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Have i found the perfect razor?

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
There are some very pretty vintage razors. I have PIFed, donated, or sold off many. There are a few rare ones though that I lust after, and, they tend to be very expensive now of days unless you can find one in the wild.

Some of my favorite pretty vintage razors are the old brass Gem/E-R razors. They polish up extremely well with Flitz and elbow grease.

If they're in great mechanical shape they can look very funky and yet be easily polished to a beautiful state.


E-R Razors. Short Handles.3-11-21.640.JPG



These are not the ones I'm thinking of.

I don't shave with them. (Well, once I did. Once.)

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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I tried the suggestion to cork the Feather blade, and yeah it worked super well. Perfection now.
I did find the perfect razor. I think it worth 10x the price of the Vander Hagen for sure. No post purchase regret and no real acquisition disorder for razors and I doubt I will find one that can do better ever.

Yay

I will try more blades though.
 
I pulled up the sharpness testing to see about what a corked Feather would be and see what other blades would be similar on the first shave since you are only going to use them once.

The Permasharp would be a good candidate, but it may sharpen up too much. Price is high for single use.
The Nacet would have the same warning, but the price is good.
The BIC similar story, similar price.
Personna Plat, either Israeli or German, would be my choice based on sharpness and price. They won't make as big of a jump in sharpness as the above and if you shop around, you should be able to get them 16 cents.

From there, everything else starts out duller due to the coating or just is duller due to the blade design. I wouldn't cork any of the above due to the risk of them sharpening up too much and would advise caution with most others. But do try corking ones that feel like they aren't cutting, to remove the coating, before giving up on them.
 
The little crossbar that could potentially damage the blade if the razor is fully closed is a deal breaker for me. I salivated over the razor through the entire creative process but am not interested in it until they fix that problem. I choose Western-style shavettes over kamisori-style razors because I like to close the razor, protecting both the blade's cutting edge and people's fingers.
Maybe if they make a version 2 that addresses this issue, it will become the world's best replaceable-blade straight, but for now, it is still playing second fiddle no matter how well it shaves.
JMO, YMMV, and all that.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.
They fixed it. They are now shipped out with a rubber insert to prevent blade damage. People who already have an Essence can contact Manuel to get a free insert.
 
The day I have a wife she will become a subject of science for me, I should observe his activities and keep a journal. Maybe women shave better than men, maybe they have a lot to teach us about shaving 🤔
Let the ' science' begin my fellow €-lander and get married Asap !.. 🤣
 
Have 12 razors and have tried ( so far) about 12-15 types of de and single edge blades . Hard to beat a Feather ASD2 with their own blade, though. Absolutely synergistic! Feather razor WITHOUT their blade just doesn’t have the magic, though, for me.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Have 12 razors and have tried ( so far) about 12-15 types of de and single edge blades . Hard to beat a Feather ASD2 with their own blade, though. Absolutely synergistic! Feather razor WITHOUT their blade just doesn’t have the magic, though, for me.
My wallet did NOT need to hear this. Hopefully @Oliviamaynard won't read this and gloat!
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I just love the feeling of stainless steel
I only have Stainless Steel handles, I believe. Those are definitely a different "feel" than old tarnished brass.

Some day I'll end up with a stainless steel razor head, I suppose. Old brass smells kinda like an old penny when it gets wet.

Yes, I am a guy that goes around smelling spare change...... probably how I developed my immunity to Covid!
 
The feather AS-D2 is my daily driver and i adore it. For myself you dont have to search for another one, you have a gem in your possession
Different people have different skin types and prefer different razors. But you'll find the Feather AS/D2 users are fanatics. .

Yeah I think I found the perfect one.
I use this most days. For me with my light beard it's as perfect as perfect can be - weight, feel, grip, etc.

TBH the Feather is kinda just still too sharp on the first shave. I got some irritation. It did go away pretty fast after I got out of shower, but to me what I really want is perfect on first and maybe second then toss the blade and start new every shave.
You might try Lord Super Chrome, Rainbow, Astra SP, Gillette Silver Blue and Wilkinson Sword Black in addition to those suggested above. All of these work well for me. I find most of them are in varying degrees less sharp than Feather but overall smooth. Of course as always, YMMV.

I've tried Timor and these don't seem to work well in the Feather. It's a strange blade that we don't hear much about.
Don't pay attention to them telling you to buy another razor (and another and another). Just enjoy. Trying new blades and soaps can be enough fun.

If you have used a 1950s post-war brass Gillette Tech, the ASD2 is very similar in shave feel to that. The Feather is made with high precision using nicer materials, of course. The Feather has a longer handle, also.
Precisely!
 
So I have been using this thing for months now and I just lost all interest in trying new things. This is just so perfect.

The perfect blade is med prep by Personna. Sharp super perfect combo. I still can't decide if I like Stirling or PAA ck6 better. I think it's just a tie.

I have been working a lot lately. Xoxo
 
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