Kai Captain vs Feather AC

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by riffin, Nov 11, 2009.

  1. riffin

    riffin Active Member

    [Move from the review forum]

    Thanks! When I get up the nerve, I'll try a shallower angle. I may drop back the Pro Guard to get the hang of it. There's a YouTube of a guy shaving with an AC (to one of my favorite songs "Bobcaygeon" by The Tragically Hip). It looked like he was using a steep angle. I got the cuts just as the blade touched my face. I think I lead with the edge slightly.

    It quite easy to put an AC blade in a DE. I use my Dremel to trim the ends down to DE width. That's just to the outside of the holes in the blade. Then I lay it across the posts so the face is resting against the inside surface of the cap. Then I slide the razor over the cap and tighten it down. I only put a blade on one side. I made a shim by sanding the edge off a used AC blade to put in the other side, but I got a better shave without it.

    The reason it's so safe is because AC blade is narrow enough that when set in the DE this way, the edge is farther back from the guard. I think the added thickness of the blade gives it just enough exposure to cut. And the incredible sharpness lets it cut really close.

    The Super Pro is 0.25 mm wider and 0.056 mm thicker than the Pro. I find that makes a close but more dangerous shave even with the Progress adjusted lower. The Pro is much better for my face.

    The Pro Guard has almost identical dimensions as the Pro, but it's layered construction made it impossible for me to trim it without curling the guard layers off the blade layer leaving some nasty corners that looked like they scratch deep.

    I might try to get some Kai blades to try in my AC. Thanks so much for the great review!
     
  2. Let me assure you that a really steep angle gave me a killer shave the very first time I ever used a Feather AC. Seriously, I was very impressed with the closeness - particularly after hearing about all the gory nightmares people had gone through with that razor.

    The Excelia is similar in efficacy. I suppose not every razor is for everyone, but when I finally learned how to use this style of razor effectively, I was blown away.
     
  3. riffin

    riffin Active Member

    Hmmm, I may be misusing the terminology. By "steep," I mean lifting the spine farther off the face. The steepest angle would be what a surgeon would use to make an incision. :o

    By "shallow" I mean the spine close to the face, so the motion of the blade is more parallel to the surface of the skin.

    I thought in your review you mentioned that you got the best shave with the Excelia by keeping the spine almost right against the face, that is, using a shallow angle. The Excelia gives a similar close, excellent shave as the AC, but do you use the same technique, or am I misusing/understanding? Excelia: shallow, AC: steep?

    This pretty much answers my major question. I've been very enamored of the Excelia since I saw it. Before I laid out the cash, I wanted to know if it substantially different than the AC. Now me getting one is more of an aesthetic, rather than practical imperative. The blades, however DO seem to be quite different, and I can afford the price. I'm eager the give them a try.
     
  4. There is a little difference as the spine is wider on the Excelia, but other than that they are very much alike in how they're used.

    And yes, I think we need to get our semantics straight when we're talking about blade angles... lets just go with "almost flat against the face". Like as flat as you can get while still using an angle. :D
     
  5. riffin

    riffin Active Member

    Ok, good. I"ll work on that end of range when I take it up again. To me, the video looked like he was more towards the "surgeon's cut" end of the scale. :) Thanks again for all the info. Excellent review!
     
  6. My pleasure man. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to use both of these shavers, and I'm glad they've worked out so well for me as many people just can't find a way to master this style of razor, or maybe just aren't patient enough to give it the time.

    Personally, I'm really glad I have these. I've all but given up on DE shaving. If I had to take the time to strop my standard straights every morning, I'm not sure that I wouldn't still be using a DE as a daily. Not that there's anything wrong with using DEs, but I really do prefer the Excelia and the Feather AC over any DE I've ever tried, and they're just about as quick... but much closer.
     

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