€169 is one month's food allowance for one, Wednesday's business lunch for another, and for the majority something in between. We're not going to start shouting whether it's big money or not. Everyone understands that it is everyone's personal matter. What we can do is compare similar priced products.
Let's see with a few examples what you can roughly get with that amount of money:
- 17 fast food meals (1 wild week when the wife is travelling)
- Running shoes
- Smartphone at the cheapest end
- Festival ticket
- 5 baskets of meat (dinner for a few engineers)
- The world's best (and forever) razor: Feather AS-D2
What makes a razor the best in the world?
Mildness
Although we are talking about a classic single-edged razor (which usually requires a bit of skill in handling), it is almost impossible to cause any kind of skin irritation, let alone wounds. Even the sensitive area of the neck with the Adam's nose is not a problem with this planer. When using the Feather planer, you have to check from time to time whether the blade is even in place. It has such a smooth and gentle shave. Feather naturally recommends its own blades with this planer, but so do we. Of course, the blades are individual, but due to the mildness of the planer, you should try with the sharpest blade possible. Even if Feather's blades previously felt too harsh for your face, give them another chance with the AS-D2.
Efficiency
Densely growing stubble or particularly coarse beard hairs may be a bit of a challenge for a closed-comb planer. You have to keep the strokes shorter and you sometimes have to go through the problem areas too many times. This one doesn't have that problem. The world's best razor cuts even a week's worth of bed incredibly effortlessly, and even thick wire beards are not a problem. At the same time, however, maintaining its aforementioned mildness. We can't exactly explain the reason for it, but we suspect some millennia-old Japanese magic.
Material and finish
Made entirely of stainless steel, the Feather AS-D2 weighs 92 grams, which feels heavy. For comparison, the Shave Club C57 weighs 57g. 35g may sound small, but the difference is really noticeable. The flawlessly knurled stem gives the best possible grip even with soapy hands, and the details can even withstand a microscope examination. Just the way the blade fits into the planer makes the Feather worth the price. Feather AS-D2 is frankly a work of art. The plane is made in Japan, in the city of Seki. Seki is historically known for making Japanese samurai swords. Is there a cooler manufacturing place for a razor? I do not believe.
A few reviews from internet scumbags:
“Putting a blade into the Feather AS-D2 was amazing. The blade dropped into place with no effort. But, once in place it could not move in any direction. The fitting was exact. I'm a musician. My trumpet valves fit into their sleeves with just enough space for a molecule of lubricant. This is the type of fit I saw. The blades weight is all that's needed to seat or unseat the blade. But, once in place it has no wiggle room. Very cool!.”“The Feather AS-D2 is an high-cost, luxury item. There are many fine razors out there that are well made and perform very well. (Some new and some old) For me, the Feather AS-D2 is worth every penny. 40 minutes after my shave I still feel nothing. Even the skin under my shirt collar, my neck destroys collared shirts, feels nothing. No irritation, no red marks, just smooth skin. My wife is going to love this razor.”“This razor cuts hair like nobody's business. It does it so well that some people actually complain about how they don't feel it cutting the hair. It goes about it's business like a well trained assassin.”
The Feather AS-D2 is an incredibly good razor. Maybe the best in the world. Its price is definitely justified, but is it worth it to you? We can't answer that. However, if you end up getting this, you won't regret it. Shaving doesn't get much better than this.
