It might be a little misleading to say that the Feather AS-D2 is the Best Double-Edge Safety Razor Money Can Buy, because if you have a lot of money, you can definitely get yourself quite a few high-end, luxury razors worth about as much as a week’s paycheck. But that’s not what you’re looking for, and honestly, that’s not really worth it. Instead, you can spend less than $150, and walk away with the cleanest, smoothest shave you’ve had since middle school.
The Feather AS-D2 is made in the town of Seki, Japan, which has been known for its fine cutlery and metalworking for quite some time. Thus, it has all the craftsmanship, quality and detail you might expect from a razor of such upbringing. And it shows.
The AS-D2 is made of stainless steel, and weights in at a hefty 3.5 ounces. While that may not seem like much, it’s quite a bit of heft for safety razor. And that’s a good thing; while you don’t want something to heavy to maneuver, you do want some substance to a safety razor, as proper technique actually uses some of the weight of the razor to get a close shave. It’s cut and milled to perfection, with absolutely no rough edges and smoothness all over.
The grip features cross-section knurling, made up of little diamond shapes, providing the razor with exceptional grip and control. These are important; nothing sucks more than when the razor slips in your hand, causing you to cut yourself. Three horizontal grooves add some extra balance.
At 3.75” long, the AS-D2 is also the perfect length for a safety razor; too short, and you’ll have a hard time getting a good grip with larger hands. Too long, and you’ll have a hard time maneuvering and getting a close shave.
The headpiece on the Feather AS-D2 is very distinctive; the corners of the top piece are designed to keep the blade perfectly aligned in the head, something that cheaper razors often overlook and fail to do. However, the gap between the head and the blade is rather small, leaving it with a steeper angle than other razors; it’s meant to be used at a 45° cutting angle, compared to the normal 30°. So how does it fare in terms of aggressiveness? The steeper angle makes it less aggressive than others, but the weight gives it a bit of momentum. So mid-range.
So, if you already know that you enjoy wet shaving, then we think dropping more than a hundred dollars on the Feather AS-D2 is totally worth it. You won’t find anything else of this quality and versatility for this price. If you need something more aggressive (those of you with ultra-thick beards), you may want to pass. But for everyone else that doesn’t want to drop $300-plus, your shaving experience is about to get a whole lot more enjoyable. And closer.
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