AC blades worth it?

I've gone through a ton of different AC style single edge razors and got great shaves from the majority of them. The one that beat them all for me is the Blackland Vector with a Schick proline blade although I can use any blade in it.

I never could get an AC razor to work well for me, so I just stopped trying and moved on!

Ditto!

I've gone through a ton of different AC style single edge razors and got great shaves from the majority of them. The one that beat them all for me is the Blackland Vector with a Schick proline blade although I can use any blade in it.

The Vector is a jaw droppingly gorgeous razor, but way out of my price range at the moment.  If AC shaving does work out for me, that will be the razor I strive to own.

I never could get an AC razor to work well for me, so I just stopped trying and moved on!

Me too. I tried a friend's Hawk with 3 or 4 different blades and it just didn't gel for me and I love injectors so go figure.    I find the very wide head/blade very ungainly to boot. Like a windshield wiper. Everything an AC razor does an injector already did.

If you already have the Hawk then it makes sense to me to spend the $12-15 and buy a pack of Pros on Amazon and find out. Nobody can tell you if AC blades will be best for your face and your shaving style.

Question: Is the Hawk aluminum? If so, there’s a good chance that what you perceive as dull blades is actually just the razor skipping. If it’s aluminum, it’s really light and that means you need to add pressure. Otherwise the razor will just bounce off stubble and you’ll perceive that as a dull blade. If your Hawk is steel then you can disregard this.

I do have the aluminum Hawk.  It's very light, but I've heard a light touch is needed with such a sharp blade like the Feather.  The thing is, it doesn't feel like chatter (I think that's the correct term - kind of a bumpy, skipping feeling), but more like tugging.  Perhaps it's the same thing, so I don't know.

Never had an issue with Feather Pro Super’s or Schick Proline’s and I can’t even count the number of head and face shaves I’ve gotten on one blade in my Vector. Make sure you’re hydrating the soap enough, not enough water can cause some tugging for me.

That sounds quite encouraging.  It would definitely make me want to use it more often.  I mean, I can get 200 shaves from a Nacet for the same price of 20 Feather Pros.  If I use an AC blade 5 times per blade, then that's still only 100 shaves.  However, if the shave is that much better than my slant, I can live with that.

General rule of thumb with razors regardless of style of blade, the milder razor the performance of the razor will be more dependent on how sharp the blade is. The sharper the better. More aggressive razors the performance is less dependent on the sharpness of the blade.

That is why trying a sampler pack is usually recommended to dial in an AC injector style razor in the beginning until you know your razors like the back of your hand. I can say using Feather Pro guard blades is that they are very sharp and have never had any issues with them. I use them in a Razorock Hawk V3 open comb which is an aggressive style injector. You just adjust the angle to mellow out the blade if it is too much for you from steep to shallow i.e. ride the cap.

The tugging thing in my experience usually has to do with the first pass when the hair is the longest usually with nondaily shaving, if you do multiple passes you won't notice any tug on the subsequent passes. That will also be depedent on how aggressive or efficient the razor is. Short choppy strokes like hacking at a tree stump is the best bet for the first pass.

As far as longevity goes at least for me I get 10, 5 pass shaves for face shaving. Head shaving I don't know how long a blade may last.

Single edge blades just don’t work for me.
I’ve owned and shaved with...a Vintage Gem, RR Hawk SS, Blackland Sabre, Occam’s Razor, Classic Cobra.
Sold all of them.
Tried all the Feather AC blades and most of the Gem blades.
Nothing even came close to the shaves that I get from the army of DE razors that I own.

What did I not understand?
What did I do wrong?

I never could get an AC razor to work well for me, so I just stopped trying and moved on!

May I ask what you've used?  I'm trying to see if it's the blade, razor, or something else.  Theoretically, it should work as well or better than a DE; well, at least with the right technique, especially true if using a kamisori style razor.  I am not questioning your technique, it's probably way better than mine, but I would like to determine if it's flaws in the hardware.  Both of you mentioned can't seem to get it to work for you.  I would assume, probably wrongly, that a seasoned shaver could shave with almost anything of a similar style, so then there has to be another factor.

I've tried an original general and a hawk. as for blades, I think I've tried most of them except for the schick prolines (I believe that's what they're called).

I've tried an original general and a hawk.  as for blades, I think I've tried most of them except for the schick prolines (I believe that's what they're called).

I caved and bought a pack of Pros.  All I can say is, it was rough.  It wasn't like the dull blades I used previously, but I felt sore after.  I didn't have any cuts and maybe a nick or two, but my head and face felt chewed up.  I used the Black Hawk.  Maybe it's not for me.  I'm not going to give up that easily, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep trying.

I've tried an original general and a hawk.  as for blades, I think I've tried most of them except for the schick prolines (I believe that's what they're called).

I caved and bought a pack of Pros.  All I can say is, it was rough.  It wasn't like the dull blades I used previously, but I felt sore after.  I didn't have any cuts and maybe a nick or two, but my head and face felt chewed up.  I used the Black Hawk.  Maybe it's not for me.  I'm not going to give up that easily, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep trying.

If you don't already do so try using cold water instead of warm. Not chilled in the freezer cold but as cold as it comes out of the tap. Another trick that may help is mix in some pure aloe vera gel (just make sure it is alcohol free) or ultrasound gel with your cream for added slickness. You can use either by themselves in leiu of shave cream. The aloe vera gel also works well as an aftershave application instead of using a balm. It tightens up skin and helps with drieness. Walmart has fruit of the earth gel which is the one I use.

Last thing to try post shave is use some vinegar on the skin. Few drops in the hand rub then apply the face. I'd suggest applying it on the face while it is wet to dilute it and let in naturally dry or cut with some water. It helps with shave burn, same principle as using it for sunburn and helps keep the skin slightly acidic which is what it naturally but not right after you shave and for awhile afterwards as the skin snaps back from shaving. If you use apple cider vinegar it is known to be good for oily skin and that sort of thing.