My journey with the Feather AC SS (Kamisori non-folding)

[nicked78]

Hey everyone, just a newb and his shavette here, hoping to document my progress with this great razor. I'm using Feather Proguard blades for starters.

First shave was yesterday, and I limited myself to a WTG pass on both cheeks, and a little work on the upper lip and lower lip. My Muhle R41 served as the main razor for the shave. I was really timid with the Feather SS and didn't accomplish much in terms of removing stubble. But I also didn't cut myself or do anything dumb. That's a win!

Second shave was this morning. I committed much more to the strokes I was taking and actually made some progress. WTG went fine. XTG was good, too. I was pretty careful around the chin and left a lot undone there. Going S-N on my neck made me feel like a boss. After using the R41 to finish everything up, I went back to the Feather for XTG touchups on the cheeks and upper lip and got even closer than usual. No blood until one tiny little weeper right at the end. It was fun to try to use both hands equally; as a lefty, I feel I'm a little ambidextrous anyway from living in a right-handed world for so long. Overall, this was a great shave today.

Overall, this is going well so far. It is hard to imagine doing a full shave with only the Feather, but that's how I used to feel about the R41. Onward!

 

[Earcutter]

Congrats! I think you’ll learn to love it.

 

[nicked78]

Congrats! I think you’ll learn to love it.

Thanks Earcutter!

Shave #3 with the Kamisori this morning: Same prep, soap, blades . . . but not as great of a shave today. Due to having a little less time, I decided to do most of the shave with my Muhle, and then do some touchups with the Kamisori. I didn't get as close a shave, and it wasn't even as comfortable. Could be lots of reasons for that, considering how new I am at this, but maybe even though I don't feel like I'm doing a lot with the Kami, I actually am. And it is a comfortable shaver. So tomorrow I should have time for a more leisurely shave, and I plan on doing absolutely as much as possible with the Kamisori as I can.

 

[Earcutter]

I learned to use straights before buying my Feather, so I’m not 100% sure what it would be like to learn with the Kami. Probably not that much different. I’ll say this though, I know with my straights I used the straight and my DE together forever like you are now. Because of my reliance on my DE, I never really got proficient with my straight until one day I vowed to just use my straight for a year no if ands or buts. It worked. But it wasn’t always pretty.

I learned that my DE can do things my straight just can’t, and vise versa. There is a spot on my neck that I’ll never get baby butt smooth with a straight. I just can’t angle the blade correctly. Then again, my straight does my checks like no other. It’s all give and take. But be gentle when you’re learning. It took me a while to get great shaves with the straight but man, the wait was worth it!

 

[nicked78]

Shave #4 with the Kamisori is in the books. As I planned, I did as much as I could with it before making the call to the bullpen for relief. I did three full passes with it--WTG, XTG, XTG. Had one tiny weeper on the upper lip which disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. The chin area is a challenge. Below the jawline, using kind of a scary-looking (but surprisingly not that difficult) backhand move I learned from Dave Card's YouTube channel, is actually more comfortable than a DE ever is.

If my shave was a baseball game, I figure the R41 came in with one out in the ninth and several men left on base; nothing it couldn't handle. However, I decided to just use it ATG on the chin and below the lower lip, and leave everything else alone to see how little irritation the Kami had caused since the shave felt pretty good.

There was less alum feedback and overall irritation on today's shave than almost ever before, but keep in mind I also didn't get as close as I usually try to do. This is a trade I'm very happy to make for today, and I believe closer and still comfortable shaves are out there. Using the Kami first and then touching up with the R41 was a much better way to learn, and a lot more fun overall. It is proving to be a relatively easy razor to learn on (with ProGuard blades) and more gentle than most of my DE shaves.

(That may say more about my lousy technique with DE razors than anything else, though.)

This was my 80th shave using traditional wet shaving equipment.

 

[nicked78]

Shave #5 this morning with the Kamisori. Same process as yesterday, but allowed myself a few extra little touchups with the R41 to get a more even result everywhere. I had a little more alum feedback, but it was still a pretty comfortable result overall. Doing the bulk of the shave with the Kamisori proved to be a good process again. My skin feels good. Let's see if I can string together several of these shaves in a row. With my DE razors, I only ever seemed to get one at a time.

New today: I may have just started to notice the way that different angles feel with this razor. At the point where the angle is just steep enough to start working, there is a really nice "skimming" feeling of the razor gliding across the face with very little blade feel at all, and yet there's some audio feedback telling me whiskers are being cut. I think. Steeper than that, and I can actually feel the blade, which isn't terribly uncomfortable, probably because of the fact that it's guarded. I will start paying even more attention to this difference.

Also new: I might have just started to notice a little bit of tugging on the ATG move on the jawline. I hope the blade isn't dulling already with only 5 shaves on it.

 

[nicked78]

Shave #6 today. Nicked myself for the first time with the Kamisori; I was going for that scooping motion under the nose and I guess my hand decided to just stick the edge right on the skin without any articulation of the razor. I think the guards on the blade may have really helped limit the size of the nick. Thank you, little bits of wire.

I continue to move with a little more confidence and speed. I allowed myself a bit more pressure today as long as I kept the angle really shallow. I need to up my game as far as stretching and creating flatter surfaces goes, especially around the chin. I still need my R41 to do a lot of clean up there.

I am getting a little closer to going truly ATG under the chin and on the cheeks.

 

[rbscebu]

Welcome to the gentlemanly art of SR shaving.

The main thing is to totally concentrate on your SR shaving and learn something new with every shave. By the time you get to about 30 SR shaves you will probably never want to shave with a safety razor again. At about 100 SR shaves you will be wishing that you had started shaving with an SR in your teens.

 

[nicked78]

Welcome to the gentlemanly art of SR shaving.

Thanks! With this courteous greeting, I feel like I've arrived!

The main thing is to totally concentrate on your SR shaving and learn something new with every shave. By the time you get to about 30 SR shaves you will probably never want to shave with a safety razor again. At about 100 SR shaves you will be wishing that you had started shaving with an SR in your teens.

SR shaving is showing some really promising results already for my skin and beard compared to safety razors. I suspect the more rigid blades are helping me out, and I really get a charge out of being able to see what's happening right at the cutting edge. The whole sensory experience is quite remarkable. Thanks for your encouragement.

 

[ohansen]

I constantly nicked myself when I started using my non-folding Kai with the Protouch MG (another guarded blade). My shaves started to quickly get better once I switched to the normal SE blades.

 

[McBlade]

I might have just started to notice a little bit of tugging on the ATG move on the jawline. I hope the blade isn't dulling already with only 5 shaves on it.

That sounds about right. I haven't used any guarded blades but after half a dozen or so shaves with a Feather Pro Super, they've dulled down quite a bit. That's good for me because I like a milder edge. I never do ATG though.

 

[nicked78]

I constantly nicked myself when I started using my non-folding Kai with the Protouch MG (another guarded blade). My shaves started to quickly get better once I switched to the normal SE blades.

That's really interesting! I look forward to eventually seeing how non guarded blades perform. I think they will really open up the potential of this razor once I'm feeling ready for that.

 

[nicked78]

That sounds about right. I haven't used any guarded blades but after half a dozen or so shaves with a Feather Pro Super, they've dulled down quite a bit. That's good for me because I like a milder edge. I never do ATG though.

I think this blade still has life in it after 7 shaves, but the first couple were only one pass. I am probably going to bin it and start over tomorrow and see if it makes a difference. Seven days would actually be pretty ideal because it's a lot easier to remember to start a fresh blade on the same day of the week.

 

[nicked78]

Shave #7 this morning; had a couple weepers that closed up almost right away. New today: got some true ATG buffing going just below the sideburns and on the cheeks. Nearly the same just under the chin. Still cleaning up with the R41 but I'm looking forward to not feeling the need to do that. Each day I get a little bit closer.

Got a really close shave today but paid for it a bit with some soreness. This resolved after an hour or so. I'd been using some B&M products the last few days, but went back to Tabac today. Tabac's slickness encourages me to push the envelope a bit . . . yeah, that's it, it's the soap's "fault!"

 

[McBlade]

I think this blade still has life in it after 7 shaves, but the first couple were only one pass.

I can get almost 20 shaves in total out of a Feather Pro Super doing a mix of single pass WTG or WTG & ATG shaves.

Have been trying out a Schick Proline recently and it's shaping up to last at least as long.

 

[SterFry]

I think this blade still has life in it after 7 shaves, but the first couple were only one pass. I am probably going to bin it and start over tomorrow and see if it makes a difference. Seven days would actually be pretty ideal because it's a lot easier to remember to start a fresh blade on the same day of the week.

I would keep doing with your current blade for a while; shave 7 or 8 for me is when feathers really start performing well and I do multiple passes.

I can get 20 or so shaves from a feather blade.

 

[nicked78]

Inspired by @McBlade and @SterFry, I kept my ProGuard blade for Kamisori shave #8. The shave was just ok, with patchy results and a bit more alum sting than usual.

For shave #9, I decided to go ahead and try a new blade. I could tell it is sharper, of course, but I still didn't have as good a shave as I'd like today. I somehow left a fair bit of stubble on my right cheek of all places. And my chin is proving to be a real bear to get close. Sometimes shaving is hard and I'm lousy at it! There. I said it.

I do a very lengthy prep process including a hot shower, application of some glycerin, a quick face lather with a "2nd-tier" soap and a hot towel over that for five minutes while I build my shave lather in a bowl. And yet I still find much of my beard, especially my chin, puts up a really good fight. The Kamisori, even with a fresh blade, tugs at the chin and leaves a lot behind. I'll keep working on technique.

Any other ideas or recommendations would be welcome.

 

[SterFry]

Inspired by @McBlade and @SterFry, I kept my ProGuard blade for Kamisori shave #8. The shave was just ok, with patchy results and a bit more alum sting than usual.

For shave #9, I decided to go ahead and try a new blade. I could tell it is sharper, of course, but I still didn't have as good a shave as I'd like today. I somehow left a fair bit of stubble on my right cheek of all places. And my chin is proving to be a real bear to get close. Sometimes shaving is hard and I'm lousy at it! There. I said it.

I do a very lengthy prep process including a hot shower, application of some glycerin, a quick face lather with a "2nd-tier" soap and a hot towel over that for five minutes while I build my shave lather in a bowl. And yet I still find much of my beard, especially my chin, puts up a really good fight. The Kamisori, even with a fresh blade, tugs at the chin and leaves a lot behind. I'll keep working on technique.

Any other ideas or recommendations would be welcome.

I wish I'd have been more specific. When I use feathers they tend to work better for my face after multiple uses. That said, I never use feathers anymore. I tried a Kai blade, pink I think...got much better results... Then tried the Proline p-30 and got even better results.

I went to tryablade.com, ordered 2 of each AC blade (in case one is a dud) and it was the best thing I ever did

 

[Timeclo]

My Chin is probably the hardest part to get close with the kamisori because I have to stretch it out to get all the hairs to protrude. I try not to chase a BBS on the chin because once that'll get me some burn as a result.

I've been using my CJB kamisori for this year and it's been challenging. As you mentioned, very frequent shaves where the result was average; slight patches here and there and alum stings like hell. I'm still working on it but it seems like I get the best result within the first couple uses of my Feather AC Pro blade. Once it goes past 4/5 uses, I have to be careful not to chase a BBS because I will get some razor burns. I'm trying to go for a clean shave with my kamisori but it's very tempting when I feel some stubbles ATG.

 

[nicked78]

I went to tryablade.com, ordered 2 of each AC blade (in case one is a dud) and it was the best thing I ever did

Yep, I plan to do this for sure. Awesome reminder about the difference blades make. Although I was hoping to get through some of my initial supply of 15 ProGuards first, or at least to the point I was more confident I wouldn't need the guards as much. I may get there relatively soon.

I've been using my CJB kamisori for this year and it's been challenging. As you mentioned, very frequent shaves where the result was average; slight patches here and there and alum stings like hell.

Thanks for admitting this! Good to know it's not just me and you've been at it a lot longer.

I'm going to try a simpler prep tomorrow and literally be a little more chill about everything ❄