Thread: Is a straight razor for me??

Originally Posted by Crotalus

What do you think about someone that asks for all kinds of advice, from lots of people, and then doesn't take any of it?

Oh well.

Oh man that's harsh, I was just looking for some knowledge and you guys provided it to me. Being a novice I thought I would start with the shavette as I've read a lot of things suggesting I do so. I might not have bought a straight razor today but I do intend to; so it's only a matter of time before I take your advice :P

But I really do appreciate everyone's advice if I took it or not I learnt a lot and that's what I was looking to do, so Thanks.

I apologize for being harsh. I was just a little frustrated because I spent more time answering your questions on here and in PM's than I ever have with anyone.

I never heard of Shark blades. Certainly not a brand that gets mentioned a lot here or on other shaving fora.

Shavettes don't shave like a true straight. The angles are different. The shavette isn't able to lie as flat to the skin as a true straight and still cut cleanly without irritation on some types of skin. I tried them and found they were very harsh and left me burnt. They are more nearly maintenance free and quite inexpensive. The cost of a Whippeddog sight unseen razor package and a Van Der Hagen soap/brush isn't a great deal more than a shavette. $50 or thereabouts.

Originally Posted by thelegazy

Thanks for everyone's help, but i have decided to go with a shavette. I know I'll probably switch over to a true straight razor in a few months if I like a shavette enought. Much thanks to Crotalus who helped me understand a lot. From asking a couple of friends they have recommended that I start with a shavette. If anyone has any extra input I'd greatly appreciate it or if anyone has an reviews on the shavette I have chosen, Amazon.com: Parker SRW Stainless Steel Straight Edge Barber Razor & 120 Shark Super Stainless Blades: Health & Personal Care
Also are the blades that come with this ready to shave with?

I started off with a shavette and used 1/2 of a DE blade. You will eventually want to go to a real straight. Whippeddog.com or the classifieds are great places. However, the shavette needs no maintenance like honing or stropping. After a short time you will know what "sharp" is. The Shavette also works well as a travel straight. Now to the bad part, you will want to go to the real thing eventually. Also, I would avoid buying the packages with a lot of DE blades. You will need to experiment with different brands - they all work differently for each razor and each face. I would suggest looking at bullgooseshaving or straightrazordesigns and get a blade sampler pack. That way you won't have 115 blades stockpiled that don't agree with you.
Have fun, welcome, and enjoy the HOBBY

Welcoem and good luck! I tend to mostly use DE razors, but I enjoy SE, straights, and even injectors and shavettes. A shavette is probably the trickiest to use of the lot, so here's my advice to help make it a little easier.

1. Get a shavette that takes rigid blades ( the dovo shavette ( and a few other lesser known varieties) takes several types, one of which is longer and rigid. A long, rigid shavette blade will perform a lot more like a straight razor than half a DE blade.

2. Get an inexpensive DE like a LORD razor, or a tech and some DE blades, and use that to finish up your shaves until you get more proficient with the shavette.

3. Make a very good lather and use decent soap/cream. There are plenty of good soaps and creams online, or, if you want to go local, CO Bigelow cream is decent, as are AOS products (if a little pricey)

4. Pay attention to preshave: Shower first or at least soak your beard a few minutes before shaving, and consider using a pre shave product like Prep, Poraso, etc.

5. Be patent and have fun! Traditional shaving is an art and a skill. it will take a bit of practice to get good at it but it is worth it.

I've never shaved with a DE but I've read a fair bit about them and Shark blades are generally considering VERY sharp and easy to nick yourself with when using a DE. I'm sure they'll take your whiskers off just fine but you may find them a bit too sharp if you buy that Parker package. If that's the case don't give up on shaving with it, go to your local drugstore and buy some other blades and try those, they may be a bit more forgiving. DE blades are really cheap.