@WThomas0814 I totally agree with @Goblin. I had the same problem with the guarded blades, they seem to snag and skip over the stubble. Once I switched to the Feather Pros the problem was solved. Don't give up stick with it.
I have a bunch of AC Pro blades that I use in my Vector. I might give it another try. Thanks for the tip and I appreciate the thought on the Schicks.How long have you been at it @WThomas0814?
Don't quit!
FWIW, I find guarded blades make the process more difficult and dangerous rather than easier. I tried shaving with a Protouch MG the other day just to see if I might use up my pack and sure enough, I managed a proper bleeder - I have been shaving all month with Feather Pro and Schicks and not seen any blood at all.
You might be like me and find you got on better with a sharp and unguarded blade. With them, you can wipe stubble away, but the guarded blades always seem to leave stubble behind for me (or do a funny snag like it did yesterday).
I am guessing you are in the USA or I would offer to send you some Schicks to try.
I think I'll give it another try. I really like the razor and the idea of using it. My first 4-5 experiences were miserable, so, I'll see.@WThomas0814 I totally agree with @Goblin. I had the same problem with the guarded blades, they seem to snag and skip over the stubble. Once I switched to the Feather Pros the problem was solved. Don't give up stick with it.
I think I'll give it another try. I really like the razor and the idea of using it. My first 4-5 experiences were miserable, so, I'll see.
Lot of information there! Very much appreciated. And, no, I never used a straight. Although I once shaved with my KaBar on a hiking trip.Did you shave with straight razors before?
If not, you do have a learning curve ahead for sure. Four or five shaves is probably just enough to realise what you have gotten yourself into!
What I suggest is building up gradually. To begin with, just to the easy bits of your WTG pass with the Feather (e.g. cheeks and sideburn area) then finish up with a DE. As you gain confidence, gradually cover more ground with the Feather. The moustache is probably the easiest place to hit next, or WTG on the neck. The chin is usually the hardest area, as you need to shave around the curve - I would probably leave that until last. Experiment with using different parts of the blade to hit different areas and see what's easiest - for example, I have dimples on my neck where the toe of the blade seems to work well, but for the tough stuff on the sideburns and chin I often choke up a little and use the heel.
I reckon after a couple of weeks things should start coming together. Once you can do a full WTG pass with the Feather, you are really getting somewhere. Eventually you will probably want to try an XTG pass or even ATG, but you may find WTG with the Feather is close enough once you get it really dialled in, and there's no shame in grabbing the DE for touch-ups.
The SR doesn't let you go as shallow as some other shavettes due to the head profile, but you can definitely get shallow enough for comfort. So, lay the razor flat against your face, then lift the spine just enough to bring the blade into contact with the skin - try and get this angle "locked in" to your muscle memory, like you do with the angle on your favourite DE. Sometimes you may want to go a little steeper, but staying shallow helps to keep things mild. Shaving, not scraping!
No pressure. That goes without saying. Having used my own SR for a couple of weeks I see how you could use the profile of the head to apply gentle lateral pressure and I think that is kind of what Feather are getting at in their diagrams of how their different models work, but you don't need to do this and I think it's probably better not to. Just find the angle as discussed above, lead with the blade and concentrate on keeping a light touch.
I can't explain why, but it seems like too much pressure makes a shavette less efficient rather than more efficient. If your stroke doesn't seem to be shaving efficiently, the natural instinct is to press down harder, but in fact you need to do the opposite!
Experiment with skin stretching using the off-hand to give yourself flat planes to shave on. Again, it's easy to start with this on the cheek and sideburns - just reach over the top of your head and pull the skin up with your fingers. I find there's a sweetspot with this sort of thing. You don't need to apply lots of pressure and make the skin drum-tight. With practice, you work out how much stretching to apply.
Also, open blades seem to like runnier lather. I don't know why this is true, but everyone seems to agree on this. So, when you lather up, trying adding more water than usual to get something really, really sloppy. It can still be thick, but at the same time really saturated.
If you stick at it you will be surprised how quickly it starts to come together. That's all I have to say on the subject but maybe some of the other guys will be able to think of something I missed.
Keep us informed of your progress!
Yes, my metallic shavette is the same as yours. I didn't enjoy the first time and I doubt I will reuse it. It is open for a pif if someone is willing to pay shipping.A-77 format is wonderful ! I very much enjoy it in cheap shavette with black plastic insert.
I have metallic "teardrop" A-77 razor. Its weight bothers me. And the shoulder is too short for my liking.
It seams dangerous to load and unload blade in Sedef. Accident is lurking round the corner.
I have Rhinoceros, Cloud and 吉士 blades. All are excellent. What was your choice of blade ?
I like it a lot...it has completely quelled my desire for a DX.
...So I ordered a folding DX from Japan.
This system (turkish shavette + A77) apart the blade loading, worked really nice for me. I would recommend to give a try.
Let us know if it works for you. Careful with the blade loading.So I was just going back through the thread and reading some of my earlier posts.
On 6th of March...
On 12th of March...
I am so weak.
This is a genius idea! I actually like the Sedef with DE blades, but I am unique here in that I did not get on with the plastic Type 77 razor at all (the scar on my cheek is still visible). I do have 100 Type 77 blades (Rhinoceros brand) though, so I am going to try this for sure and see whether it works better for me.
Excellent tips!Experiment with skin stretching using the off-hand to give yourself flat planes to shave on. Again, it's easy to start with this on the cheek and sideburns - just reach over the top of your head and pull the skin up with your fingers. I find there's a sweetspot with this sort of thing. You don't need to apply lots of pressure and make the skin drum-tight. With practice, you work out how much stretching to apply.
So, plans went awry, as they sometimes do.
Having decided to give it another go, I was going to kill me BST. A gentleman, however, asked before I could. I felt it would be unfair to not let him buy it, so it is now en route to him with my best wishes.
Wanting to heed the advice given on here and try again, more judiciously, I ordered a Feather DX, with the intent of using AC Pro blades.
I figured I would eventually upgrade to a DX anyway, so, I just saved a step. Besides, those wood scales...
Right or wrong razor decision?
I figured I would eventually upgrade to a DX anyway, so, I just saved a step. Besides, those wood scales...
My DX and some Kai unguarded Pinks are stuck in US Customs. They don’t like the wood handle, for some reason. They’ve had it for 4 days now. I filled out a form a couple days ago, but there it sits. FedEx as well.The DX will allow you to take an even shallower effective shave angle, which I personally feel is a desirable attribute. Unlike the SR, because of the hollow profile, you can feel the blade even when the head is still completely flat against your face (based on my DX clone). You still want to tilt the spine up a little for the optimal angle, but it doesn't take much - probably less than 1 spine width.
My real DX was supposed to be here 2 days ago, then last night, and now it says "we will provide a delivery date when your package starts to move". It's sitting in a depot somewhere about 10 miles from my house. This is my first experience of Fed Ex and I am astonished by how terrible they are!
My DX and some Kai unguarded Pinks are stuck in US Customs. They don’t like the wood handle, for some reason. They’ve had it for 4 days now. I filled out a form a couple days ago, but there it sits. FedEx as well.
Whilst I wait, can you tell me how you store your razor between shaves? Do you use a stand of some type for drying purposes? I can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t look like junk. When out of rotation, it would go back in its box, but, while in rotation, no clue what to do with it.
How does the Woody compare to the DX?You can get a stand if you want to display or store your razor that way but it is unnecessary.
The Feather razors are the only razors in my collection that I take apart, rinse, and dry after each shave. After I rinse and towel dry the blade and razor parts, I run some folded kleenex or toilet paper between the razor scales and let everything air dry completely (couple hours) before I reassemble. After that, mine go into a drawer in the bathroom.
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Whilst I wait, can you tell me how you store your razor between shaves? Do you use a stand of some type for drying purposes? I can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t look like junk. When out of rotation, it would go back in its box, but, while in rotation, no clue what to do with it.