Now, I don't mean to imply by my title that there's any prevailing sentiment that disposable blade straights are "bad"; if anything, I'm surprised by the number of gents who use them and speak quite highly of them. However, I do intend to explain why I think more new straight razor shavers might want to consider one of the finer disposable blade straight razors. This is a bit of a "musing" if you will, so excuse the apparent disregard for ordering fact and opinion in a more obvious way. It should all be taken with a grain of salt, and with a side of YMMV.
When you begin to shave with a straight razor, there are quite a few variables which impact the quality of your shave. Assuming it's not your first wet-shave, and you know how to make a good lather and prep your beard, you still have to contend with razor technique, stropping technique, and blade sharpness. Now, we tend to advise new straight razor shavers to pick up a passable strop that they won't mind damaging as they learn, and a shave-ready straight from a reputable source (be it a seasoned shaver or a well-known vendor of good repute). But what happens the first time that newbie shaver scrapes that blade across his beard? How about the first time he strops it? I contend that the edge is going to degrade rather quickly. Sure, you can run it across a pasted strop (perhaps you got the newbie kit from Larry Andro - it came with pasted balsa that's GREAT for touch ups). However, recall that ones stropping technique is still undeveloped. We might have a situation where you're learning with less than ideal blades (to state it conservatively - I truly believe "poor" edges could be argued after a few days in a newbie shaver's hands).
I think a good quality, disposable-blade straight is a great tool for such a shaver. If the edge degrades, simply replace it! There's no stropping, and no edge maintenance. Here, you can be sure that if you're getting poor shaves that are uncomfortable, that it's not your stropping, and not the edge. It allows you to focus on technique, and that (I contend) will help you identify stropping and edge maintenance errors more readily in the future.
What I did (this time - long story) was start with a KAI Captain, which is a cousin of the Feather AC (same blades, same basic look and feel). I had a few shaves under my belt with that before I bought my first and second traditional straight razors. The sellers said they were "sharp but not quite shave ready". I could now tell the difference. I sent them to a reputable honemeister (plug for Ambrose - he puts a killer edge on a blade), and they came back shaving well. While those razors were out getting honed, I still had something to use that required quite similar technique - I would argue no more adjustment than when using another type of straight razor, like the differences between a wedge and a singing extra hollow. I feel like I never missed a beat, and that the continuity in practice aided in developing my technique further, even while trying different equipment.
As a caveat, I will add that I believe there are "better" and "less ideal" disposable blade straight razors. I think the Feather AC/KAI Captain is a superb choice. It has good weight, a nice, rigid blade (offered in a few different varieties) and just has a general air of quality about it. I don't prefer the Dovo Shavette; I think it's too light, and don't like that it uses DE blades (which I don't consider great for straight razor style shaving). By way of comparison, I think my Captian with Feather Professional blades shaves quite like a nice Wedge - perhaps not as smooth, but quiet and with reasonable forgiveness to angle and direction (that is, it doesn't punish as much for not going perfectly "with the grain").
Perhaps I could have simply said that I think the Feather AC or the KAI Captain is a great starting point for a newbie, because it eliminates blade maintenance issues. I guess I arrived at that point in a sort of indulgent, round-about manner. Hopefully you'll excuse that, and find something helpful herein.
Enjoy your shaves, gents... however you get 'em done
When you begin to shave with a straight razor, there are quite a few variables which impact the quality of your shave. Assuming it's not your first wet-shave, and you know how to make a good lather and prep your beard, you still have to contend with razor technique, stropping technique, and blade sharpness. Now, we tend to advise new straight razor shavers to pick up a passable strop that they won't mind damaging as they learn, and a shave-ready straight from a reputable source (be it a seasoned shaver or a well-known vendor of good repute). But what happens the first time that newbie shaver scrapes that blade across his beard? How about the first time he strops it? I contend that the edge is going to degrade rather quickly. Sure, you can run it across a pasted strop (perhaps you got the newbie kit from Larry Andro - it came with pasted balsa that's GREAT for touch ups). However, recall that ones stropping technique is still undeveloped. We might have a situation where you're learning with less than ideal blades (to state it conservatively - I truly believe "poor" edges could be argued after a few days in a newbie shaver's hands).
I think a good quality, disposable-blade straight is a great tool for such a shaver. If the edge degrades, simply replace it! There's no stropping, and no edge maintenance. Here, you can be sure that if you're getting poor shaves that are uncomfortable, that it's not your stropping, and not the edge. It allows you to focus on technique, and that (I contend) will help you identify stropping and edge maintenance errors more readily in the future.
What I did (this time - long story) was start with a KAI Captain, which is a cousin of the Feather AC (same blades, same basic look and feel). I had a few shaves under my belt with that before I bought my first and second traditional straight razors. The sellers said they were "sharp but not quite shave ready". I could now tell the difference. I sent them to a reputable honemeister (plug for Ambrose - he puts a killer edge on a blade), and they came back shaving well. While those razors were out getting honed, I still had something to use that required quite similar technique - I would argue no more adjustment than when using another type of straight razor, like the differences between a wedge and a singing extra hollow. I feel like I never missed a beat, and that the continuity in practice aided in developing my technique further, even while trying different equipment.
As a caveat, I will add that I believe there are "better" and "less ideal" disposable blade straight razors. I think the Feather AC/KAI Captain is a superb choice. It has good weight, a nice, rigid blade (offered in a few different varieties) and just has a general air of quality about it. I don't prefer the Dovo Shavette; I think it's too light, and don't like that it uses DE blades (which I don't consider great for straight razor style shaving). By way of comparison, I think my Captian with Feather Professional blades shaves quite like a nice Wedge - perhaps not as smooth, but quiet and with reasonable forgiveness to angle and direction (that is, it doesn't punish as much for not going perfectly "with the grain").
Perhaps I could have simply said that I think the Feather AC or the KAI Captain is a great starting point for a newbie, because it eliminates blade maintenance issues. I guess I arrived at that point in a sort of indulgent, round-about manner. Hopefully you'll excuse that, and find something helpful herein.
Enjoy your shaves, gents... however you get 'em done
