Shavette or Feather Artist Club?

[Gunnar]

Does anyone here have experience from using both a shavette and a Feather Artist Club?

My son surprised the hell out of me by bringing a shavette home from University to shave with. Apparently he has been using it for several months now. It is a pretty basic razor, and he has been cutting (not just nicking) himself frequently. I bought him a better brush and gave him a puck of Tabac and showed him how to lather up. I also pointed him to the B&B wiki on straight shaving. His blood loss per shave is decreasing.

It is his birthday soon, and I was wondering about buying him a better razor. He seems fascinated by the concept of straight shaving, but I know that he will never be able to keep a proper straight sharp (he can't even put an edge on a kitchen knife). Are there shavettes that are better than others? Is a Feather Artist Club so much better than a shavette that it is worth paying four to five times the price of a shavette?

I've been shaving with a DE razor for years, and lathering up the traditional way, but have zero experience with a straight or even a disposable blade straight. Any comments would be welcome.

 

[Seraphim]

Parker shavettes are nice (and inexpensive).

Feather Artist Clubs are VERY NICE and much more expensive. And the blades for the Feathers are much more expensive as well.


CJB is a Feather clone from Korea. get them in the Hobbyist classifieds here also available on Ebay.

 

[jpakstis]

CJB is a Feather clone from Korea. get them in the Hobbyist classifieds here also available on Ebay.

I bought one of these as well, and while the finish isn't as nice as a Feather, it works just as well, in my opinion.

 

[ANeat]

I have a Shavette and a couple of CJB's. Personally the Shavette (Parker) is tough to beat for price/quality of shave/convenience.

The CJB, really cool, great shave, but blades are more pricey, tough to find.

I think my preference overall is the Shavette between the two just for that fact that you can get 100 de blades for what ~15 bux ?

 

[Kentos]

They all get the job done, but the Feathers are much nicer to hold and use. As was mentioned the blades cost more too. If he is going to stick with a shavette for shaving a Feather would be a killer present IMO.

 

[blzrfn]

I have had the best success to date with my Sam Seong razor that is similar to the Feather Artist Club and CJB. I also have a CJB but prefer the finish of the Sam Seong. I prefer the grip of the kamisori style razors versus the folding and the Dorco blades seem to be available at a pretty reasonable price even if you do get a dud every now and then. I have tried going back to my shavette and weck sextoblade but they just don't give me the control or closeness.

 

[Gunnar]

I prefer the grip of the kamisori style razors versus the folding and the Dorco blades seem to be available at a pretty reasonable price even if you do get a dud every now and then.

As my son is living in Student accommodation with a shared bathroom, I am not too keen on the concept of him walking down the corridor with a Japanese-style razor in his hand and one of the other students running into him. same story if he forgets his razor in the bathroom.

 

[Giant Kiwi]

I had a Dovo shavette and I have a feather.
I much prefer the feather. that would be an awesome gift
You can get a blade guard for the feather

 

[Gunnar]

I have a Shavette and a couple of CJB's. Personally the Shavette (Parker) is tough to beat for price/quality of shave/convenience.

The CJB, really cool, great shave, but blades are more pricey, tough to find.

I think my preference overall is the Shavette between the two just for that fact that you can get 100 de blades for what ~15 bux ?

The ready availability of blades for a shavette, and the fact that Feather blades have to be mail ordered does seem to weigh for a better quality shavette.

 

[TheVez2]

My favorite shavette is the Weck Sextoblade. It is a vintage razor that uses modern 'hair shaper' blades which can be found at Sally Beauty or other Beauty supply stores. The shave is pretty similar to a Feather AC, for much less money. For me, the Feather and the Weck both act, feel, and shave just like a real straight razor. Other shavettes, like the Parker, Dovo, or others are close, but the weight/balance is off, which causes you to shave at different angles and applying different pressure than a real straight. See the Sextoblade link in my sig for reviews on the Sextoblade.

They are easily found on eBay. Just note, there are Weck Sextoblades and Weck Hair Shapers. Both can be used to shave, but the Hair Shapers are a bit smaller. The Sextoblade is the size of a normal straight razor.

 

[blzrfn]

As my son is living in Student accommodation with a shared bathroom, I am not too keen on the concept of him walking down the corridor with a Japanese-style razor in his hand and one of the other students running into him. same story if he forgets his razor in the bathroom.

Understand the concern, but any open blade razor could pose a risk. My second choice would be a folding Feather AC or the Weck Sextoblade. The Weck took a little more effort for me to get used to as the blade is longer than any other razor I have used, but they are relatively inexpensive and blades can be picked up at many local barber/beauty supply stores.

 

[Seraphim]

I have a Shavette and a couple of CJB's. Personally the Shavette (Parker) is tough to beat for price/quality of shave/convenience.

The CJB, really cool, great shave, but blades are more pricey, tough to find.

I think my preference overall is the Shavette between the two just for that fact that you can get 100 de blades for what ~15 bux ?

What kind of shavette??

There is a big difference between say a Dovo shavette and a Parker.

 

[Gunnar]

They all get the job done, but the Feathers are much nicer to hold and use. As was mentioned the blades cost more too. If he is going to stick with a shavette for shaving a Feather would be a killer present IMO.

Several of you are pushing in the direction of a Feather. I have checked out and there are three versions: RS, SS, and DX. The RS and DX are visually very similar, though the DX seems to be WAY pricey. The SS has a different head profile, for a more comfortable shave. I'm looking for opinions and advice here, and I know I'll get them

 

[play]

I have both type of Parker shavettes and a Feather SS Japanese style. The Feather is a bit more maneuverable than both Parker shavettes. I feel like the Feather is more forgiving, even with the super sharp blades it uses. To get BBS, I just need 2 passes with the Feather while I need 3 passes with both Parker shavettes. Both of them will give BBS shave but the difference in shaving experience between them is comparable to driving a 20+ year old Chevy vs. driving some late model nimble luxury car. Both type of cars will get you from point A to point B, but it's a matter of how comfortable and nimble the ride was.

 

[Kentos]

Several of you are pushing in the direction of a Feather. I have checked out and there are three versions: RS, SS, and DX. The RS and DX are visually very similar, though the DX seems to be WAY pricey. The SS has a different head profile, for a more comfortable shave. I'm looking for opinions and advice here, and I know I'll get them

For the most part the price just means better materials ie. stainless vs brass. Also the SS had a different head profile that does seem to help newer users get a better shave. For more veteran shavers it matters less.

Try this thread http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ved-Feather-SS-no-turning-back-now?highlight=

 

[ANeat]

What kind of shavette??

There is a big difference between say a Dovo shavette and a Parker.

Parker......

 

[alpster]

Sold my Dovo and my Parker. I have a Feather RG folding and a Japanese style DX. They are wonderful to shave with and can't be compared to the 1/2 blade razors IMHO. If you can afford the Feather, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Member357]

Sold my Dovo and my Parker. I have a Feather RG folding and a Japanese style DX. They are wonderful to shave with and can't be compared to the 1/2 blade razors IMHO. If you can afford the Feather, you won't be disappointed.

Totally agree. The Kai captains are also excellent razors.

If there's a chance of the razor mysteriously going walkabout at university though, I would suggest the CJB is a good option.

Although the blades for the Feather/Kai/CJB razors are more expensive than a lot of DEs, they do last longer, and some brands such as Dorco are much cheaper. Blades show up here on BST from time to time too.

 

[wquiles]

The thing I like about the Feather/KAI blades is that unlike DE blades, they do last much longer for me. I have 7+ uses on a Kai Mild Guard and it still shaves great on my fixed handle Feather RG. So the cost of blades (to me) is not that important, and I rather have the heavier weight and ergonomics of a CJB (great value!) or even better my RG (on top on this photo - the one below is the folding DX).

Here on top is the CJB (Feather SS on bottom):

 

[dpmtherrien]

As you can see the Feather is a top of the line disposable blade straight. The Parker's are nice, but the Feather's are a class act. You can save some dollars by getting the RX over the DX. I have both and actually find myself using the RX more than the stainless DX. I think the RX has a bit more weight to it, which I find nice. You might also want to check out the Kai straight. Its all stainless and has an even thinner head than the Feather's.