10-09-2016, 04:12 AM
It's worth it if you like a Gillette Tech and want a heavier version. The feather shaves smoother than a tech, but the efficiency is very similar. I sold mine because the handle was too long and I couldn't feel the blade. Some people like not being able to feel the blade, but I like to feel it because it helps keep my angle.
10-09-2016, 11:52 AM
I now shave with straights, but the Feather was my favorite DE, so much so that I passed it on to my son. I did prefer a milder razor in conjunction with a very sharp blade, and the AS D2 with a Feather blade was perfect, and I found it to be efficient, yet smooth and comfortable. I have very large hands and wished the handle was of a slightly larger diameter. It is an extremely well made razor that I'd gladly purchase again.
10-09-2016, 06:28 PM
(10-09-2016, 03:58 AM)jtmke Wrote: I like efficient. Where other mild razors seem to make you work for the shave the AS/D2 is a workhorse shaving away stubble. Mild, yes. Well made, yes. Smooth, comfortable shaves, yes.

Yr obdnt srvnt is on the (very) public record with a long, “War & Peace” style, review of the Feather AS-D2 on Amazon in which I addressed the frequent (and false) reverse correlation that many allege exists between mild and efficient. The Feather AS-D2 is both very mild and very efficient. (The preceding is the executive summary, bottom line, of the review; you can locate the review in all its tedious length at the listing that has 314 reviews on Amazon, at the top of the list of reviews.)
Blades cut whiskers. Any given blade will cut just as closely and efficiently when it is mounted in a Feather AS-D2 as it will cut in a “vampire’s special” razor.
10-10-2016, 09:05 AM
I think it's worth it, and have enjoyed mine with Feathers for some time. As others have said, it's both mild and efficient. I've also found another combination I like even better - an Above The Tie (ATT) S1 slant with Personna Med preps. For me it's a closer shave, and just as smooth. The Kronos handle gives me a different feel than the slightly smaller (diameter) handle of the AS-D2. I'm still trying to decide if it's a daily driver but think that in the end these are two razor/blade combos that, for me, deliver BBS results quite readily.
As allways, YMMV

10-10-2016, 11:19 AM
It is a nice hefty razor that does work well once you dial in the angle. I bought mine used for roughly half of retail and like it. That said, in my opinion the shave really isn't any better than a fat handle tech. It is nice, but a re-plated tech will set you back a fraction the cost of a new one.
10-10-2016, 02:19 PM
I am not a fan of any of the Feather razors as they are just too mild even for me. I love me a mild razor, and sold many a razor that was to aggressive in favor of milder razors, but these razors are just too mild. They do provide a very close shave, but after 5 passes which is just too many for me. I use an iKon X3, and a Muhle R89, which are both very mild shavers. A little bit more bite and they would have been fantastic razors, but even paired with a Feather Hi Stainless I still needed 5 passes to be smooth.
I did use a shim made from a trimmed Astra Blade, but who the heck wants to shim for every shave? There is also the risk of blade misalignment using a shim and you have to be constantly on it in order to get the blade the same on both sides...just not for me.
Good luck, as they are nice to look at, but for me the glamour just isn't enough for the amount of work needed for a good shave.
I did use a shim made from a trimmed Astra Blade, but who the heck wants to shim for every shave? There is also the risk of blade misalignment using a shim and you have to be constantly on it in order to get the blade the same on both sides...just not for me.
Good luck, as they are nice to look at, but for me the glamour just isn't enough for the amount of work needed for a good shave.
10-10-2016, 07:56 PM
(10-10-2016, 02:19 PM)Crag Wrote: I am not a fan of any of the Feather razors as they are just too mild even for me. ... even paired with a Feather Hi Stainless I still needed 5 passes to be smooth. . . . [T]he glamour just isn't enough for the amount of work needed for a good shave.
If the blade was able to shave closely in five passes, then it was competent, loaded in the same razor, to cut closely in two passes, had you taken the time and effort to learn technique.
I do not play a Steinway piano as well as the late Sviatoslav Richter did. But the poor excuse for music that (maybe) I could coax out of a Steinway is not the fault of the Steinway.
I am sympathetic that you believe that you should not have to “work” so hard, and were put out that your learning curve would not immediately be accomplished, properly to use the tool. But the reason that a precision tool does not work for a person rarely is the fault of the tool, and almost always may be attributed to the person who wields the tool.
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