shavette type vs. true staight razor type

Okay folks here goes - its opinion time....So my first (as some of you now know) purchase of a true straight razor did not work out so well in the big picture - so upon further research I decided to order (cannot wait for it to arrive) a shavette type straight razor. Now I know once I'm far enough down the road to compare a shavette shave and true straight razor shave that there will be no comparison with the straight razor shave winning hands over fists above the shavette version. However it is what it is and I will soon be starting with the shavette version. So outside of the obvious - looks different, is different, different type of blade, no honing or stropping required and things of this nature what are some of the advantages or disadvantages of starting with a shavette type of straight razor?

Thanks folks - and heres hoping the oil filter is tight enough of my car from the earlier oil change I did.:beer2:

just dont over tighten because after it heats and cools alot of times its even harder to remove hope you used one with the grippy material on the end!

Good luck with your shavette. I hope you have plenty of styptic pencils on hand before you start. If you wanted disposable blades I think a DE would have been a better choice.

bj

You should be fine . Just take your time & try to keep alight touch .
After a while you should be getting good shaves .
Then it my betime to try a straight so you can see for youself the difference that a straight brings .
Cheers Paul

I use a shavette quite often. The big difference between a shavette and a traditional straight is that you will cut yourself a heck of a lot more with the shavette. If your looking to a shavette for an easier shave you might be looking in the wrong place, they are much less forgiving than a traditional straight IMO.

The bonus to using a shavette is that you will learn what a sharp razor should feel like.

Good luck to you, and remember just go really slow and use a very very light touch.

When I travel (which is extensive sometimes) I use a shavette because its easier to deal with TSA rules not to mention that a str8 in a checked bag will 9 out of 10 times get stolen.

The biggest difference for me is the aggressiveness of the shavette. Whichever blade you use will be coated with something to aid with glide making it ultra sharp. Any loss of concentration, rushing the shave, or too much pressure can be painful in many ways.

IMO, the recovery time between shaves is longer with shavettes. Both have their uses but the experience and quality of shave with the srt8 is much better than with a shavette.

"The big difference between a shavette and a traditional straight is that you will cut yourself a heck of a lot more with the shavette." I've read this will make for a very sharp learning curve for me and easier with the true straight razor once I get there
"If your looking to a shavette for an easier shave you might be looking in the wrong place, they are much less forgiving than a traditional straight IMO."' I have read many things that agree with this.

"The bonus to using a shavette is that you will learn what a sharp razor should feel like." I like this alot!!!

"IMO, the recovery time between shaves is longer with shavettes." I read that a shavette will cut you easily but it is usually a very clean cut and heals fairly fast and easy - could have been bad info I suppose.

"Both have their uses but the experience and quality of shave with the srt8 is much better than with a shavette." I feel I should have to work up to that experience though....kinda pay my dues to the whole equation you know?

I can't really say, since I've never used a shavette, but may I ask, what happened with the traditional straight? I must have missed the post somehow :(

i'm a shavette user (college budget), and i'm not having too many problems shaving with the shavette. I've learned to shave with it right from the start, and can confirm the steep learning curve, it didn't take too long to achieve BBS + comfort. If you stay focussed when shaving, you shouldn't cut yourself up that often, maybe a few times in the beginning. The cuts are indeed clean, however i can't confirm these are cleaner than using a real straight. My feelings are that shaving with a real straight is more comfortable, I will be getting my first one in about 2 weeks and taste the difference!

edit: myself i find that using one blade (one half, that is) only last for 2 shaves. When using the same blades (Merkur & Gilette equally) in a DE, i last about 6 or 8 shaves. Somehow the blade seems to dull quicker when using it 'straight-style', where a 3rd shave from the same blade would become considerately less comfortable.

but may I ask, what happened with the traditional straight? I must have missed the post somehow...well I looked around on the classifieds on here a while...and being the first purchase in this arena I was not looking to drop too much money - so I found that was 30 or 31 dollars and in good condition certainly not shave ready...so upon receiving it I talked to a local barber about it and getting it honed and he looked at it and said that wasnt possible because it had three cracks in it one large one (3/16 of an inch) everyone on here suggests that I send it back to the seller and demand a refund - which Im sure I could obtain - but my style just chalks it up to a rookie mistake...it wont happen again though...so thats the scoop

Like any sharp razor, it works well as long as you know what your are doing.

The fresh blade is very sharp and it offers no forgiveness for errors such as poking yourself, bad angles, using to much pressure, or resting it where you should not. You should easily get 3 - 5 shaves from each blade.

I learned on these disposables to straight shave and I learned quickly how to use them and to stop cutting myself. After I became fluent with shaving with these, I bought my first traditional razor and had instant success shaving with it. My only challenge was how to keep the traditional straight blades sharp for each shave.

Don't rush your success. Start with sections first and use what ever you were using to finish off the shave. Each shave will get better and you will learn to really get a great BBS shave. Just be patient and diligent while learning. Always use a light touch on a fresh blade.

Study up on the Wiki and apply. SRP is here for you.

Good Luck,

Pabster

I bought a shavette off amazon to start with because I checked around and saw that most of the "economy" str8s started around $70 and I didn't have the money to invest at the time. I had already been shaving with it for a while before I started checking out the forum. I just wish I had done a little more research before I started. I figure I'm still on the learning curve and do get nicked here and there but I'm not going to worry too much about it. I know that when I go to using the "real deal" the transition should be pretty smooth. I've picked up some str8s off e-bay and I've been using one that doesn't have much of an edge to practice stropping with so that hopefully I can keep from cutting my stop in 1/2 once I get going with a truly shave ready blade. I'd say ditto to what most everybody has already said especially about keeping a light touch. My first shave using the shavette wasn't too bad, couple nicks etc... but when I got done I could definately tell I had used too much pressure (especially when I went at it with the alum block,YIKES). No matter what you do just take your time, it'll come. The best part is that there's a group of people out there (SRP) who are more than happy to help mentor you on your journey.

I bought a shavette off amazon to start with because I checked around and saw that most of the "economy" str8s started around $70 and I didn't have the money to invest at the time. I had already been shaving with it for a while before I started checking out the forum. I just wish I had done a little more research before I started. I figure I'm still on the learning curve and do get nicked here and there but I'm not going to worry too much about it. I know that when I go to using the "real deal" the transition should be pretty smooth. I've picked up some str8s off e-bay and I've been using one that doesn't have much of an edge to practice stropping with so that hopefully I can keep from cutting my stop in 1/2 once I get going with a truly shave ready blade. I'd say ditto to what most everybody has already said especially about keeping a light touch. My first shave using the shavette wasn't too bad, couple nicks etc... but when I got done I could definately tell I had used too much pressure (especially when I went at it with the alum block,YIKES). No matter what you do just take your time, it'll come. The best part is that there's a group of people out there (SRP) who are more than happy to help mentor you on your journey.

These are exactley some of my thoughts....figure that....Im just not ready to drop big money on the real deal and since this is what my first barber experience used on me (and I loved it) I figure its good enough for me...certainly easier on the billfold before the read RAD kicks in...now tell me more about the alum block...I've read alot about them but am still not clear on what they are, what they are for, and where to get them at, much less how to properly use it.

Thanks for all the help. Its Friday folks keep em coming :beer2: