Nice work! I often clip off a bit more than intended. The time to worry is when it does not grow back!
Learning with a shavette?
- Thread starter Doc Dan
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If I were to do it over again, I would have purchased the DX right away and skipped the SS altogether.
If I were to do it again, I would skip the shavette and obtain a nice shave ready razor, like a Wacker, Ralf Aust or Le Grelot. I consider shaving with a shavette similar to shaving with a DE safety razor, but with the handle in a different place and only one edge. But that's just me.
"Shave ready razor"...For how long?
You have to really get good a stropping and honeing to own a straight razor. It can become a routine, just like everything else we do, relaxing... but necessary. After 10 years of it, I tired of the routine. But I think everyone should try it and see for themselves.
I find the Feather DX a nice compromise. For days when I am rushed, I've just ordered a Blackland Vector.
You have to really get good a stropping and honeing to own a straight razor. It can become a routine, just like everything else we do, relaxing... but necessary. After 10 years of it, I tired of the routine. But I think everyone should try it and see for themselves.
I find the Feather DX a nice compromise. For days when I am rushed, I've just ordered a Blackland Vector.
I'm a little torn on this. I whole heartedly agree with your premise. I did that several years ago. I bought a SR with the intent of learning to shave with it. I hated it. It never felt comfortable in my hand and I am willing to admit, I was scared of it. Now look, I'm a knife guy. I have many pieces. I have a wonderful set of Japanese kitchen knifes. I home my own and I strop my own knives. I can bone chickens and filet fish. That damn SR just never felt like an extension of my hand. I decided to try a kamisori because it looked like it would be more natural for me. I did some digging and learned that for a good blade made of steel that I could hone plus have good edge retention, I was going to spend a pretty penny or two. What if I only ended up using it to only trim/shape my horseshoe? Loads of money spent on a single use blade (just like a good boning knife). This morning, I decided to try a whole face shave just because it felt OK to do so. Maybe tomorrow, it'll be easier and more natural. Maybe on Monday it's even easier again. Or then again, maybe it still feels like trying to taking a wrist shot through a croquet wicket from the red line. Then what am I out, $100? I'm sure this will serve the mustache shaping perfectly forever. If I decide I want to do the whole face thing regularly, believe me I'll spend the money to get obtain a wonderful Japanese style SR. I agree with your earlier statement about it feeling like a safety razor.
I think it's OK to "learn with a shavette". Not to learn technique or maintenance, but just if you want to pursue the art of shaving with a SR. You could never learn to hone or strop on a shavette. Most guys, myself included, will never learn how to properly hone a hollow ground blade even on a quality blade. If you happen to pick one up without knowing that's what you ended up with you might think using a SR is not for you when all you needed was a different razor. Since the shave is the ultimate outcome, I think a shavette would offer the opportunity to know if this is another rabbit hole you want to go down. Knowing steel, knowing how to hone, knowing technique, and knowing the costs for all those things would be good to know after a minimal investment. Just being a knife guy, I know this is probably the deepest rabbit hole we can look down (maybe short of collecting antique DE razors).
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I enjoy and have many knives too. The shaving thing is personal and you need to find your own way. I started with a Feather shavette. The aspect of SR shaving that I enjoy most is the low ecological footprint and the "art form" itself. I found a rusty razor on the 'bay for $7, made in Kalamazoo Michigan. I went to school in Kalamazoo. The razor reminded me of my youth and my days in college. I cleaned the rust, polished the blade, set the bevel and honed it. I used pasted balsa for that one and it shaves magnificently. I recently found an old Genco razor, again for an impossibly low price. It gave me quite a battle to hone it. But @Frank Shaves explained the rolling x-stroke to me and I was able to hone that Genco to where it gave me a perfect shave, equal to that of an expensive razor.
So SR shaving is different things to different people. But in the end, we shave. Good luck to you in this venture!
So SR shaving is different things to different people. But in the end, we shave. Good luck to you in this venture!
That’s how Hitler started. Kept trying to even up the moustache until there was only a bit left in the middle, then invaded Czechoslovakia, and so on.
Just going to say that I finished my first full face shave with the AC. Was it a good shave? No way! It is Sunday after all
I also steered clear of my mustache today My technique was much better today and even found that by flipping the razor I could reuse a little soap for lubrication. I was feeling pretty proud of myself and then I realized I was using a Pro Guard blade. Pro Guard be damned! I'm still going to grill a steak!Feather has an array of blades and Pro Guard is not a bad way to start. Some of their blades offer less exposure, making for a lighter shave. The Professional blade is likely closest to a SR. My recollection is that the Professional blade is quite sharp.
The pro guard blade is sometimes described as a blade with training wheels. This is actually untrue.
There is a tutorial video put out by Feather featuring a professional UK barber with many years of experience and he uses the pro guard with the volunteer customer. He says he choses his blade type for his DX based on the customers skin type and hairgrowth patterns.
There is a tutorial video put out by Feather featuring a professional UK barber with many years of experience and he uses the pro guard with the volunteer customer. He says he choses his blade type for his DX based on the customers skin type and hairgrowth patterns.
I am 3 shaves in with the AC SR and I have to say I am blown away. I still have some trouble spots, the point of my chin for example. Learning the best grip in which areas is still a learning process as well. I shave with some very aggressive DE razors and this method is blowing them away as far as efficiency is concerned.
The Feather AC is a good choice. I like the fact that you can choose between several different blades. We all have our trouble spots - mine is the Adam's apple.
Does anyone have any experience with BÖKER Solingen Pro Long Barbette? It takes the wide, 65mm blades, not DE ones (you still need to break them in half) and they seem to sit really securely in place, locked by two bolts stuck into actual holes in the blade, rather than just a half-open cut-out. The whole thing weighs 53.3 grams (1.9 ounces) and looks simply stunning, as you can see in the pictures below that I got from some Polish retailer (golibrodasklep.pl).
Still, it's a shavette (barbette if you like...) and, well, the reason I'm here is because I'm in exactly the same situation - I bought it to practice a little before I drop a couple hundred on a proper SR (which I thought was the manly thing to do a couple of years into my forties...) having spent a few years shaving with a really nice DE. I mainly wanted to decide between 5/8 and 6/8, Spanish and round point and carbon and stainless, while I learn to hold the SR properly and work out the angles.
I have to say that after a few days of painful practice I'm tempted to return to my DE, leaving the Barbette for a weekend shave, when I can take my time and hopefully not have scraped half my face off by the end of it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it hasn't been much fun so far - it's only my inborn stubbornness that keeps me at it. The shave is smooth alright but I must be careful not to touch my face for the first three hours or so, despite alum block treatment and a soothing balm afterwards. The chin is the worst - I don't have a very round face and the angles force me to go over the same area multiple times before I get everything done, meanwhile the meat starts to show... It looks so easy and smooth in all those YouTube videos!
OK, enough wining, back to the initial question: any experience with this Barbette? It seems to be pretty close to the real thing, at jest by they looks of it. Is it...?
BTW how much does a standard, plastic scales SR weigh? I'm hoping that perhaps I can blame the blood and pain on the lack of stability due to lower weight (I'm used to a Merkur DE which is 113.6 grams (4 ounces) loaded, and basically does the shave for me.
Still, it's a shavette (barbette if you like...) and, well, the reason I'm here is because I'm in exactly the same situation - I bought it to practice a little before I drop a couple hundred on a proper SR (which I thought was the manly thing to do a couple of years into my forties...) having spent a few years shaving with a really nice DE. I mainly wanted to decide between 5/8 and 6/8, Spanish and round point and carbon and stainless, while I learn to hold the SR properly and work out the angles.
I have to say that after a few days of painful practice I'm tempted to return to my DE, leaving the Barbette for a weekend shave, when I can take my time and hopefully not have scraped half my face off by the end of it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it hasn't been much fun so far - it's only my inborn stubbornness that keeps me at it. The shave is smooth alright but I must be careful not to touch my face for the first three hours or so, despite alum block treatment and a soothing balm afterwards. The chin is the worst - I don't have a very round face and the angles force me to go over the same area multiple times before I get everything done, meanwhile the meat starts to show... It looks so easy and smooth in all those YouTube videos!
OK, enough wining, back to the initial question: any experience with this Barbette? It seems to be pretty close to the real thing, at jest by they looks of it. Is it...?
BTW how much does a standard, plastic scales SR weigh? I'm hoping that perhaps I can blame the blood and pain on the lack of stability due to lower weight (I'm used to a Merkur DE which is 113.6 grams (4 ounces) loaded, and basically does the shave for me.
"The shave is smooth alright but I must be careful not to touch my face for the first three hours or so, despite alum block treatment and a soothing balm afterwards."
For starters, that is an unusually high degree of irritation and you should stop immediately until you figure things out. It could be the disposable blade itself, or the blade exposure provided by the shavette. How about a close up photo of the shavette with a blade inserted?
Shaving with a straight razor or a shavette should not produce such irritation.
For starters, that is an unusually high degree of irritation and you should stop immediately until you figure things out. It could be the disposable blade itself, or the blade exposure provided by the shavette. How about a close up photo of the shavette with a blade inserted?
Shaving with a straight razor or a shavette should not produce such irritation.
Here it is - if you're looking to see if it's sticking out too far, I think it's perfectly fine. My guess is it's not her, it's me... Multiple passes over the same area as I don't catch everything the first time round, short strokes, as I'm used to a DE...
It does not seem to be sticking out too far. But the irritation is highly unusual. A few things to consider:
- Switch out the blade; try a few.
- Make sure you use the lightest of pressure. You should not be applying excess pressure.
- Start at the flattest possible angle. Increase the angle until the blade catches, and no more.
- Finally, just work on a small section of the flat part of your cheek. Avoid the chin, Adam's apple, etc. until you have achieved a smooth and comfortable technique on the flat. Then you can move on to more difficult areas.
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- #77
Whew! After reading that I'm glad I went with a straight razor!
Thank you very much! To your comments:
- I am used to using the same blade for a few days (a week, mostly) in my DE before changing - perhaps this one gets dull quicker, or I might need a different brand altogether as you say.
- In connection with the first point, I initially applied no pressure at all, but quickly realised that I had to pull relatively hard for the (brand new) blade to go through my whiskers (which are not extraordinarily thick), as it simply stopped in its tracks and without applying greater force I risked it going sideways. Perhaps there is a golden mean between the two for a Shavette or, again, perhaps it's the dullness of the blade.
- You're right, I probably used too steep of an angle, now that I think of it, as it was nowhere near almost-flat.
- This will probably be the trickiest one to achieve - I once finished the shave with my DE as I ran out of time and I felt like I had cheated! Silly, I know - I guess I just need to swallow my pride, do a reset and accept that the learning process will take much longer than I had anticipated. Patience is a virtue, after all...
I should probably mention that apart changing from DE to Shavette I also changed the soap from Proraso Sensitive to Mitchell's Wool Fat (learning to achieve a good lather with it is a separate process, and admittedly I am not quite there yet) and the brush from top of the line Silver Tip Mühle to boar, which is not quite broken in yet and rather rough on the skin. All within the last two weeks, which has definitely contributed to skin irritation. Couple that with poor technique, as described above, and potentially less-than-perfect blade and you end up with a sore face like mine. I'm sure there are many out there who have had a very different experience. The Barbette by Böker is excellent in itself, so I have to conclude it's my lack of skill alone.
BTW what did you chose as your first blade? I am now near-decided for a 6/8 Spanish point Ralf Aust. Open to suggestions (from others too) unless it should be a separate post. Also I won't lie, I am anticipating a very different (better!) experience with a proper SR!
I completely agree with this conclusion. Even when using a new unguarded Feather AC blade I don't get any irritation like this.
I would suggest that you are using too much pressure and/or too obtuse an angle.
