Shavette And Barber Razor Enthusiast (SABRE) group

[bahomebrew]

So if anybody reading this thread would like one of the razors then just PM and I'll post it to you worldwide completely free of charge.
I've got two and will give away both if anybody's interested!

Very generous offer! I love the look of the Slim. That and the half blade SE that Focus put out are calling to me.

Today, shaved with the Magic Facon and a Dorco blade. Nice shave. I'm definitely getting the hang of these guys. I don't think I'll ever BBS my neck with a folding razor, but I have figured some things out to get close.

 

[Gibbs]

I got in a new shavette the other day from China. It is one of those that has a hinge toward the back that takes the full size DE blade as opposed to breaking one in half like those of DOVO or Parker. I shaved with it alright until the pin come out of the handle pivot, the "Scales", then I ceased before issues arose and finished shaving with a Feather.

It shaved alright, like I said, but a bit more slowly, since I was being very careful. My question is this: What advantage, other than for doing very fine edging or nape cutting, does a DE blade shavette have over just a DE razor? I can shave about 3-4 times faster with any one of my Gillette or Merkur razors, do it safely and closely. In fact, it is loads easier with the DE razor than either half a blade (which I have used) or this Chinese hinge razor that takes the full DE blade. NOTE: only one edge is exposed, so when it would get dull you would swap it out for the other edge.


Just using it without the long handle works as well. I could possibly make up a single handle to shave like the non folding "Kamisori" style razors, but as it is, even without the scales, it works.

Opinions?

 

[mjclark]

My question is this: What advantage, other than for doing very fine edging or nape cutting, does a DE blade shavette have over just a DE razor? I can shave about 3-4 times faster with any one of my Gillette or Merkur razors, do it safely and closely. In fact, it is loads easier with the DE razor than either half a blade (which I have used) or this Chinese hinge razor that takes the full DE blade.

Good question!
For me shavettes (like straights although straights are way more forgiving) took a lot of practice before I could get the optimum shave. You need to use a lot of skin stretching and pay attention to angle in a way that you simply don't have to with DEs.

But once my technique clicked, shavettes give me excellent and very long lasting shaves and are much much kinder to my skin than DEs especially on the neck.
Also shavettes are way more fun!

Compared to DEs I now find shavettes are much more manouverable, keep my skin calmer and give me a smarter longer lasting shave result.

 

[bahomebrew]

I used the Haryali which is like a Parker. Not the best shave today, just had a hard time finding a good cutting angle and ended up irritated with several missed spots. It's a handle I don't have much experience with and aside from the hair Shaper, has a lot more exposure than most razors. Still fun, and I have gotten better shaves with this one, so I know it's possible.

 

[Drunk Bender]

Well now - I tried shaving with the Pat V DE.
It's a reasonable shave, smooth and a lot safer than it looks and it's very good in the curves of the neck and jaw, but I don't like the grip or the face feel.
View attachment 821147
So if anybody reading this thread would like one of the razors then just PM and I'll post it to you worldwide completely free of charge.
I've got two and will give away both if anybody's interested!

P.M. Sent.

 

[rudyt]

There's not much talk about Wecks here, probably because when people think shavette, most of them think new and very few think vintage.

I just scored a Weck Sextoblade all-metal medical razor to add to my Sextoblade "Trade Sample" and Weck Hair Shaper.

 

[BoldSpice]

There's not much talk about Wecks here, probably because when people think shavette, most of them think new and very few think vintage.

There's only a few hundred posts on them! I might have to get one and give it a try.

 

[Shave_Rat]

There's not much talk about Wecks here, probably because when people think shavette, most of them think new and very few think vintage.

I just scored a Weck Sextoblade all-metal medical razor to add to my Sextoblade "Trade Sample" and Weck Hair Shaper.

The Weck's are highly respected and loved by the shavette fans around here. I have 2 of the Sextoblades, and they are my goto travel straight/shavette.

 

[bahomebrew]

I went ahead and ordered the Focus Slim AL and the Focus R21. Just a bout of rad running it's course. Should be back to normal soon. Can't wait to shave with them.

 

[mjclark]

I went ahead and ordered the Focus Slim AL and the Focus R21. Just a bout of rad running it's course. Should be back to normal soon. Can't wait to shave with them.

Brilliant! The Focus Slim is such a great razor.

 

[bahomebrew]

To my surprise, both razors were in my mailbox today. I didn't expect them 'til Monday, so I'm pumped. If I had known, I would have waited to shave today, but alas, there's not much work for them at the moment. Both look fantastic, the R21 actually has a nice heft to it. I was expecting something more like the Dovo which is pretty light, but it surprised me. The Slim is very light, but I had anticipated that. Very easy blade loading mechanism in both and I've gone ahead and put in a Silver Blue to be ready for tomorrow's shave. As they close up, both put a nice snug squeeze on the blade. The Slim looks like there is no mechanism to stop the blade hitting the back of the handle when folded, so I'm a little unsure about that. I thought I would start with the Slim Al, but seeing and holding the R21(which is stamped Focus Metal on the handle) has made me unsure. I may have to flip a coin in the morning. Shave reports forthcoming.

 

[BoldSpice]

Yup, that plastic insert holds the blade real nice in that Focus R21.

 

[rudyt]

Brilliant! The Focus Slim is such a great razor.

Why is it when I have my RAD under control, I read a post by Marcus and it's all out the window. Is there a way to block a user's posts so I never see them ;-)

 

[rudyt]

There's only a few hundred posts on them! I might have to get one and give it a try.

You seem to have quite the collection of shavettes already, but you should try a Sextoblade at some point. I think it's the best shavette you can buy, and a steal for $10-20.

 

[mjclark]

You seem to have quite the collection of shavettes already, but you should try a Sextoblade at some point. I think it's the best shavette you can buy, and a steal for $10-20.

I've got to agree with you Rudy that the Weck is awesome.
@TheVez2 (who started this epic thread) is one of their greatest advocates.

It looks like Weck may have been the very first true shavette (although Durham Duplex are a contender) and the direct extension of the replaceable blade framebacks from Europe.
As an immigrant from Solingen Edward Weck would have been familiar with these.
The photos have gone but there's a good discussion on them here:
Feather Artist Club And Weck Sextoblade : Razors Of Genius!

Not to ignite more RAD or nothing but the Hess Ezy-Shave takes the same blades and sleeves them like the Artist Club razors do, giving the razor a heavier head and a profile more like a traditional straight.
And that's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

 

[bahomebrew]

First shave with the Focus Slim Al under my belt. This is the nicest and easiest shavette I have shaved with thus far. The Weck Hair Shaper is nice I think, but not the same quality as this and much less forgiving. The angle of the head acts as a guide for shaving which makes finding the proper angle a no brainer. I was thinking as I shaved that this was very mild for a shavette if you can imagine such a thing.

The balance is spot on, and the light weight is not prohibitive to the shave. I think because the blade locks in tightly, this gives nice rigidity for the shave. I used a broken half DE Gillette Silver Blue and the bent ends of the blade help to stiffen up the blade when it's in place. I'm guessing that the pre-cut barber blades might not create the same effect, but I don't have any of those to know for sure.

I ended up with a pretty smooth shave and a couple weepers, very superficial, which for my skill level and a fresh blade I think is where it should be.

 

[bahomebrew]

Shaved with the R21 this morning. It shaves similarly to the Magic razor, although the head geometry is a little different requiring a bit different angle. I had a harder time getting accustomed to this one than the Slim Al and ended with not quite the close shave I was going for. I felt this was also a fairly mild and well-mannered shavette if you want it to be, and because of the good rigidity there wasn't a whole lot of chatter. I had one mistake on my chin, using the left hand which I started recently, where I was trying to find the right angle and missed. Not an overly bloody mistake, but blood drawn, to be sure. Initial impressions are I like these razors.

 

[rudyt]

First shave with the Focus Slim Al under my belt. This is the nicest and easiest shavette I have shaved with thus far. The Weck Hair Shaper is nice I think, but not the same quality as this and much less forgiving

Now this intrigues me. I find the Weck more forgiving than a full-DE blade shavette, but I have more shaves with the Weck.

Does your statement apply to just the Focus Al, to half-DE blades in general, or to all DE blade shavettes.

 

[bahomebrew]

Now this intrigues me. I find the Weck more forgiving than a full-DE blade shavette, but I have more shaves with the Weck.

Does your statement apply to just the Focus Al, to half-DE blades in general, or to all DE blade shavettes.

I'm happy to intrigue, @rudyt. I would say that applies to the Focus Slim Al and to a lesser extent the Focus R21. My other shavettes would be a little more ornery than the Weck. I don't have many shaves with any one of these systems and maybe 40 or 50 shaves total between all my folding razors, so I've learned a ton but still have a lot of room for improvement. I'm excited to try the Dovo with the Weck insert to see how it performs and have my eyes peeled for a sextoblade on the BST and the bay as I've heard good things. Always one more and I'll complete my collection, just one more...

 

[Shave_Rat]

I'm happy to intrigue, @rudyt. I would say that applies to the Focus Slim Al and to a lesser extent the Focus R21. My other shavettes would be a little more ornery than the Weck. I don't have many shaves with any one of these systems and maybe 40 or 50 shaves total between all my folding razors, so I've learned a ton but still have a lot of room for improvement. I'm excited to try the Dovo with the Weck insert to see how it performs and have my eyes peeled for a sextoblade on the BST and the bay as I've heard good things. Always one more and I'll complete my collection, just one more...

Just like with DE's, the blade you use in the shavette can make a pretty big difference to your impression of one sahvette vs another, as well.