Feather Artist Club And Weck Sextoblade : Razors Of Genius!

The early twentieth century was a very exciting time for razor design.
Carl Friedrich ERN had developed mechanised grinding with his Hexe machine and straight razors were getting hollower and shaving better than they ever had before.
Meanwhile safety razors were emerging - the Kampfe brothers et al were producing lather catchers which took a section of a straight blade and put it on a stick with a guard, and this was developed further with the advent of replaceable machined blades such as the GEM Damaskeene.
And K C Gillette had come up with the weird and counterintuitive idea of a double edge machined blade.

Very inventively Durham Duplex produced a straight razor with double edge replaceable blades and a safety guard which was patented in 1907 and then in 1909 Edward Weck (an immigrant from Solingen to New York) got it exactly right and patented the Sextoblade.
The Sextoblade also came with an optional safety guard, but I think we all agree it shaves better and is a lot more fun without it!

Basically the Sextoblade is a replaceable blade 5/8 frameback.
The original machined carbon steel blades have the same general form as the Damaskeene blades with a separate spine but are longer and thinner.

Framebacks with interchangeable blades had been around for a while, but the Sextoblade used the new machined blades which could be honed and stropped for longevity but also very easily replaced:



Basically the Sextoblade comes in two flavours -Standard with ivorine or celluloid scales at 38g and Medical with steel scales (which can be autoclaved) at about 45g.

There's also the Weck Bantam which has smaller scales and, although originally intended for shaving, eventually downgraded to a hair shaper.

Luckily for us in the 21st century, hair shaper blades are still mass produced and are identical in design to the original Weck blades, giving us an easy supply of stainless steel super sharp blades for the Sextoblade. And there's also the option of honing original carbon steel blades for the true straight experience as was Weck's original intention.

Although a lot of hair shaper blades just aren't suitable for shaving, the Fromm and Personna shaper blades are excellent, and the new "25% Sharper!" Personna blades are easily as sharp as the Feather Pro injector blades (more of them later).

I can get 30 Personna blades for £14.40 and each blade is probably good for ten shaves - and that's ten awesome incredible shaves!

With a Personna blade in it, the Sextoblade is an unbelievably sharp 5/8 frameback and it is very very demanding of technique.

But if you're up for it then the rewards are immense in terms of shave quality.
It takes all my concentration but the Sextoblade shave is the best I know.

Then 100 years later along comes Feather Artist Club.
In between, replaceable blade straights have proliferated, many taking DE blades and Dovo produced the original "shavette" which could use DE or proprietary longer blades, but nothing could quite match the awesomeness of the Sextoblade until the Artist Club came along.

Feather was founded in Japan after WW1 by German ex-POWs and is famed for it's fearsomely sharp blades and very expensive razors.
The Artist Club razors take the disposeable blade straight format and use the quite incredible Professional injector blades.
These are a longer version of the injector blades pioneered by Col Schick back at the start of the twentieth century in his Repeating Razor, and the long Feather versions are shockingly shockingly sharp.
They come in different varieties of blade exposure with the "Super" variant being the fiercest.
I pay £18 for 20 blades but, like the shaper blades for the Weck, each blade is good for at least ten shaves.

The Artist Club razors have the option of folding handles like Western straights, or non-folding kamisori style handles and there's two basic head designs, the RG/DX and the SS.
Here's the SS on the left and the RG on the right:

The SS is lighter and (as someone else pointed out) looks like it is used by Batman.

But the big difference is the geometry - the RG/DX has a wedge profile and shaves just like a heavy grind straight, except that you got it honed in Valhalla.
Just look at it!


The SS on the other hand has some new and innovative geometry and doesn't shave like a standard straight at all.
The jaws that hold that big injector blade have a big "bump" on them, a ridge that stretches the skin and distributes pressure taking it away from the blade edge.
Look!

This means that rather than shaving like a straight, the SS shaves more like an infinitely aggressive DE with a straight grip.
It has less effective angles than the RG/DX but it's a beautifully smooth shave with a very smart result.
A lot of people resent this innovation in the SS because it makes it unlike a standard straight, but personally I love it.

If I want a straight shave experience I can use one of my straights eh?
But the SS brings something new to the party.
Like the Rolls and Durham Duplex or the guard on the Sextoblade, the SS is a hybrid razor and it works brilliantly to give a superb shave.

For me these razors are the most fun and the best shaves I know.
The Sextoblade can be used with the original blades as a maintainable system, and with the modern shaper blades it is the most ferocious frameback that has ever roamed the earth!!
You have to be at the top of your game with it and the reward is an awesome astonishingly good shave every time.
The Feather AC RG/DX is (as we mentioned before) a wedge that has been honed in Valhalla, and the SS is a superb hybrid which was probably designed by Batman and gives a smooth and supremely comfortable shave with the sharpest proprietary blades available.

With any of these razors, I only have to shave every 36 hours.

And they are all brilliant ergonomically - they just feel so good in the hand.
The Weck Medical can feel a little unbalanced due to the heavy metal scales but it just takes a bit of adjustment...

...so I really do think these are amazing razors. They are the disposeable blade straight razor innovated and perfected, and they really are works of genius!

I love my Wecks - never loved the Feathers.
The Feather blades along with the Kai versions, do not get along with my skin for some reason.
I'm talking zero pressure shaves at the lowest angles yielding an annoying burn.
I tried to make it work, but gave up after a while.
Still haven't tried the Feather SS though, and I probably will eventually.
Did I mention that I love Wecks though? Lol - they're so great that I don't really need to try the SS for any reason other than to say I did it.

Yeah, the awesomeness of the Sextoblade is very underestimated.
I tried one without any expectations but it was love at first shave

And the AC SS seems very misunderstood - a lot of people seem disappointed that it doesn't shave just like a straight but for me it's a brilliant innovation in the tradition of razor development.
The SS is a proper hybrid and, like the guards on the Sextoblade and Durham Duplex, that "bump" gives a very smooth smart shave but, unlike the guards, it doesn't look stupid or inhibit the efficiency of the blade.

Although it seems like an obvious comparison, I don't think these razors are a substitute for normal carbon steel straights at all (although the Weck with it's original carbon steel blades is an extreme frameback).
With the modern machined stainless blades both the Sextoblade and Artist Club are a different kind of shaving.
Shaving with a straight is a joyful and mellow experience and it would be wrong for anyone to miss out on it because they think they can use these replaceable blade razors instead.
The Weck and Feather are excellent and amazing but both give a very different experience to that of shaving with a hollow ground straight.
They are in a class all of their own and should be appreciated as such.

And they have a surprise gift too - once you are proficient with them then all your shaves, DE, SE and straight become better.

Shaved with my feather SS this morning. Got a super BBS with absolutely no after problems. Also use my Wecks. Have 2 stainless and 2 with celluloid scales. I shave with and with out the guards. I love them all. Even my Dovo shavettes.

I saw the Feather SS has dipped down below $60 on Amazon so ordered one. I've never used a Feather and was on the fence on whether it would be worth it to just go big with the DX. The DX also took a dip on Amazon but it's still about $150. A good deal over the regular price but your post pushed me off the fence to try out the SS.

I can do pretty well with a straight but I always wish for a little more sharpness from my blades. Once I get one where it gives a decent shave, the edge only lasts maybe one or two more before it needs another touch up. Old gray whiskers are a PITA. Sounds like I will not wish for more sharpness from the Feather and won't have to hone except when I feel like doing it. Looking forward to giving the SS a try.

Yes I'm beginning to realise that the AC SS is a truly great razor.
Once I'd got a fantastic shave from a rehoned Rolls razor, for a while I just didn't want to shave with anything else cos it didn't seem like anything could better it.
Now I'm getting that feeling again about the SS.

With the AC RG I thought "Wow this is like a beautifully made wedge with the sharpest blades ever - what a lot of fun!" whereas with the SS I'm thinking "This is the best shave ever, and it can't be had any other way - I want to shave with this razor again and again and again."

hydro-magic said:

I saw the Feather SS has dipped down below $60 on Amazon so ordered one.

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Just ordered one too. I bought my first Feather AC last year around Xmas time, but never gave it a second chance before I traded it. I was barely learning straights. Maybe things have changed.

Really great posts. I love the history of the feather, which I didn't know. I love my AC SS. I don't have time for it every day, but it gives me the cleanest closest shave by far. I've tried the pro and pro guard blades and like them both in different ways. I have some others blades to try on tap. I really do think the AC SS is the ultimate shaving system. Steep learning curve if you've never tried a straight. So stick with it and you'll be rewarded.

Dngolden said:

I really do think the AC SS is the ultimate shaving system.

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I'm starting to think the same.
I'm also noticing that with the Sextoblade and the AC prep is very important.
The slicker the better, so nice slick soaps with lots of water and I've started using shaving oil under the lather too (which is a revelation!)

Interesting. I received one of the metal Weck Medicals in a lot of stuff from the bay and had no idea what it was or how old it could be. Thanks for the info.

Riyame said:

Interesting. I received one of the metal Weck Medicals in a lot of stuff from the bay and had no idea what it was or how old it could be. Thanks for the info.

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Great! The Wecks are really durable and well made eh?
Did yours come with a pouch?
And do you intend to shave with it?

mjclark said:

Great! The Wecks are really durable and well made eh?
Did yours come with a pouch?
And do you intend to shave with it?

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Unfortunately it did not come with a pouch. I received it a year ago and never purchased any blades and nobody knew what it was so it went into the storage box.

Cool! Those Medic ones look so good.

The AC SS is just about the perfect travel razor IMO. I've been using Pro Supers in mine, I may give Kai Captain Titan Milds a shot when I finish my current dispenser.

I just got my weck style B in the mail today with a leather pouch and 5 original weck blades can't wait to try it out tomorrow but then it goes under the tree till Christmas or so the wife says ha

I love my WII Medical Corp Weck with Case and Fromm #105 blades. Along with my Feather AC SS and Pro blades, they are two of my very best shaves! Great thread mjclark!

hahnevince559 said:

I just got my weck style B in the mail today with a leather pouch and 5 original weck blades can't wait to try it out tomorrow but then it goes under the tree till Christmas or so the wife says ha

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Ha ha - I have a style B with original Weck blades and want to try stropping the blades and retouching them and using it as a Seven Day Set.
With those maintainable blades the Weck is a full straight.

OkieStubble said:

I love my WII Medical Corp Weck with Case and Fromm #105 blades. Along with my Feather AC SS and Pro blades, they are two of my very best shaves! Great thread mjclark!

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Yeah! There's a fair few razors I haven't experienced yet, but so far the Sextoblade and the AC SS are simply the best
They shave quite differently from each other, and between them they are as good as it gets!

I agree!

Great post! Useful and interesting.