02-08-2016, 05:27 PM
So I picked up a AS-D2 from Vadim last week, which arrived today. I've only been shaving with a DE for about a month, using my EJ 89. Having run through Derby's, Gillette Platinums, Wilkinson Swords and Astra SP's, I settled on the Astra's. VERY smooth shave, plenty sharp for my beard/hair (I also shave my head), and I get a solid 4 shaves out of each of 'em. I've been very pleased with the EJ, but all the reading here (and elsewhere) got me interested in trying a 'luxury' razor.
So I loaded up the AS-D2 with a fresh Astra SP (I do have Feather's, but haven't tried them in either razor, yet), lathered up with some Col Conk's and gave the new edition a try. Now I've always been a ATG shaver. Always. Never have I ever been able to get a BBS shave any other way, and I've had no issued ATG with my EJ, so was real curious to see what this AS-D2 would do.
Wow.
Shaving with this thing is *almost* as automatic as shaving with a cartridge. I had zero issues with the EJ, but this AS-D2 allows me to shave quickly, and as far as I can tell, it's every bit as close a shave as the EJ. Basically one pass, with some touch up work along the way, and done. I can see why some guys don't like this razor - it's practically boring! Really, if you are into the 'art' of shaving, this thing takes most all of that finesse/touch out of the equation.
I'm not sure if my obsession with my new 'hobby' will have long legs - when I first researched DE shaving, it was primarily to save money. Spending $125 on a razor would seem to fly in the face of that, and I'm really enjoying all of this. But other than the cost of the razor itself, THIS is what I was looking for. Even if I end up backing off a bit, this razor will be my daily driver for the foreseeable future.
So I loaded up the AS-D2 with a fresh Astra SP (I do have Feather's, but haven't tried them in either razor, yet), lathered up with some Col Conk's and gave the new edition a try. Now I've always been a ATG shaver. Always. Never have I ever been able to get a BBS shave any other way, and I've had no issued ATG with my EJ, so was real curious to see what this AS-D2 would do.
Wow.
Shaving with this thing is *almost* as automatic as shaving with a cartridge. I had zero issues with the EJ, but this AS-D2 allows me to shave quickly, and as far as I can tell, it's every bit as close a shave as the EJ. Basically one pass, with some touch up work along the way, and done. I can see why some guys don't like this razor - it's practically boring! Really, if you are into the 'art' of shaving, this thing takes most all of that finesse/touch out of the equation.
I'm not sure if my obsession with my new 'hobby' will have long legs - when I first researched DE shaving, it was primarily to save money. Spending $125 on a razor would seem to fly in the face of that, and I'm really enjoying all of this. But other than the cost of the razor itself, THIS is what I was looking for. Even if I end up backing off a bit, this razor will be my daily driver for the foreseeable future.
02-08-2016, 07:17 PM
I was also wanting to try an AS-D2 to either find one cheap or someone willing to loan me one. I have started daily shaving instead of my usual 2-3 days and have been using and experimenting with Techs, Super Speeds, Schick Injectors, Merker 34C, and now I want to try the AS-D2.
02-08-2016, 07:28 PM
Mated with a feather...the AS-D2 shaves beautifully. Finding the right angle is a little easier than it was with the previous version. I've always recommended the previous version to people who just want to shave with a fool proof razor without worrying about cutting them selves or are worried about the learning curve on a DE. This version is a little more aggressive but still delivers beautifully almost bomb-proof shaves. I use mine quite regularly though admit I still need some buffing in the problem areas after my daily 3-pass shave to get it to a true BBS.
02-09-2016, 09:07 AM
I like it quite a bit, although I don't shave with it often. I always pair it with a UFO handle, so it looks a lot prettier than the original version.
I think if I didn't own a Hybrid Tech, an RFB NEW, a NEW Deluxe, a New Improved Tuckaway, a Tradere, and an iKon SBS the Feather would get a lot more use, lol!
I think if I didn't own a Hybrid Tech, an RFB NEW, a NEW Deluxe, a New Improved Tuckaway, a Tradere, and an iKon SBS the Feather would get a lot more use, lol!
02-09-2016, 12:06 PM
(02-09-2016, 09:07 AM)kingfisher Wrote: I like it quite a bit, although I don't shave with it often. I always pair it with a UFO handle, so it looks a lot prettier than the original version.
I think if I didn't own a Hybrid Tech, an RFB NEW, a NEW Deluxe, a New Improved Tuckaway, a Tradere, and an iKon SBS the Feather would get a lot more use, lol!
No collector of antiques I /*, after I acquired an AS-D2 at the end of October (2015), the tenure in my bathroom of my first DE razor (a Standard Razors razor), which I had bought new only 18 months earlier, inevitably was doomed to an early end, and I sent it on to a new home in the Philippines. The reason: I simply stopped using the Standard Razors razor altogether once I had the AS-D2, which consistently gave me just as close a shave as the Standard Razors razor, with fewer occasions of nicks or weepers, from day one. My other DE razor, purchased just a year ago (iKon DLC Stainless Slant), may be the next to go, as I simply find the AS-D2 shaves more pleasant than those I get from the Slant, for reasons that I am not myself yet sure that I understand. (I also have an iKon DLC Open Comb Deluxe baseplate that is completely swappable with the stock solid bar baseplate of the AS-D2; so my one AS-D2 effectively is two different razors.)
/* Never have I thrown out a non-disposable cartridge razor handle, and I have a box full of them; but that is not antique collecting, but just a hangover from my Scots/Swiss super thrifty mother, who never threw out anything that still had some “use” left in it, and imprinted me with those same values.
02-09-2016, 05:12 PM
While I do not own an AS-D2 I do own an AS-D1 which, by what I've been able to gather, is one of the better first version razors that is as efficient as the second version. I also have an iKon OC baseplate that I use with my Feather as well as a shim type leaf spring that makes it an adjustable. Here is a picture.
![[Image: UMLht6K.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/UMLht6K.jpg)
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