The AS-D2 is a 3 piece all Stainless double edge razor made by in Japan by Feather Safety Razor Co.
Features
- Material
- Razor: Solid stainless steel with Nickel chrome plating
- Stand: Solid stainless steel
- Weight
- Complete – 91g
- Head – 30g
- Handle – 61g
- Stand – 162g
- Measurements
- Handle Length – 91mm
- Head Length – 43mm
- Head Width – 20mm
What’s in the box
The packaging has a high quality look and feel which I suppose should be expected from a razor in this price range. An outer grey box opens up to a deep burgundy lidded box with gold lettering. Inside is a sturdy foam with cut outs to hold the razor, blades (Feather of course), stand and the instruction manual (in Japanese and English).
Fitting the blade
As with most 3 piece razors the handle is unscrewed to allow the head to break into two parts. Place the blade over the locating posts on the cap, put the guard on the cap and screw the handle back down. I had no issues with alignment or uneven gapping of the blade. The quality of the machining really shows through when handling the razor. It really is a beautiful piece of engineering.
My usual blade is a Kai stainless so I loaded one up, face lathered with a Speick stick and a Yaqi synthetic brush.
The Shave
First pass with the grain and I initially thought the razor was very quiet i.e not much audible feedback, I then realised my angle was miles off and I was only removing lather with the guard….. Rookie mistake I hear you say but in my defence the angle needed with this razor is much shallower than my usual Mühle R41 so please forgive me this time. Anyway re-lathered the missing strip and reduced the angle of attack, bingo! we are cutting hair.
Audible feedback is good (once you get the correct angle) and the razor feels perfectly balanced in the hand. The knurling is sufficient enough to invoke confidence with wet and slippy fingers but not so deep that it feels sharp to the touch, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Head size posed no issues going over tricky areas such as under the nose. The razor feels smooth and mild but the stubble is coming off so it is very efficient.
Second pass across the grain and I struggle a little under the chin. The angle is my problem again and I missed a few places on the chin line and directly under, I feel like concentration lapsed, muscle memory kicked in and I was defaulting to the angle of my daily R41. After a few touch-ups and more care on the angle I was done.
Post Shave
No issues with post shave to report. I used Speick Aftershave and had a nice bit of sting on the neck to show me where I went in at the wrong angle but no nicks or weepers. All in all a very efficient, comfortable shave
Four shaves in and I am in love with this razor. It’s incredibly well built, the heavy handle and precise knurling, perfect threading on the head and alignment of the blade. All this adds up to a premium quality razor albeit at a premium price however, it is a joy to look at, hold and use.
It feels mild but is it? Smoothness may be confused with mildness here as it performs flawlessly for a two pass shave. There is a bit of trial and error required to get the angle just right so it may not be a good buy for a newcomer but with a bit of perseverance and practice, good results will come. For me, it may be the perfect daily razor.
