Flew a little too close to the sun.

[the.village.idiot]

A while back, I picked up a Filarmonica 'shavette' razor at an antique store, somewhere in Spain.

I've been carrying it around for months with my other shave gear while travelling the globe with our backpacks.

My weapon of choice is a 39C sledgehammer, with a British 'tech' thrown in for good measure and variety... (another nice find on the road...)

Although I've played with a 'straight on a stick' aka rolls razor at home, I've never attempted a shave with an actual 'straight', or at least in my case, a straight 'wannabe'...

A few things notice right off the bat... this technology feels really weird in the hand, and trying to figure out how to hold it as you navigate your face is a challenge! Secondly, it is so lightweight in comparison to my slant bar... I missed having the 'heft' of the DE razor.

I really did feel like an awkward fumbling virgin attempting to do the deed for the first time...

It was going relatively well all things considered... but at some point, I got a bit too cocky I think... perhaps a bit too aggressive, I flew a little too close to the sun and got burned... ended up with a fairly nice gash on my face, just to the left of my lip... maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, as I so seldom draw blood with a DE, but I can see that shaving with a straight is going to be a steep learning curve.

My hat is off to those whom have mastered this skill... you are truly men of men!

 

[Ghengis Khandrey]

It's been said that a shavette can be less forgiving than a straight, although i've never tried one (shavette).

After you get a little more comfotable with it, thats when you can start to get into trouble, I once gave myself a near 1/2" cut on my cheek because I was probably going too fast.

Stretch that skin!

 

[BlackBear]

I too found the whole folding razor a little cumbersome, with the grips, handle sticking up between the fingers etc (although as a newbie I've been told it's not a 'handle' the scales are only there to protect the blade when closed)

Anyhow long story short, switched to DE and am loving it, but recently ordered the Japanese style Feather AC SS shavette, as I've always been handy with a knife, it just always felt more comfortable to hold my straight like a Kamisori, so I figured I'd give this a try and if I liked it I'll look into the higher end Japanese razors.

Here's hoping I don't get 'sunburnt' like you did!!

 

[cb91710]

Keep in mind that shavettes are the manliest of manly... they are a very different animal than a traditional straight.
The edges are extremely sharp... just like a DE. That edge is far sharper than the most finely honed straight edge.
A true straight is actually fairly forgiving WRT pressure and blade angle. What's going to bite you is if you get any lateral movement of the blade. Just as with a DE, THAT is going to bite you and bite you hard.

To help you relax a bit more...

I headshave, using a Mach-3 most times, but if I've slacked off for a couple or four days due to vacation or some nonsense, I'll use my straight to mow everything down and then use the Mach-3 for the final buffing.
Best of both worlds... easy BBS, and it avoids clogging the cart.

 

[smalltank]

takes about 2 months before "muscle memory" kicks in..gets almost automated after that

 

[wherndon]

make sure you pull the skin taught, a mistake I made the other day. Been using a Parker shavette for a couple of months...

 

[Lmarkow]

Replace "Filarmonica" with "Feather" and our stories are the same. Good luck!

 

[bad-bryce]

Hello Neighbour (from Gatineau)

Using a straight not easy right away. First time I used a straight I think i burned my entire face. There is a learning curve for sure. Best advice is take it slow and do not rush. It would take me an hour to shave and over time i got it down to 30 minutes for 3 passes. Like mentioned before stretch that skin and be mindful of the angle of the blades. A way to help is rest the blade [key word REST] perpendicular to your face and start decreasing or increasing (depending on how you see it) the angle and you will see once you get the proper angle the blade will start to glide down. You will to pull the blade a little bit, for the shave to work. A LITTLE BIT. You will feel it.

Good luck!!!!

 

[Krodor]

If you like heft, get a near-wedge or 1/4-hollow 6/8+ traditional straight. Those will be plenty heavy for you

 

[global_dev]

the feather AC series, probably has more heft and a longer/thicker blade that maybe better mimics a straight razor. never dried a DE shavette, so i can't say for certain..

the scales aren't only for protection. it also acts a balance (and adds more weight). I find it pretty comfortable to hold a heavier blade, whether it be a straight or a feather DX vs AC.

there are also some straight edges that are pretty uncomfortable sharp (maybe even harsh) and no coatings to smooth it out...