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No guard DE?

Here's the listing on amazon calling it a "double edge straight razor." Apparently made in Turkey. And 10 people have posted comments about their experience. I think I'll pass. I have enough trouble with mild razors, let alone something like this thing.

https://www.amazon.com/STRAIGHT-Stainless-Protective-BBNY-Sophisticated/dp/B00RMEY94A

Actually my next step from devette was one of mildest razors around - Merkur 1904. Devette is the perfect teacher. Just try it, it is safe as much as any DE razor. I promise. Just look at your fingers, you can cut them, not your face.
 
Classic Devette shave this morning with a Radimi which must have been modified way back in the 20th Century:
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This one had all the teeth removed so had the issues about resting it flat - PW Calhoun was a genius to think of leaving the corner teeth intact and modern Devette makers do well to heed his suggestion.

And the shave?
Amazing as always [emoji3]
 
At last! I have my very own Devette. :biggrin1:
$Tech-Devette+Feather.jpg

Having seen [MENTION=102258]Venkat[/MENTION]'s Devette I had to get a Tech for this project (albeit a lesser one).

The baseplate was modified today with the help of a friend who has the right tools for the job.
... PW Calhoun was a genius to think of leaving the corner teeth intact and modern Devette makers do well to heed his suggestion. ...
I'm sure this is a great idea for the many that put their razors down with the blade facing the surface.

I've always stood my razors on end. So they always stand on one of the blade tabs when loaded. Also, I think end teeth, or bits of guard ends, remaining on the razor make it look ugly (albeit a safer option for some).

Here's a profile pic with blade loaded:
$Tech-Devette-Profile.jpg

And one looking at the baseplate:
$Tech-Devette-BaseplateView.jpg

I'm expecting tomorrow's shave to be with an Open Comb for OCtober. But I intend having my first Devette shave sometime next week, and will report back.

Many thanks to Marcus for the ideas and the encouragement. :thumbup:
 
At last! I have my very own Devette. :biggrin1:
View attachment 692316

Having seen [MENTION=102258]Venkat[/MENTION]'s Devette I had to get a Tech for this project (albeit a lesser one).

The baseplate was modified today with the help of a friend who has the right tools for the job.

I'm sure this is a great idea for the many that put their razors down with the blade facing the surface.

I've always stood my razors on end. So they always stand on one of the blade tabs when loaded. Also, I think end teeth, or bits of guard ends, remaining on the razor make it look ugly (albeit a safer option for some).

Here's a profile pic with blade loaded:
View attachment 692321

And one looking at the baseplate:
View attachment 692322

I'm expecting tomorrow's shave to be with an Open Comb for OCtober. But I intend having my first Devette shave sometime next week, and will report back.

Many thanks to Marcus for the ideas and the encouragement. :thumbup:

How exciting! Looking forward to the shave report!
 
How exciting! Looking forward to the shave report!
Today was the first shave with my new Tech Devette.

$SOTD-Tech-Devette_2016-10-03.jpg

Boy, you sure need to be paying attention while playing with this baby!

I got a great BBS but it certainly wasn't effortless. That said, I believe this baby is the finest DE Instructor I've ever had. I noticed that the best angles for me were mostly very steep, some very shallow, and very little of anything else. One thing that was easy was lining up and trimming sideburn and mustache lines, brilliant. I also noticed that what would have been a great lather with any other razor was actually a little dry while using the Devette. So for my next few shaves (with whatever razor) I'll be working on improving my lather slickness.

At the end of the shave I did notice a little tingle from the ASL. That's something that's very rare for me; so it's telling me to upgrade my technique.

Frankly, I thought this would be easy peasy, but it wasn't. My intention now is to have one Devette shave per week. Thus to break myself in (and up my technique) gently.

A big "Thank You" to Marcus and everyone else that's given such great information throughout the thread. :thumbup:
 
Today was the first shave with my new Tech Devette.

View attachment 692948

Boy, you sure need to be paying attention while playing with this baby!

I got a great BBS but it certainly wasn't effortless. That said, I believe this baby is the finest DE Instructor I've ever had. I noticed that the best angles for me were mostly very steep, some very shallow, and very little of anything else. One thing that was easy was lining up and trimming sideburn and mustache lines, brilliant. I also noticed that what would have been a great lather with any other razor was actually a little dry while using the Devette. So for my next few shaves (with whatever razor) I'll be working on improving my lather slickness.

At the end of the shave I did notice a little tingle from the ASL. That's something that's very rare for me; so it's telling me to upgrade my technique.

Frankly, I thought this would be easy peasy, but it wasn't. My intention now is to have one Devette shave per week. Thus to break myself in (and up my technique) gently.

A big "Thank You" to Marcus and everyone else that's given such great information throughout the thread. :thumbup:

Brilliant! And you're right - the Devette is the best teacher of good technique [emoji3]
 
One thing that was easy was lining up and trimming sideburn and mustache lines, brilliant.
That's the exact reason my dad shaved with a Tech DEvette for his whole life. It had nothing to do with increased efficiency, it was so he wouldn't screw up his mustache or sideburns.
 
TLDR after page 20, but here's a video demo/review of Barbe Bleue BB Model X Razor, from a pass-around:

 
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Today was the second shave with my new No Guard Tech (Devette) aka THE COACH.

$SOTD-Tech-Devette_2016-10-14.jpg

I glanced at my white belt after the shave... it's still gleaming white. :001_rolle

THE COACH is giving me lots of valuable lessons, and it looks like there's still a long way to go.

Today I swapped the Tech aluminum handle for my Knockout bakelite handle. Weight wise they're not much different (Tech aluminum handle 11.4g, Knockout bakelite handle 10g). I just prefer the feel of the Bakelite. I did consider putting a heavier metal handle on, but decided to stay with a light handle because I feel that heavier handles are a bit of a cop out (my reasoning being that heavy handles can help the shaver to achieve great shaves with less than great technique [of course that's just my opinion, and I could easily be wrong]).

As ever, accurate trimming of sideburns and mustache were a breeze (due to the "second to none" visibility of the blade). The rest of the shave was good, but I definitely need to fine tune my angles of attack. My pressures need fine tuning too (this is something that became embarrassingly obvious, due mainly to the light handle).

After my first lesson/shave with THE COACH I've been practising getting my lather slicker and today that paid off well.

I think ideally, I would shave with THE COACH all the time till I'd mastered it.
But that would be really difficult as I have so many other toys to play with. :blush:
 
People fret about blade chatter, how is that attenuated with this type of razor?

This is a long long thread and the topic of blade chatter has recurred throughout it.

For caps with enough curvature the blade is braced by the curve but the master stroke is to leave the corners of the guard or the outermost teeth intact.
This was the original suggestion by PW Calhoun in the 1930's which is our first evidence of the Devette.
This also protects the face from the blade corners and allows the razor to be rested down like a normal DE.

As [MENTION=106012]1Cal[/MENTION] and also the BBX Razor have shown, it's not necessary to leave the corners of the guard in place in order to get a great shaving Devette.
But it does have a lot of advantages.
 
People fret about blade chatter, how is that attenuated with this type of razor?
IMO, with absolute correct angle and PRESSURE (yes, I said PRESSURE). :w00t: Easier said than done of course. :wink2:

And I'd say that that applies to any razor.
I'd also say, after much thought/practise/deliberation/etc that incorrect angle and pressure CAUSES blade chatter, razor skipping, the sensation of a blade being dull (when it isn't), etc.

I'm still very much at the experimentation and learning stage. But I currently believe that once I have my angles and pressures fine tuned (to my particular face) that I will get consistently wonderful shaves plus incredible blade life (like [MENTION=30982]bosseb[/MENTION]), with ANY razor.

Pressure (which in many places may be virtually imperceptible) is always required. "No pressure" is a joke.

That's today's two cents from this opinionated git. :biggrin1:
 
I appreciate your input ICal and mjclark. My technique has improved to where switching between widely differing razor designs has become child's play. I recall others saying the Devette is a good teacher. Hoping this could lead to increasingly more advanced shaving nirvana. Will explore.
 
Great thread! Just read the entire thing over the last couple of days. I have to try one of these. Did anyone ever end up making one out of a Micro Touch One? I would love to know if it works or not. I could always take the baseplate off my plastic handle metal head de ( same as the cheap 7 O'clock razors, but this one is a 15 year old Wilkinson Sword Classic I think.) as an interim thing. Thanks everyone for their input and trying this.
 
[MENTION=112114]Drunk Bender[/MENTION]

Your post reminded me that I got a few plastic Gillette Super Clicks to play with. I got them from a Thailand eBayer for AU $3 each (with free shipping).
$Super-Click-1.jpg

I thought I should be able to cut the guards off with a knife.
$Super-Click-2.jpg

$Super-Click-3.jpg

Bingo!
$Super-Click-4.jpg
They snapped off easily with the encouragement of the knife. But that left some sharp edges.

Continued >>>
 
So I gave each of the snapped off parts a just-under-one-second-flame from a lighter. All sharp parts instantly smoothed and rounded.
$Super-Click-5.jpg

In goes a new blade.
$Super-Click-6.jpg

$Super-Click-7.jpg

Ready for action.
$Super-Click-8.jpg
 
No Guard SOTD

Prep: Splash of hot water on face
Soap: Proraso Red Tube
Brush: Omega 10015
Razor: Gillette Super Click No Guard (GSCNG)
Blade: Personna Red (1)
Post: Proraso Red (Sandalwood) ASL

$SOTD-GSCNG_2016-10-20.jpg

This baby (the GSCNG) is light, weighing in at 6.2g loaded. In general I find steep angle the best, and although minimal you do need pressure. If you use the infamous “no pressure” with this light razor it’ll just bounce off your whiskers. So this is a great tool to perfect and fine tune your pressures (no mini steel dumbbells to do the work for you here).

Obviously I had to have a shave with the GSCNG before posting how easy it was to make it. It’s good, it works, and it’s cheap.
 
:blushing: Whoops!

I forgot to mention that the (all the way through) hollow handle on the exceptionally light GSCNG razor makes the audible feedback just about DEAFENING.

So if your ears are splitting but you can't feel anything, you've cracked it (IMO).
 
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