Thread: Shavette?

Originally Posted by superfly

That is a great way to start shaving with straight razor, it's always sharp, and later, you can use it when traveling. Highly recomended...

Nenad

I'm on board with the Shavette, Nenad's right on. Sure, we'd all love a razor right off, and you can get one for less than $50. But, what about a daily strop and a touch up paddle or something for every other week or so. Now, you're back up to $100ish. Way too much for some folks.
It is a great way to start shaving with a straight, I'm still using mine. I can tell when its going dull, which is a nice skill. And, it will be good for traveling.

Theres a slight sentiment among some posters that $100 isn't a ton of cash, and that you're not really shaving with a straight razor until you have a "real" one. Its not ideal, and we're missing a lot of the cool stuff involved in straight shaving, but its a razor . . . and its straight. Its a start.

It's working for me.

Mike

Actually...a daily strop doens't have to be an expensive one...(i got mine foroh...uhm...15-20 dollars) and with buying a cheap brush and some soap you're set aswell....

You just won't get the luxury shave that I (and most people on here) crave....
But it'll be pretty smooth and close to notice the difference I think.

Thanks for the input guys.

The issue is that I just don't want to go out and buy a strop/brush/etc., and end up not enjoying it. Then I'm stuck with an angry wife, and a bunch of shaving gear that I don't use. I know $100 doesn't seem like much to most of you guys, but it's really not feasable on my budget in the forseeable future.

I will probably forge ahead and get the shavette and see where I go from there.

LX: No, although my name would seem to imply it, I am 2nd generation dutch in the US.

kvidoo: Thanks for the generous offer. Like I said, I am going to go the shavette route. If I am successful with that, I just might take you up on that while I am in the transition period.

Originally Posted by superfly

There is nothing wrong with the Shavette. That's why barbers use it. I had a 1$ shavette that shaved as good as any straight or DE.

I'm not at all saying that it wouldn't shave well. I remember my old barber, Jim Beaty would use a straight on the back of my neck to finish the haircut when I was younger. One day I caught him early, just as he had opened on a Saturday when he hadn't had time to shave at home that morning. I got my first lesson in straight razor shaving, but I also got the shavette on my neck that day since he was resting the blade after his shave (you'd think he'd have had more around). Anyway, I remember the difference in feeling and I definitely prefered the straight. That's all I'm saying.

X

jvanhuis
You'll need to get a good brush and some soap or cream no mater what kind of razor of shaving equipment you use. Start there and then work up to getting a straight or a shavette or what ever you decide you want to shave with.

Originally Posted by RayD

You'll need to get a good brush and some soap ...

That's not necessarily true.

X

Of course there is always an exception. I've actually order some and it's sitting at home waiting for me to get back can't wait to give it a try, but some one concered about the price Lush probably wouldn't be one of the better options.

The last couple of days I’ve been out on a quest to see if I could actually find a Feather Razor here in Japan. The first day no luck the only thing I found were some disposable Gillette and Schick razors. The second day not much better luck the first two places nothing in the third place at lest found some Feather DE Blades and the fourth place which was a home improvement type store actually found a Feather DE razor but still no Straights. The last place in the women’s section found a fold up knife kind of looking disposable razor called a Feather Flamingo but wasn’t adventures enough to try that. I have one other place I could possible try to find them here but that wouldn’t be until next week and by that time I’ll be less than a week from going home were I will have the straight’s waiting for me that I’ve bought over the last month, so I’m figuring why bother at this point.

Originally Posted by RayD

Of course there is always an exception. I've actually order some and it's sitting at home waiting for me to get back can't wait to give it a try, but some one concered about the price Lush probably wouldn't be one of the better options.

I'll disagree, actually. I've been using the same $10 squeeze bottle since last July. Admittedly I'm a conservationist, but when you consider the cost of other soaps, creams and brushes, it has been a great start for me.

X

here's another beginner who started with a shavette.

for me it was a good decision at the time because of the money and my inability to learn too many things at once (like honing and stropping).

i used a shavette for year (i only shave once or twice a week). it was great. i got really good at it.

then i ordered a set of replacement blades from the same vendor and the blades were different. they were made, presumably, by the same manufacturer because the packaging was the same, but the blades were different (had a different set of holes).

well, the first time i tried these new blades i noticed a big difference. for whatever reason, they didn't shave well.

that prompted me to finally make the leap to real straights, which i have successfully made thanks to my local barber (who gave me his long-neglected straights) and thanks to a honemeister here who made one of my inherited blades shave ready.

so, i guess i still support the shavette option as a way to go, but if you can't stand the shave, it might just be the disposable blades.

don't give up on straight razor shaving if you don't like the shavette.

lickthefrog