When i first purchased this razor, i have to admit, we didn't get along. I wondered what all the fuss & hype was about?
Sure, it was a thing of beauty to hold and look at, & clearly a precision engineered instrument, & something that you can tell is made to the highest quality standards. But i just could not get a great shave out of it.
So i forgot about it for a while & kept using my trusty Merkur 34c HD, which as everyone knows, is simple to use & always offers a decent shave.
Several years went by, until one day i decided to try the Asd2 again. And slowly but surely, i understood how to use it. I does require some skill, unlike the 34c (which i could use in the dark), but once i learnt how to use the Feather razor as it was intended, i then realised the difference between a 'decent' shave versus a 'bbs' shave.
The Asd2 is capable of giving a 10/10 - bbs shave. However it does require some skill and a bit of practice.
Compared to the 34c it costs 4X more. Will it give a shave that is 4X better? No. But it definitely gives a closer shave, without a doubt in my mind it shaves closer. And once you factor in other things such as better finish, superior build quality, grippiest handle ever, & it is just so beautiful to look at. Also will last many lifetimes i'm sure, which i don't think the 34c is designed to do. All in all, is it worth $260? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is for sure,...now that i can get it to shave at its optimum, i can't go back to anything else. In fact i'm seriously thinking about buying another.