Reddit reviews Feather All Stainless Steel Double-Edge Razor, Model AS-D2

a safety razor, and if they are worried about chrome and other cheap metals, they make all Stainless steel razors too.

Feather AS-D1

HIS Shave Brush

Shave Cream and ASB from the Gentlemen's Refinery...

Vintage Gillettes are a great choice for a durable razor. They're mostly nickel-plated brass, although there are a few aluminum handles out there. My Slim was made in the same quarter I was born, so it's 51 years old and will almost certainly outlast me.

For new razors, it really depends on your budget. As far as aluminum goes, if you can find a Standard razor for <$45 or so, grab it. At full retail ($70), I'd be inclined to bump up to the $99 Above the Tie Calypso.

Steel is more expensive. The Rockwell 6S gets a ton of love, but I'm not a fan. Ditto with the Feather AS-D2. I do like the Above the Tie Atlas S1 a lot; it gains a little efficiency by slanting the blade. And of course there's the Wolfman razor - it's a true heirloom-quality piece of functional art. But you have to follow James (the owner) on Twitter, then enter a lottery to get on the waiting list. And if you're successful, it can be the better part of a year before your order is filled.

Seems pricey to pay US$20 more just for a skull & crossbones etching. Also, you want to be careful with the smooth-handled EJ (or rebranded) razors as they can be very slippery to handle while shaving. Most Muhle razors are also rebranded EJ razors. There are a couple of other brands (Baxter's comes to mind) that are also slightly modified EJ razors. They all have the same heads and all shave the same way. I would go with the cheapest Edwin Jagger that I liked the handle style of.

The heads of these razors are made from a zinc alloy, and zinc is a somewhat brittle metal. If you drop one of these razors they stand a good chance of breaking. This is true with many different brands of modern razors including Merkur, Pearl/RazoRock and others. That doesn't mean these aren't good razors, however like most things they just aren't made to be dropped.

If you are really worried about breaking your razor, you could get one made from better materials. Weber razors are highly regarded and made completely of stainless steel. Ikon razors are likewise made of stainless steel. Feather also makes a good stainless steel razor. Of course, you have to pay more to get such high quality razors. Compared to most razors these ones are 2-4 times as expensive.

You could also check out Fatip razors which are more reasonably priced and made of plated brass so they should be very sturdy.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Edwin Jagger/Bluebeard/Muhle or Merkur razors, there are a lot of different options out there. You might want to see what is available before making a purchase.

BTW. Can you post photos of your dad's old razor?

Sort of.

What I've used:

EJ89, Merkur 37C Slant (my current go to).

I just end up irritated after using them though... like it "works" (I'm getting the best shaves of my life) but I'm not entirely happy. My skin gets irritated very easily, and I feel like I've seen reviews for razors where people are like "Every other razor irritated my skin (once I get to my stubble, my hair is a beast) except this one" or something to that degree. I've heard about the Weber ARC and this one: http://www.amazon.com/All-Stainless-Steel-Safety-3-5inch-Feather/dp/B004E5GV82

Either that, or I'm thinking with my type of hair, I might have to shave every other day instead of every 2 days, so it might be technique... but yeah I digress.

About me: fairly tough hair... most barbers have had a tough time clean shaving me or I break out everywhere because of my sensitive skin.

What would you suggest? The ARC, the Future, or the expensive one I linked to? (or none, just keep messing with my configuration?)

I never thought I'd spend nearly $200 (1800 SEK, from a Swedish store) on a razor, but here I am. What the hell, since I'm never going to go back to the Gillette plastic garbage, why not go all in? Judging from the positive reviews on Amazon, it seems to have been a good investment.

I haven't had time to try it yet, but based on the looks and feel of it, it's worth every penny. The build quality and machining is insane. It's kinda light (90 grams) compared to my Merkur Futur 700 (120 grams), but still feels solid as hell. I can't see it being bruised or nicked in the first try.

Safety Razor Handle: Use either a $16 Feather 800-1B (high-quality japanese plastic and metal) or, when you are ready to buy the BIFL version, the $165 Feather AS-D2 (stainless steel)

If you are springing for the AS-D2, you might want to consider getting the AS-D2S, which comes with a minimalist stand, although I couldn't find a link to purchase, I'm sure you can find it somewhere if you dig around a little.

Blades: This is easy, you just buy the $21 100 pack, which should last you around 2 years if you shave daily and change your blade weekly.

Shave Oil: I use Somerset's by Henley on Thames. I found it at a cheap drug store and it turns out it works great, most oils are good though, once you learn to supplement your shave with a couple splashes of water to keep the moisture levels up! For the Somerset's, I go with the extra sensitive version, you can get a bottle that will last you a couple years for $25 for 1.3 oz or if you want to start with a smaller bottle, the 0.5 oz. is $10, so you don't really even save if you get the bigger bottle, which I just realized while typing this out

And for the salicylic acid treatments, I use a face soap, shampoo, and face lotion with 2% of the acid in it, but the main treatment is really using these pads after I wash my face, letting it dry, then rinsing my face and applying lotion.

This. 1 good blade is far superior to multiple blades. You have to pay attention to the angle, but it's less irritation.

For the balls especially, and for light hair growth on your face and neck, I would look for a very mild razor (as opposed to aggressive, explanation HERE). If you have the cash to throw down, the king of mild razors is the Feather AS D2 for $175, but a good budget option would be the Dorco PL602 at $10. As with anything in life, you get what you pay for. The Dorco is cheap plastic and the Feather is jewelry grade stainless steel.


You may need to get different blades than the ones that go with the Dorco, but blades are $0.10-0.33, so it's not a huge cost.