Whew, am I glad that's over.
Not that it was a bad, or painful shave....I just think the sweat running down my face was from nerves instead of the steam! I've been using a DE for the past few months and have been itching to get into straights. Not being completely willing to invest the time and money necessary to go into real straights, I went on CS and picked up a Feather AC RG in ebony.
First off, the razor. Build wise, it's an extremely impressive piece of kit. It's thick, weighty, and for having the basic form of a traditional straight razor, it's thoroughly modern. The matte finish, ribs on the bottom of the shank, and extra long tang really give wet, soapy fingers great traction, preventing accidental drops and slip ups for newbies like me. The ebony scales are very pretty and have a good grain, while the shape balances and fits very comfortably in the hand. Though I have to say, I am a little sad that CS was sold out of the teak.
Last night I put in one of the Professional Light blades that came in the box with the razor and tried it out on some arm hairs. So that's what straight users mean when they talking about hair "popping" off! I proceeded to run to SWMBO to show her, she tried it on her own arm and begged me to be careful, as she did not want to clean up the mess in the bathroom after I accidentally killed myself with it.
This morning, I woke early and hopped in the shower after a restless sleep (new toys have a way of causing this). American Crew Citrus Mint shampoo did a stand up job waking me up, and I started the shave. Wanting a cooling, slick lather for this particular shave, I reached for a Williams/Proraso super lather and my trusty Rooney 3/1. The lather gods must have been shining down on me this morning, for it was a fantastic batch indeed. Letting the lather settle into my skin after a long, relaxing brush session, I contemplated the razor, awkwardly holding it in various positions, trying to figure out how to shave the different parts of my face while not impeding my vision. Yes, I am far too clumsy to even think about trying to shave with my left hand at this point.
And finally it was time. I ran the brush over my face a couple more times and put the blade to my face. Having read all the reviews and opinions on this razor, I kept a SUPER light touch, and an extremely shallow angle (as shallow as this razor will provide, anyway). The result was me just skimming over the top of the cream and not shaving anything, so I sucked it up, lifted the spine slightly and gave a little pressure. I was rewarded with the razor literally falling through my whiskers on the first WTG pass. The entire face was very easy to do and felt smooth and comfortable. I lathered up for an XTG pass and the results were just as great. The blade angle was much easier to maintain compared to when I started with the DE, and as long as I acted as if I was "tickling" my face with the razor, it was at the proper pressure. What ultimately surprised me the most was how the XTG pass with the Feather nearly matched the ATG passes I get with my DE.
After these two passes I decided not to press my luck. A quick cold water rinse closed up the five very little nicks I made on the second pass, and a splash of AV finished the shave off nicely. I have a feeling that once my technique becomes more refined that this may replace my DE's for the bulk of my daily shaves. Maneuvering around my chin and upper lip will definitely take a lot of practice, but I feel much more confident now that I realize using this razor is not the shaving equivalent of crossing the streams. I will keep everyone updated on how I progress with this razor, and thank everyone that has posted about it before, as your advice has probably saved me at least a few drops of blood.
Not that it was a bad, or painful shave....I just think the sweat running down my face was from nerves instead of the steam! I've been using a DE for the past few months and have been itching to get into straights. Not being completely willing to invest the time and money necessary to go into real straights, I went on CS and picked up a Feather AC RG in ebony.
First off, the razor. Build wise, it's an extremely impressive piece of kit. It's thick, weighty, and for having the basic form of a traditional straight razor, it's thoroughly modern. The matte finish, ribs on the bottom of the shank, and extra long tang really give wet, soapy fingers great traction, preventing accidental drops and slip ups for newbies like me. The ebony scales are very pretty and have a good grain, while the shape balances and fits very comfortably in the hand. Though I have to say, I am a little sad that CS was sold out of the teak.
Last night I put in one of the Professional Light blades that came in the box with the razor and tried it out on some arm hairs. So that's what straight users mean when they talking about hair "popping" off! I proceeded to run to SWMBO to show her, she tried it on her own arm and begged me to be careful, as she did not want to clean up the mess in the bathroom after I accidentally killed myself with it.
This morning, I woke early and hopped in the shower after a restless sleep (new toys have a way of causing this). American Crew Citrus Mint shampoo did a stand up job waking me up, and I started the shave. Wanting a cooling, slick lather for this particular shave, I reached for a Williams/Proraso super lather and my trusty Rooney 3/1. The lather gods must have been shining down on me this morning, for it was a fantastic batch indeed. Letting the lather settle into my skin after a long, relaxing brush session, I contemplated the razor, awkwardly holding it in various positions, trying to figure out how to shave the different parts of my face while not impeding my vision. Yes, I am far too clumsy to even think about trying to shave with my left hand at this point.
And finally it was time. I ran the brush over my face a couple more times and put the blade to my face. Having read all the reviews and opinions on this razor, I kept a SUPER light touch, and an extremely shallow angle (as shallow as this razor will provide, anyway). The result was me just skimming over the top of the cream and not shaving anything, so I sucked it up, lifted the spine slightly and gave a little pressure. I was rewarded with the razor literally falling through my whiskers on the first WTG pass. The entire face was very easy to do and felt smooth and comfortable. I lathered up for an XTG pass and the results were just as great. The blade angle was much easier to maintain compared to when I started with the DE, and as long as I acted as if I was "tickling" my face with the razor, it was at the proper pressure. What ultimately surprised me the most was how the XTG pass with the Feather nearly matched the ATG passes I get with my DE.
After these two passes I decided not to press my luck. A quick cold water rinse closed up the five very little nicks I made on the second pass, and a splash of AV finished the shave off nicely. I have a feeling that once my technique becomes more refined that this may replace my DE's for the bulk of my daily shaves. Maneuvering around my chin and upper lip will definitely take a lot of practice, but I feel much more confident now that I realize using this razor is not the shaving equivalent of crossing the streams. I will keep everyone updated on how I progress with this razor, and thank everyone that has posted about it before, as your advice has probably saved me at least a few drops of blood.
Last edited:
