For my budget, shavette or straight?

[sexy beast]

For the majority in the beginning I use straight razors and then I ventured in using double edge razors for a very short period of time as I was older. Kind of the opposite direction for most people I guess. I stress, a very short time. Oddly enough that’s what got me on the B&B site. I was fascinated with all the new manufacturers that were making double edge razors and I wanted to try something new. I realize I favored straight razors,to me gives more control and you don’t have to continue to buy blades. As long as you have the proper hones and strop to maintenance your razor, you were good to go. I would suggest possibly looking at a Shavette that takes DE blades To see if it’s for you. It can be as much as a five dollar investment plus your blades. Very little risk as far as an investments concerned. It kind of gives you a layout of if you’d like to continue to move upwards to a straight razor invest In the accessories that is needed to maintain your straight razor. I still have three shavettes that I haven’t touched for a very long time. I didn’t have to worry if I got them lost with my luggage or they became misplace while traveling. It gave me the same control as I would with a straight razor but it was little less forgiving but gave very close shaves similar to my straight razors.I used to carry them with me when I traveled across the country for work and seeing family. I predominately I used straight razors all of my life as wet shaver . I started when I was 16 and I’m pushing the big 50 In few months .

 

[Tomo]

The Vector is a great razor. In combination with the AC blade it is quite possibly the best shaving machine ever invented. It will take a long time until you get close to the shaves that the Vector can deliver with a SR.

I have a Vector and almost never use it. I now use SR almost exclusively. It’s a bit like a mechanical vs quartz watches. The quartz is more accurate, more practical and cheaper but lacks the genuine feel of the mechanical. So it is with the straight. It’s slightly more work and lots more skill required for an almost as good finish but we love it. We love the process, honing on stones, stropping on leather, shaving with a bare blade. The pride of creating and maintaining a good edge and developing the skills to cheat death every morning for a great shave. The shaves are fantastic but the Vector, for me, is pretty much perfect.

Your question is tough one. On a practical level, I say get the DX and learn to shave with it before moving onto straights. This will be a cheaper and easier way to go. You can learn to shave before learning to hone. Also the DX will be useful for travel in future.

But..... I don’t think the DX will ever offer the genuine SR experience. There’s so much more to the fun of SR’s than just shaving.

The brain says DX. The heart says SR.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I’m in the SR camp. There’s little about my Feather AC folding razor that interests me now. A good shaver I must admit, totally different experience on all fronts. I’d opt for getting a shave ready SR from a reputable source and basic strop. Start using it, see where it takes you.

 

[DaveHStone]

The Vector is a great razor. In combination with the AC blade it is quite possibly the best shaving machine ever invented. It will take a long time until you get close to the shaves that the Vector can deliver with a SR.

I have a Vector and almost never use it. I now use SR almost exclusively. It’s a bit like a mechanical vs quartz watches. The quartz is more accurate, more practical and cheaper but lacks the genuine feel of the mechanical. So it is with the straight. It’s slightly more work and lots more skill required for an almost as good finish but we love it. We love the process, honing on stones, stropping on leather, shaving with a bare blade. The pride of creating and maintaining a good edge and developing the skills to cheat death every morning for a great shave. The shaves are fantastic but the Vector, for me, is pretty much perfect.

Your question is tough one. On a practical level, I say get the DX and learn to shave with it before moving onto straights. This will be a cheaper and easier way to go. You can learn to shave before learning to hone. Also the DX will be useful for travel in future.

But..... I don’t think the DX will ever offer the genuine SR experience. There’s so much more to the fun of SR’s than just shaving.

The brain says DX. The heart says SR.

This - to the letter!

With one small correction - get an SS, not a DX, as DX costs $300, while the SS is under $100.

For $300 you can get a helluva SR like artisan-made Ralf Aust or any high-end Dovo, Boker, etc...

Just sayin'...

 

[Frank Shaves]

With one small correction - get an SS, not a DX, as DX costs $300, while the SS is under $100.

Agreed. I made a mistake in my earlier post. I bought a SS (not a DX) for which I paid under $100.

 

[marcusocasey]

Amazon has a folding DX in pearl white for $189 and teak wood scales for $250, so the difference is not as big. I've read threads comparing SS to DX, and I think I want to go with DX if I get one.

 

[marcusocasey]

Thank you for all your help. This is a great community!

Twice I ordered a DX, once with the plastic scales, once with wood. Both times I reconsidered and canceled before they shipped.

The final straw was finding a very nice Thiers-Issard at a good price from a local barber. A helpful user had contacted me privately about a honed, inexpensive vintage razor and used strop I could use while learning. Following the suggestions on this thread, I purchased some lapping film so I can learn to hone without acquiring expensive stones.

In short, I have (or soon will have) two razors, a strop, and the tools I need for honing without going over my budget. I may get a shavette someday, but I think I will be happier learning on true straight razors.

Thanks again!

 

[steveclarkus]

Thank you for all your help. This is a great community!

Twice I ordered a DX, once with the plastic scales, once with wood. Both times I reconsidered and canceled before they shipped.

The final straw was finding a very nice Thiers-Issard at a good price from a local barber. A helpful user had contacted me privately about a honed, inexpensive vintage razor and used strop I could use while learning. Following the suggestions on this thread, I purchased some lapping film so I can learn to hone without acquiring expensive stones.

In short, I have (or soon will have) two razors, a strop, and the tools I need for honing without going over my budget. I may get a shavette someday, but I think I will be happier learning on true straight razors.

Thanks again!

In my opinion, a traditional straight is much better to learn on. Regarding honing, I have film and stones and prefer the film over the stones. I’ve been using film over three years now followed by pasted balsa.

 

[Brutus]

As someone who has straight razors, safety razors, and Feather Artist Club (AC) razors in the stable, I suggest to stay away from Feather Artist Clubs for a while.
In my assessment, they are capable to deliver extremely close shaves, but they are more difficult to master than classic straight razors.
In particular the first two-three shaves with a newly inserted blade can be rough on a Feather AC, although comfort improves after the blade has been through two to three shaves.

In case of a straight razor, you need to expect in the beginning more often the need to have the razor honed while you are still building experience - both in stropping the razor and in shaving with it. Novice straight shavers tend to be hard on the edge and even small mistakes when shaving or stropping can dull an otherwise perfect edge.

Chances are either way there will be days when you will ask yourself whether shaving with a classic straight or Feather AC is really worth it and it will take time and perseverance to find out.
But there is no need to make it unneccessarily hard on yourself with a Feather AC.

Plus, ultimately the Feather AC is (to me at least) more of a substitute for days when I cannot use one of my straights, as the real fun to me is using a classic straight.


B.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I have found that most any cheap half DE blade shavette is capable of giving a very good shave, and not necessarily an uncomfortable one, either. When you have a $4 shavette and a 15 cent blade giving you a decent shave, it doesn't get much more economical than that.

If your shavette blade, whether AC or DE, feels rough or cuts you a lot, one very good remedy is to cork the blade. Draw the blade edge ONCE through a natural wine cork. It tames a savage blade quite a bit.

The nice thing about cheap shavettes is you can afford to try different types. You can even get a fairly good Feather SS knockoff on AliExpress for about $12, the high end of the "cheap" category but still pretty cheap. There are DE blade versions, too.

A decent strop will cost as much as a shave ready vintage straight razor. Then there is edge maintenance honing. It is hard to get a good start for less than $90 or so, with straight razors. Sure, it can be done a lot cheaper. But I am talking practical, for an absolute straight newbie. You can get started with a shavette for under $10, including a month's worth of blades.

Straight shaving is definitely more enjoyable, and the actual shave is easier, as long as your razor is nice and sharp. But shavette shaving is still pretty cool.

If you are looking at genuine Feather shavettes, then at that price you may as well go for it, and pick up a decent vintage or a shave ready GD, and a basic beginner strop, and set up the pasted balsa for maintenance.

 

[marcusocasey]

Following up...

I eased in—shaving just my cheeks, then graduating to a full WTG pass, and then 2 passes, cleaning it up with my straight razor at the end. Sunday I had my first 100% straight razor shave on a vintage razor I purchased from @GreazyThumbs. It wasn't a great shave, but I was happy all day long. (His edge is great. The deficiency of the shave falls squarely on the operator.)

Today I had my first 100% straight razor shave on my other razor—on my edge. I'm getting more comfortable, so it was a much closer shave.

This truly was my edge. I almost got it honed from someone local, but decided I would give it a shot first. I had to set the bevel, and my first couple attempts at honing didn't leave me completely satisfied. I could shave with it, but it wasn't as good as the edge I received on the vintage razor from @GreazyThumbs. I've worked with it over the last few weeks to get it to my liking. Among others, I watched your videos, @Slash McCoy. Great content, although I disagree with you about the metric system.

Once, while I was honing, the razor slipped out of my hand and the blade landed on the edge of the glass plate that holds my lapping film. That was ugly and took a lot of work, even on low grits, to smooth out. But I got it back in shape and eventually got an edge I'm happy with.

I have thick, bristly whiskers. I have found that with either razor I enjoy my shave more if I do a few laps on my strop between passes.

I'm certainly no expert, and a full shave takes a long, long time. But I am much more comfortable shaving and honing and well on my way.

Thanks all!

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

Following up...

I eased in—shaving just my cheeks, then graduating to a full WTG pass, and then 2 passes, cleaning it up with my straight razor at the end. Sunday I had my first 100% straight razor shave on a vintage razor I purchased from @GreazyThumbs. It wasn't a great shave, but I was happy all day long. (His edge is great. The deficiency of the shave falls squarely on the operator.)

Today I had my first 100% straight razor shave on my other razor—on my edge. I'm getting more comfortable, so it was a much closer shave.

This truly was my edge. I almost got it honed from someone local, but decided I would give it a shot first. I had to set the bevel, and my first couple attempts at honing didn't leave me completely satisfied. I could shave with it, but it wasn't as good as the edge I received on the vintage razor from @GreazyThumbs. I've worked with it over the last few weeks to get it to my liking. Among others, I watched your videos, @Slash McCoy. Great content, although I disagree with you about the metric system.

Once, while I was honing, the razor slipped out of my hand and the blade landed on the edge of the glass plate that holds my lapping film. That was ugly and took a lot of work, even on low grits, to smooth out. But I got it back in shape and eventually got an edge I'm happy with.

I have thick, bristly whiskers. I have found that with either razor I enjoy my shave more if I do a few laps on my strop between passes.

I'm certainly no expert, and a full shave takes a long, long time. But I am much more comfortable shaving and honing and well on my way.

Thanks all!

Nice work!

You will soon learn there is no such thing as a quick shave with a Straight. If you try to be quick, it's going to end in tears, either you are going to shed some blood, or you are going to end with a sub-par shave that will annoy you the whole day.

I started shaving in the evening when I have to work the next day, so that there is no rush. The benefit is that my wife loves to cuddle up close in the evenings after a fresh shave, my colleges never notices a bit of stubble later in the day, so it's a win-win situation.

Take your time and enjoy it, that's the whole point of it.

 

[marcusocasey]

cleaning it up with my straight razor at the end

Of course I meant to say "cleaning it up with my safety razor at the end."

 

[GreazyThumbs]

@marcusocasey Glad to hear things are working out. Have to agree with Biltong, straight shaves are never really a quick endeavor. However, like any other developed skill things will become easier, more efficient and faster as you learn and build muscle memory. This will become second nature like most things over time. Compare it to the time that you learned how to use a safety razor. A straight for me now is effortless and thoughtless, just something to be enjoyed! You'll get there.