waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy smoother than the shavette. i mean i was impressed by the shavette and i was all excited by the fact that even though it was a cheap one, i was using a straight razor. i've been at it for about two weeks now and my buddies think i'm obsessed, but they definitely just don't understand. i'm already looking around for a vintage razor to just toy around with to learn a thing or two about honing and possibly even restore it.