Traditional Straight vs Feather Artist Club: A Beginners view

[walto]

I just started shaving with a straight razor and tried a 6/8 full hollow shave-ready honed and a Feather AC with a ProGuard blade. I have done 2 shaves with each razor.

First impressions:
The traditional straight razor has a rather big blade which is not so easy to manouever. The razor feels rather heavy. It requires stropping, which is not so easy for a beginner. I like the old fashioned design.
The Feather AC is easy to load with a new blade from the dispenser. The blade is shorter but equally heavy. The design looks modern - but still interesting.

The shave:
Going WTG the traditional razor goes smooth trough the beard. I can take rather long strokes. I need to apply a light pressure. The angle is about 30 degrees, maybe a bit less. The blade seems to be rather forgiving. Because of the big blade it is not easy to maintain a good view to the face shaving the cheeks.
The AC is less forgiving. I can use no pressure at all. I have to keep the AC almost against the cheek. Because of the smaller blade it is easier to manouever and keep a view to the face (but this is still a bit complicated). I just can use short strokes.

Going ATG with the traditional razor is difficult. I have to keep it much flatter to the skin than WTG and I need much more pressure. Here i get a cut.
With the Feather AC it seems a bit easier going ATG. I maintain a very flat angle and the sharp blade cut through the whiskers.

Conclusion:
Comparing both razors is comparing apples and oranges. The differences in desgin are not only visual. They require different handling. With none of the razors I got a BBS. The chin and the mustache area is difficult with both razors.
For me it was easier to start with the Feather Artist Club. It comes with sharp blades which are easy to load and it does not require honing and stropping. It is the better choice when you are looking for a travel straight razor, because you don't need a strop and you don't need to care so much about the blade. The handling is a bit different but when the razor is kept almost flat against the skin without any pressure it works really smooth. The heavy weight helps a lot. But because of the flat angle I can just go with short strokes. The shorter blade is easier to manouver and it is a bit easier to keep an almost undisturbed view to the face.
The traditional razor works very well WTG, but I had problems shaving ATG. It is also more difficult to have an unblurred view to the face.

This is a personal view and I hope it helps beginners like me to choose the right tool. If you are interested in both (like me) get both and have fun. There is a learning curve with both razors.

 

[Thebigspendur]

The apples and oranges analogy is correct. A feather type razor is not a straight simply put. You're shaving with a razor blade. It feels different because it is. Like you said if you don't want to worry about all the ancilary issues with a straight then the feather type is for you however most who use a straight don't view these other issues as a negative we rather enjoy them.

 

[SavantStrike]

I like the comparison.

I agree that the maintenance issues with a straight eventually become a cherished part of the routine. I also agree that, when you are first learning, stropping a blade can be a daunting task. All kinds of questions go through one's mind, not the least of which being "am I helping, or hurting?"

I don't, however, feel that the ease with which an ATG pass can be pulled off is a fair criteria. The reason being that, as you said yourself, you are a newbie.
The OMG sharpness of the Feather hides any inherent shortcomings in technique which keep the straight from being able to pass the same test. At the same time, the OMG sharpness is most likely partially responsible for the harsher qualities you observed in the Feather. I that in time, you will find that the straight can pass the ATG test just as easily as the Feather.

It also sounds like you are making excellent progress!

 

[walto]

I also agree that, when you are first learning, stropping a blade can be a daunting task. All kinds of questions go through one's mind, not the least of which being "am I helping, or hurting?"

That is exactly what I am thinkink. I got the razor sharped and honed really well, but I am not sure if my stropping improves anything. But the strop got some (minor) nicks.

The OMG sharpness of the Feather hides any inherent shortcomings in technique which keep the straight from being able to pass the same test. At the same time, the OMG sharpness is most likely partially responsible for the harsher qualities you observed in the Feather. I that in time, you will find that the straight can pass the ATG test just as easily as the Feather.

You are right. I am sure going smoothly ATG can be accomplished with a tradtional razor. I just seems a bit easier for me with the Feather.

It also sounds like you are making excellent progress!

Thanks for your encouragement. But I feel (literally) there is a long way to go to an unbloody and smooth shave with any of the straight razors.

 

[Doc4]

I started with the Feather AC before moving on to real straights. One of the problems I found with the Feather is how the blade 'decays' over use ... you are using a duller and duller blade, and eventually it's so bad you need a new one ... and whammo, you get uber-sharp killer-blade and slice yourself up pretty good, since you got used to more pressure with the old blade. Real straights seem to have a much slower 'decay rate' for their edge, so it's a little more static.