Feather Travel DE

This razor gives a very decent shave, I have the best luck with Feather or Gillette Yellow blades. For the price I don't know of another razor that's nearly as good. But I have other razors I prefer, so this one stays in my gym bag for the odd occasion when I have to shave at the gym.

Based on the review above I dug it out of the gym bag, screwed on another handle, and by George it really is much better with a heavier handle! Thanks for the tip Shamus!

I really like this little razor in my rotation. The blade gap is really great for a nice comfortable shave with a nice sharp blade. The modification that I made to this razor was to replace the handle. Instead of using the handle that came with the razor, I obtained a heavy, stainless steel, bulldog handle which fits nicely on the Feather razor head.

I find that the weight of the heavy handle coupled with the nice blade gap of this razor give me some of the best shaves when using a Feather, Gillette Yellow Russian, Gillette Black Indian, Iridium or Kai double edge blades. IMO...this is a fine made razor and a great deal that are still available although not manufactured anymore by Feather. I highly suggest this razor for travel or daily use and although my modification of the heavy handle is not necessary, I have found great success with this razor. Cheers.

I thought it would be nice to have a real Feather razor, so I asked for this one. It does a great job; it reminds me of my old style oc. It shaves about the same, also about the same results. As it cuts my beard easily it is probably aggressive (like my oc). So if you are looking for a nice, inexpensive but good razor, this might be it. Too bad these are out of production...

Amazed at how good this is for the price. In MN I picked this up at a local barbershop supply company for $2.99! For the price I might go pick up a few more lol.
I bought mine for travel as it's very compact and $2.99 was cheaper then getting a travel case for my Merkur HD.
My 2 biggest complaints for this is it's balance, the handle is a little small (lol it is a travel razor) and the 3 piece design is a little intimidating to put in a new blade. Blades don't stay well in the top until you put the whole thing together so you end up having to hold the razor a bit to get the bottom and handle on.
Otherwise for the price you really can't beat it, even for $10 at Ebay I'd think it'd be worth it. Especially as an entry level/travel razor.

The Portable might be the best "new" razor you can find right now, both for the quality of the razor itself but also for the price.
I imagine if Merkur would make a similar razor these days they would be around 40$, so for 9$ if you can have one, go for it.
The razor looks very good, it's like a Gillette Tech but whit a shorter handle and the finish is on par whit the finish of new Merkur razors.
It comes whit a great case, if you travel this is what you need, and there's enough space to store a couple of blades.
For the aggressiveness of the razor, i would say it's a razor that can bite, quite aggressive.
It's the second one that i buy from Pauldog, the first one was for a gift to my grand-father last holidays.
I recommend it for sure.

I had always heard about the portable razors in various posts on wet shave forums and heard that this was no longer in manufacture by the company.

Two weeks back I chanced upon fellow B&Ber Pauldog's sell thread for the feather portable and I inquired if he would be able to ship it to India. Paul, the gentleman that he is, courteously and promptly replied to a series of my messages on the shipment. Thank you Paul for your patience !!

It arrived in Mumbai a day short of two weeks in sleek bubble envelope which was thoughtfully packed with other packaging to start its journey to exactly the other side of the world !

Today morning I slipped in a Wilkinson Sword India blade and lathered up the Park Avenue Classic shave cream with my Omega professional.

The razor is head-side heavy due to its short thin handle which is also in a way a good thing actually. Its a tad more aggressive than an HD, you need to lightly operate the razor, allowing the weight of the head to do all the work on that stubble.

It is aggressive just right and it did full justice to balance out the wonderful and sharp Wilkinson Sword Stainless blade made by Gillette here in India. Having used the feather popular razor as well I can say that the two feather razors are virtually on the opposite sides of each other on the aggression scale. I find the popular to be a 2 on my fatboy and the portable to be almost a 5-6 on the fatboy.

A smooth and perfect BBS shave in two passes and some touch ups. I am impressed with the awesome performance, quality and price of this razor.

I highly recommend this razor for anyone looking for a quality middle of the line aggressive razor, which will last a life time !

I also highly recommend Pauldog for being a prompt and polite vendor.

Price: Excellent. I purchased two NIB razors from pauldog for $15, which I consider an extremely fair price for what you get (razor, case, and two Feather blades).

Quality: Build quality is excellent; all the pieces feel solid and well-made. The plating is high quality and seems durable so far.

User Friendly: I like three-piece razors because of their simplicity; the design is easy to clean and is durable. The Tech-clone head is also easy to maneuver.

Grip: Excellent, allowing very positive control of the razor at all angles and with all grips, wet or dry. The handle is a little short and could stand to be a touch longer, but otherwise I have no complaints.

Ease of Blade Replacement: Typical three-piece blade replacement.

Aggressiveness: I'm never sure how the one to ten scale works for aggressiveness; for my purposes, I assume that one means the razor is mild and ten means that the razor is a meat slicer in disguise. I rated the razor as slightly more aggressive than my Gillette Tech, which I called a "3" in my review of the razor. I can get a DFS with this razor two to three passes.

Adjustability: Not applicable.

Balance: Almost perfect.

Overall: I love the Tech design in general and I believe this is an excellent clone with just the right balance between aggressiveness and forgiveness. The Feather Portable gives a close, comfortable shave with little effort; right now, it's my favorite DE razor and the one I reach for the most often. If you want a Tech but don't want a vintage razor or want a new razor, get a Feather Portable. You won't be disappointed.

This is my first real safety razor, after years of using crumby disposables by Gillette and god knows who else. The other day I shaved with the first of five brand new disposables by Gillete, the ones in their $8 range, and my face looked like a pepperoni pizza afterward. And I'd had enough. I'm 28 for god's sakes, how much more of that can I possibly take? Time to shave like a man.

So today I went out there to Gentlemen's Best and picked up the sampler pack, and in my mind the most important item - the Feather Travel DE. I'm under the impression this has been discontinued . . . if that's true, then all the better to get it now, while someone is still selling it! When I think Japan I don't automatically think of shaving products, but the Japanese Feather has certainly changed all of that.

I've been wet shaving for many years, so for me to use this razor for the first time wasn't so much a question of technique, but of having the right tool. This is hands down the right shaving tool. It's so easy to use! I was afraid it was going to be a hassle getting the right angles, avoiding cuts and knicks, navigating the rather square contours of my face and jawline - but with this thing it was absolutely no problem. Minimal damage for a first shave, and no cuts whatsoever. Although it's called a travel razor, I frankly see it as just an everyday accessory, no travel required. But I do travel now and again, so the little plastic case will come in handy. This razor certainly is well made, beautifully nickel-plated, with a solid grip, perfect balance, a beautiful little bar to keep the blade at bay, and no major issues with affixing the blade itself - although I guess the 3 parts makes this a tiny bit trickier than with other designs. But this is really a terrific razor. Don't know why I didn't go for it years ago!

I have been using this razor for about a month and it has pretty much replaced my old beloved Merkur Progress. I use Feather blades and have gotten some of the best shaves I have ever experienced. I got mine from Pauldog (great vendor) and I think I am going to get another, since they are no longer being made. A true gem for the price.

I picked this razor up recently. If you like Gillette Techs (I do), and wish you had a travel razor (I did not). If you wished you had a Gillette Tech that was a bit more aggressive (I do) - here ya go. I picked mine up from DrIdiot - cost was about $12 USD shipped from Singapore. The razor comes in a nice, plastic case and it is efficiently packed in there. The is a slanted space that will hold wrapped blades, and I would guess about 5 blades or so will fit nicely. The razor is a Tech clone but more aggressive.

Price - 10. A bargain for a new razor.

Quality - 9. The plating is a bit thick on the head, but otherwise outstanding.

User Friendly - 10. Shaves excellently.

Grip - 10. Excellent Gillette-style cross hatching.

Blade Replacement - 7. Techs are a touch tricky to put in a blade and tighten.

Aggressiveness - 8. That is just on a scale - more aggressive than a Tech and a HD, but not all out Fat Boy and 8 kind of aggressive. Somewhere in between.

Adjustability - N/A.

Balance - 10. Handle is fine and well-weighted. Nice distribution and balance.

I picked up a Feather Portable, for very little money here on the B/S/T. It was around $8.00 shipped; brand new. Complete with two feather blades included!

It looks very much like my Gillette Tech, and from what I can tell shaves nearly identical. The handle is slightly shorter than my Gillette Ball End Tech, but that doesn't make any difference in performance.

This is a low cost, but high quality product.

Maybe it's because I am new to DE shaving, but I couldn't really tell any difference in terms of Aggressiveness between this, and my Gillette Tech. They seem to shave nearly identical.

The weight between this, and my Tech seems very similar as well.

This is a great bargain for anyone who loves Tech style razors, and for any newbie who wants to give DE shaving try, but doesn't want to break the bank "testing the waters".

Still preer my Merkur 38c or Gilette fatboy since I like a little heft to my razors.
Great for its purpose as a travel razor.
Biggest problem is unless I check my luggage in there is no way to get my DE blade to my destination.

I used this little guy for the first time the last two days with a new IP blade. For < $15 shipped, you have to try one!

My only other razor is a Murkur HD, and to me the HD is much more aggressive. I've been using the HD for about 4 weeks with IP and Merkur blades. I still get a nick or two on my chin about half the time with the HD . With the Feather Protable, it's not even close. In fact, I have to bear down a little, the way I used to do with a Sensor before I saw the light. But the result is a very smooth shave. I'm not sure I've ever achieved BBS, but this has to be close.

Is it possible that I have an unusual sample of either razor?

The Feather Portable was my very first DE. I received it while serving in Iraq. My learning resources were severely limited. I could read things here at the B&B but I could not see any pictures or even view Mantic's famous videos (as these were all blocked by our servers). the Feather Portable didn't let me down. My very first shave was not only DFS but acceptable by my CO at the morning staff meeting. It is every bit as good as any Gillette Tech I've owned. This is a must have for any collector or just someone who needs a great shave.

What constitutes a travel razor? DE razors aren't big, so why do you need a somewhat smaller handle for travel?

I got my Feather Portable razor from B&B member Pauldog. I payed $11.25 and that included shipping costs from US to Finland too.

I have now shaved 4 shaves with it using Red pack Personna blade. I find the aggressiveness of this razor just right. On the same level as Merkur HD and a little more than my 1966 SuperSpeed. I wanted to have a 3 piece razor and did not want to get another Merkur fixed head besides my 34s.

This is a solid good looking metal razor and the handle/head balance is just right.
I gave 6 for blade changing but only cause it is a 3 piece razor. Blade changing is actually quite straighforward and easy.

Nice cheap razor. Probably feather realized that it was too cheap and too good and decided to discontinue it. As already mentioned you can still get it in ebay (for europe, you can get it from Poland at about 16 € shipped).
I started to use it with the included Feather blade, but probably my technique is not yet enough to use a Feather at all: I got a blood bath and a lot of burn. Then I replaced the Feather with a Derby and I got a really excellent shave, very close and without any irritation or burn.
It is very important to take the razor in its balance point (which is actually relatively near to the head), otherwise it is difficult to avoid pressure.

The plastic case is the most compact and functional case for a razor I have ever seen.

I wouldn't use this at home basically because the three-pieces design makes the replacement of the blade uncomfortable, but just that design makes the case small and easy to carry around, so this is my beloved travel razor.

Excellent razor, currently my favorite out of all the vintage Gillettes and new Merkurs I have used. Fit and finish matches the best of the Gillettes, and you can buy one of these Feathers brand new for only $8.50 shipped!

And it shaves excellently. Also comes apart if you happen to want to travel with it (I don't, I use this at home and disposables to travel).

Great razor, mild, good heft... really I have no complaints.

Regards.

J

I picked one of these up recently to chuck in my wash bag for overnight business trips and have been pleasantly surprised by it's performance. Not least because, like Gunner above, it gave a good trouble-free shave equipped with a Feather blade, despite the expected aggressiveness of that combination.

It's well-made, and despite its diminutive size when disassembled, large enough to be used just like your regular DE razor.

Pick one up while you still can.

I like this better than my ball end tech and, IMO, it is far superior to a gillette travel razor. It is slightly more aggressive than the tech it is patterned after and the balance is also quite different. Using "Sharp" blades I can get a ccs in three passes, but I have to apply a subtle bit of pressure to the strokes. (I use VDH deluxe soap) It packs away neatly with a few blades in it's case and is solid enough to last generations. I can't really think of any major flaws, although blade changes are typical for three piece razors. It is one of the better made, inexpensive razors that can be bought new. I have other razors that are more comfortable to use, but for a neatly packed travel razor, this one is quite easily servicable.