Wow, just shredded myself with a Feather!

[Nxspam]

Before I became a B&B member I probably would have said that a blade is a blade, period. Now I know better. So far I've tried Gillettes, Derbys and I've just changed out a thrice used Merkur that was getting dull and scrapey.

I popped in a nice new Feather, and within the first minute I had a couple of nice nicks, took the head of a small pimple I didn't know I had, and turned the soap pink in several places! The alum stung like a bugger.

The first and best nick was a skin fold created by stretching. The Feather just opened up a little flap in it. This has got to be my worst shave yet!

Oh well, you live and learn.

 

[crfcom]

Feathers can be a little rough on the first shave. The second and third are always better for me. Med Preps Personnas, 7 o'clock Blacks and Yellows, and any Polsilver, are my favorite blades in a Feather razor.

 

[Attila]

Feathers are my favorite blade. But I do have to be careful to use very very little pressure when shaving and do have to watch the angles. They do give me a very close and efficient shave. There are some razors I own that I wouldn't use them in however. Like my Cadet OC and my previously owned Merkur 38C. As in all things here though, YMMV and some folks actually do like using Feathers in those razors! The key is to find the combination that works for you. I find Astras give good predictable results in most any razor that I have ever used.

 

[dougmac]

Yikes! I love feathers, but where I'm new to this I use them in a pretty mild razor and they're perfect for me. If I put one in my Fatboy Adjustable, even at a 3 its too aggressive for me, and am more prone to cutting myself.

 

[Nxspam]

Feathers can be a little rough on the first shave. The second and third are always better for me. Med Preps Personnas, 7 o'clock Blacks and Yellows, and any Polsilver, are my favorite blades in a Feather razor.

Sorry, my bad. It's a Jagger DE with feather blades.

 

[Nxspam]

Yikes! I love feathers, but where I'm new to this I use them in a pretty mild razor and they're perfect for me. If I put one in my Fatboy Adjustable, even at a 3 its too aggressive for me, and am more prone to cutting myself.

You got a link to a Fatboy?

 

[Nxspam]

... They do give me a very close and efficient shave...

The parts that didn't get shredded are smooth

 

[Attila]

You got a link to a Fatboy?

Just google it. It's one of the most popular vintage razors out there. No shortage of info on it. Nice looking razor thats for sure.

 

[celestino]

Never enjoyed the Feathers myself and can empathize. Get well.

 

[Nxspam]

Found it. Looks very nice. There's a gold plated one pictured here on B&B:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/1779-Gillette-Fat-Boy

BTW (for anyone in Denmark reading) I've just updated the Shopping By Country - Denmark page in the Shave wiki, and noticed that proshave.dk has a small section with vintage razors, including a 1963 Gillette adjustable.

 

[Nxspam]

Never enjoyed the Feathers myself and can empathize. Get well.

Cheers Celestino. I'll live to do it again

 

[dougmac]

Hey Nxspam, glad you found the link to the Fatboy, but to clarify, I find the Feathers too aggressive in a my Fatboy Adjustable, even at a lower setting. This blade works best for me in my 1947 Superspeed, which I find to be a really mild shaver:


I find a sharp blade works best for me, which is why I got away from cartridge razors in the first place Good luck!!

 

[Attila]

Hey Nxspam, glad you found the link to the Fatboy, but to clarify, I find the Feathers too aggressive in a my Fatboy Adjustable, even at a lower setting. This blade works best for me in my 1947 Superspeed, which I find to be a really mild shaver:
View attachment 287950

I find a sharp blade works best for me, which is why I got away from cartridge razors in the first place Good luck!!

+5. Feathers work fabulously in my late 40's superspeed as well. That is a great matchup.

 

[bkflyfisher]

+ 3 I was also just gonna post just this. Feather + 40s Super Speed is my favorite combo. Really tames this blade.

+5. Feathers work fabulously in my late 40's superspeed as well. That is a great matchup.

Hey Nxspam, glad you found the link to the Fatboy, but to clarify, I find the Feathers too aggressive in a my Fatboy Adjustable, even at a lower setting. This blade works best for me in my 1947 Superspeed, which I find to be a really mild shaver:
View attachment 287950

I find a sharp blade works best for me, which is why I got away from cartridge razors in the first place Good luck!!

 

[cwnidog]

When I'm feeling brave, I'll put a Feather in my Futur - then sanity takes over. I'll reinforce what has been said before about Feathers in '40s Superspeeds, though - it's definitely the way to go.

 

[Nxspam]

A Super Speed, hmmm.

 

[superkreep]

I started on Feather blades and 2+ years later I'm still very careful on corners. They are great blades but have a small margin for error.

 

[Charlie NJ]

I like feathers in the milder razors, my tech, EJ 89' super speed are all good for feathers. But in my more aggressive razors they are too much for me. I think one thing is you get little to no feedback with those blades. Don't get me wrong matched with the rite razor I get great shaves with them but in my Futur or slant they can be too much

 

[OkieStubble]

If I use a Feather, it is in my 1951 40's style SuperSpeed also. However, I like to whip my razors around my face and neck with sort of a high speed, low drag technique. The sharp, unforgiving nature of the Feather requires a low speed, high drag opposite.

 

[Elder Scrolls]

Whenever I'm using Feather blades, I'm always extra careful and treat them with a little bit more respect