Feather Popular DE Razor
Shaving – Razor Review: My first DE shave with a Razor called the Van Der Hagen was brutal. I was willing to give it another shot just to see if it was the Razor or the Blades. What lead me to the Feather Popular was all the great reviews about the Feather All Stainless Steel Double-Edge Razor, Model AS-D2. While I’m not willing to drop over $150 for any DE razor at this point until I find one that may work, I will have to stick to the sub $75 range for now.
https://www.feather.co.jp/ew_s.html
My 8 Shave Review is as follows:
Thoughts after my first shave (#1):
- This was a way better shave that my Van Der Hagen! The sides of my face experienced some razor burn, but didn’t tear me up like my first DE experience. With this razor, I can tell you there is still hope for DE shaving in my life.
Thoughts after shave #2:
I tried to be a little more gentle with how I positioned the razor on my face. Correcting the angle did work better, but I still had some razor burn at the end. All in all I could shave with this razor as long as I am willing to live with a few consequences.
Thoughts after shave #3:
After shaving this this razor today, someone at work commented that my cheeks look a little flushed. I guess they thought I wasn’t feeling well or had a sun burn….. Nope, I just shaved with my Feather! Really good shave if you expect a layer of top skin to be gone with it. No matter what I try, I still get razor burn.
Thoughts after shave #4:
Okay, lets pull out all the punches. This includes a full prep of shower and face wash, a gentle exfoliation, then beard oil. Now put on pre-shave gel and Cremo shaving cream. No need for my hand to spread the paste around when I have my trusty badger brush, pre-shave perfection has arrived… here comes the knife (razor).
Looks great this time! Wait, do I still see a little red burn on my face after I wipe off the excess shaving products? Dang it!!! Why does this happen?
The pre-shave routine really did help with the razor burn, but didn’t completely eliminate it all together.
Thoughts after shave #5:
I know I said I would go all the way to eight shaves, but I am really questioning why I should do so? It takes nothing for my to bring out old trusty Gillette Fusion and give a comfortable and great looking shave.
Thoughts after shave #6:
Here is how I am feeling heading into this shave…
Same outcome. Still some razor burn. No matter how detailed my pre-shave routine is, I can’t completely get rid of the razor burn. Why? Why? Why?
Thoughts after shave #7:
So how do I feel about doing this for a 7th time?
I had a Matrix moment and decided to reflect on how things are in the real world. The real world is not pretty, and the fake world appears to be better, but is it? If the real world is my face with a Gillette razor raking over it, then why do I crave a fantasy world where DE razors provide the perfect shave? I am sure that others reading this may be in the opposite boat, but the road that I know is that DE razors have never treated me well. Why do I keep making something work that just doesn’t? The only answer I have for anyone reading this is that I may be trying to connect with the past. Maybe the past as in the good ole days of DE shaving (1880-1960), or maybe a past relative that used a DE razor. I can’t help but think that old relative would have traded their Gillette double-edged safety razor for my Gillette Fusion in a heartbeat.
Thoughts after shave #8:
I lost hope. Gillete Fusion is still number one. While my quest will always be to find a better razor, at least for my face, there is none better at the moment.
My overall assessment
This is by far the best DE Shave I have ever received. Not quite BBS, but no nicks or cuts and only a small amount of razor burn if you prep really well, that usually goes away in less than three hours. I would say this razor is great for starting out in DE shaving if you have sensitive skin such as myself!
