In response to a reader request, this morning I am using my Feather AS-D1. My D1 is indistinguishable from the AS-D2, though certainly some AS-D1s were easily distinguished by their gross inefficiency — I tried one AS-D1 that would not cut at all. The problems associated with keeping the AS-D1 consistent were apparently enough for Feather to discontinue the model, replacing it with the Feather AS-D2.
My Feather AS-D1, like the D2, is an extremely comfortable razor with little or no blade feel, yet despite that it is quite efficient and routinely produces a BBS result. The idea today was to see the effect of using Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave following the specific guidelines set out in the instructions:
- Use a pea-sized amount (a little more than I had been using previously); and
- Massage the pre-shave into the wet stubble for a full minute by the clock. (I had been estimating the time, and it seemed to be more like 25 seconds than a minute, a discovery I made by using a timer.)
The shaving soap this morning is Declaration Groomiing’s Icarus formula in a fragrance developed in collaboration with Chatillon Lux, Yazu/Rose/Patchouli (which turns out to be a very nice fragrance indeed). The Bruce brush provided a great lather, and when I set to work with the Feather, I again found the glide noticeably better than in my regular shave. I am sure the soap contributed:
Stearic Acid, Water, Castor Oil, Avocado Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Mango Seed Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Bison Tallow, Lamb Tallow, Colloidal Oatmeal, Goat’s Milk, Lanolin, Bentonite Clay, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract, Salix Alba L. (White Willow) Bark Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tussah Silk
Three passes did indeed again produce an impeccably smooth result, and a little splash of Chatillon Lux’s toner in the matching fragrance finished the job. Just as yesterday, my face is remarkably smooth. The skin feel when I rub my face differs from yesterday’s, and that I think is due to the aftershave formulation. The Chatillon Lux toner I used has these ingredients:
Denatured alcohol, chamomile extract, calendula extract, witch hazel, aloe vera, cat’s claw bark extract, polysorbate 20, fragrance, vegetable glycerin, menthol
Yesterday’s aftershave was, I believe, simpler, and the lemon components also may have contributed a different feel. But in terms of pure smoothness, today’s result matches that of yesterday.
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