What is the history of the shavette?Although they’re sometimes thought of as the poor relation of straight razors I absolutely love them.
I know this term properly applies only to the Dovo barbers equipment and I think they invented the word “shavette”
But I’m talking about all disposable blade open razors, Weck, Hess, Parker, Artist Club etc
The origins of shavettes must lie with the seven-day straight razor sets of the 19th Century which developed into seven-blade sets with a single set of scales.
I’ve seen interchangeable blade framebacks from France and also Yorkshire Steel Company in England.
And then Edward Weck in New York came up with the Sextoblade which is essentially a disposable blade 5/8 frameback.
Weck’s family emigrated from Solingen so he was very familiar with straight razors as well as the newly emerging disposable blade technology.
Put the two together and you have the first shavette.
At about the same time Durham Duplex literature suggested shaving with their blades in the stropping attachment as an “ordinary open razor” so they also have a legitimate claim to the invention of the idea.
From then on men must have shaved with DE blades in the stropping handles etc but who made the first proper DE blade shavettes and when?
And where does Artist Club fit in?
When were those long Injector Blades developed?
And what about the Hess connection?
Was that the first open razor to use the standard Schick Injector Blades?
What does a shavette timeline look like? What IS the story between the Weck Sextoblade and the Focus Slim?
I know this term properly applies only to the Dovo barbers equipment and I think they invented the word “shavette”
But I’m talking about all disposable blade open razors, Weck, Hess, Parker, Artist Club etc
The origins of shavettes must lie with the seven-day straight razor sets of the 19th Century which developed into seven-blade sets with a single set of scales.
I’ve seen interchangeable blade framebacks from France and also Yorkshire Steel Company in England.
And then Edward Weck in New York came up with the Sextoblade which is essentially a disposable blade 5/8 frameback.
Weck’s family emigrated from Solingen so he was very familiar with straight razors as well as the newly emerging disposable blade technology.
Put the two together and you have the first shavette.
At about the same time Durham Duplex literature suggested shaving with their blades in the stropping attachment as an “ordinary open razor” so they also have a legitimate claim to the invention of the idea.
From then on men must have shaved with DE blades in the stropping handles etc but who made the first proper DE blade shavettes and when?
And where does Artist Club fit in?
When were those long Injector Blades developed?
And what about the Hess connection?
Was that the first open razor to use the standard Schick Injector Blades?
What does a shavette timeline look like? What IS the story between the Weck Sextoblade and the Focus Slim?