Feather + Old-Type / Feather + Merkur

Hi All,

I had my best shave ever last week using my Old Type (1920s with a Tech Ball End handle) with a Feather blade (already had 2 shaves on the blade). Prep was typical, with Proraso cream. Absolutely no irritation and smooth as could be.

Conversely, popping a feather into my HD or Slant yields a less-close shave with noticeably more irritation. Same prep, same products, same conditions as my Old Type shave. Now I know that a blade may shave differently in each razor, but here's my question:

What do you think is the reason for the difference? Is it the blade angle against the skin? Weight of the razor? How could I mimic my results I got with my Old Type in the HD and Slant using a Feather? I seem to get slightly better shaves with Red IP's in my Merkurs but they require more passes.

I've had the same experience using Feathers in my '65 SS Flair Tip vs. using the Feather in my Muhle R89. I could only get 2 decent shaves out of the Muhle/Feather combo regardless of cream/soap used and it was not comfortable. I had my 5th (and last for that particular blade) BBS w/the SS/Feather combo. I was thinking about going for a 6th shave but for the cost and my comfort I felt it smarter to not tempt fate (something new for me).

The IP reds in the Muhle are my normal go to setup based on cost and ease of use.

Continued shaves with Israeli's (Red & Crystal) in my Slant yield closer shaves with less irritation than the Feathers.

When my Super Adjustable arrives, I'll see how the Feathers vs. Israelis compare in that razor...