I would be scared to death to shave with a shavette. That thin balde seems completely raw and unforgiving.
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I would be scared to death to shave with a shavette. That thin balde seems completely raw and unforgiving.
This discussion made me want to whip out the ol' Shavette since my straight shaving has improved and today I got a terriffic shave with it. But I also cut myself several times, so I definitely experienced the "unforgiving" aspect of it in comparison with a traditional straight.
I'm really on the fence as to whether to try to make it into a travel razor because I prefer the traditional straight and also have a Merkur Slant for times I don't have time to strop and straight shave.
The thing I don't know about is if I took, say, a week's vacation. Would I get progressively better with the Shavette as the week went on, or is this just something I can't use unless I use it on a regular basis.
I have not shaved with a shavette but my barber uses one on my neck when I go. I can tell you that it is a much harsher shave then my straights. The straights are smoother and do not make my skin feel irritated.
I use a Parker shavette regularly in my rotation along with traditional straights , theres no doubt if you master the shavette using a regular straight is a breeze , theres little margin for error with the shavette so it demands proper technique . The parker holds the blades very firm & close to edge so flex is not an issue . I dont belive you should be using an almost flat angle most of my shaving with the shavette is around 20-30 degree's or there about depeding on areas your tackling ..You read alot of negatives about the shavettes that they are solely for neck an hairline shaving , thats just not true , while they maynot be suited to everyones taste they do provide awesome shaves once mastered .
agreed.
i'm not sure about shops, but you could try Art Of Man, thats where i got my first (and only) razor from. they deliver Australia-wide, and if the value of your purchase is greater than $150, delivery is free. (standard australia parcel post)
Thanks to the discussion and a couple of shaving attempts, I did crack the code, so to speak on the Shavette.
I feel stupid in saying this, but so be it. I didn't realize until yesterday that there are little notches that tell you where the blade sits. They were so inconspicuous that I had been experimenting with how much the blade should hang out and was shredding myself.
When I got the blade properly placed the thing shaved like a dream and I found out that I didn't have to be any more careful than I had to be with a traditional straight razor.
Perhaps others were having the same difficulty I was having. I think that Dovo ought to make these notches another color or something because evidently I'm not the only one having difficulty with this.
:gwh:Anyway, problem solved for me and hopefully others.
This is one of many revelations I have had that convinced me that I didn't know how to shave until Age 54. I didn't know which direction my hair grew, nothing. You never learn how to shave with the cartridge racket. Now that I have gone to DEs, straights, and the Shavette, I have been forced to learn and have been rewarded with satisfying shaves.
If this was, say, pre-1970, I'm sure I would have been able to take a new piece of equipment like the Shavette, and put 2 + 2 together because I'd have an instinct for shaving with the equipment available at the time.