FeatherStainless Steel Double Edge Razor AS D2

This is a very mild double edge razor with impeccable machining and balance. If you look around the internet at products being offered by Razorock, Oliworks, Merkur, Rockwell and others you will find a lot of good choices today in a stainless steel razor. So what's the case for this offering from Feather? I have razors from all those mid-level brands and this is the mildest shaver of all of them. "Mild" in this case means that it requires a very specific angle of use, but is very protective of your skin. It is great for those with sensitive skin, because you aren't dragging a blade across it at an aggressive angle. What this also means is that not every brand of blade works equally well in this holder. The first blade I tried, an Astra, didn't shave closely enough for me requiring multiple (unsuccessful) passes over the thickest part of my beard. I had to go (surprise) to a Feather (same company as the razor) to really get the most from the razor. Feather branded blades are famously sharp and thin -- even judged against other razor blades -- and they turn out to be a perfect match for this product. I am very happy with the resulting shave.Would I take a star off of the review because this razor works best in its own ecosystem of blades? No, because the fit and finish is very high, and because the razor does one thing very, very well. Who's it NOT for? Well, if you prefer an aggressive shave (say, a shave you get from a Rockwell No. 5 or 6 plate, or a Murkur 41), then this product was not designed for you. Or if you need an adjustable razor because you shave both your face and your noggin at different levels of aggressiveness, then this wouldn't be my first choice. But like a finely crafted chef's knife that does what it was designed for perfectly, but is not equally good at all tasks, this will last a lifetime and never disappoint, when used as intended.

I'm new to wet shaving, and I initially only tried it to see if it would help with ingrown facial hairs. This razor helped sell me on the whole experience. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I wasn't sure would work, but I also didn't want to buy a cheap unbranded metal safety razor. I'd rather buy a mostly plastic item that is made in Japan by a surgical instrument company, than an unknown quality metal razor from China or the Middle East. As another reviewer mentioned, plastics and polymers are used with great success in high stress applications like guns, so I'm pretty sure they will do fine in a razor. I've been using disposable single blade bic razors for a while now, so this one actually felt quite substantial to me. The twist to open mechanism worked perfectly, and the lockup of the blade seemed solid.I ordered Astra super platinum blades for this razor. The Feather blades are known to be the sharpest available, and are not recommended for beginners. The razor and blades came before the other shaving equipment, so my first shave was with Barbesol. It was noticeably better than the shaves I'd been getting with Bic razors. The razor felt smoother and more comfortable, and I got a closer shave with a single pass. I was surprised to see that the razor did a MUCH better job of cutting the whiskers just below my nose. I was worried that the large head would make that problem area even harder to shave, but the angle you use with the safety razor puts the blade right up against the bottom of your nose. I'd been nicking my nostrils trying to get to that spot with the disposables, but with a safety razor there's no need to start your stroke that high in order to get a good cut there.Once my proraso and brush arrived I was able to whip up some proper shaving cream. The shave you get with real cream applied by a brush and a quality double edged razor blade is so much more comfortable than canned cream and disposable razors that I don't even care if it helps with ingrown hairs. This is my new routine. I picked up a styptic pen at Wal Mart, but despite my concerns I haven't gotten a single nick or "weeper."If you look at the reviews you'll see consecutive 1 star ratings because this razor is "too mild," and then "too aggressive." I found it to be very mild, but shaving experiences are subjective. Perhaps the one who called it too aggressive was using the included Feather blades. Within a few days I started hunting vintage razors at local antique and thrift stores. I ended up finding a great condition 1958 Gillette Superspeed at a local shop for $18. If there's any reason not to buy this Feather razor, its if you find a vintage Superpeeisin good+ condition first at a comparable price. The Superspeed is a little slicker/smoother, just as comfortable, and shaves just a bit closer on the first pass. It is significantly heavier and much better looking than the Feather, but the Feather's long handle feels better in my big hands.One more thing that I'll add is that if I had it to do over again I'd buy a $17 premium boar hair brush instead of an $11 economy badger hair. I came across a vintage badger hair brush at an antique store for $6. It outperforms the new $11 one by a significant margin.