Feather AC DX vs Kai Captain Excelia

Help! The RAD is on me - I have a Sam Seong, CJB, IBC and a Greager on the
way (excited) and I thought I'd treat myself to an AC DX and that would be all she wrote.

But then I saw that Connaught have the Kai Captain Excelia... Aaaargh!

Is the Excelia worth the extra £60 over the already pricey DX?
I know the CJB delivers as well but it would be nice to have a nice new razor eh?

Excelia or DX?
You tell me...


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Read some reviews earlier that the Excelia may look nicer, but is not as good a razor as a DX. The shape of the blade is like a thick wedge and for a thick wedge design, the CJB and Kai Captain will suffice. The DX has that slightly concave blade which makes it more of a 1/4 hollow grind. Save the money and apply it toward the new ATT.

gvw755 said:

Read some reviews earlier that the Excelia may look nicer, but is not as good a razor as a DX. The shape of the blade is like a thick wedge and for a thick wedge design, the CJB and Kai Captain will suffice. The DX has that slightly concave blade which makes it more of a 1/4 hollow grind. Save the money and apply it toward the new ATT.

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Thanks! I read that the grip on the DX and the balance are both better too.

gvw755 said:

Read some reviews earlier that the Excelia may look nicer, but is not as good a razor as a DX. The shape of the blade is like a thick wedge and for a thick wedge design, the CJB and Kai Captain will suffice. The DX has that slightly concave blade which makes it more of a 1/4 hollow grind. Save the money and apply it toward the new ATT.

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...but these are shavettes. The AC style blade is the same in both. The shape of the holder will have no effect on the shave.

paintflinger said:

...but these are shavettes. The AC style blade is the same in both. The shape of the holder will have no effect on the shave.

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My IBC, AC SS, CJB and Sam Seong, all with a Feather Pro blade shave DIFFERENTLY from each other because of the balance, weight and shape of the head...

mjclark said:

My IBC, AC SS, CJB and Sam Seong, all with a Feather Pro blade shave DIFFERENTLY from each other because of the balance, weight and shape of the head...

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I guess my point was that the shape of the head is largely irrelevant compared to straights where the wedge shape and 1/4 hollow shape would behave differently. At the end of the day, all of the AC style shavettes will have the same stiffness/flexibility to the edge. Weight and balance will certainly affect the shave and in that sense, the shape of the head matters.

I've also just read that the DX has 0.5mm more blade exposure than the Excelia.
This could be the decisive factor for me...


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Both outstanding razors.
dont fret over which one to get.
because ultimately you will own both

sarimento1 said:

Both outstanding razors.
dont fret over which one to get.
because ultimately you will own both

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Very wise words!
Now it's just which one do I get first? [emoji3]

This one.

Well - I got offered such a good price on a new Excelia that I had to take it:

It looks like it fell off a spaceship and comes in a nifty case:

Instantly I can feel the different balance from the CJB and Sam Seong - with the Excelia the weight is in the handle which might make negative pressure easier to achieve...

...As has been widely pointed out earlier in this thread, I'm probably going to end up with an AC DX as well.
But they turn up second hand occasionally on eBay whereas the Excelias do not....

...and probably a Kai Captain Standard as well eh? [emoji3]

beauty!
enjoy!

I have a non-folding Kai Excelia and a folding Feather AC (the model without the rounded shave head). It has been a couple of years since I have have shaved with either but they were very close in how they performed. The Kai has a smooth chrome finish while the Feather has a matte finish similar to what I think is on the Feather AS-D2 (I have never seen a AS-D2 in person so I cannot say that for certain). I bought the Kai first, have shaved with it more often, and I liked it bit more than the Feather. But that was mainly due to the handle. All things considered I think they are pretty comparable shavers. I would hesitate to pay a lot more for one over the other based on the shave performance.

First shave with the Excelia this morning:

The grip and balance are very different from the CJB and Sam Seong.
With the Excelia the weight is in the slightly longer handle, making it more nimble and responsive but (just like the Cobra Classic) it took me a while not to get in a mess overthinking how to hold it!

Excelia folding seem to have disappeared anyone knows why ?

I called Kai/Kasho asking if they had any in stock i could buy.. they called offices in Germany and Japan asking for any information, they came back with the news that they have broken the mold and have no copies to re make it.
They said they might do another version but not sure.
I did manage to track a brand new one down of a seller in Russia.
He says he has access to another maybe 2...

jeepferret said:

I called Kai/Kasho asking if they had any in stock i could buy.. they called offices in Germany and Japan asking for any information, they came back with the news that they have broken the mold and have no copies to re make it.
They said they might do another version but not sure.
I did manage to track a brand new one down of a seller in Russia.
He says he has access to another maybe 2...

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Wah! If they weren't expensive before, they're going to be now...
...luckily I am in love with my non-folding Excelia [emoji3]

Tell me about it... i paid waaaay over the odds for mine but i really wanted it...

I have both the folding and non folding... i love them both equally, they have a lovely "ring" to them when i us them.
I have a couple of Dx's and while i love them also they don't have quite the same "something".. can't explain.

But in trade catalogs i have (i'm a barber ) both Excelia's retailed at £510 each

jeepferret said:

Tell me about it... i paid waaaay over the odds for mine but i really wanted it...

I have both the folding and non folding... i love them both equally, they have a lovely "ring" to them when i us them.
I have a couple of Dx's and while i love them also they don't have quite the same "something".. can't explain.

But in trade catalogs i have (i'm a barber ) both Excelia's retailed at £510 each

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You put it really well.
I was offered a DX and an Excelia at excellent prices from a UK seller, and I chose the Excelia because it has that je ne sais quoi.
Everyone I've shown it to, men women children and animals, has gone "Wow - that's amazing!"

And yes the catalogue price is truly shocking.

Also I haven't ever seen a second hand Excelia for sale, which must mean something [emoji3]

speaks volumes....