Straight shavette first time advice? - Feather DX

[z1ck]

Hello!

I'm a little unsure if this has been asked but I'll give it a go.

I've recently bought a Feather DX Kamisori from Japan (straight handle, non-folding) which uses the Feather AC blades. I've been using AC safety razors for a few years now and decided to give the DX a go because I've wanted one for ages.

So I've just done my first shave and I'm feeling a bit meh. I didn't have any major cuts but a few slight weepers here and there which stung like hell when I applied aftershave or even just water. I spent about 30 minutes trying to work out which hand I find better to use, also tried a ton of different soaps. My hardest areas are the jawline and the neck, and I felt like I was skipping patches of unshaved stubble because I was scared to apply much pressure, so when I went over a certain area again - the razor burn was unreal despite having a ton of slickness from having just about 5 different soaps on my face lol. When I get to shaving the angles on my jawline I am really scared not to slice my skin.

Other than stretching/lifting my skin and trying to lay the razor flat on my face, does anyone have any more tips? Creams I've used are - Cremo, TOBS, Saponificio, MWF, Triumph & Disaster, Proraso - and tbh not much difference with any of these when using the DX

I really want to like this razor but I honestly cannot try again until my face has calmed down a bit. Not entirely sure why I went for the DX and not the SS or SR, but I thought I'm used to more aggressive razors so I just went with the DX.

Would be glad if anyone has any tips

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Low angle and skin stretching (which you mentioned) are key. And a light touch. I'd say practice on your cheeks until you're more comfortable and then add in the more challenging areas. Keep your lather wet.

What blade are you using?

 

[Balthazar]

As someone in a similar process (bought the SR kamisori, my first AC-shavette, a good month ago): go at it slow.

What I have done so far:
- Only used the SR in relatively safe areas. Right now my main priority is to build up the motoric skills needed to be in full(er) control
- Even for safe areas where I feel I have decent control, I'm very careful when going XTG. Seems to most accident prone direction for me
- Only incorporated it into my shaves when I'm not in a rush
- Since I want to alternate hands (left hand for right side and vice versa) when I'mshaving eith the kamisori, I've started alternating hands when I'm shaving with safety razors too. As well as using my (non-dominant) left hand when brushing my teeth. This has been surprisingly effective although it felt super weird in the beginning.

At the current rate, I think it's gonna be months, maybe even a full year, before I can shave as effortlessly with it as I'd like. Trying to take it slow and enjoy the long path to mastery of a new skill

 

[z1ck]

Low angle and skin stretching (which you mentioned) are key. And a light touch. I'd say practice on your cheeks until you're more comfortable and then add in the more challenging areas. Keep your lather wet.

What blade are you using?

I'm using the ProGuards. I might need to work on my low angle being consistent so hopefully over time will be better. Thank you!

As someone in a similar process (bought the SR kamisori, my first AC-shavette, a good month ago): go at it slow.

What I have done so far:
- Only used the SR in relatively safe areas. Right now my main priority is to build up the motoric skills needed to be in full(er) control
- Even for safe areas where I feel I have decent control, I'm very careful when going XTG. Seems to most accident prone direction for me
- Only incorporated it into my shaves when I'm not in a rush
- Since I want to alternate hands (left hand for right side and vice versa) when I'mshaving eith the kamisori, I've started alternating hands when I'm shaving with safety razors too. As well as using my (non-dominant) left hand when brushing my teeth. This has been surprisingly effective although it felt super weird in the beginning.

At the current rate, I think it's gonna be months, maybe even a full year, before I can shave as effortlessly with it as I'd like. Trying to take it slow and enjoy the long path to mastery of a new skill

Interesting, I never thought about alternating my hands when not shaving, might give it a try! & yes I think I'm over the expectation of using it every day, I thought I'd be a pro at it from the get go and look at me now ha! Suppose with time I'll get the hang of it. What blade & soap are you using?

 

[Goblin]

Low angle and skin stretching (which you mentioned) are key. And a light touch. I'd say practice on your cheeks until you're more comfortable and then add in the more challenging areas. Keep your lather wet.

This is the answer. You want that blade as shallow as possible.

Other than that, it's really just a case of going slowly and practising. The improvement is so gradual you almost don't notice it happening, until one day you realise that you are whizzing around your face with satisfying dextrousness and getting great shaves.

I suggest using Proraso (just because I use it, so I know it's good for for this particular job) and being real generous with it, then adding enough water to get it real sloppy but without building a lot of volume.

I don't think you should have remorse about choosing the DX over the other models - I use various other shavettes and a couple of Feather/Kai clones. If I was buying a genuine Feather, I would definitely plump for the DX. That hollow profile allows you to get a nice shallow angle, which is what you want. You might find you actually have an easier time of things with an unguarded blade - never got on with the guarded blades myself. Many like them but when I tried them for my first AC outings I just found them inefficient. Many say there is no difference, but the unguarded blades actually remove hair better for me.

 

[TSENG]

Use pictures for reference.

 

[flintoid49]

Start out with a guarded blade like the Feather Proguard or Kai Protouch MG. You will still get a good close shave with less chance of damage.

 

[gpjoe]

Low angle and skin stretching (which you mentioned) are key. And a light touch. I'd say practice on your cheeks until you're more comfortable and then add in the more challenging areas. Keep your lather wet.

What blade are you using?

Yep...

...and there is nothing wrong with just doing a single WTG pass while you learn the mechanics (angle, grip, pressure). You may not (you won't) get a perfect shave right off, but you will improve.

 

[GoodShave]

I have several AC barber razors and picked up the DX (wood handle, folding) last week. I am still getting used to it compared to my other razors.

One thing that could be helpful is to practice with the DX with no blade in it. You could use lather or not.
That way you could build more muscle memory, learn the angles/how to hold the razor for different parts of your face and get used to shaving with either hand (which can help with the angles).

If you find the ProGuards are a little rough, try the Kai ProTouch MG blades. I find them smoother on my face than the ProGuards.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Low angle and skin stretching (which you mentioned) are key. And a light touch. I'd say practice on your cheeks until you're more comfortable and then add in the more challenging areas. Keep your lather wet.

Good advice! You are getting irritation because you are removing too many cells from the surface of your skin - exfoliation. Most likely the result of using more pressure than necessary and/or shaving over the area more than needed.

Try to just remove the lather from your skin and you will be amazed at the result.

Gaining proficiency with a straight takes time. Be patient and enjoy the journey. It took me a while to learn to shave with a DE, and even longer to learn to shave with a straight.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Something that helped me early on was to establish the angle and then kind of hover the blade above the skin while making short strokes. In other words, start the motion with the blade not in contact. Then gently lower it until it's just skimming off lather. Once you feel the whiskers engaging, you don't need to go any deeper.

Imagine if your kid or your wife/girlfriend had a loose eyelash stuck next to their eye and you were going to gently brush it off with your fingertip. You'd start light and gradually add a little more pressure until you brushed it off. That's the kind of approach you want.

Laying the blade on the skin and then starting the motion is a good way to draw blood.

 

[StillShaving]

Beard prep is especially important when learning, taking a good 2-3 minutes to lather before starting so that the stubble is well hydrated. And only do a one pass shave, focusing more on removing lather without nicking the skin. A second pass can be done with your more familiar safety razor as needed. That way there is absolutely no pressure to get a good shave as you are starting to learn. Soon enough (maybe in a few weeks or months) you will find that you don't need a final safety razor pass, or when you do it will only to inform you where to focus more on your shavette technique.

It will take many shaves to become proficient and develop necessary muscle memory. But if you initially focus more on removing lather without getting cut, I think it leads to more satisfaction and quicker success, as there is less tendency to skip shaves because one really needs to be presentable in the next hour for work, church, social activity, etc. and can't risk a straight razor shave today.

 

[Ranyart Finn]

I have several AC barber razors and picked up the DX (wood handle, folding) last week. I am still getting used to it compared to my other razors.

One thing that could be helpful is to practice with the DX with no blade in it. You could use lather or not.
That way you could build more muscle memory, learn the angles/how to hold the razor for different parts of your face and get used to shaving with either hand (which can help with the angles).

If you find the ProGuards are a little rough, try the Kai ProTouch MG blades. I find them smoother on my face than the ProGuards.

I've just ordered a shavette, and practising without the blade, using dominant and non-dominant hands, is my #1 priority for starting out. Using non-dominant hand for other tasks is a great idea too.

 

[Old Hippie]

Good on you for trying it on! I struggle because I'm not all that motivated to keep going back for a "beginner's shave" all the time. But because I often set them aside, it's always "beginner's shave." Oh well.

I've used both Western style and kamisori style shavettes. As primarily a head shaver, I find the kamisori style is better although I'm frequently holding it "backwards" (with the business end sticking out the pinkie side of my hand). I do this so I can see what I'm shaving. I can shave with either one but the Western style gets more in the way.

I've heard the DX is the one that's hardest to learn on. I've used the SS but found that bulb on the end messes up my angles. When the SR came out I bought that in a kamisori and it's probably tied for best with my Western style Kasho (Kai) "Woody."

I have two other shavettes at the moment, one is a Parker 1/2 DE style that I don't actually shave with. I didn't get on well with it so I now keep it next to the oven where it does a dandy job slashing bread loaves. The other one is another 1/2 DE style, a Western style by Focus (the Slim Al). I'd like to try a Universal Lama Intera (takes a full DE blade). They're inexpensive enough but shipping from Europe is insane for them.

I like AC shavettes because the blade, paradoxically, is a bit more forgiving because it's stiffer. But I like that Focus because it's light, it's fairly small, and it has cutting guides and guards built in. "Six of one..." as they say.

I'll be the iconoclast in the room about blades, though. I cannot stand guarded blades. To me they're rough, tuggy and don't cut worth a toot. Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink blades are my go-to. Sharp but not evilly so. Smooth. Encourages a light touch. I've tried the Feather and Kai guarded blades and they just don't spin my toque. That's not to say they won't work for you, just that for me trying to make the blade "safer" makes it more dangerous.

O.H.

 

[lightfoot]

I would try the Pro Light Blades and just watch the angle and pressure.

It’s possible that a guarded blade is working against you…

 

[StillShaving]

I would try the Pro Light Blades and just watch the angle and pressure.

It’s possible that a guarded blade is working against you…

I found the AC Light blades to be worst. I tried shaving with them a few times but after getting numerous nicks and cuts I gave up on them. When in comparison I had little problem with the normal blades or the larger exposure Super Pros. I suspect the narrower exposure caused me to use too steep of a shaving angle, or perhaps more pressure. I attempted to use the same light touch as I had used when shaving with a Professional blade or a DE shavette, so I was surprised to see the blood letting when trying to use their "light" blade.

I wanted to like them, but found them harder to use than the regular blades from Feather or Schick.

 

[TSENG]

I found the AC Light blades to be worst. I tried shaving with them a few times but after getting numerous nicks and cuts I gave up on them. When in comparison I had little problem with the normal blades or the larger exposure Super Pros. I suspect the narrower exposure caused me to use too steep of a shaving angle, or perhaps more pressure. I attempted to use the same light touch as I had used when shaving with a Professional blade or a DE shavette, so I was surprised to see the blood letting when trying to use their "light" blade.

I wanted to like them, but found them harder to use than the regular blades from Feather or Schick.

Maybe don't change the angle of use to reduce injury.

 

[StillShaving]

Maybe don't change the angle of use to reduce injury.
View attachment 1801772

I have not tried using the AC Lite blades since before covid, so my memory is not fresh when I try to describe my experience. But when using them on at a flat angle, roughly the same angle I used for the Professional blade they would not cut or engage properly, the shaving feel while using them was much different. This was with a Feather DX or RG holder and maybe even a Kai. I cannot remember if I tried with the SS, but I certainly did not try with a SR. All razors I had worked quite well with the regular Professional blades, but the Lite blade needed a higher blade angle before getting the same "face feel" of engagement and I was surprised at the number of nicks and cuts I "silently" received. I tried a few different blades to make sure I had not damaged one while handling the razor but after trying to use a light touch and still getting bad results I gave up on the blade. Rather than getting a mild shave I got a harsher shave when compared to the AC Pro or AC Super Pro blades. Since the Lite blades are harder to source and more expensive, I did not try them again.

 

[lightfoot]

I have not tried using the AC Lite blades since before covid, so my memory is not fresh when I try to describe my experience. But when using them on at a flat angle, roughly the same angle I used for the Professional blade they would not cut or engage properly, the shaving feel while using them was much different. This was with a Feather DX or RG holder and maybe even a Kai. I cannot remember if I tried with the SS, but I certainly did not try with a SR. All razors I had worked quite well with the regular Professional blades, but the Lite blade needed a higher blade angle before getting the same "face feel" of engagement and I was surprised at the number of nicks and cuts I "silently" received. I tried a few different blades to make sure I had not damaged one while handling the razor but after trying to use a light touch and still getting bad results I gave up on the blade. Rather than getting a mild shave I got a harsher shave when compared to the AC Pro or AC Super Pro blades. Since the Lite blades are harder to source and more expensive, I did not try them again.

I wonder if the mild Kai blades would be better.

Would these work in a Feather handle?

 

[StillShaving]

I wonder if the mild Kai blades would be better.

Would these work in a Feather handle?

Yes, the Captain Titan Mild blades should fit the Feather handles. I believe they are also 8mm tall, so the same height (blade exposure) as the AC Professional blades, providing a similar shave angle.