OK, so prior to a few weeks ago I have been shaving with a Mach 3 and using Art of Shaving Products. I have always had sensitive skin and am very prone to razor rash and bumps. It seemed to be going well but I still wanted better so after doing some research I decided to try out a DE safety razor. The razor I bought was a feather stainless steel with feather blades. 4th shave in now and my face looks like hell! My bumps are the worst they have been in along time and my shaves, where they used to get very smooth, are now not very close at all. Its seems the Mach was sharper and closer than this $179 dumbbell razor! lol I use a preshave, have studied techniques on youtube...Im all in here with products and such. I thought I was gonna get a babys butt shave using this beard reduction technique but Im getting far from it. Im at a loss. In doing additional research, I that came across another razor called the Cobra Classic...Im sure you guys have seen it and/or used it. Its sort of a hybrid razor? Do you think I might have better luck with this? Im open to any and all comments at this point. I dont want to have to go back to the Mach but Im alittle at wits end with this razor design!! Today I used products from Proraso, just to switch it up. I think I like The Art of Shaving stuff better. I appreciate the help guys.
I'm thinking the blade (and/or the razor) just isn't a good match for you. Blades are the biggest controversial (for lack of a better word) item in shaving. Some folks love brand X, others hate brand X and couldn't buy a good shave with brand X. Have you considered a blade sample pack?
Thanks for your reply. I actually have. The blade on this razor just doesnt seem to get close enough to the skin to cut cleanly. I mean this feather razor seem to get great reviews which is why I rolled with it. So you think it may be a blade issue? Do other brands of blades cut better (in general)? I have heard that feather is one of the more aggressive blades. Is this true? Do you think I might be a better candidate for the Cobra Classic? If so, I hear there is a good resell value in these better razors so maybe I'll just ditch the Feather if the classic is the way to go. I can see this is very much a trial and error ambition! lol Can you suggest a sample pack that may give me a good cross section of blades I should be trying? I read that you should give a blade a full 30 days before moving over to another manufactures blade to give each a solid try. Sounds reasonably logical to me. I hate being the newbie! lol Im usually the one people come to for advice! Again, thanks for your help.
First off, to the Den! The Feather AS is a great-looking razor, beautifully built but a bit fickle on the blade angle side. If you are still trying to warm up on DEs, I would recommend you go with either a Merkur, Mühle, EJ or similar from the new producers (there's also Parker and Cadet) or you get yourself a vintage Gillette. Those razors are generally more forgiving in terms of blade angle. And a selection of different blades to try out. If you sign up for this month's Newbie Give-Away, you get a shot at quite a well-rounded starter set which might help you find your right set-up. Once you get your technique down pat and you take out the Feather AS again, you will see much improved results. I personally love the Feather, had 2 of them but am not patient enough to really focus on maintaining blade angle (with very little wiggle room). To others it comes naturally and they really enjoy their razor. Now, the Cobra Classic is of course also an option which I highly recommend, having gotten one myself and fallen heads over heels with it only recently.
It sounds like you're having the same issues I had when I first started. My face looked like a war zone after I first started DE shaving. When using cartridge razors for so long, it's muscle memory for us to push down to get everything on the first pass. I had a hard time grasping this at first. Also, the blades I used were bad for my face. Blades are something so subjective like Steve said. When learning your technique, take light strokes, don't try to get all your stubble on the first go, don't take too many strokes. If you have to while learning technique, go over your face Across the Grain with your Mach 3 until you're comfortable going XTG with a DE. I hope this helps, don't hesitate to check in with us if something feels wrong.
Hi..welcome! When I first came back to the DE after a few decades, I did the restart with a Gillette Big Boy Deluxe..quite the powerful and tricky razor to start on..much more so than a Feather SS IMO. After a couple of goes I ended up purchasing a Panasonic electric. What I'm saying is that don't be discouraged..there is a learning curve involved with DE..not as much as straights, but there nevertheless and if you persist you will succeed and be richly rewarded. 84% of those who venture into the DE succeed and stay with it..so the odds are in your favor. The Cobra's nice but I would not start there. The feather SS is a forgiving and mild place to begin. You should probably pick up one of those sampler packs and try other blades and see how it goes. I made quite the discovery in those days when switching from Astras to Derbys and your millage will vary lol. Stay with each variation in your set up for a good while before switching and you'll see..you'll get the swing of it in no time at all... add: oh yes..always remember to shave using the whole arm and not from the wrist and keep the pressure down...
Welcome to the wonderful world of wet shaving! It takes a while to get used to at first, and you have to take it slow. As mentioned above, make sure there is no pressure when shaving. This is something I learned the hard way, after cutting my face to pieces with a mild DE razor several times. Also take it slow as in the number of passes. I personally waited a few weeks before venturing into the ATG pass, so I could get the angle of the razor right. The Feather SS is a piece of art when it comes to razor construction, but from what I have read, it is hard to find the angle and is very mild. The Feather blades are insanely sharp, but with the right technique will be very rewarding. I would recommend picking upneither an Edwin Jagger razor or vintage Gillette superspeed (found cheap in antique stores and eBay) and use them for a while to get technique down. However, if you want to stick with your feather (I wouldn't blame you) you could use this technique of mine to find the proper razor angle. What I would do when learning an angle is to take the razor and shave a bit of the hair on the underside of my forearm (its not noticeable). That way you can easily see what the proper angle is for a smooth shave, and apply the angle to your face. Anyway, good luck with everything and keep asking questions. And also remember that razors and blades are different for everyone.
Welcome to the shave den, I too have heard mixed reviews on the feather razor, (that said I'm still tempted to try as its a really nice looking razor) it's kinda a marmite thing going on with it. As mentioned already an EJ89l is a great razor. If you decide to sell the feather it will fetch a good price that can be reinvested in something else.
Here's a video by a famous shaver that might be helpful. The fellow has a formidable grow and accomplishes a fairly good shave in his usual 3 passes with the Feather..
Welcome to TSD I'd suggest shelving the razor until you have some time working on technique and blade angles with the DE89, it's almost universally regarded as THE razor for people to begin DE shaving with. It's not finicky, is affordable and is very forgiving even with the sharpest of blades. The other option would be to spend some more time with your razor and be more cautious with learning its extremely finicky angles for shaving.
He does make it look easy, however Geo has been using DE razors for a long time, and if a razor is picky, he still manages to hit the sweet spot for great shaves. This video's had me on the fence about buying a bloody AS-D1 for a while LOL.
Geo was born with a silver razor in his hand lol. Here he is with a Cobra..notice how careful he is with it..
...to The Shave Den family! Be sure to stop by The Shave Den "Master Sticky" thread to familiarize yourself with the rules and different areas of The Shave Den!
Welcome to the Den! I hope you will find your perfect combo and stick with DE shaving, I'm sure in time you will find it addicting like most here As suggested already, if I were in your place, I would probably try to get a blade sample pack and maybe a cheaper starter razor that won't set you back too much until you get a grip on the technic (maybe a superspeed, knack, tech, lord, cadet,weishi, razorock, EJ...options are out there)
Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
this doesn't have to do with shaving, but how do you embed the video? I've only been able to embed a link to the video when I tried before.
I just copy and paste the web address of the particular utube video out of the navigator bar and ol' TSD does the rest...
