Straights & Shavettes - best if someone else shaving you? & advice

[Talal]

Greetings gentlemen,

I have heard once from a barber that the straight razor / shavette is best if someone else is shaving you with it rather than you shaving your own self. Can anyone attest to this and if there is any validity to this tale?

I have been using an R41 2013 for 11 years straight and recently wanted to go more "aggressive" but at that level one might as well just go open blade.. so I opted for Focus R21 Shavette which I loaded with a half Nacet blade, but have not made the jump yet .. not feeling brave enough . soon very soon..

Im aware the SHavette is the nastier bloodthirsty cousin of a straight but i grew up in the mid east and its all the barbers ever shaved me with there so I am eager to conquer them specifically. I also enjoy the lack of maintenance as blades are copious and so cheap and its fun to navigate them!

Ill work up the nerve slowly i think , its the neck and moustache area im worried about, i have a thick middle eastern beard and its not an easy shave.

But yea I was hoping to hear from others if the whole straight/shavette angle is more designed to shave someone else rather than self? Its been so long since i had a straight shave, over 20 years so I cant say I remember if it was closer or better than the BBS R41 shaves I currently get..

Your thoughts are welcome and thank you..

 

[JL 52]

I found that this guy on YouTube addressed that same question when I first started looking into shavettes.

 

[JL 52]

I personally found that shavettes work much better for lining my beard and shaving my sensitive neck area below my beard much much better than DE razors. It took months of practice and trying out different shavettes to get to the results I hoping for but it was well worth it. Once you’ve built up some skill, straights and shavettes work better for sensitive areas because it’s easier to control the amount of pressure you’re using and the direction you’re cutting in. Also, you can finish your shave in fewer strokes, resulting in less blade contact with your skin.

I stick to DE razors for my head shaves still. Shavette head shaves would take longer and would come with a much higher risk of cuts.

I haven’t tried traditional straight razors and likely won’t because of the extra upkeep and maintenance compared to the shavettes I’ve grown accustomed to.

 

[silverlifter]

I have heard once from a barber that the straight razor / shavette is best if someone else is shaving you with it rather than you shaving your own self.

Nope. I had many straight shaves from a barber as a young man and the shaves weren't as good as my own.

The experience, on the other hand, with the towels, pampering, etc, is pretty hard to beat.

 

[JL 52]

I’d recommend practicing in front of the mirror without a blade loaded to get used to the feel of your particular shavette. From there progress on to shaving only the areas you feel comfortable and turn back on your R41 for when you don’t trust yourself.

 

[Talal]

I found that this guy on YouTube addressed that same question when I first started looking into shavettes.

This is exactly how I feel about it yea... very well put.. .thanks for this

 

[Wombat ESQ]

I would throw caution to the wind, load it up, but start on your leg, or non dominant arm. Thats why you have two arms and legs, one can be enough if you accidentally cut it off.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I would get a straight and see for yourself. It does, however, take time to gain proficiency.

 

[Dave himself]

If you wanted to try a shavette before you get into straight razors. I would suggest getting a shavette that uses AC blades, I think with the AC blades being longer it would shave closer to a straight. Maybe some the guys who have shaved with both could give you better advice.

 

[Talal]

Thank you all, Yea im gonna use the SHavette not the straight when i do try it.. Im not interested in the maintenance of a straight with the abundance of blades in this world. The Shavette is also more familiar to me and reminds me of home

 

[slimshavy]

Yes, it's always best when someone else shaves me. Also when someone else cooks for me.

 

[Mitzie]

The only blade which gives me a bloodless shave with a shavette is a Treet Black Beauty

 

[Dave himself]

Thank you all, Yea im gonna use the SHavette not the straight when i do try it.. Im not interested in the maintenance of a straight with the abundance of blades in this world. The Shavette is also more familiar to me and reminds me of home

Head over to the S.A.B.R.E. thread. You'll find some like minded folks there.

 

[Talal]

Head over to the S.A.B.R.E. thread. You'll find some like minded folks there.

can i get a link to that!

 

[Halfbeard]

can i get a link to that!

Welcome !

SABRE

SABRE SOTD

 

[Old Hippie]

I think it's truth that shavettes are often also called "barber straights" for a reason. If you're going to be what they called a "self-shaver" 125 years ago, then you'll need to find ways to get edge on task. As a head shaver who uses shavettes among other technologies I sometimes struggle a little to find a way to hold the razor and still have at least one eye on what I'm cutting. I can shave blind but it's a little stressful. On the upside, if it gets the job done there are no wrong ways to hold the razor.

I have lately been playing more with Western-style shavettes because I struggle more with them than with kamisori style. I'm learning it's not as hard as I made out at first. Still, I usually have a T-shaped razor handy for cleaning up and getting into areas that are hard with a shavette.

If you're looking for a shavette experience I'd suggest looking at a Weck. You can get a nice one on the Great Internet Bizarre Bazaar for less than 10 bucks, with a build quality the Ali folks can't match at that price. Takes a hair shaper blade, not AC.

I'm not totally against 1/2DE shavettes, but I'm coming to the view that putting them at the bottom of my list is fine. They'll shave, but I struggle more with that flexy edge than with AC, hair shaper and Gem-format razors. And by the way, there is at least one Gem format razor with no guard, so essentially a T-shaped shavette: the SlimGem "Mantis SE." It may be because I'm more familiar with T-shapes and their holds, but for shaving my head that's one fine razor.

O.H.

 

[Dave himself]

+1 on the Weck.

 

[WThomas0814]

I had nothing but horrible experiences with AC razors, even with guarded blades. I came to the conclusion that my ex wife had somehow imbued in them her demonic spirit and they were literally trying to murder me.

I took a hiatus from anything that wasn't a DE, but, I never lost my desire to learn to use a straight razor, so, that's where my efforts are focused now.