First shave with AS-D2

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.

You got lucky, finding a razor you really like right from the start, enjoy!

(02-08-2016, 05:36 PM)Snuff Wrote: You got lucky, finding a razor you really like right from the start, enjoy!

I have to agree lol. Took me a good 3 years to fund the right razor. Still haven't tried them all though...  

Glad to hear you found what your after OP. Manny happy shaves to you!

Nice.

I use my AS-D2 frequently.

The A1 though, wasn't so great.

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.

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.

This is the DE I've most wanted to try and have never gotten around to it. I'm not usually successful in staying clear of expensive experiments, but for some reason I have been with the Feather. Like hearing about it in any event.

YES ... try the AS-D2 with a Feather Hi Stainless blade, my go to blade in most of my razors is the Astra SP but the AS-D2 shaves incredibly with a feather blade .... it was designed to be paired with one. Glad you like it, it's one of my favorites in my collection

The as-d2 was my first love, very gentle and forgiving. But after a while I got bored with it, I just needed something with a bit more oomph and it wasn't pretty enough for me,(how shallow am I?!) and I fell in love with another. 

(02-08-2016, 11:32 PM)Rickenbacker Wrote: The as-d2 was my first love, very gentle and forgiving. But after a while I got bored with it, I just needed something with a bit more oomph and it wasn't pretty enough for me,(how shallow am I?!) and I fell in love with another. 

Which one mate?

I'm a bit of a swinger when it comes to razors but at the time it lost out to my ATT R1. I just wasn't using the feather anymore. It's a fine razor, we'll made and well designed, just lost interest in it. At the moment it's a toss up between the Bbs1 and Wolfman.

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!

(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.

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.

The more I hear about these razors the more I think I must have one.  Better start saving.