Thread: straight vs feather or shavette

Thank you all for answering. I guess I suspected everything you guys mentioned in your responses but I just wanted to hear it from people who have been dointhis for a while. I was so concentrated on HHT that I wouldn't eve attempt to shave with a razor untill it passed HHT and that is probably why my shaves are not comfortable. what I experience is my first few strokes are great but deteriorate rapidly as I shave. By the time I get to the chin it is pretty rough and so I go to feather cause I can shave with it applying very little pressure.
To unswer the question about prevously honed razor. It didn't pass hht, nor did it shave well.
again thatk you for your responses.

So if your razor starts out shaving good and quickly deteriorates what its saying to you is it is not sharp enough and runs out of steam midway through the shave. Also the chin is one of the more demanding areas for the razor so it may not be sharp enough to shave that area from the get-go. Have you tried starting with the chin area first? When I hone up my razors I just do my chin and I can tell immediately if I need to go back to the hone.

going to try just that , thanks

Is a disposable razor suitable for practicing stropping?

a straight with disp blades that is

Originally Posted by Chris L

I've never used a Feather blade, but I've certainly bought my share of various DE blades through the years. MParker, a longtime member recently said using his own hair, Feather blades DO NOT pass the HHT. After I heard that, I threw the HHT relating to ultimate sharpness out the window.

Fresh feather super pro blades generally fail the HHT for me, but after a few days of use they start passing pretty well even though they're noticeably duller. Which I think was part of my original point - the HHT isn't a pass/fail test of shave-readiness, though it is frequently treated as one by newbies because it's the easiest test to perform. Where it is useful is during honing where you can use it to track the progress the blade is making. But even there it's not unusual for my blades to start failing the HHT once I get up to the 16k or 30k Shapton. But even then the various ways they fail the HHT still tells me a lot about what the edge is doing.

Isn't there something to be said for the satisifaction and therapeutic value of maintaining and shaving with a finely crafted work of art? The accessories and the ritual?

You don't have to be an engineer to realize that disposable blades are sharper than any str8.
With the disposables, you get a consistent shave as long as the blade is withing it's life expectancy.
Straights, there're no two alike, different steels, grinds, honing/stropping, etc. Some of them are warped, reground, who knows what else.
You may get a good shave on Monday and a crappy shave on Tuesday.
If you don't enjoy straights from the hobby point of view, then you're better off going a different route.

I have used both of the throwaway blade straights you asked about. Neither of them worked for me.
I didn't like the feel of the blade or the balance of the shaving instrument. Everything about that type of razor struck me as a compromise. But if they work for you, be happy and enjoy.

The reason I use a full straight razor is because it gives me the best most consistent shave that I have found after many years of shaving.

Every time I test a new razor or new strop or hone, it usually leaves me with a slightly raw face.

The skill in using a razor is to fully understand it. How does it shave and what are its abilities and limits.

When you find the perfect combination for you, the shave is unbeatable. Day in day out, a smooth comfortable shave. You feel clean and your skin is as healthy as you could ever hope for.

What is true about straight razors is that the learning curve to achieve perfection is quite long and many on this forum are always striving for that miniscule improvement.

But for me at least there is never going to be a mass market product that will even approximate the shaving comfort and effectiveness that I can obtain from a straight razor that I have selected and sharpened to my own personal standards.

I generally use a straight .But I do use a Focus blade razor when the mood takes me & If i am staying overnight somwhere the focus gives very good shaves when I use wilkinson sword blades in it & its the same razor that quite a few Barbers will use on you if you opt for a straight shave. It was useful to me to help me learn to use a light touch ,so less irritation after the shave. I did post a review on this as I feel it a very handy piece of Kit.Paul

Not one to shy away from stuff that works,
I'll give it ago. I hate carrying stuff on trips and holidays etc.
Thanks for the tip.