Feather SS Artist Club Folding Shavette Review- Great Shave That Comes With Buts!
Feather SS Artist Club Folding Shavette
In my experience, I found the Feather SS Folding Shavette to be an easy-to-use shavette. The unit is made of stainless steel and plastic, making it very light in the hand. While it is light and easy to maneuver, the plastic feels very uncomfortable in the hand.
Pros
The shavette is incredibly lightweight
The longer blade makes for a more comfortable shave
The blade doesn't move or slip at all
Cons
I am already seeing corrosion after only a month
The plastic handle feels uncomfortable
The shavette uses a specific blade type
It is expensive compared to others
Shavettes are one of my favorite products to review. They have the classic and timeless qualities of a straight razor, but the easy-to-use traits of a straight razor. I don’t have to worry about sharpening the razor; I just have to put in a new blade every two weeks. This keeps things sharp and more hygienic.
Feather itself is a well-known brand from Japan. They’ve been around since the 30s, manufacturing high-quality double-edged safety razors and shavettes of multiple designs.
I’ve used and reviewed a few Shavettes, and now I have used the pricey Feather SS Artist Club Folding Shavette enough – I can share my experience and findings.
Build Quality, Materials, & Design
The Feather SS Artist Club Shavette is folding, meaning it folds closed like a straight razor. It uses Feather SS specialty blades that are slightly longer than regular disposable blades.
While the one I got has a lime green handle, there are other options as well. Feather offers a black and pink handle, as well as two other models with wood finishes, and one with a pearl white handle.
The wood-handled options, as well as the pearl model, have different molding on them and are slightly heavier to handle.
The handle is about 5 inches, and the blade arm is almost 6 inches. It feels like it weighs almost nothing, about 2 ounces.
The Feather SS uses its own brand of blades, meaning one cannot use half of a regular disposable blade, as on most shavettes. I had to purchase a set of blades to use with this shavette rather than using anything else—something important to keep in mind.
The unit is made from plastic and stainless steel, and the blade itself is made of high-grade Japanese stainless steel. The plastic handle is high-grade resin that is built to withstand heat and torsion, so it isn’t going to break any time soon.
Well, it is supposed to be stainless steel. After about a month’s worth of use, I found some corrosion on the blade, as shown in the next video clip. That isn’t the healthiest thing!
Ergonomics and Grip
The only major downside (other than the aforementioned blade corrosion above in the last section) was the fact that the handle itself is not very comfortable to hold. It is solid plastic, and I never felt like it was going to break or slip on me. However, it was very hard to find a good way to hold it that left me without a small hand cramp after use.
The thin part of the metal section is textured for a better grip, and the plastic has been sculpted to fit into the hand. However, I have rather big hands. The sculpting does not fit my hand at all, and the sections are so thin they made my hand start to cramp up.
However, the thin profile makes it very easy to move around and maneuver. I didn’t have any issues using it on the various curves on my face as long as I took things slow and steady.
Blade Loading, Compatibility & Mechanism
In this case, I can also bring up how easy it is to change blades on the Feather SS Shavette. It is unique because I have never seen this method of holding a blade in place. For this shavette, I pinch the top of the blade arm, and that opens up a channel that I can easily slide the blade into without any issue. Then I let go, and the spring closes to hold the blade tight. It is easy peasy-lemon squeezey, and I don’t have to worry about the blade being at some odd angle. That gives it a bonus from me.
Most Shavettes style usually have a fan-out design like the Bluebeards Revenge Cut-Throat Shavette or the Proraso Shavette.
The custom blades that Feather uses are slightly longer than normal shavette blades. Normal shavette blades are just as long as a given disposable razor blade, but the Artist Club custom blades add about another centimeter of length. That additional length makes shaves much easier and faster.
Feather blades also have curved corners, so there is no chance the sharp edges are going to catch on your skin and leave accidental gouges. Let me tell you about the times that came in handy.
Unfortunately, the Feather SS is not compatible with any other blade. You will have to buy their blades, which bumps up the bottom line.
Shaving Experiences
For this review, I had the opportunity to spend a long time with the Feather Shavette. Shaving with a shavette or a straight razor takes some skill to keep from cutting one’s face to ribbons. I wanted to make sure that I was giving the Shavette a proper review, and not attributing negative experiences to my own rusty skills.
I’ve taken about a month of shaving every few days to get used to the Shavette and give it a good, fair shake. I used several different shaving soaps, but in order to really get a good review, I declined to use any pre-shave creams or oils. I wanted to know exactly how good the Shavette was on my face.
Overall, I was happy with the quality of the shave the Feather SS Artist Club offered. I had no issues getting the job done and going through with my shave. I didn’t have any major nicks and cuts that weren’t my own fault.
As with any shavette or straight razor, it takes time and skill to use without cutting oneself. There are no real shortcuts to getting the skill; it is like riding a bike. One has to practice and eventually get good enough to be able to shave without major cuts. This is why Barbers go to school to get that perfect 30-degree angle to shave.
The first pass was obviously the easiest to deal with, with no nicks or cuts and very little drag against the skin. The only relatively dangerous part is around the Adam’s Apple, but the blade has a narrow enough profile to move around it.
The second pass was across the grain, and is where I first get some difficulty. There were no issues on the cheeks, but I found it dragged some along my jawline. I also find cutting along the left side of my jaw to be very awkward at this angle. I have yet to find a shavette that really works there.
Finally, the third pass was against the grain and is the most likely part where I could cut myself. The shavette was again great with the cheeks, but I had some minor issues with my neck. It was very easy to accidentally get caught in a skin fold. Really had to crane my neck to make sure every swipe was smooth.
Here is a quick demonstration using the razor just to give you an idea of how it shaves.
Costs – Value for Money
Now we get to talk the real turkey.
As of the time of writing, the Feather SS Artist Club Shavette is about 100 USD on Amazon. That is a huge price point. For those of you following along at home, that is about 5 pizzas’ worth.
Looking at Shavettes, most are going to cost you between 25 and 50 USD on Amazon or other men’s grooming sites. Some go as low as 10 USD, but those are not typically made to last. I would expect 25 to be a good investment in your shaving routine. Maybe up to 50 if it is made to look nice. 100 USD is just too much for my blood. Not when I can get a quality shave from something like the Parker SR1 Shavette for about a quarter of the price of this Artist Club Shavette.
That is skipping over the fact that I have to shell out for custom blades as well. The pack of 20 blades comes out to an additional 16 USD. Even if I like the blades, that is still more money out of my pocket.
Final Verdict – Who is it For?
So who is the Feather SS Artist Club Shavette for, really? I can’t say. Honestly, it has some great points; it made for a nice shave, and the longer blades go very far.
However, I cannot get over the fact that there is already some corrosion on the stainless steel and the 100 USD price point. Maybe for me, the corrosion is a fluke, but honestly, I cannot recommend this shavette. Especially not for long-term use. No matter how good the blades are.
If you are looking for a better option that won’t break the bank, I couldn’t recommend the Dovo Shavette Razor enough. I have yet to find a shavette that is better than this. However, this one also uses custom blades.
If you are looking for a good shavette that uses regular blades, then I would highly recommend the Parker SRX Shavette, which is even less expensive than the Dovo and great for beginners who just want to try something new.
