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I've been straight razor shaving for about 1.5 years now.
Well, hearing so much from some who use this blade for travel or such, decided to give it another chance. Brand new blade. Col Konk bay rum shaving soap
Shave was close enough, but lots of blood. I think I had about 7 or 8 nice weepers. After the shave my face felt like I had shaved with a comb.
Sorry, but I really feel bad for you guys that don't use a REAL straight razor....
Enjoy,
Jeff.
I have the same experience in that every once in a while I give the shavette another shot, and wind up wishing I had used the traditional straight. Truth is I don't want to use it as much as it would require to get proficient at it.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffegg2
Still, I'd recommend it to beginners to see if they are serious about wanting to shave this way before they invest in a real straight and learn how to strop and hone.
Those Dovo Shavette blades are super sharp!!!... I really liked the shaves I got from the Shavette! but ya gotta be super careful they do bite
i use mine for short trips and don't mind it......i take a proper straight on longer trips. but having started with the Dovo shavette kind of enjoy going back to it every once in awhile but it does take a second to get re-aquatinted with it at the start.
I have read a few posts lately regarding the Dovo Shavette.
I am happy with using my conventional straights although I have not tried them for travel yet but I will be taking them with me on a trip later this year, I will also take my trusty DE just in case.
Anyway back to the Dovo Shavette, are they similar to the Feather Artist Club?
If one fails with the Shavette would one then perhaps try the Feather to see if it is any better, at least for travel purposes? Or would one draw blood from them too?
The only experience I have with Shavettes is from a couple barber shaves, and it was not pleasant. I'm still not sure if it was the razor itself or the lack of barber skill - perhaps both - but I still like to think I could do better :). But at this point curiosity isn't quite enough to make me run out and buy one.
Opinions seem to be split between those who like them and those who say don't bother...
Quote:
Originally Posted by planetocean
The Dovo Shavette and Feather are only holders for what ever blade you want to insert in them.... You may find the feather has a better balance as the shavette is really light.
The Feathers are much closer to a Straight better feel in the hand and with the assortment of blades you can adjust well to your needs. To me the shavettes just don't fit the bill for a full shave. A Barber cleaning up the net it's great but a full shave it just doesn't fit the bill IMO
I had an excellent, smooth, and true BBS shave this morning with a Dovo Shavette, using a Mercur blade (1/2 of it). You really have to use super light pressure and a lower angle than a straight for every stroke, and you'll be fine.
I shave with one once in a while. You really need a light hand on these. I almost always nick my adam's apple. Other than that it is a smooth shave.
It's probably just a lot of scar tissue from shaving but I really haven't found anything that will match the Feather with a Proguard Blade. I find that it is a real two pass BBS shave.
I've never used the Dovo Shavette but I do used a Parker clone on a regular bases. I Pair it with the Derby Professional 1/2 blade. While not the feather I cannot complain about the shave.
I was using my shavette for the past 6 months to get the swing of things (finally got a "real straight" haha this past week) and it took me a good 4 months to be able to shave with a fresh blade and not nick myself, I could get 3 or 4 shaves out of a blade before replacing it (using the DOVO long black blades).Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffegg2
My favourite time to use the shavette is the 2nd and 3rd shave since the blade really seems to mellow out, the first one feels terrible unless you're just going WTG with some super lather and I really wouldn't recommend an ATG shave if your face is like mine for the 1st shave on a fresh blade.
While I enjoy the shave from my real straight more, the shavette can still give a good shave. Comfort level for me is about the same on the face but I prefer the weight and size of the real straight in my hand more than the shavette.
I still keep the shavette around with a standard size disposable in the red holder if I want to shape my beard.
I used my Dovo Shavette this morning with a new Personna SE blade in the green holder. It gave me a very close smooth shave without any blood. It was a refreshing change from the SR. I was actually surprised how close and smooth the shave was compared to some of my SR's. I do not like using half DE blades. Try the Personna blade and I think you will be most surprised how close it is to shaving with a "shave ready" SR.
My two bobs worth.
Sunbird
Where do you get these blades? I did a quick search online and looked at the usual suspects of online vendors and couldnt see anything - did find a post about someone buying these at Walgreens though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunbird
I've used the Parker shavette (right name?) with good result. Uses 1/2 of a regular double edge blade, folded in half to snap in the middle. However, I wouldn't recommend going from a DE to one of these. IMHO you have to develop the skill with a real straight before using these because they are shorter in the blade and less "forgiving." I get about 4-5 shaves with one split blade, and it is smooth. The real straight is smoother, but this is a bit faster in the morning.
I've used one of these for a while, and recently changed to the "proper" straight.
My problem with the shavette was that I faced a choice.
1/ wimp out, and get a poor shave that only lasts till about 4pm
2/ go for a proper shave, and end up like a butcher's window display
If I can't use my straight, I now switch to DE shaving. Not as much fun as my straight, but smooth shave, and no nicks
Hello all. I'm about 3 days into the strait razor world and came across this forum. Thank you all for the amazing amount of knowledge that has been accumulated!
I purchased the Dovo Shavette and began using it on Saturday morning. So far I've used it twice, but both times the blade (new Merkur) seems to pull at my skin and facial hair. I've been following all the guides that I've found here, but am wondering if there is something wrong with my technique or is my facial hair possibly too coarse for this type of blade? I do take fairly slow and short strokes. I purchased the blade at a store called The Art of Shaving, and got their "starter kit" that included the pre shave oil, shaving cream, and aftershave balm.
I've had one decent nick on my upper lip and a lot of what I guess you call weepers from this. Is it in my best interest to just make the switch to a real straight edge, or is my skin possibly just not right for this type of shave?
Thanks for any advice you're able to give!
Hi Marquee,
The secret to a successful shave with a Dovo Shavette is to have a VERY light touch and keep the blade nearly parallel to the skin. Allow about one spine width gap only. Any more invites trouble aka blood... The blades are very sharp, so this eliminates one problem with SR shaving. Practise, practise makes it all come together.
Watch a few Youtube vids such as this one to help with technique.
Shave of the day 01/17/12 - Shavette - YouTube
Face preparation is also important.
Hope this helps,
Sunbird
HiQuote:
Originally Posted by Marquee
couple of things might help.
1/ I found merkur blades quite "tuggy" as we'll, and you might do better with a different brand. I wouldn't particularly recommend one over another, as its a very personal thing, but I've tended to do quite well with wilkinson sword, or with Gillette 7o'clock
2/ I found it a little easier if I had a single shave with the blade in a DE razor first, then halved it (very carefully), and transferred it to the shavette. I found having a slightly "worn in" blade caused less cuts. I then changed the blade after one shave in the shavette. This means you get 3 shaves out of 1 blade, one with DE and 2 with the shavette ( one with each half)
having said all that, I think you'll do better, and enjoy shaving more, when you move to a straight
if you pick one up from the classifieds here, you'll be able to get a razor for about 50$, and you can get a strop from whippeddog for 23$, so you're good to go for under 75$.
if you decide you hate it, list the razor in the classifieds and you'll probably get your 50$ back, if it's undamaged, and you can easily sell your strop for 15$, if you haven't chopped it up, so you're looking at a "risk" of less than ten dollars.
that's less than a shavette costs. It's a no lose situation, in my book!
all the best, whatever you decide to go with
Thank you for the replies! I tried the suggestions this evening and they worked wonderfully. Holding the razor closer to parallel did the trick. I still had a few weepers here and there, but I think that was more due to me being ambitious with an attempt at XTG. I did still have some issues with my chin, but I switched back to my fusion instead of pushing myself to far with it.
Unfortunately I do not have a DE razor, so I can't try using that first. To be honest, I'm really enjoying the fact that the process forces me to "slow down" and focus on something other than my daily responsibilities. It's quite relaxing. I've been searching for my first straight edge and don't think I'm far off from taking the plunge anyway.
Thanks again for the helpful responses and I look forward to learning more!