Feather razors. Are they 'all that'?

Whoop whoop :D Although the delivery was supposed to be Thursday next week, it came today with DPD :D I ordered it from amazon.de on the 29th, but it was actually sent from Groom Manifest in the UK. Two days to Germany, not bad! I can't wait to try it out. I'll try the feather blades that came with it first of course, but Groom Manifest also sent 20 MÜHLE Stainles blades as a free gift. I've never used them, has anyone here any experience with them?
 
So I've shaved five times with it, and it has instantly become my go to razor. So much so that I'm in the process of selling all my other razors ( here on the forum in buy and sell, plug, plug....Just sayin' )
All the positive stories are true: it's efficient and gentle at the same time. I can't explain it, I just know I get a BBS with a three-pass shave without any cuts and weepers. And no razor burn or soreness. I've decided to use the Feather blades for the moment, I ordered 200 on Saturday, and they came yesterday.
I also have 200 Polsilvers, 200 Nacets, about 150 Rubies, as well as about 200 assorted Astras, Personna etc. which I will be trying out with the Feather in the future. Whatever works with the Feather I will keep, what doesn't work with the Feather will be sold off, or given away to friends.
I have made a stand for mine out of a scrap of oak I had lying around in my workshop. A couple of passes through the bandsaw, drill a hole, stain it with a nice dark tone, and then wax and polish it. I'm very pleased:D

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@GuitarTech
If the Feather is based around a Tech, then the Polsilvers & Nacets should work a treat. They do with my Tech.
What stain, wax did you use for the oak did you use? It looks like a rosewood! I'd be intrigued whether such a finish could be used for a maple guitar neck or alder guitar body (apologies for going off topic, as much as I love razors guitars are my obsession...)
 
The stain is a water-based stain from Stewart-Macdonald. I took a few drops of tobacco brown, and thinned with a few drops of water at a time it till I was happy with the tone. Then I brushed it on with a stiff-bristled brush. After it was dry, I used Clou Antique furniture paste wax applied with a cotton rag. And then polished it on the buffing machine.
You can use the stains for staining all kinds of wood. For a guitar body or neck you need to mix it till you're happy with the tone ( try on scraps from the same wood until you're happy with the tone ), and then when it's finished, either wax it, or spray with clear laquer.
In this book: https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Books/Guitar_Finishing_Step-By-Step.html are recipies for all the guitar colour schemes known to man, including the classic sunbursts from Gibson etc. And Stewmac has a set of 10 thinneable stains so you can mix any tone you like. They last forever, I bought mine ten years ago, and you can't even see that the level in the bottles has sunk, as you only need two or three drops for each job.
OT is OK, guitars are my passion too. Here is a link to my website: www.myers-guitars.com The grey-haired old duffer on the home page is me :D
 
Actually, I could get a DFS with a Feather Popular polymer DE I once owned and it was amazingly smooth to use to boot. I sold it to a fella who uses it daily and loves it. Many claim it is too mild, but I found it shaved almost intuitively and as such makes a perfect transition DE razor for someone new to DE shaving which I was when I had mine.
 
Actually, I could get a DFS with a Feather Popular polymer DE I once owned and it was amazingly smooth to use to boot. I sold it to a fella who uses it daily and loves it. Many claim it is too mild, but I found it shaved almost intuitively and as such makes a perfect transition DE razor for someone new to DE shaving which I was when I had mine.

A few of my favourite razors have been decried as too mild.
 
Since I've been using the AS-D2, I've developed a theory that there is no such thing as a mild or aggressive razor. It's always the same blade that's doing the cutting after all, whatever razor it's in. It's just that the bigger the blade gap, the more imprecise you can be with the angle that you hold the razor at. And the more chance of cutting yourself too, as the blade is more exposed.
But with the AS-D2, the blade gap is tiny. It forces you to refine your technique and keep the blade angle constant. It only works within a tiny tolerance area.
When somebody says the Feather is "too mild", they really mean that they haven't developed their technique sufficiently to be able to hold the blade angle constant. If someone is prepared to take the time to learn how to use it, the feather will give as close as shave as any razor. And then the advantage of the feather becomes apparent: because of the tiny blade gap, it's nigh on impossible to cut yourself.
Since I've been using it with the "dangerous" feather blades, I haven't cut myself once, not even a tiny weeper, nothing.
In the past I managed to cut myself regularly with the Futur or the Parker variant for example. Same blades, same technique. Go figure....
As ever in these things, this is just my opinion. YMMV
 
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The stain is a water-based stain from Stewart-Macdonald. I took a few drops of tobacco brown, and thinned with a few drops of water at a time it till I was happy with the tone. Then I brushed it on with a stiff-bristled brush. After it was dry, I used Clou Antique furniture paste wax applied with a cotton rag. And then polished it on the buffing machine.
You can use the stains for staining all kinds of wood. For a guitar body or neck you need to mix it till you're happy with the tone ( try on scraps from the same wood until you're happy with the tone ), and then when it's finished, either wax it, or spray with clear laquer.
In this book: https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Books/Guitar_Finishing_Step-By-Step.html are recipies for all the guitar colour schemes known to man, including the classic sunbursts from Gibson etc. And Stewmac has a set of 10 thinneable stains so you can mix any tone you like. They last forever, I bought mine ten years ago, and you can't even see that the level in the bottles has sunk, as you only need two or three drops for each job.
OT is OK, guitars are my passion too. Here is a link to my website: www.myers-guitars.com The grey-haired old duffer on the home page is me :D

The book looks like a must read for those interesting in finishing guitars, thanks for the link and for the info on finishes. I'll revisit the info when I'm able to clear some space to start some projects (one day...)

The site looks great and I had a look through the pages and a lot of things I could ramble on about but it's possibly best left for another thread!
 
The book looks like a must read for those interesting in finishing guitars, thanks for the link and for the info on finishes. I'll revisit the info when I'm able to clear some space to start some projects (one day...)

The site looks great and I had a look through the pages and a lot of things I could ramble on about but it's possibly best left for another thread!
Yeah, StewMac is the specialist for Luthier tools and materials for Luthiers and repair Techs all over the world. Most of my specialist hand tools have StewMac engraved on them. Sometimes I think of all the import duty and VAT I've had to pay over the years to the German government and then I have a little cry. I think I've bought tools and materials for over € 8000 over the years. But like they say here in Germany, the money isn't gone, it's just that someone else has it now :D
 
Yeah, StewMac is the specialist for Luthier tools and materials for Luthiers and repair Techs all over the world. Most of my specialist hand tools have StewMac engraved on them. Sometimes I think of all the import duty and VAT I've had to pay over the years to the German government and then I have a little cry. I think I've bought tools and materials for over € 8000 over the years. But like they say here in Germany, the money isn't gone, it's just that someone else has it now :D

StewMac seem to have that part of the market for luthier tools to themselves really. That's an impressive amount you've bought from them! I can see how the VAT/Duty hurts you for sure, I feel a bit like that when I stung for VAT when I buy strings from the States and it's pennies in comparison!

Apologies if you were already aware but MadInter in Spain have StewMac items on their website now. I'm not sure how the prices are to the USA counterparts but I imagine the lack of duty/VAT could be a good thing.
 
And then the advantage of the feather becomes apparent: because of the tiny blade gap, it's nigh on impossible to cut yourself......
......In the past I managed to cut myself regularly with the Futur or the Parker variant for example. Same blades, same technique
If you're regularly cutting yourself with more assertive razors then it's your technique that needs addressing rather than the technique of those who successfully use said razors.
It takes three passes with a Tech, Star DE or WS Sticky to get me where an R41 will get me in two and a Cobra Classic will get me in one and a half.
I mostly use SEs but still use DEs including the milder ones to keep my eye in, but I wouldn't dare claim that using one type of safety razor required better technique.
Especially not, if I hadn't yet mastered the type of razor I said required less technique.
 
StewMac seem to have that part of the market for luthier tools to themselves really. That's an impressive amount you've bought from them! I can see how the VAT/Duty hurts you for sure, I feel a bit like that when I stung for VAT when I buy strings from the States and it's pennies in comparison!

Apologies if you were already aware but MadInter in Spain have StewMac items on their website now. I'm not sure how the prices are to the USA counterparts but I imagine the lack of duty/VAT could be a good thing.
Yeah, I'm registered at Madinter too. In the last few years they've started to stock a few things from SM.
Rall Guitars in Germany too, along with Dictum, also in Germany. A few years ago, Tonetech in GB started up, they have some nice stuff too.
Luthiers Merchantile International in Ca USA has some interesting stuff as well, but then with the same problem as SM regarding customs duty etc.
At the time I was buying all my stuff SM was about the only source, they more or less had a monopoly. The market in Europe has changed a lot in the last ten years.
When I started with Madinter, they only had wood, mostly matched sets for classical guitars., and a few other bits and bobs.
I've never understood why SM has never opened up a European operation: without all the extra costs with customs duty etc, they'd make a bloody fortune. It'd be a license to print money. Wish I'd had that idea 30 years ago, I could've been rich :D
We're getting well OT here btw, maybe using PM is a better idea :)
 
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If you're regularly cutting yourself with more assertive razors then it's your technique that needs addressing rather than the technique of those who successfully use said razors.
It takes three passes with a Tech, Star DE or WS Sticky to get me where an R41 will get me in two and a Cobra Classic will get me in one and a half.
I mostly use SEs but still use DEs including the milder ones to keep my eye in, but I wouldn't dare claim that using one type of safety razor required better technique.
Especially not, if I hadn't yet mastered the type of razor I said required less technique.

I've always done three passes, independant from which razor I was using. Maybe it's because I'm just an old git, and getting a bit jittery? :D
At work, I' ve noticed in the last two years or so that my hands shake a bit when I'm soldering too, I guess I should be lucky I can hold a razor at all :)
Getting older is a bit pants really when I come to think of it:)
 
I've always done three passes, independant from which razor I was using. Maybe it's because I'm just an old git, and getting a bit jittery? :D
At work, I' ve noticed in the last two years or so that my hands shake a bit when I'm soldering too, I guess I should be lucky I can hold a razor at all :)
Getting older is a bit pants really when I come to think of it:)
Tell me about it, aches pains and grey whiskers. :eek: :)
 
It takes three passes with a Tech, Star DE or WS Sticky to get me where an R41 will get me in two and a Cobra Classic will get me in one and a half.
Not possible. What special passes are you making with an R41 which remove the stubble that a Tech cant take off???

If the blade is on your face in the tech, it will shave it as close as possible. Second and third passes are for using a different direction to remove hair which wasn't cut sufficiently in the first direction. The R41 can't magically take the hair off closer to the skin using the same blade.

Now, maybe the different style of blade in the Cobra can take off more hair as it's stiffer or something... maybe.

I can get just as good a 2 pass shave with a Tech as I can with a Fatboy on 7, or my Aristocrat #15. But I do need to keep my angle constant with the Tech to do it
 
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