Thread: Shavette vs straight

Greetings all! Beginner here with just under a month worth of practice, so I'm sure my technique still needs a lot of work but here's my situation...

I received my Dovo Best Quality and everything else that came with the kit from SRD. I started slow and was very confident with my sideburns/cheeks. I moved on to my problem areas, chin and mustache and I really tore them up with what felt like a lot of tugging. After reading through more of the beginner forums, this seemed to be the norm so I went back at it.

Things didn't get much better until I received a Dovo shavette that I had also purchased for traveling. I decided to give it a try and to my surprise it seemed to glide right through all my whiskers. After using it, I realized that my cheeks/sideburns weren't really as close or as problem free as I had thought. After about 5 days worth of added confidence from the shavette I went back to the straight, only to come back to my original results.

My question is, is there a difference in the sharpness of the blade between a shavette and a straight? Do my issues even stem from sharpness? I feel like I am using the same technique with both blades, one just seems to go through the hair much easier. Any help is appreciated.

Disposable blades are a lot sharper if you want consistency.

shavettes=cheaper, can be rough shaves..I didnt like the one I was give a trial with at all
straights=more expensive..nothing to throw away...can be very smooth and very sharp

There are many similarities and differences. Most likely way you are getting the results that you are getting with the SR is because your using to step of an angle. Try laying the spine flat against your skin then lifting till it just slides through the whiskers.

I've been considering a shavette - worth getting do you think, JCarpenter?

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have considered the steepness of my angle to be one of the issues, which is why I tried the shavette. I really feel like I am using a very flat angle (maybe 2 spines worth) and I think I am using the same angle with both the straight and the shavette.

As to how I feel about the shavette and whether or not to get one, I have mixed emotions. I wanted to get a Feather Artist Club. That's what my barber uses on my head and it really re-ignited my desire to get into wet shaving. Like most things however, SWMBO stepped in and said it was too expensive and I made due with the shavette. I like it because it has been kinder to my face than my straight and I feel like it gets me that BBS that I'm looking for. The negatives are the appearance and feel of it. It is very light and just doesn't have the weight behind it that I would like. It also isn't something that I'd put on display for the world to see.

I guess IMO a shavette is similar to a moped, it's cool (cheap on gas) til your friends catch you on it.

A disposable blade will be sharper than a straight. A straight requires learning some technique to get the most out of it - not only shallow angle and no pressure, which is also required for a shavette, but also more stretching, scything, guillotine cuts, etc. My daily shave is a 2-pass XTG/ATG with a Dovo shavette, and while I can get a very good shave with a regular straight WTG/XTG/ATG, the 2-pass shavette still outperforms the 3-pass straight (in my hand). The downside of a shavette is it requires ultralight pressure, otherwise it can be unforgiving. Though if you persist, you will get better with it, regardless of which tool use. If you want to get a good shave, you can use either tool. If you want to get better with a straight, use the straight.

The other variable here is stropping, especially for a newbie - but I think as long as you don't press down on the strop, and ensure that the razor rests flat on the strop with its own weight, you should minimize any chance of rolling it.

I think closer summed it up quite well: the shavette is keener, but can be unforgiving. Before I took the plunge into str8 collecting (another story altogther, i.e. "RAD"), I bought a Parker shavette and then a Dovo shavette. I personally find shaving with the str8 to be a better experience. I've been cut by both, but I've found that the str8s seem to be friendlier on the face. (And more satisfying to collect and care for, e.g. stropping, honing, etc.)

I kept tearing myself up with a shavette then just made the jump to a straight and my face is so glad. If the shavette works for you then go for it. I wish I could get 50mpg out of my f150.

What's your stropping like? To me, this is a critical part of shaving with
a straight razor. Unfortunately (unless you have a stropping expert handy
on a daily basis), you have to learn the shaving and stropping technique
at the same time. Stick with it, and you should see your shaves continue
to improve.



- Scott