"Disposable" Blade Straights

[Newfie]

I think I've created a monster. I gave my uncle a starter kit a while ago and he's hooked on it. He's not a collector and is happy (for now) with a DE razor, a brush and a couple of creams (blasphemer I call him).

However, he's now very interested in trying a straight, and I mentioned the couple of options I knew of with disposables as a starter rather than laying out the coin for nice straight, strop, etc. Obviously Dovo Shavettes and the Feather Artist Club come to mind, and I know there's another option or 2 out there but don't know anything about them. I used to have a Wilkinson Sword one that I wasn't fussy about the blades.

Anything to offer up as info?

I know there are pros and cons to both, and like anything else, someone likes someone else's trash. I am tempted to recommend the Dovo to him, mainly because of availability of blades, but also because if Joel and others like them, there can't be too much bad about them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[michiganlover]

but also because if Joel and others like them, there can't be too much bad about them.

You need to keep in mind, that Joel is a straight razor shaving expert.

A Dovo Shavette in his hands will perform much differently than the same razor in the hands of someone who has never used a straight razor before, and has no idea what they are doing.

Shavettes have a huge learning curve filled with many shaves worth of painful cuts. I just completed my 30th shave with an actual straight razor, and in my opinion, Shavette's are a total waste of time.

I have tried three Shavette's: an actual Dovo, a Magic Razor (from Sally Beauty), and a Fromm Hair Shaper.

Of the three, the Dovo is the worst, as the blade holder is super chintzy. The plastic blade holder will break eventually.

Also, any Shavette that uses a 1/2 DE blade is very unforgiving leading to lots of cuts as you learn to use it. I have permanent scars from my misadventures with Shavette's.

Still, if you want to give it a whirl, go to your local Sally Beauty, and pick up a Fromm Hair Shaper.

It has a comb guard on it, that when removed leaves you with a fairly long, non-flexible blade, so it better mimics shaving with an actual straight. You can get the Fromm, and replacement blades for about $10.

By the way the Feather Artist Club is not in the same territory as most Shavettes. As I understand it, it is a vastly superior product; it also costs a fairly decent amount of coin. The blades for it are also only made by Feather.

 

[Luc]

What John said!

I owned 2 different shavettes. I don't know the brand of the first one and second one was by Dovo. They both did the worth they were supposed to but the feeling isn't the same.

A shave ready straight + strop won't set you that far, yes it's more expensive than a shavette but it's worth it.

 

[wazazzle]

I learned on a dovo and have shaved with a magic. It's either sink or swim with these that first week. That learning curve is very high, but atleast it'll give him the motivation to get it right. I've got 3 scars on my face still. Never the less my dovo is still in my rotation. But lately have been playing with the idea of trying out the Parker SR disposable str8's. I've read good things about them and they are identical to the CoolCuts. The metal handles got a bit more heft in weight vs. other plastic handles. There's a couple different scale styles of the razor. Amazon sells bunch diff ones for about $15 shipped with sample blades, or try fleebay too

Review on Parker Str8
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127168

 

[Newfie]

Thank you very kindly for your honest input gentlemen.

Your honesty is exactly why I posted this here. I knew I'd get the true story from experienced users!!

 

[ALL HANDS WORKING]

I have the Dovo, and 2 Feather AC razors. An RG folding, and a DC Straight (Japanese Style). I have found, as pointed out earlier that they will cut you no matter how much practice you have. With that said, the Feathers are vastly better, with the Japanese style being my favorite. I would suggest not going to their Super Pro blade, but instead using their Light blade. It gives BBS in 2 passes, and does less damage to the face due to less blade exposure. The Dovo with the green holder (for Personna blades only) is ok, but feels much cheaper than the Feathers.

 

[California Cajun]

I think I've created a monster. I gave my uncle a starter kit a while ago and he's hooked on it. He's not a collector and is happy (for now) with a DE razor, a brush and a couple of creams (blasphemer I call him).

However, he's now very interested in trying a straight, and I mentioned the couple of options I knew of with disposables as a starter rather than laying out the coin for nice straight, strop, etc. Obviously Dovo Shavettes and the Feather Artist Club come to mind, and I know there's another option or 2 out there but don't know anything about them. I used to have a Wilkinson Sword one that I wasn't fussy about the blades.

Anything to offer up as info?

I know there are pros and cons to both, and like anything else, someone likes someone else's trash. I am tempted to recommend the Dovo to him, mainly because of availability of blades, but also because if Joel and others like them, there can't be too much bad about them.

Thanks in advance.

I am a newbie (about one month into the straight razor game) and can speak from experience from this.

I was really getting cut using the straight so I bought a second hand Dovo Shavette for a good price to see if I would fare any better.

The first time several weeks ago I really got cut up like I did with a regular straight.

Since then, the shaves are still leaving a lot of hair behind but I've gotten my technique down to the point that I can shave just like Joel does on the home page video. (But the results aren't the same.)

So...this morning I got out the Shavette to see if my technique would give me better results. If I got a better shave from the shavette I was going to look in to honing the blades even though I don't have a heavy beard and have only been shaving a month.

The results...the same. My technique now as opposed to a few weeks ago has improved like night and day.

It stands to reason at least for me is that I'll be able to shave just as well with the Shavette as I will on a regular straight razor.

(I wonder if an experienced shaver might offer an opinion why I can virtually duplicate Joel's first pass shave on the home page yet not get the same results. What I do is a second pass across the grain, then a third pass against the grain. Each time hair is shaved off but when I'm finish there's still a lot left. After these attempts I begin to cut myself frequently because when I push the envelope farther the razor drags. I don't know if I am tired or my face is tired but I stay lathered up.)

 

[dpmtherrien]

I started straight shaving with a Dove shavette, the results were terrible, nicks, cuts, razor burn. I didn't want to get into everything involved with a regular straight so I got a Feather AC RG. The first shaves were better than with the Dovo, but there were still the occasional cut, some nicks, and the razor burn. I stayed with it, got my technique down, and now I get great shaves from the Feather AC. I've gone on to purchase the AC DX, and the AC DX non folding straight. As my technique improved so did the shaves, and I've gone on to purchase 3 of the Parker disposable straights for travel and quick touch up.

I believe that once you get your technique down with any razor, you can get consistently good shaves from any open blade razor, which is just what any straight is. I will say that the Dove shavette is really a flimsy razor with that plastic insert. The Parker straight is s stainless steel blade holder and is much sturdier. Just that fact alone makes for a better shaving disposable straight. At a cost of around $15.00 the Parker is a better deal than the $40.00 something Dovo

I still have no desire for a regular straight, and continue to use and enjoy my Feather's and Parker razors. I've also just purchased both the folding and the non folding Kai straights from Telly on his group buy.

 

[huntmol]

I've tried a Shavette and a Feather AC, and really didn't like either of them.
There's no substitute for a real straight, IMHO

 

[RetroGrouch]

I get great shaves from my Feather, but I don't use it very often. It's just not as rewarding to shave with.

To me, much of the appeal of straight razor shaving is being in touch with history. (It's just so cool to shave with a 100-year-old razor, and think about where it's been...)

Another appeal is the "green" one: nothing is thrown away.

Yet another appeal is aesthetic: straights look great.

A disposable straight just doesn't satisfy me on any of these levels, even if it gives a nice shave.

Go for a real straight!

Mike

 

[Synack]

Well, I guess I'm actually a fan of the Dovo Shavette . A couple of caveats though: Green blade holder and long Personna SE blades. For me that comes somewhat close to the real deal. I've tried it with the red holder and half DEs... It isn't fun...

I started with the Shavette, sold it after I got some real straights, then bought another one because I missed it . For me it falls into the category between taking my sweet time with a straight in the morning and rushing out the door backwards while trying to use a DE.

The build quality is pretty cheap, if you wanted to get fancier and stay disposable probably the Feather is the way to go. (No firsthand experience here though.)

 

[taffy]

I have used one, not a brand mentiond here but a decent one and found it was good just to get the feel of a straight razor and ended up having decent shaves but never really tried it for long enough to get much better.

 

[The_Pastor]

I really appreciate the Feather artist club. It sure does feel different then a real straight, because of its weight, but it is an outstanding product, and the sharpness and smootheness of the blades are second to none.

Maybe these videos can help you out some more.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4WYPVF-Mjg[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzC9rvWeuBY&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Btw: "Shavette" is a registred trademark by Dovo. Only Dovo makes shavette razors. Other razors with disposable blades are not "Shavettes".

 

[michiganlover]

Well, I guess I'm actually a fan of the Dovo Shavette . A couple of caveats though: Green blade holder and long Personna SE blades. For me that comes somewhat close to the real deal. I've tried it with the red holder and half DEs... It isn't fun...

My recommendation above was for the Fromm Hair Shaper, which uses the same blades as the Dovo with the green insert. I think the longer non-flexible blade should provide superior results over the short, flexible half DE blade models.

I tried the Dovo Shavette with the green holder, and it's primary benefit over the Fromm, was that it kept the ends of the blade covered, so that it wasn't so each to jab them into your nose, or ear.

The Dovo with the hair shaper blade seemed to skip/ tug a lot, so I wondered if the blade was actually sharp enough. On the other hand, I was brand new to straight shaving, and really had no idea what I was doing.

Perhaps now (after 30 shaves with a straight razor) my results would be vastly different.

 

[proxymoron]

You should check out the ongoing group buy for the Kai Excelia (both straight and non-folding) that dpmtherrien mentioned. From what I gather, they're like the Feather AC with a slightly different balance, take the Feather blades, and can be had for a great price shipped from TstebinsB in this thread.

I haven't used one but as you can plainly see, I've stalked the hell out of them. In fact, the only reason I haven't pulled the trigger myself is because of a self-imposed buying moratorium. Fight the ADs!

 

[StillShaving]

You should check out the ongoing group buy for the Kai Excelia (both straight and non-folding) that dpmtherrien mentioned. From what I gather, they're like the Feather AC with a slightly different balance, take the Feather blades, and can be had for a great price shipped from TstebinsB ...

+1

IMO the Feather AC system is a good compromise if one is looking to get into straight razor shaving. And these KAI razors mentioned above are nice, if you are even thinking about this system I would recommend you jump on this offer.

I have never used a shavette but I suspect they are more difficult to learn on because the blade is more narrow and more flexible, things a newbie does not need. The Feather AC blades are far more stiff and longer. Once you are very experienced I would not doubt if you told me a shavette gave you the best shave possible, but I would not start straight shaving that way.

I still cannot decide whether I like the Feather AC Pro or Super Pro blades the best (or the KAI Captain), they feel a little different from each other but I think it is more about using the same blade consistently rather one being obviously superior.