*Feather N. American Tour*
- Thread starter texbilly
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #62
Update:
Two more fine members added to the list:
Shawn (Sullybob) - Austin, Texas (current victim)
Tim (SirWhiskers) - California
Marc (hypo_style) - New York
Joe (Darjeeling Express) - New York
Randy (jakespoppy) - Houston, TX
John (Bit2) - Ohio
JR (jrhudgins) - Georgetown, TX
Darren (DFrancis) - Canada (well, I did label this the North American tour!)
Bob (Bobtrumpet) - Dallas, TX
I might get the razor back in time for Christmas!
Two more fine members added to the list:
Shawn (Sullybob) - Austin, Texas (current victim)
Tim (SirWhiskers) - California
Marc (hypo_style) - New York
Joe (Darjeeling Express) - New York
Randy (jakespoppy) - Houston, TX
John (Bit2) - Ohio
JR (jrhudgins) - Georgetown, TX
Darren (DFrancis) - Canada (well, I did label this the North American tour!)
Bob (Bobtrumpet) - Dallas, TX
I might get the razor back in time for Christmas!
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Today I received the loaner Feather. Thanks again Bill for the opportunity. Of course I did not shave this morning as I knew it would be delivered today and of course I checked the mailbox a dozen times.
Looks:
I opened the box and what I saw was impressive. Love at first sight. I'm not going to go into any details about the fit and finish, what everyone else said is true. I'm just going to point out something that is new to me: the blade short edges are fully covered; I haven't seen this in any other DE razor I tried. It makes it very easy to tighten the handle when the blade is replaced or even when you shave. A while back I used an Indian 7 o'clock black Gillette blade which had very sharp short edges, the corners looked like hooks. While trying to cut a sideburn straight, I scratched my ear pretty badly with the short edge of the blade. So this is a nice design, no danger of that happening to me again. However, that also means that the ends of the head edges have about 3mm of dead spot where there is no blade. I thought it was going to be a problem in tight areas such as under my nose where I like to get the corner of the razor in so that I catch all those pesky whiskers. While it took a little more effort, it was not bad at all. It is a compromise in the end.
I should add that the satin finish is not very forgiving, it shows fingerprints quickly when clean and also minor scratches or scuffs will look worse than a chrome or nickle plated razor. In this area I was expecting the finish to be more resilient to scratching. Bill's specimen is already showing a couple very minor scratches, but I only noticed them because I'm very picky and pay attention to details.
Shave:
Let me give you a quick background on the razors I'm familiar with and what I think of them as it will help you see what I'm comparing the Feather against:
EJ DE89L - smooth, comfortable, not the closest shaves. I called it a RAD killer at some point.
Mühle R41 open comb - close, comfortable shaver
Gillette NEW long or short open comb - close shavers, dangerous with Feather blades
Gillette Tech - too mild
Merkur HD - rough
Feather Portable - rough
Gillette Slim - rough on high settings, too mild on low settings
OK, so I loaded the Feather razor with a Feather blade from the pack the razor came with (also courtesy of Bill). I was debating what cream or soap to use. I settled on Floris No. 89 cream which I find very slick and protective. I was worried the combination new razor plus Feather blade could butcher my face. So I went to work... A couple of strokes and I stopped: "hmm, I thought I loaded a blade in this thing". Then I looked at my face: "hmm, there are no whiskers left". Darn! Calling this thing smooth is a huge understatement. The razor just glides without effort and it is very efficient at removing whiskers. The head may look like a Tech but it does not quack like a Tech! In fact, I later noticed that it even sings a bit as the whiskers are mowed. I got a very nice, close, comfortable shave in 2 passes. In fact, I have not had such a good shave in a while. It reminds me of shaving with my old friend the 2-blade Sensor. I hope this is not blasphemy.
The razor itself adds slickness; I guess it's the pear skin finish. It feels as if it has one of those lube strips you find on the multi-blade cartridges. For the next shave, I think I have to cut down on the slickness and use a soap instead. The plan was to use the same cream for as long as I'm test-driving the razor, but I will change that. I know the combination I tried today works very very well, so I can experiment a bit. I suspect that it can make even a poor cream/soap feel much better, or even improve on poor blades (Derby, Bluebird for me). I may waste one shave with it and use one of the blades I don't like. I suspect I won't be able to tell the difference.
Shaving like this is no fun, it makes it too easy. It's like driving a Lexus as opposed to a BMW. There's no feedback, no sporty feel, no rough suspension. Whether you drive it on a German highway or a bumpy country road the Lexus will feel the same, but the BMW will let you know where you are right away. Same with this razor, I suspect that it can handle a poor blade or cream/soap very well.
I called the DE89L a RAD killer at some point, but I'm starting to think this new Feather gets the title now. At least for a while, until something new comes along. You cannot fully kill RAD.
Watch for my updates over the next week. I can only shave every other day, so the next update will be in 2 days. I will mail the razor to the next person on the list on Friday 6/11 so I can get 5 shaves with it (though if I can replicate today's shave 3 more times I might use for the last shave one of the other razors that Bill included, it would be a shame not to as I don't know when I could get my hands again on such unique razors).
Looks:
I opened the box and what I saw was impressive. Love at first sight. I'm not going to go into any details about the fit and finish, what everyone else said is true. I'm just going to point out something that is new to me: the blade short edges are fully covered; I haven't seen this in any other DE razor I tried. It makes it very easy to tighten the handle when the blade is replaced or even when you shave. A while back I used an Indian 7 o'clock black Gillette blade which had very sharp short edges, the corners looked like hooks. While trying to cut a sideburn straight, I scratched my ear pretty badly with the short edge of the blade. So this is a nice design, no danger of that happening to me again. However, that also means that the ends of the head edges have about 3mm of dead spot where there is no blade. I thought it was going to be a problem in tight areas such as under my nose where I like to get the corner of the razor in so that I catch all those pesky whiskers. While it took a little more effort, it was not bad at all. It is a compromise in the end.
I should add that the satin finish is not very forgiving, it shows fingerprints quickly when clean and also minor scratches or scuffs will look worse than a chrome or nickle plated razor. In this area I was expecting the finish to be more resilient to scratching. Bill's specimen is already showing a couple very minor scratches, but I only noticed them because I'm very picky and pay attention to details.
Shave:
Let me give you a quick background on the razors I'm familiar with and what I think of them as it will help you see what I'm comparing the Feather against:
EJ DE89L - smooth, comfortable, not the closest shaves. I called it a RAD killer at some point.
Mühle R41 open comb - close, comfortable shaver
Gillette NEW long or short open comb - close shavers, dangerous with Feather blades
Gillette Tech - too mild
Merkur HD - rough
Feather Portable - rough
Gillette Slim - rough on high settings, too mild on low settings
OK, so I loaded the Feather razor with a Feather blade from the pack the razor came with (also courtesy of Bill). I was debating what cream or soap to use. I settled on Floris No. 89 cream which I find very slick and protective. I was worried the combination new razor plus Feather blade could butcher my face. So I went to work... A couple of strokes and I stopped: "hmm, I thought I loaded a blade in this thing". Then I looked at my face: "hmm, there are no whiskers left". Darn! Calling this thing smooth is a huge understatement. The razor just glides without effort and it is very efficient at removing whiskers. The head may look like a Tech but it does not quack like a Tech! In fact, I later noticed that it even sings a bit as the whiskers are mowed. I got a very nice, close, comfortable shave in 2 passes. In fact, I have not had such a good shave in a while. It reminds me of shaving with my old friend the 2-blade Sensor. I hope this is not blasphemy.
The razor itself adds slickness; I guess it's the pear skin finish. It feels as if it has one of those lube strips you find on the multi-blade cartridges. For the next shave, I think I have to cut down on the slickness and use a soap instead. The plan was to use the same cream for as long as I'm test-driving the razor, but I will change that. I know the combination I tried today works very very well, so I can experiment a bit. I suspect that it can make even a poor cream/soap feel much better, or even improve on poor blades (Derby, Bluebird for me). I may waste one shave with it and use one of the blades I don't like. I suspect I won't be able to tell the difference.
Shaving like this is no fun, it makes it too easy. It's like driving a Lexus as opposed to a BMW. There's no feedback, no sporty feel, no rough suspension. Whether you drive it on a German highway or a bumpy country road the Lexus will feel the same, but the BMW will let you know where you are right away. Same with this razor, I suspect that it can handle a poor blade or cream/soap very well.
I called the DE89L a RAD killer at some point, but I'm starting to think this new Feather gets the title now. At least for a while, until something new comes along. You cannot fully kill RAD.
Watch for my updates over the next week. I can only shave every other day, so the next update will be in 2 days. I will mail the razor to the next person on the list on Friday 6/11 so I can get 5 shaves with it (though if I can replicate today's shave 3 more times I might use for the last shave one of the other razors that Bill included, it would be a shame not to as I don't know when I could get my hands again on such unique razors).
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Awesome writeup -- made me check USPS for the status of my package. 
Glad you like the Feather SirWhiskers! 
- Thread starter
- #66
Great post, Tim.
You've included nice points of interest that will help prospective buyers decide if the razor is right for them.
I especially like your comments on the razor "driving" like a Lexus and this is a good analogy when I compare its performance to one of my "muscle car" razors like my British Gillettes. However, the Feather does provide plenty of feedback - you simply have to feel your skin to notice it!
Looking forward to reading how it performs going forward.
Status
Shawn (Sullybob) - Austin, Texas
Tim (SirWhiskers) - California <<< current victim
Marc (hypo_style) - New York
Joe (Darjeeling Express) - New York
Randy (jakespoppy) - Houston, TX
John (Bit2) - Ohio
JR (jrhudgins) - Georgetown, TX
Darren (DFrancis) - Canada (well, I did label this the North American tour!)
Bob (Bobtrumpet) - Dallas, TX
You've included nice points of interest that will help prospective buyers decide if the razor is right for them.
I especially like your comments on the razor "driving" like a Lexus and this is a good analogy when I compare its performance to one of my "muscle car" razors like my British Gillettes. However, the Feather does provide plenty of feedback - you simply have to feel your skin to notice it!
Looking forward to reading how it performs going forward.
Status
Shawn (Sullybob) - Austin, Texas
Tim (SirWhiskers) - California <<< current victim
Marc (hypo_style) - New York
Joe (Darjeeling Express) - New York
Randy (jakespoppy) - Houston, TX
John (Bit2) - Ohio
JR (jrhudgins) - Georgetown, TX
Darren (DFrancis) - Canada (well, I did label this the North American tour!)
Bob (Bobtrumpet) - Dallas, TX
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Great write up Tim!
I also noticed that the razor sings a little bit. It sounded similar to a hollow ground straight razor.
I also noticed that the razor sings a little bit. It sounded similar to a hollow ground straight razor.
I am fresh to DE shaving, so my experience with tons of different products is not deep.
I have used this razor for 2 weeks straight and haven't noticed any scratches/scuffs and i am handling it normally AFAIK. On the head, it wipes off soap/oils pretty smoothly with the microfiber towel i use. odd. I'll keep looking at mine. It sits in a plastic travel soap tray at the moment. I don't exactly treat it wth kid gloves, but I don't throw it around either.
I have these 2 in transit, as i have nothing to compare except carts and electric. good assortment of comparisons for me to try it looks like...
I was going to buy some Amer. Personnas, since I don't have anything right now but the included feathers. sounds like it may not be as bad a blade/razor combo as I thought.
I have used different types of soaps & creams and they have all seemed to been pretty decent with the feather AS. Although I could still easily tell the difference in slickness with something like Cremo and way less slick like Gillette Foamy and something in the middle like my aloe/glycerin modified VDH-deluxe.
FWIW here's the list of my favorite blades: Feahter, Iridium, Astra Platinum, Kai, Shark Super Chrome.
This is a great design and I can't understand why Merkur and Muhle/EJ haven't done this yet.
What's interesting is that another razor that Bill included, the Gerbault, also has the same design. So I can say that I've seen the nice design in 2 razors so far. After I scratched my ear pretty bad with the short edge of a terrible Indian black 7 o'clock blade (I can still see the scar), I do appreciate the design very much.
Now I really have to try this Gerbault too, it would be a shame to have it in my hand and not give it a test-drive.
http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=138500
Can I be your friend too? 
I'd love to try it if possible, I currently own a DE89L and Merkur HD...I could make a review putting it up against those 2.
-Paul
I'd love to try it if possible, I currently own a DE89L and Merkur HD...I could make a review putting it up against those 2.
-Paul
Shave #2 with the Feather razor (aka "The Lexus")
Setup:
The Lexus delivered again. A very smooth, close, comfortable shave. I used the JMF cream because that was included by Bill in the package. It's a good cream, though not as slick as Floris No. 89 which I used on the previous shave. I'm not a big fan of its lemony scent. It smells synthetic, like lemonade made from the powder packs as opposed to freshly squeezed lemons sweetened with honey. I'm grateful I had a chance to try it, but I don't see myself rushing to buy the full JMF jar. Back to the shave ... It felt different from my first shave with the new Feather blade. The razor sang louder than last time. It could be the cream, it could be the blade, it could be that the blade was on its 2nd or 3rd shave (I don't even remember). But that's where the difference ends, in the sound. The shave was excellent again, effortless. I'm impressed how efficient the razor is in even 1 pass. In a rush, I could see using a brushless cream, doing 1 pass with this razor and be done in 3 min. I almost didn't want to do a 2nd pass today, just to see what it's like. Many times I just do 1 pass with my Sensor, but that's a 2-blade cartridge so maybe it's the equivalent of 2 passes with a DE.
But guys, shaving like this is no fun! It's too easy. This is not a good razor for a beginner as they will never learn the technique (just let them struggle with the HD like I did!) and any other razor they will try after they will end up hating.
I have to point out one more thing I noticed: the head itself is pretty light, all the weight is in the handle, but that's OK. The razor is very well balanced, a pleasure to hold.
In other news, I just purchased my own "Lexus" off BST, that's how much I enjoy it. It's definitely a RAD (and budget) killer for a while. Now I have to start selling from my collection of razors, creams and soaps to repair the damage. The consolation is that it will still not be the most expensive shaving item I own due to buying it cheaper than retail new, that title is still held by my custom Shavemac D01 brush. And I joined B&B to save money on cartridges... never in my life I would have imagined spending this kind of cash on shaving items! But I enjoy it and that's what it's all about!
For those on the list waiting on the package, I will cut a few days and mail it to hypo_style on Wed 6/9. There's another razor in the box I'd like to try and a few samples Bill included that I just have to try, I'm a glutton for experimentation.
Setup:
- Iridium blade (on shave 2 or 3, I pulled it from another razor)
- JM Fraser's Original shaving cream (sample)
- Trumper's Coral Skin Food (sample)
The Lexus delivered again. A very smooth, close, comfortable shave. I used the JMF cream because that was included by Bill in the package. It's a good cream, though not as slick as Floris No. 89 which I used on the previous shave. I'm not a big fan of its lemony scent. It smells synthetic, like lemonade made from the powder packs as opposed to freshly squeezed lemons sweetened with honey. I'm grateful I had a chance to try it, but I don't see myself rushing to buy the full JMF jar. Back to the shave ... It felt different from my first shave with the new Feather blade. The razor sang louder than last time. It could be the cream, it could be the blade, it could be that the blade was on its 2nd or 3rd shave (I don't even remember). But that's where the difference ends, in the sound. The shave was excellent again, effortless. I'm impressed how efficient the razor is in even 1 pass. In a rush, I could see using a brushless cream, doing 1 pass with this razor and be done in 3 min. I almost didn't want to do a 2nd pass today, just to see what it's like. Many times I just do 1 pass with my Sensor, but that's a 2-blade cartridge so maybe it's the equivalent of 2 passes with a DE.
But guys, shaving like this is no fun! It's too easy. This is not a good razor for a beginner as they will never learn the technique (just let them struggle with the HD like I did!) and any other razor they will try after they will end up hating.
I have to point out one more thing I noticed: the head itself is pretty light, all the weight is in the handle, but that's OK. The razor is very well balanced, a pleasure to hold.
In other news, I just purchased my own "Lexus" off BST, that's how much I enjoy it. It's definitely a RAD (and budget) killer for a while. Now I have to start selling from my collection of razors, creams and soaps to repair the damage. The consolation is that it will still not be the most expensive shaving item I own due to buying it cheaper than retail new, that title is still held by my custom Shavemac D01 brush. And I joined B&B to save money on cartridges... never in my life I would have imagined spending this kind of cash on shaving items! But I enjoy it and that's what it's all about!
For those on the list waiting on the package, I will cut a few days and mail it to hypo_style on Wed 6/9. There's another razor in the box I'd like to try and a few samples Bill included that I just have to try, I'm a glutton for experimentation.
You're making this razor sound incredible! Would you say that it makes the Feather blade less aggressive?
I used a Feather blade a few times in my HD and EJ89, which ended up giving me tons of weepers and let me know I was putting on aftershave.
I didn't have a problem with the Feather blade in an HD, though I found the HD itself rough for me no matter which blade I used. In the EJ89L I prefer the Feather blade as the razor is mild (and smooth). However, I could not use a Feather blade in a Gillette NEW long open comb - for the first time in my rather short DE shaving career I experienced weepers, I had no idea what people were talking about before.
I'm not sure the Feather razor makes the Feather blade less aggressive, I think it makes it very smooth and it protects you better. The razor seems to give you quite a bit of protection even if you rush through the shave, which I tried to do today. I have not seen any blood yet after 2 shaves - of course, this just jinxed it and my next shave will be a bloodbath! I jokingly say that I can watch TV and shave with my Sensor without cutting myself, the Feather almost feels the same.
It's definitely a case of YMMV, the razor seems to be made for me. I tried SE razors in the past (GEM Micromatic and Injector) and they just did not work for me at all, they just irritated my skin, some of the worst shaves I had. Others love the same SE razors and have problems with the DE razors I like. Unfortuntaley there is only one way to find out what works for you and it's not cheap.
Plus, you don't have to use a Feather blade if it doesn't work for you. I suspect this razor can make a crappy blade feel better than it really is. Now that I will have my own razor, I will try a shave with a Shogun blade, which I consider the worst blade I ever tried, after Derby and Bluebird. It will be interesting to see if I can use the plain stainless steel versions of some blades, the non Platinum or Chrome coated ones that is, as I usually find those sharp but rough - Wilkinson India comes to mind here. This razor doesn't seem to be the one to use if you want to judge the quality of a blade.
I just used a EJ89L with a feather blade and it was very mild , but a great shave, compared to the featherSS/feather, which was smoother and felt more sharp. I think the finish on the feather is more conducive to the smooth characteristic. i am going to throw a derby in the featherSS tomorrow.
I really like the Feather knurling as compared to the EJ lined. I never felt like i needed to dry off my hands between head "washing" like i did with the 89.
In my very small experience, the 89 felt like plush Cadillac Coupe de Ville and the feather felt more like an agile Bugatti Veyron.
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Thanks for the updates Tim, can't wait to see how this compared to my beloved Superspeed.
I've never heard agile and Bugatti Veyron used in the same sentence before.
- Thread starter
- #80
Nah, I think the 89 handles much better than the Coupe De Ville - that Caddy sorta lumbered into turns!
Also, I question your razor budget if you have personal experience with a Bugatti Veyron!! 
Many thanks for the nice write-ups, Tim. Don't let that Gerbault bite 'ya!
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