Starting the learning curve with a Feather AC

Hello gents,

I don't know about the rest of you but I tend to be a little OCD. When I get interested in a hobby I tend to go after it full force until I "figure it out" or give up after tons of efforts. Usually I succeed in figuring stuff out eventually.

That being said, I want to learn to use a straight. I purchased a Feather AC razor and so far I have shaved with it three times. I read lots of articles on here about how to do it including one suggestion to just shave your checks for the first week of using it. No way I could do that, I was/am too excited about learning and I only have so much face to practice on while learning.

Anywho, the first three shaves went fairly well.

Shave #1: Three passes. Weepers in 4 areas. The four corners of my face actually. Tops of both checks and both sides just under the jaw line. The resultant shave was good but not as good as I have had with some DE razors.

Shave #2: Two passes (less time this day). 3 weepers. Less blood and better shave. Having trouble with shaving my sideburn area. I also haven't learned to shave with my left hand and just awkwardly shave with the right on both sides.

Shave #3 (today): Three passes. Great shave. Shaved under sideburns blindly by using my fingers as a guide. No weepers until the third pass. Ended up with two little weepers. Much better shave today. Still not BBS but I am getting there.

Thanks for all the articles you guys have written, it's what has set me on this journey. I plan to eventually upgrade the Feather to a "real" straight. Right now I am leaning towards the Dovo 5/8" set. Any suggestions?

If you are shaving ATG, no pressure is essential.

Welcome! You certainly have the right attitude ("If at first you don't succeed..."). Keep at it, use zero pressure, and enjoy! Here's a couple little hints and minor questions:
What are you using for lather? Straights and shavettes often benefit from a slightly thinner, slicker lather than is the gold standard for DE.
I wouldn't worry too much about the left hand. If you can, you can. If you can't, it sounds like you will find a way to make it work. I don't use my left hand, yet I find the left side easier to do than the right. Go figure.
What blades are you using for the AC? The Pro-Guard blades are often recommended for beginners due to their more forgiving nature, though many stick with them.
What directional pattern are you using for your passes? You mentioned doing three-pass and two-pass shaves, but that could mean WTG and two XTG passes in opposite directions. If you are doing ATG, just take it slow, use zero or even a little negative pressure, and streeeeetch that skin out nice and taut.
With all that said, it sounds like you are well along the learning curve. I will commend you for starting with an AC; they have a well-deserved reputation for sharpness, if not for mercy. Be prepared though, when you move onto a traditional straight- it is a very different experience, and not always to everyone's liking. Happy Shaving!

Thanks for the tips, gents. I am using Geo F Trumpers coconut oil shaving cream. I probably put on too thick of a coat. I will go thinner next time. I am using the professional blades. I figured the guard blades would be cheating. Because I am new to the process, I am doing two passes with the grain and the final against the grain. This seems to be where I am getting my weepers.

dweebs0r said:

Thanks for the tips, gents. I am using Geo F Trumpers coconut oil shaving cream. I probably put on too thick of a coat. I will go thinner next time. I am using the professional blades. I figured the guard blades would be cheating. Because I am new to the process, I am doing two passes with the grain and the final against the grain. This seems to be where I am getting my weepers.

Click to expand...

Mmmm... Makes sense. My recommendations:
For your lather, try adding a bit more water to your cream, or try a high-quality glycerin soap. They seem to be an easy ticket to the slicker lathers. Many straight shavers swear by Mama Bears', and I will say that I concur. Might need to nuke it a bit to tone down the fragrance, but it's practically fool-proof (after all, I got it to work).
Have you tried doing your second (I.E "middle") pass XTG? Just for a little extra stubble reduction before you go for the ATG. It may help to keep the blade for skipping and biting.
Give the Pro-Guard blades a try, at least until you get your technique aced-in. Like I said, a lot of guys who use them full-time swear by the Pro-Guards. Plus, after using the Professional blades, a traditional straight might be a bit of a let-down. It's a matter of some serious debate whether it's possible to get a blade any sharper than those. Make no mistakes though, if you do decide to try them; the guarded blades WILL bite, just not as hard or as often.
That being said, with only two weepers after an ATG pass, I'd say you're doing pretty darn good!

I actually am getting less blood using the Feather AC than I did using the Above the Tie R2. That sucker would bite me every time.

great start and report!
don't be hesitant to try the proguards!
I find them to be not only easy going but great shavers!

My thread here has lots of notes, photos, and advice I received, so it might be worth checking out:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/329225-Received-Feather-SS-no-turning-back-now


I now shave exclusively with the Feather/Kai blades, and I like them so much that I made my own custom razor for them:




The key to remember is these blades are sharper than most well honed straight razors, to there is no room for error - you "will" get nick/cut for any small error you make while learning. These Kai/Feather blades are literally the most unforgiving blades to learn with.

As said above, the "guard" versions (both Kai and Feather make them), are what I would start with, until you get really comfortable. The non-guard blades will give you an even closer shave, but are even easier to get cut with.

You will find that the blade mellows nicely after about shave #3, and remains useable until shave 10-15 depending on your tastes and beard durability.

Weepers are quite common with a fresh Feather. You MUST use ZERO pressure when using a fresh blade. Keep at it! The more you use a Feather the better your skills get and you can get done incredible shaves with them.

Just ordered a set of the pro-guards. I will report back on them once I give them a try.

So I guess the million dollar question is should I drop the cash on an expensive straight razor if this is going to provide a "better" shave?

I looked at the feather blade as a set of training wheels so to speak.

Seraphim said:

You will find that the blade mellows nicely after about shave #3, and remains useable until shave 10-15 depending on your tastes and beard durability.

Click to expand...

I just tossed my first blade. I guess that was a little premature. I was thinking 10 passes per blade and not 10 actual shaves from start to finish.

dweebs0r said:

Just ordered a set of the pro-guards. I will report back on them once I give them a try.

So I guess the million dollar question is should I drop the cash on an expensive straight razor if this is going to provide a "better" shave?

I looked at the feather blade as a set of training wheels so to speak.

Click to expand...

doc226 refers to shavettes as 'gateway razors'!

anyway, it seems right now that you're still enjoying discovering the world of feather shavettes.
my reco would be to accumulate 40-60 shaves before moving to a regular straight, just to get comfortable.

wquiles said:

My thread here has lots of notes, photos, and advice I received, so it might be worth checking out:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/329225-Received-Feather-SS-no-turning-back-now


I now shave exclusively with the Feather/Kai blades, and I like them so much that I made my own custom razor for them:

Click to expand...

That custom is really neat. Do you have a thread on the build?

Seraphim said:

You will find that the blade mellows nicely after about shave #3, and remains useable until shave 10-15 depending on your tastes and beard durability.

Weepers are quite common with a fresh Feather. You MUST use ZERO pressure when using a fresh blade. Keep at it! The more you use a Feather the better your skills get and you can get done incredible shaves with them.

Click to expand...

+1. Well said. It takes time to develop the zero pressure, and you pay for it every time you forget.

dweebs0r said:

That custom is really neat. Do you have a thread on the build?

Click to expand...

Thanks. I don't have a full/detailed work-in-pictures thread, but I have more pictures of the various prototypes I made before the one above (which I now use every day) in this thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/387542-My-own-SE-razor-made-by-hand

dweebs0r said:

Just ordered a set of the pro-guards. I will report back on them once I give them a try.

So I guess the million dollar question is should I drop the cash on an expensive straight razor if this is going to provide a "better" shave?

I looked at the feather blade as a set of training wheels so to speak.

Click to expand...

I will really be interested in your thoughts re the pro-guards vs the pros. I started on the same journey as you a few weeks ago (using the Feather Artist Club as my first straight) but with the pro-guards. I'm now about 12 shaves in.
On the plus side with the pro-guards:

• I find it actually hard to nick yourself. I can't tell you how many times I've dinged myself expecting gushers of blood. Nothing).
• I get much fewer weepers than with DEs.
• After about 9 shaves, I'm getting very close shaves (but for a few areas I'm just struggling with because of tech)
• My face feels great after (almost no sting even with traditional after shaves).

On the downside,

• The guards do feel like they are pushing against my course beard. It's not pulling but I just can't get that knife through butter feel as with a great DE shave.

I'm going to go through one more PG before trying a pro blade because I feel my tech with the PGs is really improving and I don't want to loose momentum.

Okay just checking in. Shaved several times this week with a regular DE blade due to time constraints. I find that my DE shaves are better now because I am doing things like pulling my skin tight and positioning my face the way I would with the straight.
As a result, I am using more aggressive settings on my adjustable razors and getting much better shaves.

Today, I used the feather and the pro guard blades. Very nice shave. Only cut that I got was on my ear while trying to do my sideburns blind. No weepers really. A little bit of irritation under my chin because I got careless.

Overall, the shave was very nice.

Day 2 with the guarded blades. Wow. Okay, now I see what all the fuss is about. I had a great shave this morning. No cuts. Getting better at trimming sideburns and around the goatee. No irritation under the chin today. Very little sting from the alum block despite what feels like a really close shave.

dweebs0r said:

Day 2 with the guarded blades. Wow. Okay, now I see what all the fuss is about. I had a great shave this morning. No cuts. Getting better at trimming sideburns and around the goatee. No irritation under the chin today. Very little sting from the alum block despite what feels like a really close shave.

Click to expand...

Excellent. As you get more experienced, things start falling into place

Badmedicine said:

Welcome! You certainly have the right attitude ("If at first you don't succeed..."). Keep at it, use zero pressure, and enjoy! Here's a couple little hints and minor questions:
What are you using for lather? Straights and shavettes often benefit from a slightly thinner, slicker lather than is the gold standard for DE.
I wouldn't worry too much about the left hand. If you can, you can. If you can't, it sounds like you will find a way to make it work. I don't use my left hand, yet I find the left side easier to do than the right. Go figure.
What blades are you using for the AC? The Pro-Guard blades are often recommended for beginners due to their more forgiving nature, though many stick with them.
What directional pattern are you using for your passes? You mentioned doing three-pass and two-pass shaves, but that could mean WTG and two XTG passes in opposite directions. If you are doing ATG, just take it slow, use zero or even a little negative pressure, and streeeeetch that skin out nice and taut.
With all that said, it sounds like you are well along the learning curve. I will commend you for starting with an AC; they have a well-deserved reputation for sharpness, if not for mercy. Be prepared though, when you move onto a traditional straight- it is a very different experience, and not always to everyone's liking. Happy Shaving!

Click to expand...

nice share +1 easy to digest good share guys..

I've been using the Japanese style DX exclusively for over a year now. Here is what I learned:

1) ATG the grain is very tricky for me. So much so that I abandoned it. WTG is plenty good. Better than any cartridge could ever do. Maybe you'll come to the same conclusion.

2) Shaving oil instead of lather! I really like seeing where I'm shaving with this thing. No flying blind for me!