

[JPO]

This is a Feather AC-DX you won't find anyone making a clone of, I contacted my good friend in Japan, we had been talking for some time about him hand engraving a Feather AC-DX for me, I told him I wanted traditional Japanese symbols and designs he came back with a few good designs and we finally agreed on a Japanese Oni mask with waves and wind-bars and Cherry blossoms, the razor is hand engraved on both sides.

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That is nice. Have you seen Martin Wood's razor. I think he may have used the same guy. Zen Razors or something.

 

[Mr Bedlington]

That is nice. Have you seen Martin Wood's razor. I think he may have used the same guy. Zen Razors or something.

I gave Martin the contact.

 

[JPO]

If you are interested in an artist club disposable blade straight razor there are options that are not too expensive.

If you are after feather clones made in China i still think this is not a place where they should promoted.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

If you are interested in an artist club disposable blade straight razor there are options that are not too expensive.

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If you are after feather clones made in China i still think this is not a place where they should promoted.

I’m a big fan of this Irving Barber Co razor. It’s well made and very light and balanced. It just feels really good to shave with and I like it just as much as my more expensive Feather and Kai barber razors.

I definitely recommend using a barber razor that accepts Artist Club format blades (which the Irving does, as well as half DE blades) because you can use guarded blades like the Kai Protouch MG and the Feather Proguard. These guarded blades are excellent and they dramatically reduce the risk of getting a bad cut.

 

[Dimitri]

This is a Feather AC-DX you won't find anyone making a clone of, I contacted my good friend in Japan, we had been talking for some time about him hand engraving a Feather AC-DX for me, I told him I wanted traditional Japanese symbols and designs he came back with a few good designs and we finally agreed on a Japanese Oni mask with waves and wind-bars and Cherry blossoms, the razor is hand engraved on both sides.

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Stunning.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

FYI, Kai and Feather are the same company and always have been. Kai Captain and Feather Artist Club are just two of Kai’s product lines. So they aren’t actually competing businesses, and they were the originator of this razor blade format and the blade holders that use them.

Do you know if they're manufactured in the same facilities? The reason I ask is that I find that most Feather branded blades, DE and AC, don't seem to be deburred very well, whereas Kai branded blades don't give me that impression. Kai-branded blades don't seem to take much, if any, breaking in.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Do you know if they're manufactured in the same facilities? The reason I ask is that I find that most Feather branded blades, DE and AC, don't seem to be deburred very well, whereas Kai branded blades don't give me that impression. Kai-branded blades don't seem to take much, if any, breaking in.

I don’t know, and I don’t think it said anything about that on the Kai history newsletters. And they have several facilities outside Japan now so production may have moved around anyway. The feeling I get is that they aren’t super focused on organizational efficiency and the Kai and Feather divisions probably have separate production lines and work fairly independently. But that’s only a feeling.

I agree with you too that the Kai and Feather blades feel quite distinct, so it does appear they are made separately, on different machinery. I always find I prefer the Kai branded blades, except the two guarded AC blades are pretty equal for me.