Thread: Dont want to strop, just want to buy replaceable blades. Where to get shave ready?

@Mickr

Huge help, thanks alot. that cleared alot up about disposable razors. i am purchasing those parker srw's and will let you know how it goes. i have the VDH soap and brush and will be ready to go soon

@castel33

Right now i just want to see how i like it so i dont want to go all out just yet.

IMO a shavette is one method of dipping your toes in the SR world without jumping in head first. However, if you are the type of person who feels that they don't have the patience to deal with all the maintenance and prep associated with a real straight, then this method of shaving is not for you.

I agree with Castel and Ryan on this one. I too went the route of shavette (Parker with a white handle though) to start. I also agree that it is less forgivable than a traditional straight. I chose the shavette because it was inexpensive to test whether I would be interested in the shaving as more than a simple idea. I think it gives almost as good a shave as a true straight, somewhere between there and a DE. I learned how to make a good lather this way too which I think came in handy later; when I got my shave ready (from SRD so it wasn't a marketing term, it was a fact) I had been using a sharp blade every time so I was able to tell if I was stropping correctly or not. A lot of people recommend sending your blades out to be honed by a professional until you know what a sharp blade feels like so you don't mess it up yourself and have a good base to learn on. That sharp base is what I got from the shavette. Now that I know I like the straight shaving though I can't stop getting razors and have full blown RAD, thanks guys you've encourage yet another thing to ruin my finances.

Does the Parker SRW take the long Feather blades, or only the half DE blades???

It seems the Dovo shavette takes three different sizes.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

IMO a shavette is one method of dipping your toes in the SR world without jumping in head first. However, if you are the type of person who feels that they don't have the patience to deal with all the maintenance and prep, then this method of shaving is not for you.

I apologise if anybody took offense to what I wrote. It wasn't meant that way. There is a place for the 'shavette', but honestly, they give me the heebee's. Snapping razor blades is not my idea of a fun start to the day. Other people are most certainly free to disagree with me. Once again, sorry if the tone of my post came across in an offensive way.


Mick

No I don't think that the Parker SRW can take the feather long blades the way the blades are secured in the Parker would seem to me that it can only take a snapped DE or a SE blade that is the same size as the snapped DE. I can not say for sure though cause I have only used the shark SE blades in mine as they gave me a good shave.

Originally Posted by mikej411

hello, a couple friends mentioned they straight razor shaved and how much better it is so i want to start. I read a good bit on this and noticed there are two routes i can go. Use a razor and sharpen it all the time or just buy a shave ready one and keep buying replaceable blades. Is this true?

Is there anywhere local in pittsburgh i can buy hand sharpened shave ready razors (wal-mart etc.)? if not, where do i buy online and can you recomend one?

Once i buy the initial razor, do i just have to keep buying the replacement blades that are shave ready and where do i get them?

Hey there, you can find a Dovo Shavette that matches the description of what you are looking for and you can find them at your local Art of Shaving stores around your area or malls if you have them or you can even purchase them cheaper at numerous websites online. They use half of any DE disposable blade. It will help you shave the way you would a straight razor without needing to hone and strop your blade. The downside is just that to most guys. You wouldn't yet learn to strop or hone and you still have to buy blades and the feel of any disposable DE straight razor isn't the same as a heavy real straight razor. But it is a great way to learn how to angle and shave.
Hope this helps!

I'll just throw this in because I haven't seen it mentioned yet.

The disposable razors have a much sharper angle than the straight razors. I've never used a shavette, but from what I've read this has contributed to greater irritation for some people. Just keept that in mind, so if you do find yourself liking the shavette, but are still getting irritation, then the razor you are using may be the culprit.

I'll add my experience. I've used a Dovo shavette for the last several months, with half DE blades. I don't think breaking the DE blades in half is a big deal. The individual blades come wrapped separately, and you can snap them in half without any issue. The key difference is that a DE blade is much thinner, and dare I say, sharper than a straight, which means that it requires an especially light touch. In the right hands, a shavette is capable of providing excellent shaves, and in my opinion, a viable option for a newbie to get started with straight shaving. You can work on lather, prep, and shaving technique, and defer learning having to keep your own blade sharp.

what does a 'DE' blade mean? and how do you break a blade in half i dont get it?

@Mickr

Are those Shark blades from amazon you linked to DE and breakable?