Is a shavette/cut-throat razor really THAT much better than a safety razor?

[Tomo]

It really depends what you mean by better

Straight Razors are better for:
Comfort
Avoiding nicks and irritation
Not getting clogged with hair
Lower ongoing consumable cost
Adjustment of shave angle

DE is better for:
A compact set up
Ease of maintenance
Avoiding major cuts
Lower up front cost
Adjustment of shave direction

Both systems are a draw for:
Closeness of shave
Speed of shave
Safety
Time required to master

You really need to decide which variables are most important to you. For daily home shaves, comfort and closeness are my top priorities. For travel, I appreciate a compact and easy to maintain setup.

 

[Galaktus]

That is not the complete story.

Mr. Gillette supports socialism and he has published the following books.
"The Human Drift"(1894)
"The Ballot Box"(1897)
"world corporation"(1910)
Therefore, he created the blade and razor for the soldiers on the battlefield, and hoped that civilian laborers could share the fruits of labor at a cheaper price. ("Old Type" age)
Of course, his ideas are utopian, and he did make a lot of money because of the invention of the razor.

However, he lost the company around 1930, and later we saw Gillette become all marketing-oriented, and changed the razor/blade specifications to "New Type". But this was not the purpose of King C. Gillette in the beginning.

Models got changed when patents expired. Utopian, socialist, whatever, KCG was a businessman, and his original business model was to give away or sell at a loss the razors, and have consumers buying blades for years to come. They would make up the initial profit loss by selling blades.

 

[ERS4]

Models got changed when patents expired. Utopian, socialist, whatever, KCG was a businessman, and his original business model was to give away or sell at a loss the razors, and have consumers buying blades for years to come. They would make up the initial profit loss by selling blades.

"Making money" does not conflict with "improving people's lives." Indeed, more people are more willing to shave themselves because of these inventions.

 

[Macduff]

Improvement is in the eye of the beholder. I respect your opinion, but I also disagree with it, especially with regard to DEs. I have never used a straight razor, but as I stated above, I tend to think they would yield a better and closer shave for me than DEs.

How exactly do you disagree that DE and cartridge razors represent an improvement? One is essentially a very sharp knife that can cut you if you look at it wrong, takes ages to maintain and requires more time and effort to use while the others represent entire new inventions designed to make the act of shaving simpler, less time consuming and safer overall. It’s undeniable the safety and cartridge razor as an invention is a measurable improvement over the straight razor. It’s like saying a tesla isn’t really an improvement over the model t. It is. Your preference may be for the model t but to say something that’s faster, safer an more efficient isn’t an improvement is to misunderstand what the term means. I’m not trying to denigrate those that see SR shaving as the preferable way to do things either. To me, a good manual transmission is “better” than the best dual clutch automatic out there. But i think it’s a bad habit here at B&B to deny that shaving HAS improved over the years is some measurable ways for men as a whole. Almost all of us prefer shaving the hard way so lets not forget that there’s a whole world out there that finds carts and a can to be the better option.

 

[luvmysuper]

High School - Chevy vs Ford.
You guys ever listen to one of those conversations and think how tedious it was? Yeah, me too.

There's no finite, definitive answer to what is categorically "best" across the board for everyone.
There's no finite, definitive answer to what is categorically "an improvement" across the board for everyone.
What some may find as an improvement, others may not. What some may find as "a deterioration", others may not.
These are opinions. Opinions can't be wrong, they are opinions not statements of categorical fact.

 

[ackvil]

I have never tried a shavette but did try a straight razor.

I started shaving with a DE razor back in 1956. In about 1967 I bought two straight razors from my local barbershop. The owner gave me instructions on how to use it and he also honed the razor when I needed it. I used the straight at home but a DE when I traveled. I use the straight razors for about two years and then went back to the DE exclusively.

I moved to a new location and found that I had to maintain the razors myself. I found that I did not have the time and patience to maintain a straight razor and the results were not worth the effort. I could get a great shave with the straight razors on my face - but because the grain on my neck changed directions so often the straight was not as good on my neck. I found that I could get a better shave on my neck using a DE than the barber I went to could give me with a straight.

In brief, which razor is better is really a personal preference depending on your beard, face, and technique.

 

[BigJ]

Great question!

However, there is only one person who can answer it!! Why not give it a try??

I spent a few years with shavettes and straights awhile ago, then returned to DE which provide more comfortable shaves for me! But that’s my answer.

You really should give it a try IMO!

 

[McBlade]

How exactly do you disagree that DE and cartridge razors represent an improvement?

DE: a swimming pool with water wings and chlorine

Straight: skinny-dipping in the ocean

 

[thombrogan]

I have never used a straight razor, but as I stated above, I tend to think they would yield a better and closer shave for me than DEs.

Then perhaps it's about time to give it a go...

What he said!

Straight Razors are better for:
Lower ongoing consumable cost

Assuming one doesn’t become a rockhound, strop addict, or want a variety of matching multi-day sets

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Others have responded to this but it’s worth pointing out that just because someone intends to make money off of an invention, doesn’t mean the invention isn’t designed to be an improvement. The plain fact is the DE razor (and the cartridge after it) were both improvements on shaving. They may not shave better than their predecessors, but their improvements in time saved and ease of use are undeniable.

I know the man who invented the twin-blade razor (which became the cartidge razor) and so I can tell you with certainty that it was NOT designed to be an improvement over single-blade shaving, and he does not consider that it provides any advantages to the shave. It was designed to enable the company (Wilkinson Sword) to significantly increase razor blade sales. It was a product devised by their marketing department, in which he worked for many years.

Incidentally, cartridge razors now have batteries and a vibrating function. Was that designed to improve the shave or for some other reason? Search Google to find out which company owns Duracell…

 

[Tomo]

rockhound

Guilty as charged

 

[PintoPlain]

I saw these in Boots over the weekend and was tempted to give it a go and use some of the DE blades i have laying about. But then I considered the number of straights I already have and decided to put it back.

Is straight shaving better than DE? Depends what you mean by better. I can get equally close with a cart, DE or straight. Each takes about 5 mins for a two pass shave. I guess I'm the oddball who doesn't have sensitive skin so can shave with most blades and seldom get irritation.

My preference is a straight, which I would use 99 times out of 100.

 

[rbscebu]

.... , or want a variety of matching multi-day sets

But they look good and it feels good to have them.

 

[steveclarkus]

A straight is a bit like an efficient DE razor - the kind of thing which cuts a little closer than average and might get you to an acceptable result in fewer passes.

However full BBS is significantly harder, at least it is for me. WTG and XTG passes are relatively easy but ATG is really going to test your skill. It's a lot easier for the blade to catch and "dig in" going against the grain - which could get bloody with a naked edge. Hence the frequent recommendation for a shallower angle.

If you keep your skin well stretched, the blade cannot dig in. The reason for the shallow angle is to cut the beard. If the angle is two wide, you will just be scraping your face and not cutting the beard close to your skin.

 

[rbscebu]

A straight is a bit like an efficient DE razor - the kind of thing which cuts a little closer than average and might get you to an acceptable result in fewer passes.

However full BBS is significantly harder, at least it is for me. WTG and XTG passes are relatively easy but ATG is really going to test your skill. It's a lot easier for the blade to catch and "dig in" going against the grain - which could get bloody with a naked edge. Hence the frequent recommendation for a shallower angle.

With a properly prepared edge and good technique, I find a BBS finish is easiest to achieve with a straight razor. In fact it is better than with a DE razor. That is the problem.

A BBS result from a SR shave leaves me with nothing to shave 24 hours later. With a BBS finish from a DE razor I always have something to shave the next day. To solve this dilemma, I changed my passes from WTG, XTG & ATG to WTG, XTG & XTG. This gives me a DFS+ result and something (not a lot) to shave 24 hours late.

I suppose that that could mean that DE shaving would be better for me, but it's not as much fun as SR shaving.

I still do an ATG on the upper lip (fool's pass) every shave but that is to just ensure that the blade's edge is still up were I want it.

 

[Ron R]

I ventured into a AC style shavette after some research and also found with a naked blade it is little to much for myself to master for this greenhorn so I bought some Kai protouch 50mm blades and that made my shaves much more enjoyable. The guarded blades will reduce nicks and weepers and they also prevent the blade digging in is my best way of explaining. I enjoyed about 25 shaves so far but I have a larger collection of SE & DE razors that I enjoy a lot also. But I will pick up my Shavette every once in a while to test my skills.
50 mm naked blades are very sharp and slightly more than a straight razor is my understanding but straight razors can be a smoother shave just like different DE blades as a comparison.
(Picture below, guard prevents blade from digging in to skin and flesh but will give very close shaves, good blade to learn with IMO.)

This is a good AC shavette to learn with & will not break the bank + the Protouch blades are very good if not the best.

Are they better than a Safety razor for closeness, not really depending on skill level, you can get a BBS from either tools.
Are Shavettes and straights more challenging than a safety razor yes IMO and can be very enjoyable if you have the time to learn the skills.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

As others have said, MY better isn't necessarily the same as YOUR better. The only way to know is to try.

For me, straights ARE both a better shave and a more fun shave. They also have the, in my opinion, added bonus of honing, stropping, and regular maintenance that don't exist for DEs.

And just to clarify, since we are taking about learned skills, "trying" one method or the other means sticking with it as your main method for between 30 and 90 days. Few are proficient right out of the gate.

 

[ctr]

What is better? Generations of men left the straight razor behind. They determined DE was better. Same thing happened when the cartridge razor came along. Same transition is now occurring with the switch to electric shavers.

Before anyone gets the pitchfork out, perhaps some unbiased thought can illuminate these trends over time. Established axioms that apply:

• most men find the daily shave unsatisfactory
• companies spend large sums of money on research and development
• most men wish to spend as little time as possible on a daily chore
• B&B community members are a narrow segment devoted to a love of ritual and hobby
• B&B community members cannot even agree on what is a singular best shave
• everyone is different and might be tempted to argue method xftg is better than ohgyg

Perhaps best is relative but clearly generations of men want minimal time, low irritation, good enough not perfect shaves. Sharpness need not apply.

 

[rbscebu]

....
And just to clarify, since we are taking about learned skills, "trying" one method or the other means sticking with it as your main method for between 30 and 90 days. Few are proficient right out of the gate.

Very true but I will add that a man needs to shave daily and exclusively with his SR to become properly proficient. Without that sort of dedication, it could take many hundreds of SR shaves to get there.

Many give up who don't shave daily and exclusively with their SR for the first 30 days. Within that 30 days, they will start asking themselves "Why didn't I start this in my teens?".

It takes time and concentration but the results are very much worth it.

 

[Tomo]

Now you've done it! You have summoned the @rbscebu!

You were right. Like a missionary out to save as many souls as possible!