I currently have a cheap Parker shavette that I used a couple times and don't really like and was looking to upgrade. I was originally just going to get a feather AC SR I really liked geos videos on SN about it and was finally getting ready to place an order for it when I stumbled across the boker king cutter 5/8 shave nation strait razor on sale for the same price as the SR. I'd have to get a strop and all the equipment that is needed for upkeeping the edge. Sharpening and stroping I dont think would be a big deal for me as I'm used to sharpening pocket and kitchen knives. Having a bit of anxiety as I can only get one or the other at the moment and don't want to wish I had got the other for my first good quality razor. I like how the strait razor has the blade all the way on the edge from pictures with the SR it looks like the distance from the blade to the tip is pretty close, definitely not like my Parker shavette which makes it hard to get close to me ears when going with and against the grain. thanks in advance
Shavette vs strait razor
- Thread starter hunter212
- Start date
Come on down to the straight razor section.
Depending on the vendor, don’t expect the edge to be shave ready, but just a factory edge, regardless of what’s advertised. Anticipate sending it off to a known good honer who actually uses straights. There have been horror stories of knife users/honers ruining straights.
Honing is more delicate, different, but achievable. We tend to bevel set at 1k grit rating, and most shave off a 12-20k finisher. A lot of us were best served learning and experimenting on a cheaper vintage or low end (Chinese) razor before going to work on a “nicer” razor. Lapping film is probably the cheapest, easiest entry to honing if you don’t already have high grit hones
Depending on the vendor, don’t expect the edge to be shave ready, but just a factory edge, regardless of what’s advertised. Anticipate sending it off to a known good honer who actually uses straights. There have been horror stories of knife users/honers ruining straights.
Honing is more delicate, different, but achievable. We tend to bevel set at 1k grit rating, and most shave off a 12-20k finisher. A lot of us were best served learning and experimenting on a cheaper vintage or low end (Chinese) razor before going to work on a “nicer” razor. Lapping film is probably the cheapest, easiest entry to honing if you don’t already have high grit hones
Get a straight. Among the ones I purchased, I bought a few shave-ready ones from Griffith Shaving. Check out the straight section of this forum, much information here.
As KW said.
And real honing of a razor is an art. It takes time to learn. Best to pick up a few vintage American straights to learn to hone with.
And if you really want to go the Straight route its best to have two. Shave with one until it needs touched up. Then shave with the other and send the first out for proper honing. The last thing you want to do is learn to use a Straight when it has an inferior edge.
And don't spend a lot on a strop. You will damage the first one you buy. Its part of learning to strop. Speed happens with time. Slow and accurate is the best way to strop as you can damage an edge just stropping if not done correctly.
The Feather Shavette is a fine razor. A have a few of them. Also a couple hundred Straights. Both types have a place and time to be used.
And real honing of a razor is an art. It takes time to learn. Best to pick up a few vintage American straights to learn to hone with.
And if you really want to go the Straight route its best to have two. Shave with one until it needs touched up. Then shave with the other and send the first out for proper honing. The last thing you want to do is learn to use a Straight when it has an inferior edge.
And don't spend a lot on a strop. You will damage the first one you buy. Its part of learning to strop. Speed happens with time. Slow and accurate is the best way to strop as you can damage an edge just stropping if not done correctly.
The Feather Shavette is a fine razor. A have a few of them. Also a couple hundred Straights. Both types have a place and time to be used.
Welcome to B&B, Sir hunter212!
You've already done a nice bit of trial as well as research!
Both the Feather AC and the Boker SR are tops in their respective categories!
Over time, you would not be disappointed with either.
Just my 2c, I would start with the Feather AC and their Proguard blades.
This will help you develop dexterity, technique as well as confidence.
This avoids being consumed with sharpness issues as the outset.
The Feather blades are simply outstanding.
Whichever direction you go, enjoy the journey!
You've already done a nice bit of trial as well as research!
Both the Feather AC and the Boker SR are tops in their respective categories!
Over time, you would not be disappointed with either.
Just my 2c, I would start with the Feather AC and their Proguard blades.
This will help you develop dexterity, technique as well as confidence.
This avoids being consumed with sharpness issues as the outset.
The Feather blades are simply outstanding.
Whichever direction you go, enjoy the journey!
Yeah, I started that way, too. That Parker is now in the kitchen, where I use it to slash bread loaves before baking. Makes me feel like a true bad boy.
I thought about a "real" straight, but although I can keep knives, axes and scythes sharp I do not truly live for the experience of honing an edge. The exciting part for me is what I can do with it, not the fiddly maintenance toil. So I investigated a couple more shavettes.
The Focus Slim Al is a nice one, with blade corner guards and a built-in shave angle guide. Uses 1/2 DE blades. The Feather SR kamisori is a really, really nice razor. With a Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink blade in it, very nice to use. I also have the Kai (Kasho) Woody, the latest iteration of the "Luffy" design. That one's Western style.
It's really up to you, but that's my lived experience. I have to admit I don't spend enough time with them -- getting a decent shave requires an hour or more for me, where I can zip through a DE shave in 25 minutes or less.
O.H.
Just a question, how protective these Proguard blades are? Is it significant protection or just say somewhat better than usual blades?
My opinion is that Guarded AC blades offer significant protection with only slightly reduced efficiency. A guarded blade will calm down an aggressive blade-forward SE AC razor.
Also, my preference is Kai over Feather AC blades. I find the Kai Proguard MG more comfortable as well as more efficient compared to the Feather ProGuard.
As with all things wet shaving, YMMV.
Thank you, it's still possible to cut badly (more then let's say with DE) if one doesn't pay attention even with Proguard blade, right?
I had these once in my hand and it had something similar looking like "Proguard" but it was almost impossible to cut with. So just to be clear this is not the case with Proguard baldes for shavette, I'm I correct?
I've never used an AC shavette, only AC safety razors.
I personally have not cut myself with an AC safety razor using a guarded blade. I think the only way you could would be to slide the razor sideways which is a no no for any razor.
And as I said above, guarded AC blades are only slightly less efficient than non guarded IMHO. I get BBS with guarded blades in AC safety razors.
AC guarded blades in a shavette is an incredible invention.
Yes it is always possible with any blade, but the guard makes it harder to slice if you inadvertently draw the blade across your skin.
+1. There have been a few times that I did put the shavette in the wrong angle and I had thought.. Glad that it was a guarded blade, if it was a de blade, it would have been a cut.
I’m a straight man myself - but I like the process of honing. I also like the process of restoration, and you can get a high quality vintage straight for a fraction of what you pay for a similar quality new straight. But you are gonna have to hone it either way. Or have someone else do it for you.
There are places on e-bay where people are selling decent vintage straights that really are shave ready for about $50. Not sure what the SN prices are. I know in my case I started with a vintage from a ”more respectable“ website for $75. It wasn’t really shave ready, but close enough to sort of do the job. I took it from there. But again, I enjoyed the process of learning to hone. My apologies if I am treading over the line about discussing razor values. My basic point is that if you aren’t familiar with the straight razor world, you are going to pay more for a razor that you at least think is shave ready. When you have more experience you can get away with paying less for a functional razor because you have confidence that if it doesn’t shave well, you can fix it.
If you really don’t want to get into honing, I suggest going with the shavette. No wrong or right answer, it’s just what works for you.
There are places on e-bay where people are selling decent vintage straights that really are shave ready for about $50. Not sure what the SN prices are. I know in my case I started with a vintage from a ”more respectable“ website for $75. It wasn’t really shave ready, but close enough to sort of do the job. I took it from there. But again, I enjoyed the process of learning to hone. My apologies if I am treading over the line about discussing razor values. My basic point is that if you aren’t familiar with the straight razor world, you are going to pay more for a razor that you at least think is shave ready. When you have more experience you can get away with paying less for a functional razor because you have confidence that if it doesn’t shave well, you can fix it.
If you really don’t want to get into honing, I suggest going with the shavette. No wrong or right answer, it’s just what works for you.
The Feather Artist Club SR is a good option. Just ordered one myself. I’ve had the folding SS model for 10 years or so but I’ve never liked the scales on it.
The SR scales look a lot more classy to me.
The SR scales look a lot more classy to me.
