Practice helps - revisiting Feather blades

[DEsafetyrazor]

Its been five years on my journey wet shaving with double edge razors. I've tried various razors, blades, soaps, creams, brushes... yeah, I got it bad

Pretty early on I tried Feather blades and had difficulty using them with standard DE razors (Merkur 34C and Edwin Jagger DE89). I ended up switching to smoother blades (Personna lab blues, Rapira Super Stainless). I practiced for a few years and revisited the Feathers and found if I was careful I would be rewarded with a better or faster shave. I still didn't settle on them for everyday use though. I was still getting irritation every so often. A couple of years later I discovered my favorite (and now only razor) - the Merkur 37C slant. I loved this razor with most blades but found Feathers were too aggressive. Its been a couple of years using the 37C and I decided to try Feathers again - wow! I'm assuming my technique has improved as my selection of software. I am now getting excellent shaves. During this five year journey my technique and consistency has improved and I've dialed in what equipment work best for me.

Here is my current setup:
Merkur 37C
Feather blades
Speick Men shaving cream or stick (I love them both and just alternate)
Speick Men after shave lotion (its really a splash) - my family likes the smell and the performance is superb as my skin feels "healed" after use
Wet Dog synthetic brushes (I have two)
Bloc de Osma Alum Block (I use this sometimes especially if my face has felt oily the day before)
Dickinson's Witch Hazel with a few drops of essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender) - I alternate this with Speick after shave. I like how my face feels at the end of the day using witch hazel. However, my face feels better immediately after a shave with Speick.

 

[ajkel64]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I was scared of using Feather blades for ages due to the carnage that everyone used to talk about. I find that a Feather blade paired with a Gillette Tech or a Merkur 34C/G gives me excellent shaves. They do need to be respected as the first time a used them I survived the initial bloodshed but they have bit me since when I do not think about what I am doing.

 

[Billski]

I also am revisiting Feather blades. They seem to be better than before.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I started DE shaving in 1967 and got sidetracked into cartridge razors somewhere along the line. In February of this year I came back. Wow, what a difference 30 to 40 years makes. Back in 67, I shaved with a Gillette Tech and Gillette Blue Blades. No one ever heard of Feather, Astra, BIC, etc.

When I came back, I bought a sampler pack and a cheapie Chinese razor, a Micro One Touch. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on something I was going to hate. My first blade was the Astra. I had read about the Feather and was frankly scared of it.

After I exhausted the tuck of Astra blades, I decided to try the Feather. It wasn’t pretty. My face looked like I had shaved with a garden rake.

Back to the sampler pack, I tried a few other brands, never really finding something I liked. I bought another sampler because it had a tuck of BIC blades and I had heard a lot of good things about the BIC.

I really liked the BIC. They were a little rough on the first shave, but great on the second and subsequent shaves. Plus they lasted for the full week.

After I exhausted the BIC tuck, I started searching again. I can’t recall everything I tried, but it was a lot.

Finally, that partially used tuck of Feather blades kept staring at me. I loaded one up a few weeks ago, carefully shaved and was pleasantly surprised. It was the blade I had been looking for. Sharp on the first shave, efficient and smooth. Now a week into that blade, I’m at the point I normally change blades. But, I’m thinking I’ll push this blade another week to see where it goes.

Will I end up using the Feather blades as my daily driver? I don’t know yet. I’ve got 100 BIC blades in my cart on Amazon, but I may just move those to Save for Later. I’ve got 15 Feather blades left. Maybe by the end of those 15, I might buy 100 Feather blades.

I think it was all about the technique. I originally was trying to shave with a DE blade like it was a cart. Once I figured out the no pressure thing and got better at holding the angle of attack, the Feather became a pleasurable shave.

 

[BigJ]

Its been five years on my journey wet shaving with double edge razors. I've tried various razors, blades, soaps, creams, brushes... yeah, I got it bad

Pretty early on I tried Feather blades and had difficulty using them with standard DE razors (Merkur 34C and Edwin Jagger DE89). I ended up switching to smoother blades (Personna lab blues, Rapira Super Stainless). I practiced for a few years and revisited the Feathers and found if I was careful I would be rewarded with a better or faster shave. I still didn't settle on them for everyday use though. I was still getting irritation every so often. A couple of years later I discovered my favorite (and now only razor) - the Merkur 37C slant. I loved this razor with most blades but found Feathers were too aggressive. Its been a couple of years using the 37C and I decided to try Feathers again - wow! I'm assuming my technique has improved as my selection of software. I am now getting excellent shaves. During this five year journey my technique and consistency has improved and I've dialed in what equipment work best for me.

Here is my current setup:
Merkur 37C
Feather blades
Speick Men shaving cream or stick (I love them both and just alternate)
Speick Men after shave lotion (its really a splash) - my family likes the smell and the performance is superb as my skin feels "healed" after use
Wet Dog synthetic brushes (I have two)
Bloc de Osma Alum Block (I use this sometimes especially if my face has felt oily the day before)
Dickinson's Witch Hazel with a few drops of essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender) - I alternate this with Speick after shave. I like how my face feels at the end of the day using witch hazel. However, my face feels better immediately after a shave with Speick.

Congratulations!! Two observations:

#1. Your technique has clearly improved!
#2. You have an open mind as you were willing (and rewarded) for reconsidering a previous conclusion.

 

[xiletero]

Sadly the price of feathers keeps increasing..... I have noticed many people say they don't last long, some say they will start getting "weepers" . I don't get weepers w other blades but these do after3-4 uses....., so for now 1-3 is all I will do (each use includes head+face).

 

[McBlade]

Nacets are good value, more consistent and seem to be just as sharp as Feathers.

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

Sadly the price of feathers keeps increasing..... I have noticed many people say they don't last long, some say they will start getting "weepers" . I don't get weepers w other blades but these do after3-4 uses....., so for now 1-3 is all I will do (each use includes head+face).

I agree, the prices seem to have steadily increased. I used to get 100 for $25 on Amazon, now they are $40. I found good prices at Italian Barber ($25) and free shipping with $60 or above order.