Shavettes: General consensus

[bmilcs]

After my hour long journey yesterday to the AoS shop, I came across my first shavette. The "barber" wasn't skilled by any means but the shavette peaks my interest. No honing or stroping and the freedom of a SE razor.

Does anyone here use one regularly for shaving their head and how are the results?

What's a good starter shavette and should I bury my head in the sand for starting this thread? Sock it to me haha.

 

[Taproot]

I used to hate them when I started playing around with straights- after getting competent with straights now I really like shavettes.
Although Feather makes some pretty extreme ones which hold a longer injectable style blade, they are expensive and specialized.

Parker Shavettes hold half a DE blade and do a pretty great job of it- they are fairly cheap and I'd take them over their DOVO competitors.
I have this one and I love it. http://www.amazon.com/Parker-SR1-St...id=1370284627&sr=8-1&keywords=parker+shavette

 

[bmilcs]

20 and stAinless! Nice!

 

[Luc]

A shavette would work but my opinion is that a regular straight razor is more forgiving/easier to use. YMMV

This might help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shavette

 

[TheVez2]

I love Shavettes, I have several. The Weck Sextoblade is my favorite. It is vintage and can be picked up on eBay, relatively easily. The Feather Artist Club is awesome, but pricey. The Parker is nice and inexpensive. The Dovo looks cheap, feels cheep, yet is more expensive than the parker. But I have to give it to the Dovo, it gives me a great shave. If you search eBay you can get a very inexpensive Sanguine or CoolCut, and are basically the same thing as the Parker.

 

[bmilcs]

Ahh I hate having to choose!

Would you all generally agree the Parker would be good enough to at least experiment and get a good idea of what shavettes have to offer?

 

[TheVez2]

Yes, it is fine as far as shavettes go. It is just not really representative of real straight razor shaving, if that is what you are looking for. As long as you understand the proper technique, Parkers give great shaves.

 

[Acmemfg]

Good timing on this thread. I picked up a Feather SS a few weeks ago and try as I may, I cannot get a shave even remotely close to what I can accomplish with a Futur or R41.
I really want to pick up a straight razor because I used one many years ago. I don't mind spending the money on a decent rig (like Boker or Dovo) but just do not want to see it go to waste because I can't get the thing to work as well as my DE razors. Actually shaving with a straight is kind of like riding a bike; I have the angle and all that down where I get a passable shave with no nicks, cuts, or razor burn, but the end result is nothing like the 'ol R41 with an Astra or Personna..and using a Feather blade in the Muhle is just sick.
I have not yet put the Feather SS up for sale on the bay yet...I'm gonna give it a bit more time and if I can make progress, we will give the traditional straight another go. Any comments or suggestions??

 

[bmilcs]

Good timing on this thread. I picked up a Feather SS a few weeks ago and try as I may, I cannot get a shave even remotely close to what I can accomplish with a Futur or R41.
I really want to pick up a straight razor because I used one many years ago. I don't mind spending the money on a decent rig (like Boker or Dovo) but just do not want to see it go to waste because I can't get the thing to work as well as my DE razors. Actually shaving with a straight is kind of like riding a bike; I have the angle and all that down where I get a passable shave with no nicks, cuts, or razor burn, but the end result is nothing like the 'ol R41 with an Astra or Personna..and using a Feather blade in the Muhle is just sick.
I have not yet put the Feather SS up for sale on the bay yet...I'm gonna give it a bit more time and if I can make progress, we will give the traditional straight another go. Any comments or suggestions??

I got my futur tonight and its fantastic. It blows my 180 out of the water.

After reading your r41 love, I'm tempted to pick one up. How does it compare to a futur? The open comb seems cool. What's the benefit of using it?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Good timing on this thread. I picked up a Feather SS a few weeks ago and try as I may, I cannot get a shave even remotely close to what I can accomplish with a Futur or R41.
I really want to pick up a straight razor because I used one many years ago. I don't mind spending the money on a decent rig (like Boker or Dovo) but just do not want to see it go to waste because I can't get the thing to work as well as my DE razors. Actually shaving with a straight is kind of like riding a bike; I have the angle and all that down where I get a passable shave with no nicks, cuts, or razor burn, but the end result is nothing like the 'ol R41 with an Astra or Personna..and using a Feather blade in the Muhle is just sick.
I have not yet put the Feather SS up for sale on the bay yet...I'm gonna give it a bit more time and if I can make progress, we will give the traditional straight another go. Any comments or suggestions??

I wouldn't recommend a shavette to anyone. The main things I like about a straight just ain't there with a shavette. I find it is harder to get a good shave with one compared to a properly honed straight. YMMV. Of course it CAN give a good shave. Maybe if you stick with it a while longer and try to optimize your technique? But maybe your best bet is to spring for a whipped dog. A vintage straight can usually be resold for what you paid for it. A 100yo razor isn't going to depreciat much in another few months so it is nearly a risk free trial.

 

[Snuff-Belgium]

You can use a shavette to shave you're head (or a straight for that matter) but a shavette with a DE blade is IMHO not as easy to use as a straight or a system with replaceable blades like the Feather or Kai razors. Those work extremely well but just like a shavette and straight require that you practice a lot to get really good at it.

But the price is rather high compared to a shavette or a straight (that requires some other materials to maintain the edge).

 

[Acmemfg]

I got my futur tonight and its fantastic. It blows my 180 out of the water.

After reading your r41 love, I'm tempted to pick one up. How does it compare to a futur? The open comb seems cool. What's the benefit of using it?

I have the nefarious 2011 version which is quite aggressive but affords one a scary close shave. I was not a huge fan of the handle, but a Weber soon replaced the OEM grip and it is now one great razor. It is nimbler than my Futur. Especially easier to get around around the upper lip and nose; I suppose that is the one significant advantage the R41 has over the Futur. I would not hesitate to pick one up. If you like a hard charging shave tool, this will serve you well.

Back to the straight..Whipped Dog did not really have anything I liked in stock so I bit the bullet and picked up a Dovo Palisander. Something about that razor just caught my eye and I like dealing with Superior Shave. So now the grand experiment will begin once more

 

[buca3152]

I used a shavette for 6 years. Couldnt shave everyday and never got bbs on the neck. I use straights and the difference is huge. I tried a shavette about 3 months into my straights, never again, shave is too irritating. You cant compare a hand honed blade to a machine honed coated blade. YMMV.

 

[bmilcs]

Bummer. I wish starting off and getting all the necessary tools for straightedge shaving wasn't so difficult.

 

[Acmemfg]

Bummer. I wish starting off and getting all the necessary tools for straightedge shaving wasn't so difficult.

Hardly difficult (although you can make it as complex as you like...that's kind of my style)
$100 or less to Whipped dog gets you up and running with about everything you need (used but functional). For $115-$140 and up a GREAT turn key package (new) is available at SRD; another $40-$50 gets you the brush. mug, soap (in case you don't already have all that gear).

Or...you can research and shop.....that to me is most of the fun. Plus, your due diligence can result in better quality gear and a far cheaper price. All it takes is your time.
Good luck............

 

[bmilcs]

Hardly difficult (although you can make it as complex as you like...that's kind of my style)
$100 or less to Whipped dog gets you up and running with about everything you need (used but functional). For $115-$140 and up a GREAT turn key package (new) is available at SRD; another $40-$50 gets you the brush. mug, soap (in case you don't already have all that gear).

Or...you can research and shop.....that to me is most of the fun. Plus, your due diligence can result in better quality gear and a far cheaper price. All it takes is your time.
Good luck............

That's it huh? That doesn't include what I need for honing and stroping tho?

 

[Slash McCoy]

That's it huh? That doesn't include what I need for honing and stroping tho?

If you get Larry's Poor Man Strop Kit it comes with a pasted balsa for edge maintenance and a basic expendable cheap hanging strop for preshave stropping. Proper use of the balsa can keep the edge sharp without needing to re hone. The whipped dog razor won't be pretty but it will be sharp. Larry has cheap badger brushes too. Then get a puck of VDH soap from walgreens and a ceramic mug from the secondhand store and that's about all you need to get started. It doesnt get cheaper than that. In the future you will want to upgrade your strop and get another razor or two but Larry's basic setup will enable you to learn and get you off to a good start.

 

[bmilcs]

If you get Larry's Poor Man Strop Kit it comes with a pasted balsa for edge maintenance and a basic expendable cheap hanging strop for preshave stropping. Proper use of the balsa can keep the edge sharp without needing to re hone. The whipped dog razor won't be pretty but it will be sharp. Larry has cheap badger brushes too. Then get a puck of VDH soap from walgreens and a ceramic mug from the secondhand store and that's about all you need to get started. It doesnt get cheaper than that. In the future you will want to upgrade your strop and get another razor or two but Larry's basic setup will enable you to learn and get you off to a good start.

I have all the other wetshaving tools; Proraso Preshave / Reg. cream / MWF Soap / Col. Conk soap / Col Conk Brush Pure Badger / bowls / Merkur 180 / Futur. So I wouldn't need anything else aside from the straightedge aspect.

 

[Acmemfg]

Yep. You're pretty much set. Razor and strop...later on a hone. Or, just pick up a Feather SS and forget the hone and strop. It'll be close, but the Feather is not quite a true straight. Just picked up a Dovo. Indeed the difference is not subtle

 

[smalltank]

go for the Whipped Dog deal...easiest/very economical way to try straight razor shaving on your own..nothing like using a straight with YOUR hands on YOUR face IMO....