It's been a while since I've used it. I'm pretty much a 1940's super speed or an Aristocrat kind of guy but .. Dayumm what a nice shave I had. I put a fresh Med Prep in and lathered up a brush full of LEA soft Menthol soap and let the razor do the work. Variety is the spice of life, speaking of which, I splashed a bit of Old Spice Original on after that fine shave job.
I didn't realize the Feather AS D2 wasn't popular amongst this group. Like I said, I'm kind of a vintage 1940's super speed kind of guy and I do fancy the Aristocrats too but this Feather is a fine piece of machinery. Now I suppose you guys will say that you don't like Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac either. Carry on.. p.s. I hear Old Spice smells like 'Old People'.
I don't have a problem with Feather razors; I just don't own one to really add any well informed comments to your post. I know there are a few people that own and use them. I'll be honest I'm CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP like a little bird so generally stick to vintage razors such as Techs, Kronas, Flares, Fat Boys, and Rockets. I heard they shave very much like Techs, but that's only what I heard. Glad you enjoy them.
As soon as I have enough cash for one I'll buy it, I bought the Popular to see how well it works with the feather blade. As long as you use an aggressive blade with that razor I get an amazing shave every time. I figured if I liked feathers cheap razor I'm going to love their high-end razor. However that being said the popular is not my go to razor but it isn't in my rotation.
I think the ASD2 has a reputation of being a beautifully made but somewhat mild razor. While personally I think it’s easy to compensate for that with a really sharp blade...like, well, a Feather!...but for some reason the belief exists that a mild razor is a “beginner” razor. Another thing seems to be that expensive modern razors are expected to be made by a small “boutique” manufacturer. All this is of course crazy and the ASD2 is a fine razor.
Your dead on right Brady, I' always thought a "mild" razor was for an expiereneed user. Aggressive razors generally have a wider gap. The only difference is geometry, when I first started out with a Merkur futur the only way I could get a shave done was at an aggressive level. The more experienced I became the more mild of a setting I was able to use. After all it's the blade that does the cutting, when I first started out I had to use an aggressive setting cuz I didn't have the technique to use it at a mild setting. I think an experienced shaver should be able to make any razor work well, because it is the experienced shaver that should be able to find the right angle for every razor and every blade. It's just geometry
It is an excellent razor. And since I'm a "two is one, one is none" kinda guy, I recently picked up a second one in perfect condition as a backup. Technique Trumps Tools.
I disagree with the notion that the AS-D2 is a "mild" razor. I would suggest that because it has a relatively narrow blade gap, maintaining the angle may prove difficult for some. However, when the correct angle is found, this razor will shave you as well as any razor on the market. I am a big fan of it and it is an affordable stainless-steel razor; well-built and should last a lifetime...or longer.
A lifetime, yesss indeed. I've been shaving for 60 plus years, the first 20 or so with Gillette TTO's, flaretips, fatboys, slims, rockets,and then Schick injectors and a couple of bloody cut throat single edge razor. I forget what they were. The next 35 or so years were cartridge / throw aways / and a couple of electric no cut, make my neck raw Norelco's. A couple of years back my son talked me into trying DE shaving again, so I bought me a new Feather AS D2. Right off the bat I liked it but it wasn't shaving as I remembered DE shaving. So like all the rest of you guys in here I started reading and being led down the path of buying way to many razors, more soap than any guy could use in a lifetime, enough brushes to supply my company in the Army, and aftershave lotion to take a bath in. Dayuuuuummm was that fun. Anyhow, after about a years hiatus from my last use of my Feather AS D2, I broke that out and with a new Personna Med Prep. Either that blades was magnificent or I finally learned how to shave. LOL I'd guess the later. Thanks to all you guys for adding to this thread and giving your opinions, it's some fun stuff and I'm having fun with this as well. Cheers Mac p.s. I have many photos but since my last operating system update, I'm no longer able to post photos on here. Imac knows more than I do. Suggestions anyone?
flat bottom techs are found for decent prices on ebay uk. hybrids go for $$$ for clean /mint ones, rhodium and short build timeframe..
I've always admired the AS-D2 -- ok, I lusted after it. I was about to pull the trigger on one, when someone recommended the Mamba as a SS razor with similar shave characteristics. The Mamba is a terrific razor, but still, an AS-D2 is in my future (maybe); it's just such a beautiful razor. I don't get this fairly recent obsession with "aggressive" razors and large blade gaps. I can get BBS shaves with my Mamba (though I did spring for a GC). Unless there are degrees of BBS that I'm unaware of, I don't see the point of super-aggressive razors. As an aside, if Feather made an AC style safety razor, I'd be all over that...
i agree ,some folks may like them,or may need them for various reasons ,but i prefer the milder razors. with proper technique they deliver the goods , bbs is bbs..
It's been going on two weeks or so ago that I started this thread and since then I'm still using that same Feather AS D2 razor with that same Personna Med Prep blade. I've shaved a total of 7 times in these past two weeks and with MWF, Tabac, MdC, and LEA menthol as my soaps and? The razor and the blade are performing as well as my first shave two weeks ago. I'm impressed.