Feather AS-D1 - for bumfluff only?

Tall_Paul

Tall_Paul

Joined
Saturday May 28, 2011
Location
Torquay
Well, what a disappointment.

So far this week I've shaved with a Gillette New longtooth OC, an Aristo #16 and the Feather AS-D1.

Both Gillettes (over 60 years old each) gave me effortless, superb shaves.

The Feather turned up yesterday. Beautifully engineered and made. Of that there is no question.

Anyway, I eagerly loaded it up and set to work. Did my normal (WTG-XTG-ATG) three passes. Could hear the razor cutting so assumed all was well.

Rinsed off after the third pass and it looked like I hadn't shaved! Did TWO more ATG passes, including a ridiculous 'method shaving' style buffing on the final pass.

The net result was (surprisingly) no irritation but today I looked like Grizzly Adams. Felt like a proper scruff bag.

So, after a bit of reading up today, I made three shims from old razor blades. Popped two in the Feather and did my normal three passes. Crap, again. Popped in a third shim and did the cheeks again. Crap.

Ended up doing another ATG pass with the Aristo #16 which hoovered up everything.

So, in summary, I've had the following expensive modern razors and none of them worked for me:

  • Ikon OSS (this was the best of these 4, but still didn't hold a candle to my vintage Gillettes)
  • Ikon S3S
  • Ikon Modern
  • Feather AS-D1

Admittedly I have a coarse black beard but, as I said, how disappointing.
 
I love the Feathers, and the iKons are pretty good too. I dunno, did you try playing around with the angle of attack? What blade were you using.

Trying to avoid falling back on ymmv.
 
Sorry to hear you're struggling with this. I also have a tough beard and ASD1 with a feather blade is by far the best combination for me. A couple of things I have noticed is that it works best with a slightly more open angle and the less pressure I use the closer it shaves. As ever YMMV but don't write it off yet
 
I have an extremely tough stubble, and the as-d1 is my go to razor.

As Cmot has said, it does require a slightly different angle, I do a two pass and end up with dfs.

I sometime don't shave over the weekend, and come Monday, it effortlessly removes 3 days worth of tough thick stubble.
 
I used a Personna Red blade.

I will have to give it more time but considering I can pretty much find the right angle with almost any vintage Gillette you care to name (barring Techs) I'm wondering why it should be like that?

You'd have thought a Japanese razor would have been precision engineered to deliver a superb shave at any angle!

As others have said, it's bizarre when the Artist Club is like something wielded by a samurai warrior!
 
A little while back I was using various other razors, and when I started using the feather again, it took a few shaves to get back to the correct angle.

Blade of choice is the super thin, like a hot knife through butter, and no irritation.

I also have an OSS, effortlessly removes stubble, better than the as-d1, but leaves me sore, and as I shave daily during the week, my skin gets a hammering, not so with the as-d1.
 
Tall_Paul said:
I used a Personna Red blade.

I will have to give it more time but considering I can pretty much find the right angle with almost any vintage Gillette you care to name (barring Techs) I'm wondering why it should be like that?
Click to expand...

I'm kinda surprised you didn't try a Feather blade in that razor, since it's known to be on the milder side from what I've read.

Actually, it's one of the things that make it attractive to me, since I like those types paired with a sharp blade. Never tried that razor but it's shore purty.

Marvin
 
Never tried the AS-D1 or any of the iKons and not likely too either but I seem to be the opposite of you in that I really struggle to get a decent shave with the vintage Gillettes I've tried. The #77 can be excellent but i have to be very careful as she bites! Conversely, my shimmed Jagger does the job wonderfully. That said, the Slim and Super Adj. are probably the best oldies for me with the Slim edging it although the EJ still feels more 'natural'. Hope you get on better with the Feather and it works out for you.
 
I struggle with Gillette TTOs and have got rid of most of mine.

As for iKons they are works of beauty, but I find some are quite mild. Of those I have the standard head is the mildest, then the OSS, then the S3S. The Deluxe Open Comb is a lot more effective and probably my favourite of all.

The Feather AS D1 is mild in my opinion and requires a very sharp blade to get the best from it. As a daily razor it works fine, but more than a days growth is too much for it.

I have all these iKons and the Feather, and a couple of Webers. I still think the Merkur 37c is one of the best razors I own. I have just bought a NEW so my opinion may change soon.
 
Tall_Paul said:
I will have to give it more time but considering I can pretty much find the right angle with almost any vintage Gillette you care to name (barring Techs) I'm wondering why it should be like that?
Click to expand...

That may be your issue. The feather is basically a precisely engineered Tech. The Ikon OSS baseplate is similar.

In shaving with Techs and finding the angle. I find it helps when learning to place the guard bar flat on your face, keep it there, and slowly lift the handle until you feel the cap touch your face. This is the ballpark angle that works.

Shorter strokes and frequent rinsing help too because of the small gap

Hope this helps. As always YMMV
 
As duke said above, short strokes is a must on the first pass, on the second, I almost use it like my old sensor, long sweeping strokes.
 
Looks like you had the same experience as me Paul.

I could get a decent shave, but it didn't last long and started to look scruffy quick quickly after.

It just didn't shave close enough!
 
another one crossed off the list of not to try....the ikom i had altho very tactile was very mild and left me wondering ...so no further expense on this one,,right lets move on, nothing to see here
 
I like the Feather AS-D1, and can get a brilliant BBS shave with it.

It doesn't like long stubble, but apart from that I have no problems with it. It is nothing like as mild as the iKon Standard Head, which just seems like a razor that won't shave.

Whenever I try a different blade I always use the AS-D1 as my benchmark razor as I know I can rely on it, it is a very smooth razor, which for me delivers excellent results.
 
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