Thread: First Shave with Shavette

You are getting irritation because you are either using too much pressure, or the blade is dull. Even with a safety razor you need to be light on the pressure. Lighten the frack up!!!! More pressure does not equal a better shave!!!!

Originally Posted by tsa7x13

I'm just getting into straight razor shaving, I bought myself the shavette a month or so ago to get a feel for holding and working with a straight. I had one or two pretty good shaves with it, but it seems like I'm getting alot of irritation. a couple questions.. its probably my angle and I feel like I might be using too much pressure, correct? someone told me that I should replace the blade after every shave, true? but even when I use a brand new 3 blade disposable I get irritation.. I dont know it's just a lil confusing for me.

and how about replacing the blade after every shave? i would think those blades should be good for atleast a few shaves

I get 5-6 shaves outta the Dovo blades with the black holder.... kinda sounds like too much pressure or too many passes

whats the effect of not using the proper angles against the skin?

I'd like to chime in here, but note that I'm still very much a "newbie".

I use the shavette style razor. I've experimented with using the same blade for as long as I could and changing it each time. I've personally found that I get two good shaves out of my "Shark" brand and three good shaves out of my "Derby" brand of blades. I only have a few 7AM blades, but they are on par with the Derby blades (maybe a touch better).

I got into this because I'm cheap. I can, if I wanted to, replace the blade each time and still come out much better than paying Gillette's outrageous cartrige prices.

I use very little pressure and vary the angle of the blade. If you find yourself pushing the blade to shave, then your blade is too dull...I use very little pressure and let the weight of the blade to the work.

On a serious shave, my first pass is with a very low angle (close the skin)...probably less than 10 degrees and go WTG. My second pass is a higher angle (varying between 25 degrees and about 60 degrees) and a mix of WTG and XTG. My last pass is ATG and very close angle (again less than 10 degrees or so).

If I do the "serious shave" I can only get one or two shaves out of the blade...if I do a "close enough" shave, I get more.

When you change your blade is a pretty subjective choice...however, the blades are cheap enough to experiment with this pretty easily. I personally have no qualms about changing it every time if I want. Unlike when I paid for the expensive cartridges...I would milk those cartridges for every shave I could because they were so bloomin' expensive. The 1/2 blades or double-edge blades are much cheaper (especially of of eBay or Amazon). Mere pennies comparatively.

Best of luck.

Goatee

Originally Posted by tsa7x13

I feel like I might be using too much pressure, correct? someone told me that I should replace the blade after every shave, true? but even when I use a brand new 3 blade disposable I get irritation.. I dont know it's just a lil confusing for me.

With straights, particularly for a beginner, any pressure is too much pressure. Using pressure to try to get closer shaves may work with cartridge razors, but it will only result in pain with straights. You want the lightest touch possible, let the blade do the work, not the pressure.

Good technique is what results in good shaves with a straight, and using pressure is bad technique.

-Keep you skin tight, stretched in the direction that will raise your hairs up.

-Keep your angles low, beginners often have too high of an angle.

-Keep the pressure light, as light as you can.

-Use a good stroke. Not just moving perpendicular to the edge, but at a slight angle, and with some small horizontal movement. Look at my avatar for an example.

I use the Dovo shavette with the red holder for half-DE blades. The red holder has a projection on the tip which prevents the tip of the DE blade from being able to do serious harm. As far as technique, if the blade angle is high, and you find yourself applying pressure to push the blade into the skin, you will get cuts/irritation. I've found the trick with the shavette is to hold it almost parallel to the skin on ATG passes, such that it just barely hovers over the skin. If the blade is sharp enough, it will cut hair, with drastically reduced irritation.

I don't replace mine every time I just strop it lightly and get about 4 shaves out of it. You'll get irritation until you get the angle and pressure down. Very light pressure, just enough that the razor contacts your face, and short strokes works.

I have replaced my blade each shave.
What I have noticed with the Derby blades is that after I start my second pass, the cutting of the hair is a little harder. It seems as if there is more tugging of the hair as the shave goes on.

I use dovo blades, not sure if tha makes a difference. Have you tried stropping between passes?