Mamba .53 vs. Mamba .70 (Feather AS-D2 user)

[Eric49311]

Hi everyone,

I've been wet shaving for close to 3 years now, and I've only just recently realized I've been doing it wrong this whole time and have really dialed in my shaves for the first great sucesses on a long road. My skin apparently is very prone to irritation and I've changed to a 1 pass (face) 2 pass (head) shave recently. I've gravitated back to DE from a majority of this time spent in the SE world as I discovered first the Rockwell 6c, and on Christmas my wife gifted me the hotly debated Feather AS-D2..which has just great for me. It's the best shave of my life and I get no irritation and perfect results everytime using it.
But I would like to have at least a 2-3 razor rotation, I sold off some razors and have a little money to play with. I found an original Mamba .53 available for purchase, and of course Italian Barber has the .70 readily available so..I'm wondering if anyone with direct experience with these 3 might be able to point me toward the right Mamba to purchase. I've read and believe the blade gap on the Feather is .73, but I know a lot more goes into play other than gap..I'm concerned the .53 may be TOO mild (if that's possible) and in theory the .70 should be a close direct comparison, but I have reservations. I don't want to go over board back to irritation central.
Any help or advice you could give would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Olegausany]

I don't have either of those but why not to consider GC68 or GC84?

 

[Eric49311]

Strongly considering the GC .68 but after reading post after post it seems the mamba has a rep for smoother performance. I’m honestly pretty torn.


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[JoeLr]

GC .68 is mild, but yeah, my experience was that it has more blade feel than the .70 Mamba. Take with grain of salt though. I last tried these ~6 months ago, I think? And only a couple times each.

 

[Olegausany]

GC68 is mild but efficient. I prefer Karve SB-B and Homelike START .69 over it because they are smoother

 

[Timeclo]

I have GC68 and the Mamba 53. I enjoy using both of those but if I had to choose, I'd go with the Mamba 53. It does have a small gap that cuts the stubbles but I find it easy to shave with. It doesn't get me a BBS easily but it gives me one of the most comfortable DFS.

GC68 is pretty similar in aggression but it has a bit of muted feedback. It's hard to describe it but the Mamba cuts more crisp compared to GC68.

I hear that Feather AS-D2 is THE Mildest razor out there so I think Mamba 53 or GC68 will work well for you. They're probably slightly more aggressive than the Feather, if I'm guessing correctly.

 

[Eric49311]

Thank you. I understand what your getting at as far as “crispness” this seems to be a pretty good assessment. Thank you.


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[sugardaddy]

For me, the feather was too mild. But the 53 mamba is awesome. I'd recommend that one, if you love the AS-D2.

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[theid59]

After 2 years with the Merkur HD 34C, I switched to the Mamba .70, which I've used for about a year. The 34C gave close shaves, but I was getting a lot of neck irritation, regardless of prep, showering first, etc., etc. The Mamba .70 gives me great shaves but spares my neck. I also find as a mild razor, it works well for me paired with sharp blades. GSB & Feathers seem to match well with it. I recently got the Game Changer .68 but it's too early for me to give a reliable comparison other than to say it is more maneuverable around the nose than the Mamba. The Mamba requires a fairly steep angle which I think is similar to the AS-D2 Razor. Sorry, I've not used the .53 so I can't comment on it.

 

[AZBronco]

The Mamba 70 is my favorite razor—I almost can’t feel the blade and the results are excellent. If you get irritation easily, the original Mamba would be a great choice.

 

[eyesofgrey]

I’ve owned the AS-D2 and the Mamba .70. While the 70 is more efficient, I got a lot of nicks for some reason and I didn’t like the angle. Prefer the Game Changers over the Mamba myself. For smooth and effortless performance, the .68 Timeless was a great upgrade for me in efficiency after using the AS-D2 for a few years. Seriously smooth.

 

[Iron Paw]

Mamba .53 is the one!
I own a bunch of razors. Timeless stainless .68 OC, Karve stainless #C & #D, NEW SC, Black Beauty, a Wolfman WR2 on the way (well, I've paid the invoice), Techs, NEW LC, Piccolo, etc, etc...and the Mamba .53.
No way, no how will I ever sell that wee Mamba.
Such a delightful wee razor to shave with. Bung in a good blade (well actually it's quite happy with most blades), lather up and go for it.
It won't bite, won't leave you in tears.
Just get one. You will be a happy shaver for evermore.

 

[Eric49311]

Mamba .53 is the one!
I own a bunch of razors. Timeless stainless .68 OC, Karve stainless #C & #D, NEW SC, Black Beauty, a Wolfman WR2 on the way (well, I've paid the invoice), Techs, NEW LC, Piccolo, etc, etc...and the Mamba .53.
No way, no how will I ever sell that wee Mamba.
Such a delightful wee razor to shave with. Bung in a good blade (well actually it's quite happy with most blades), lather up and go for it.
It won't bite, won't leave you in tears.
Just get one. You will be a happy shaver for evermore.

That’s quite the endorsement! Sounds like you’ve field tested quite a few lol! I think I have to take the plunge. Thank you!


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[OldSkoolMillennial]

I have a love-hate relationship with my Mamba .53. If it's a razor you take the time to learn and keep using it regularly, you will love it. If it's a razor to be used once in awhile, it can be extremely frustrating because of the angle of attack. In those two situations it drastically swings from quite efficient to did it even do anything. I prefer my post war Tech because it offers 90% of the efficiency with 10% of the effort.

 

[Zhang Doe]

I’ve owned the AS-D2 and the Mamba .70. While the 70 is more efficient, I got a lot of nicks for some reason and I didn’t like the angle.

My experience and view exactly with respect to these two razors.

 

[JoWolf]

Hi everyone,

I've been wet shaving for close to 3 years now, and I've only just recently realized I've been doing it wrong this whole time and have really dialed in my shaves for the first great sucesses on a long road. My skin apparently is very prone to irritation and I've changed to a 1 pass (face) 2 pass (head) shave recently. I've gravitated back to DE from a majority of this time spent in the SE world as I discovered first the Rockwell 6c, and on Christmas my wife gifted me the hotly debated Feather AS-D2..which has just great for me. It's the best shave of my life and I get no irritation and perfect results everytime using it.
But I would like to have at least a 2-3 razor rotation, I sold off some razors and have a little money to play with. I found an original Mamba .53 available for purchase, and of course Italian Barber has the .70 readily available so..I'm wondering if anyone with direct experience with these 3 might be able to point me toward the right Mamba to purchase. I've read and believe the blade gap on the Feather is .73, but I know a lot more goes into play other than gap..I'm concerned the .53 may be TOO mild (if that's possible) and in theory the .70 should be a close direct comparison, but I have reservations. I don't want to go over board back to irritation central.
Any help or advice you could give would be appreciated. Thanks!

I was using the Rockwell 6s with plate #4 good shaves, tried #5 plate and it felt and was very aggressive. I was looking for smoother and closer, got the Mamba 70 and was blown away. Smoother than the #4 plate and closer than the#5 plate. The Mamba 70 feels like a mild razor and shaves like a medium aggressive without any skin irritation. So now I got very smooth and comfortable but still wouldn’t mind a little better efficiency. Asked Italian Barber what I might get to compliment my Mamba 70 and they advised me that a GC.68 open comb is coming. So I am in the bushes waiting for the .68 open. I’m so impressed with the ItalianBarber razors reviews and my success with my first one I’ll probably get a couple more.

I have a light medium beard and cold water face and head shave every three days. I do three pass wtg,xtg,atg, with extra touch ups and buffing. I prefer Voshkod and also like the Astra and GSB which all work well in the Mamba. I also found that when I switched to cold water and moved up from the lower and mid priced shave soaps to the artisan level that it helped with my sensitive skin issues.

My guess is that the Mamba 53 would be too mild if you are using above#3 plate in the Rockwell.

 

[Zhang Doe]

I don't have the Mamba .53, but I wonder if it's a bit like when Feather introduced the AS-D2 to complement (or replace?) the AS-D1. People generally appreciated the modest increase in efficiency, and you don't really see anyone bothering to advocate for the AS-D1 over the AS-D2. I actually have both Feather razors and can't really tell much of a difference. If anything, I feel like I get a cleaner shave with the AS-D1, but it seems like literally everyone prefers the AS-D2, so that may be more reflective of my poor, inconsistent technique.

Anyway, I suspect you have more flexibility with the Mamba .70, whereas there's a greater risk that the Mamba .53 is too mild. (I do love the original Halo handle in the pictures ... that is a beaut. Shame RazoRock doesn't appear to make it any more.)

 

[syljal]

I recently acquired the Feather AS-D2, to follow up on the Merkur Progress and Rockwell 6C plate # 2
Unlike people, I find the Feather very sharp, I do not control it yet so I regularly cut around the mouth. So I limit myself to 2 passes WTG, XTG
I am thinking of exchanging the Progress or Rockwell 6C in exchange for a Mamba .53 with someone who no longer wants it.

 

[syljal]

I make a long term survey, i want to konw finally wish rasor did you buy.

 

[pastmili]

I like the Mamba .53 both without any shims and with one shim. For me adding one shim makes it more efficient and also easier to find the right angle. I know this is a long shot, but if anyone could tell me how the Mamba .53 with one shim compares to the Mamba .70 without a shim I would appreciate it.