What's new

Shavette recommendations for rookies

Hello gentlemen,

I'm new to wet shaving but I would like to get a shavette to start my experience with straight razor shaving (shavettes) and eventually buy a straight razor if I enjoy it. So far I know there are shavettes that can take half blades, DE blades, longer half blades, a mix of DE blades/half blades and injector style blades.

It can be a little overwhelming but is there any pros and cons between all the different shavettes variations? I would like to use a shavette that resembles a straight razor so for this reason I am asking for your expertise and recommend 1-2 maybe 3 shavettes that would give me the experience of a straight razor and prepare me for a future transition to a SR.

Thank you!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
This is my recommendation for a reasonable Shavette, buy a clone razor and buy the Kai Protouch AC 50mm guarded blades or Feather pro guard alternative. They work well and the blades are the main reason for success because they help prevent the blade from digging in to skin and it is much more enjoyable I found. The blades are very sharp and will give a excellent shave, in fact these blades are the best blades they make for all razor applications according to their charts.

Another thing I suggest is if you have a naked blade turn the sharp blade edge so it is inside the clamped part and do dry runs with holding the razor until you feel comfortable, the blunted edge almost sounds like you have the sharp edge actually cutting your beard and I did this for a while to familiarize my hand maneuvers and confidence using one.
A naked edge blade is so sharp and unforgiving its not worth it IMO to learn with, you will learn a lot about blade feel and that is very important. Avoid coming in hot (plunking the razor) to start a stroke and that is also very important especially with a naked blade.
Kai Luffy style folding shavette- Mfg- 2017--.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
Last edited:
This is my recommendation for a reasonable Shavette, buy a clone razor and buy the Kai Protouch AC 50mm guarded blades or Feather pro guard alternative. They work well and the blades are the main reason for success because they help prevent the blade from digging in to skin and it is much more enjoyable I found. The blades are very sharp and will give a excellent shave, in fact these blades are the best blades they make for all razor applications according to their charts.

Another thing I suggest is if you have a naked blade turn the sharp blade edge so it is inside the clamped part and do dry runs with holding the razor until you feel comfortable, the blunted edge almost sounds like you have the sharp edge actually cutting your beard and I did this for a while to familiarize my hand maneuvers and confidence using one.
A naked edge blade is so sharp and unforgiving its not worth it IMO to learn with, you will learn a lot about blade feel and that is very important. Avoid coming in hot (plunking the razor) to start a stroke and that is also very important especially with a naked blade.
View attachment 1481044
Have some great shaves!
Hello Ron,

Where can I buy a clone razor and how do I know which one to get? What is the name of the razor in the picture?
Thank you for the blade recommendation.
 
Hello Ron,

Where can I buy a clone razor and how do I know which one to get? What is the name of the razor in the picture?
Thank you for the blade recommendation.
AliExpress has some nice AC razor clones, one shop in particular I like is Sapphoo.

Check the brotherhood thread called Sabre here, for great info on shavette by some very nice people.

Also, I haven't tried myself but I will, you can also try a Focus AL shavette which uses De half blades. The advantage of Focus is that it has blade corners covered, which cause most of the damage in a shave.

Yet, as said by Ron, I prefer the AC razor clone with a Feather proguard /Kai protouch blade myself also.
 
How do you think all the different razors and razor blades came? Or any other things (cars , bicycles etc). Everything in this life is based on earlier things!
Yes, but these are counterfeits, copies, ‘clones’, rip-offs, fakes. Surely you can see the difference between an original design that builds on successful ideas that already exist, and a counterfeit copy of someone else’s product with all the characteristic visual elements to make it look the same. The item pictured above is clearly a counterfeit of the Kai razor and not an original design.

Anyway, promoting counterfeits is banned here, whether you think cheap knock-offs are ok or not.
 
Copying/cloning and counterfeiting are two different things. Counterfeiting is copying and passing it off as the original. I don't see that happening with RBSRs.
Passing off is also unlawful. But counterfeiting is an infringement of intellectual property rights and is unlawful in itself, regardless of whether you also try to pass it off as the original.

Counterfeit means to imitate an authentic item with the intent to deceive or replace the original. The way that Kai clone is designed makes it very clear the intent was to replace an authentic Kai razor by selling at a lower price. And the fact that it is referred to as a clone shows that we are well aware of this intent.

We should not be promoting clones or copies. That was discussed at length and clarified in a recent thread.
 
@Mr. Shavington, do you have a link to that thread? I must have missed it.
Here it is…

 
I have embeded a collection of my shavettes to show OP some different options.

Two upper ones uses cabinet blades (AKA a-77 or Antelope blade). Blade is 62mm long, longest for shavettes. In that sense those are most SR like. Of course they are much thinner and floppier. Leftmost uses plastic insert to load blade. It is one of my favorites.Good under the nose and detail work. Razor on the right is Strong Leopard type. Heavier and broader. Good to maintain low angle as the broader "blade" guides better to maintain shave angle.
Both are easy to load blade.

Two on left at lower row are usuall half-DE blade razors. On the left is Kai Captain clone and on right is Barburys razor (probably rebranded Parker shavette). Kai clone is joy to shave but PITA to load a blade. Parker is decent shaver.

Next two are AC-blade razors. Left is Feather SS clone and right is original Feather SR. Almost everyone here in B&B is prizing AC - blades. Not me. At least Pros are not to my liking. I get ok shave from those. But they are much more expensive and don't last more than DE blade. I never get a good shave from SS-clone. SR is a good shaver. But not better than A77 or DE blade shaver. Both are joy to load blade.

In the meanwhile are several posts, not related to shaving. I take a chance to post it anyway. If there should be some actions from moderator or anyone I demand to delete my account immidiately. This takes out all my joy and reason to be on this forum.

Why there is not an option to delete my account myself??
 
Hello gentlemen,

I'm new to wet shaving but I would like to get a shavette to start my experience with straight razor shaving (shavettes) and eventually buy a straight razor if I enjoy it. So far I know there are shavettes that can take half blades, DE blades, longer half blades, a mix of DE blades/half blades and injector style blades.

It can be a little overwhelming but is there any pros and cons between all the different shavettes variations? I would like to use a shavette that resembles a straight razor so for this reason I am asking for your expertise and recommend 1-2 maybe 3 shavettes that would give me the experience of a straight razor and prepare me for a future transition to a SR.

Thank you!
If you would like to eventually try a kamisori style straight razor, you could practice with the CJB which takes Artist Club style blades and is not expensive. Long after I bought it I read it was based on the Feather RG which is no longer made. I also agree with @Ron R about the blade choice.

If you want to try a barber razor that takes half DE blades, the Irving Barber Company (IBC) razor is probably the best one out there. It takes half DE blades, AC style blades or injector blades. The DE blades have much more flex and are much sharper than a traditional straight razor from what I have read. The IBC allowed me to try three different blade formats and every part of the razor is replaceable. Through that razor, I found I liked AC style blades and picked up the CJB, and over time, followed by a Kai Captain Standard barber razor, then a Feather SR barber razor. I also found that I enjoyed injector razors as well (but did not like injector blades in the IBC).

The AC style blades are still going to be sharper than a straight razor from what I read, but the thicker blade with less flex will be closer to the feel of a straight razor (again from what I read as I have not tried a straight razor as I don't see myself taking the time to hone/maintain a straight razor at this time, though maybe in the future I might try it).
 
Start with a real straight and skip the goofy shavette razors unless you want line up hairlines. You’ll be happier and save some money at the end of the day.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
....

The AC style blades are still going to be sharper than a straight razor from what I read, but the thicker blade with less flex will be closer to the feel of a straight razor (again from what I read as I have not tried a straight razor as I don't see myself taking the time to hone/maintain a straight razor at this time, though maybe in the future I might try it).
It is not impossible to get a traditional SR edge up to the sharpness of AC style blades. It just takes skill and some luck.

Don't even think about trying a traditional SR.

 
If you would like to eventually try a kamisori style straight razor, you could practice with the CJB which takes Artist Club style blades and is not expensive. Long after I bought it I read it was based on the Feather RG which is no longer made. I also agree with @Ron R about the blade choice.

If you want to try a barber razor that takes half DE blades, the Irving Barber Company (IBC) razor is probably the best one out there. It takes half DE blades, AC style blades or injector blades. The DE blades have much more flex and are much sharper than a traditional straight razor from what I have read. The IBC allowed me to try three different blade formats and every part of the razor is replaceable. Through that razor, I found I liked AC style blades and picked up the CJB, and over time, followed by a Kai Captain Standard barber razor, then a Feather SR barber razor. I also found that I enjoyed injector razors as well (but did not like injector blades in the IBC).

The AC style blades are still going to be sharper than a straight razor from what I read, but the thicker blade with less flex will be closer to the feel of a straight razor (again from what I read as I have not tried a straight razor as I don't see myself taking the time to hone/maintain a straight razor at this time, though maybe in the future I might try it).
I agree the Irving Barber Co shavette is excellent and really pleasurable to use. It is light, slim, well-balanced, and well made. Feels very natural in the hand. The magnetic blade holder helps a lot to make loading easier. I think I actually enjoy using it more than my much more expensive Feather and Kai AC razors, although you can’t argue with the fantastic build quality of those Feathers and Kais.
 
Last edited:

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Shavettes are not my central kick but I have a few and use them.

Not to be overly picky, but the word "rookie" appears in your request. With an eye toward what got me over some of my initial naked-edge trepidations, I have some thoughts.

First, though, I advise going back and rereading what @Ron R wrote. The man speaks truth. And writes it, too. :)

You can get shavettes that take 1/2 DE, regular full DE, injector or AC blades. I am not aware of any that take Gem blades but dang that'd be cool.

Of all the blade types the one that is hardest for me to source is injector, hence why I own no razors that use that blade format.

Full-DE shavettes like the Universal Lama Interra only present one edge but the head covers a whole blade. I tried to source a Universal but gave it up because I could find no North American dealers. Shipping from EU was more than double the cost of the razor and I decided I wasn't that serious.

My all-time favourite 1/2 DE shavette is the Focus Slim Al. Light, slender, nimble, and comes with both angle guides and blade corner protection built in. It wasn't my first shavette but I wish it had been.

Both the Feather and Kai shavettes are widely imitated. I have a clone Feather SS and a clone Kai Luffy (like what Ron shows above) as well as a Kasho (Kai professional) Woody which is the modern incarnation of the Luffy I think.

For the beginner I would suggest the clone Kai (or the Kasho but it's about 10x more expensive) instead of the usually-recommended Feather SS or clone. The reason is the "bulb" on the razor just above the edge. Feather has three different bulbs on their shavettes: SS, DX and SR. SS is the most "bulby" and sometimes makes the angles hard to figure. DX is most like a straight razor, with no bulb. SR is about halfway in the middle and for me about perfect.

I suggest the Kai clone in AC razors because it's similar to the Feather SR in cross-section.

One more thing. Western style or kamisori? Western is the stereotypical folding razor, while kamisori is a Japanese style that is more like a knife and does not fold. As a head shaver I like kamisori style better than Western. It's easier to see around my hand and razor, and the grip for shaving in odd directions is both more intuitive and, I think, more secure. Although the Focus is a Western style, it's slim and light enough that holding it like a kamisori isn't difficult. Face shaving is a different context, but give it some thought as you're learning your way in.

As skill improves I appreciate my Feather SR kamisori more.

O.H.
 
Top Bottom