Thanks go to
@MrT for the generous loan of his brand new AS-D2 for the past 2 weeks. During this time I've used the Feather exclusively - and matched it only with Feather blades.
I had fantastic shaves from the start. Smooth and comfortable. My issue was post-shave irritation. Eventually I worked out that it came down to my technique. Due to the very comfortable nature of this razor, I was overcompensating with pressure and causing my skin to be irritated. Once I eased off the pressure and let the razor efficiently take off the stubble the irritation went away.
So to quote a wise fella from earlier in this thread:
[emoji15] If only I'd listened to myself...
In all, the Feather AS-D2 is a great razor. It's very comfortable on the skin and gives a smooth and close shave. I feel it would make a great daily shaver (if used correctly). Sure, it does have the quirk of a higher than usual shave angle (similar to an SE actually). But that's just a characteristic of this razor.
For me (as in the quote above), it comes down to personal preference. I like this razor, but I like others more. For example, I find the NEW LC a better razor for me (and it is a fraction of the price).
But if you are interested in a stainless steel razor, then this would be hard to beat. It's a great shaver with beautiful fit and finish. It looks great and shaves a treat. And the price is reasonable for the high class razor that it is.