Worst DE Shave Ever with Feather Portable!!

[michiganlover]

Having just completed my sampling of blades yesterday, I figured I would shave with a razor that has yet to see any attention: a Feather Portable bought about 3 weeks ago. This was the first shave with the razor.

I used a fairly typical setup for me:

The Setup:

-Aveno gel (as prep)
-Penworks Finest Badger
-Proraso SC
-Barbesol Pacific Rush AS
-Generic Witch Hazel
-Feather Portable w/ new Derby

The Shave:

I assembled the razor last night, and did a visual check of the razor, the blade exposure seemed like it might be uneven, but I couldn't 100% tell.

So I broke out the razor, and lathered up. Went for the first WTG pass. Noticed Weepers at both corners of my mouth. Well that's odd I thought, as I have been getting nearly nick free shaves for quite a while now. Chalked it up the Feather Portable being more aggressive.

Pass 2, WTG at an angle, noticed 3 bleeding slash marks at the end of my sideburns, high on my face (I don't like sideburns, and keep them fairly shaved off).

Ok, I thought really strange, but I will complete the shave anyway (most of you would have abandoned ship at this point, clearly you are smarter than I).

Decided to examine the razor, and see if the blade exposure was indeed off. Still not 100% conclusive.

Started to notice that the feel of the razor was entirely different on the two sides. One side was very smooth, and the other very rough. At this point I caused a huge nick on my upper lip.

Looking at the razor really closely now, I notice the amount of light shining up through the holes in the bottom plate is different. In fact more of the slot is exposed underneath one side of the razor than the other!!

So clearly this razor suffers from serious uneven blade exposure. Looks like what I have, is a nicer handle for my Tech!!

Just thought I would post, so you can either:

1) Laugh at my foolishness.
2) Sympathize with my pain.

Off to apply aftershave, which is sure to burn like the fires of hell!!

~John~

P.S. I originally posted this in "newbie checkin" but feel it is better suited to here. Mods, feel free to delete one thread, or the other if you see fit.

 

[michiganlover]

I have tried to take photos, but they are not turning out. I am going down to my father's tomorrow, and he owns a welding, and machine shop. I am going to measure it with a dial caliper just to verify just how uneven the blade exposure truly is.

If the blade exposure truly is that off, I don't imagine how this could be so, without 1000's of razors being affected: these should all be stamped/ poured from the same mold/die.

 

[Sluggo]

Sucks! I hate when a shave goes bad!

 

[ateace]

Well, that's no way to start a Sunday. Sorry to hear that. I must admit that, while my few shaves with the Feather Portable haven't been great, they weren't as bad as yours. Sounds like you have a day or two of healing to do before you bring sharpened steel to your face again.

 

[houlejames]

I had a feather portable for awhile and it gave a close, smooth shave from both sides. I was using feather blades and getting good shaves but I like a longer handle and heavier razor so I sold it. Check with Pauldog or whoever you bought it from and get a replacement as there is definitely something wrong with your razor. I didn't notice any difference from one side to the other on mine.
Jim

 

[Batman]

I sympathize completely! I too purchased one of these after reading some good reviews and finding a new one for around $10.

Very irritated afterward. My wife, who is not a fan of my RAD, stated, after my shave with the Feather portable, that DE shaving was making my face look ruddy. Without a doubt, one of the worst shaves ever.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Sorry to hear the tales of woe. I'm with Jim on this one. My portable with a Derby give great shaves and are my best friends on the road.

I think you got subpar version of an otherwise good little razor.

 

[michiganlover]

Sorry to hear the tales of woe. I'm with Jim on this one. My portable with a Derby give great shaves and are my best friends on the road.

I think you got subpar version of an otherwise good little razor.

I have had a Feather Portable in the past, it gave great shaves. I sold it off as part of a newbie kit, as I had way too many razors.

I wanted to have one new razor in my collection (everything else is vintage), so I repurchased the Feather Portable, remembering that it had performed really well in the past.

Upon closer inspection, this one clearly has mechanically issues: the base plate is clearly wider on one side than the other. This causes one side of the razor to be very mild, and the other side to be dangerously aggressive.

Knowing a bit about manufacturing processes, it seems clear to me, that this piece is not stamped out on one machine with a single die as I originally thought. Clearly the base plate goes through multiple punch presses/ dies, and it got out of alignment in one of them causing the mis-shaped base plate.

 

[talibeard]

I wanted to have one new razor in my collection (everything else is vintage), so I repurchased the Feather Portable, remembering that it had performed really well in the past.

Don't tell me you were so stupid that you got rid of your Lord 3-piece, did you?

Sorry to hear your Feather turned out to be rubbish...no better way to ruin a day when you start it with a shave like that!

 

[michiganlover]

I finally was able to take a few photos of the mechanically un-sound razor:

The issue with the baseplate is most apparent in the last photo: the left side of the razor is clearly shorter, than the right side of the razor.

I purchased the razor from Pauldog, who is an outstanding vendor. He is sending me a new head for the razor at no charge.

I will report back later with the measurements I take with the caliper.

~John~

 

[michiganlover]

Don't tell me you were so stupid that you got rid of your Lord 3-piece, did you?

Sorry to hear your Feather turned out to be rubbish...no better way to ruin a day when you start it with a shave like that!

I PIFed it to a deserving newbie, who has been having incredible shaves with it.

There is a US vendor who indicates he just placed an order (ntguys) for the LP1822, and the factory claims it is the one with the new Merkur like head. So I will be ordering a replacement very soon.

 

[thirdeye]

Looks lie this one was missed in QC....Just sorry you had to be the one to catch it....

 

[kingfisher]

Great.

I just ordered a Feather Portable last week. I sure hope mine works better than yours did.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Ugh, i was planning on getting one of these little guys for travel. Not that a 3" long DE takes up much room

 

[michiganlover]

Ugh, i was planning on getting one of these little guys for travel. Not that a 3" long DE takes up much room

I really think mine was just a fluke.

A 1 in 1000 type of fluke. The chances of you getting one that is similarly broken are not great.

For the price, I would totally take a chance on it. Pauldog will make it right if you do get a defective razor anyway.

 

[michiganlover]

As promised, here are the results of my measuring the razor with a Dial Caliper. I measured from the edge of the top cap, to the outside edge of the safety bar. I measured at all four corners.

The broken side measured: .115 inches, and .125 inches.

The more normal side measured: .140 inches, and .130 inches.

I don't think either side of the razor is technically within specs. The one side is dangerously aggressive, and the other excessively mild.

~John~