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Newbie - Shavette

Nice group photo @Seveneighth. I have also wondered how some people appear to shave with the SS held at a very steep angle on certain areas of their face. I assumed they have a very light touch and not really riding the lip (at least not as it was designed) but just touching it ever so lightly. But since I have never used an SS my opinion means little.

I’ve toyed with doing it once I saw Geofatboy do it in his SS instructionals. It’s actually easier than it looks and is quite helpful in some spots.
 
I’ve toyed with doing it once I saw Geofatboy do it in his SS instructionals. It’s actually easier than it looks and is quite helpful in some spots.
If I use a steep angle with the SS I personally either cut myself or I suffer really bad irritation, especially on the lower lip. I would assert that using a steep angle results in shredding the hairs and possibly dulling the edge early, rather than slicing through them.

But you are absolutely right if you find a cutting angle that works for particular areas of your face then that's your mileage. Shaving under the nose WTG using the nose as a guide means the you start at a steep attack.

Shaving against the grain with a real straight or the DX loaded with a pro guard going up the neck and stretching the skin I find I might take the razor quite steep. But then the skin is pulled and the hairs are standing up so the razor is actually still cutting at a shallow angle. With the SS I find I don't need to do that and for me I get a closer shave with fewer passes using the SS method.

If the skin is pulled taught then the SS would be acting in the same way as above. You lose the advantage of the lip but you are still taking advantage of the fabulous blade.

I'm sorry am I going on too much? :)
I don't mean to sound preachy - I am just a fan of these razors and want everyone to enjoy them and get the best out of them.
 
M

member 119848

@Seveneighth , thanks for the valuable information.
At least it helped me choose the right shavette. Today I pulled the trigger on the Feather SS paired with Feather PROGUARD blades. Being a beginner it should be a wise decision.
I ordered it from Japan so it might take a few weeks before it arrives...
It leaves me enough time to purchase a sceptic pencil :001_smile
 
@Seveneighth , thanks for the valuable information.
At least it helped me choose the right shavette. Today I pulled the trigger on the Feather SS paired with Feather PROGUARD blades. Being a beginner it should be a wise decision.
I ordered it from Japan so it might take a few weeks before it arrives...
It leaves me enough time to purchase a sceptic pencil :001_smile

Awesome! Looking forward to hearing about the first shave!
 
@Seveneighth , thanks for the valuable information.
At least it helped me choose the right shavette. Today I pulled the trigger on the Feather SS paired with Feather PROGUARD blades. Being a beginner it should be a wise decision.
I ordered it from Japan so it might take a few weeks before it arrives...
It leaves me enough time to purchase a sceptic pencil :001_smile
Hi Fabi,

Congratulations. The proguards are tricky to use with the SS, because they don't have much blade exposure. If you PM me your address I'll PIF you a sealed box of pros for you to try as well.
 
M

member 119848

Sure, I will let you guys know when the shavette is there. I´m impatient.
I thought about the ProGuards considering how unforgiving shavettes are. So I'd better have blades that are not too mean...
 
The proguards are lovely blades and much gentler. They work especially well in the DX. Also good to try out in the SS at first, but be careful, because of the minimal blade exposure there is a temptation to lift the blade to too steep an angle.

I bought a few packets of pro blades cheaply. These have more blade exposure. In the interests of converting someone to the way of the Feather SS I am very happy to send you a box - no charge. PM me if and when you are interested.
 
Sure, I will let you guys know when the shavette is there. I´m impatient.
I thought about the ProGuards considering how unforgiving shavettes are. So I'd better have blades that are not too mean...
This morning I was in a rush to get out of the door and so my shave was a rapid single pass straight shave with a custom British cutthroat. Consequently I have enough beard growth this evening to shave again. It's been a long time since I've shaved with a Proguard in an SS and inspired by @Fabi I just squeezed in a second shave of the day with my lime SS/ proguard combo.

Fantastic. The SS is such a lovely shaving experience.

I hope you enjoy yours, Fabi.
 
M

member 119848

@Seveneighth , glad to hear that.
You see, that´s very kind of you but you don´t need to pif me anything right now. I will start with the ProGuards as intended and later discover the other AC blades along my journey. No rush :001_smile

Another aspect of shaving are esthetics. Lately my wife and I were watching travel videos about Florida... Flamingos and colorfull buildings have inspired me at my den level, you get the vibe...
I have chosen a pink shavette! At least for me its cool, almost classy :001_cool: ...and it will certainly help me fight depression during winter times :001_smile

upload_2018-5-30_18-20-4.jpeg
 
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@Seveneighth , glad to hear that.
You see, that´s very kind of you but you don´t need to pif me anything right now. I will start with the ProGuards as intended and later discover the other AC blades along my journey. No rush :001_smile

Another aspect of shaving are esthetics. Lately my wife and I were watching travel videos about Florida... Flamingos and colorfull buildings have inspired me at my den level, you get the vibe...
I have chosen a pink shavette! At least for me its cool, almost classy :001_cool: ...and it will certainly help me fight depression during winter times :001_smile

View attachment 887104
The colour is critical. My line green SS definitely shaves closer than my black one. Identical in every other way. I have heard the pink ones are better still.
 
I also have one of the pink (a.k.a. "wine" coloured) Kamisori style SS razors. The more I use it the more impressed I am with the design. The pink see-thru straight handle is kind of cool also!
In regards to the degree of blade exposure, the specs from Feather indicate that the Pro blades and the ProGuard blades have the same degree of exposure but with the ProGuards being somewhat thicker than the Pro blades. Feather's blade exposure specs are as follows:
Professional Light 0.6mm, ProGuard 1.2mm, Pro 1.2mm, ProSupers 1.45mm The Pro Supers have the highest degree of blade exposure and thereby enable the shallowest blade angle whereas the ProLights have minimal blade exposure and require a much steeper angle. Enjoy the journey Fabi!
 
I also have one of the pink (a.k.a. "wine" coloured) Kamisori style SS razors. The more I use it the more impressed I am with the design. The pink see-thru straight handle is kind of cool also!
In regards to the degree of blade exposure, the specs from Feather indicate that the Pro blades and the ProGuard blades have the same degree of exposure but with the ProGuards being somewhat thicker than the Pro blades. Feather's blade exposure specs are as follows:
Professional Light 0.6mm, ProGuard 1.2mm, Pro 1.2mm, ProSupers 1.45mm The Pro Supers have the highest degree of blade exposure and thereby enable the shallowest blade angle whereas the ProLights have minimal blade exposure and require a much steeper angle. Enjoy the journey Fabi!
Yes you are quite right about the exposure. I think the revelation for me was when I started using supers in my SS. But last night I was reminded how good the shave can be from the Pro guard or any blade in the SS.
 
Regarding blade exposure, should not the Professional, Professional Guard, Professional SoftGuard blades be the ideal match for the DX or SS? I understand that the Super Professionals have a greater blade exposure and I enjoy using them in my DX (I am still withholding final judgement if they are my favorite blade in the DX or not).

Still I am skeptical that Feather designed their blade holders, especially the new SS, such that the Super Pros would be the optimal blades as compared to the others. Otherwise they would need to produce a Super-Duper Professional (twice the blade exposure of the Supers) so that the DX or SS could be held even more flat when using these super-duper blades for persons looking for a more extreme shaving experiece. And therefore need to product guarded versions of the SuperPros. I suppose all that could happen, but I would expect them to re-engineer the SS before doing so.
 
Regarding blade exposure, should not the Professional, Professional Guard, Professional SoftGuard blades be the ideal match for the DX or SS? I understand that the Super Professionals have a greater blade exposure and I enjoy using them in my DX (I am still withholding final judgement if they are my favorite blade in the DX or not).

Still I am skeptical that Feather designed their blade holders, especially the new SS, such that the Super Pros would be the optimal blades as compared to the others. Otherwise they would need to produce a Super-Duper Professional (twice the blade exposure of the Supers) so that the DX or SS could be held even more flat when using these super-duper blades for persons looking for a more extreme shaving experiece. And therefore need to product guarded versions of the SuperPros. I suppose all that could happen, but I would expect them to re-engineer the SS before doing so.
I didn't mean to suggest that it was their design intent. According to Jatai's literature the supers are designed for tougher hair.
 
I didn't mean to suggest that it was their design intent. According to Jatai's literature the supers are designed for tougher hair.
Interesting that Jatai marketing literature states that. And my intention was not to be critical of anyone using Super Pro or any other blade (I should have made my wording more clear), as I like this blade too.

My two minor points is that absent any inside information I would expect Feather/Jatai engineers to have
1) designed the DX/RG/SS holders so that the blade exposure was more or less optimal when using one of their Professional blades (both guarded and unguarded). Letting customers choose light or Super Pros to go up/down a notch in the exposure when not finding the standard to their liking.
2) But to have also recognized that many customers prefer the SuperPros in their DX and SS razors so that a SuperDuperPro or something with an even larger exposure might be appealing. That if many like 8.2 mm tall SuperPros why not try producing a 8.3mm or 8.4mm tall blade.
 
Interesting that Jatai marketing literature states that. And my intention was not to be critical of anyone using Super Pro or any other blade (I should have made my wording more clear), as I like this blade too.

My two minor points is that absent any inside information I would expect Feather/Jatai engineers to have
1) designed the DX/RG/SS holders so that the blade exposure was more or less optimal when using one of their Professional blades (both guarded and unguarded). Letting customers choose light or Super Pros to go up/down a notch in the exposure when not finding the standard to their liking.
2) But to have also recognized that many customers prefer the SuperPros in their DX and SS razors so that a SuperDuperPro or something with an even larger exposure might be appealing. That if many like 8.2 mm tall SuperPros why not try producing a 8.3mm or 8.4mm tall blade.
It's a good point. I wonder whether the Artists Club demand (and therefore product innovation) is mainly driven by the professional market. Apart from us crazies on the forums here, how many personal users are there? Do professional users experiment so much? On trade hairdressing supply sites I've noticed a smaller range of blades. Some only stock the Pro blades. Maybe Jatai don't see a demand for variation from their core market.
 
Congrats on the purchase @Fabi

The feather SS is a great shavette. I only really get a chance to break it out on weekends but am generally rewarded with a nice shave. The learning curve (if you’ve never used shavettes or straights) for the feather was not too bad for me.

Look forward to your results!
 
It's a good point. I wonder whether the Artists Club demand (and therefore product innovation) is mainly driven by the professional market. Apart from us crazies on the forums here, how many personal users are there? Do professional users experiment so much? On trade hairdressing supply sites I've noticed a smaller range of blades. Some only stock the Pro blades. Maybe Jatai don't see a demand for variation from their core market.
Good point, a barber/hairdresser would likely stick to one format. And personal users are probably a small part of Jatai sales. Though I suspect they were targeting us with items like the Wooded handled DX which would be inconvenient for the professional to use compared to the durable handles and scales found on most of their product line.

I stumbled upon these injector blades from Personna, they are sold as Mini Hair Shaper Blades.
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Not sure if they are sharp enough for shaving the face or if the description is correct but they are slightly taller than a AC Super Pro blade. Maybe not enough to make a difference. But could be interesting to try this shorty in an AC razor.
  • Thickness (inches, mm) 0.01, 0.25
  • Length (inches, mm) 1.493, 37.92
  • Height (inches, mm)0.324, 8.23
 
M

member 119848

My Feather SS arrived yesterday and today´s shave with it was without any nick! :smartass:
@GearNoir I discovered your shave-journal and it´s great, and along with @Seveneighth posts I´m getting good tips from you gents. Keep on sharing your knoweledge and experience. :thumbup:

As a SR newbie I have to reassure everybody who´s hesitating to start the shavette exploration. It doesn´t have to be bloody. Just be careful.
I used my dominant hand during all the shave, and with the ProGuards it helped reduce the risk of injury. I finished with touch-ups on my chin using a DE, other than that, I'm pleased with my first shavette shave.
I intend to use the ProGuards for the first 3 months until my technique allows me to try sharper blades.
 
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