Need a Shavette I think :(

I was looking at my small collection of razors the other day realizing that I just cant imagine loosing any of them because they are so hard to find or replace. I travel a lot as many of you know, and when I fly I am debating bringing a shavette because if I lose that I dont really care, but if I lose my bag with a straight not only do I lose that I also loose a nice Tony Miller strop.

Anyway, if I can get over the thought that I am cheating and its not really shaving with a straight razor I may buy one. Any suggestions as to what I should buy???

I have got the same dilema . I got a focus blade razor from The Gentlemans Shop in the UK.WWW.Gentlemans Shop.co.uk. Iwas going to by a Dovo shevete But Charlote (she owns the shop with her Husband) put me onto the focus razor as the blade is held securely in it & doesn't float about like the Dovo. Its very light but you do get good shaves with it. Her Husband uses the same razor to shave the customers with.I believe that is in use by a lot of barbers in the UK.Paul

Just get a cheaper travel straight for traveling, and as for losing your TM strop ... it wouldn't be the first time. :roflmao

X

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Originally Posted by xman

Just get a cheaper travel straight for traveling, and as for losing your TM strop ... it wouldn't be the first time. :roflmao

X

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LOL I know, but I have too many hobbies to run out and buy another strop...I need money for other things! Besides...strops arent cheap. Plus that would mean that on many trips if I brought a shavette I wouldnt have to check my luggage. I thought about a cheap straight....but that still leaves me with my strop issue...although I could just use a belt....I have done that before.

I think the feathers are 'the shit' of the disposable straight world. A Feather RG (western or japanese style) can be had for about $80 shipped and the DX version (again western or japanese style) can be had for about $165 shipped. I really don't see a difference between the RG and DX. Sometimes i think of picking one of these up, just for varieties sake and because it's out there.

Wait i found the difference:

The "Artist Club RG" model is cast in Solid Brass and plated in Satin Finished Chromium.
The "Artist Club DX" model is precision machined from Solid 316 Stainless Steel and Satin Finished

I second the nod toward the Feather Artists club (DX if your wallet can take the hit).

The form-factor will keep you convinced it's still a straight razor. It's blades are really superb enough that you wont feel you're compromising your shave. And if you lose it, there are still plenty to buy anywhere you look.

I personally now throw a USPS priority envelope in my suitcase with my billing account info addressed to my house when I travel. I've lost a few too many things I didn't even realize were illegal to bring on a plane with me at the airport security, and having a way to ship it via mail is always handy when the friendly agent tells me I can't travel with cologne/sunscreen/swiss-army keychain knife/etc.

Just a thought on the feather: I doubt it's easy to come by the blades in shops when travelling seeing as you can't bring them on the plane (unless you check-in) and the DE blades for the shavette are on sale everywhere. Also, losing a 15-$20 shavette will hurt less than the $80-$100 feather!

i've just heard bad things about the shavetter like the blade wiggling and such. you might as well just hold the DE blade in your hand (i've done it before). There, i just saved you $30 and no need to worry about losing something.

I have a Feather AC - that I like very much, but wouldn't want to lose while travelling.

I have a Dovo Shavette (stainless model) that I bought just 'cause (got it used for $18 shipped) and because I'm hoping that this will be a good travel razor (its still in shipping, so I can't comment on how the thing shaves - I'll let you know after I've tried it). I've also heard the stainless model is better balanced than the one with the plastic handle.

Another brand that's been reviewed are the Sanguine shavette-style razors - there's a couple of reviews over on B&B. Also, Joel at B&B did a short comparison between the Dovo stainless shavette and the Feather AC - and he said good things about the Dovo.

As for the comments about loose blades, I've used cheape shavettse-style razors (as does my barber) without any blade looseness, so would be surprized if the Dovo versions had this type of problem - again, professional barbers use these all the time and wouldn't if they didn't stand up.

I'm going to try mine with the red holder and 1/2 DE blade, as these are the only blades you can reliably get just about anywhere.

So, while YMMV and all the other disclaimers, you could do worse than a Shavette or similar style razor - there's lots of guys out there who've received fantastic shaves from professoinal barbers using one of these things.

Here's a related thread: LINK I don't remember much trouble with the blade moving around or anything like that, but I think that's because I took a pair of needle-nose pliers and very gently squeezed (squoze?) the sides of the blade holder together, so that the plastic blade caddy was held very firmly.

Oh, and as I recall, it was member mparker who pointed out that one of the Schick injector-cartridge blades fits the Feather DX quite well, but I don't remember which one.

-denis

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Originally Posted by Sharp&Shiny

I have got the same dilema . I got a focus blade razor from The Gentlemans Shop in the UK.WWW.Gentlemans Shop.co.uk. Iwas going to by a Dovo shevete But Charlote (she owns the shop with her Husband) put me onto the focus razor as the blade is held securely in it & doesn't float about like the Dovo. Its very light but you do get good shaves with it. Her Husband uses the same razor to shave the customers with.I believe that is in use by a lot of barbers in the UK.Paul

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This same razor was where I started my adventure into straights as well. If you get decent blades it gives great shaves. Now I use mine for travel for the same reasons you name.

A cheap 6/8 wedge and a low-end TM strop will cost you less than a Feather AC.

I just got my Dovo stainless Shavette in the mail and here are my initial comments:

1) Weight - lighther than a Feather AC, but heavier than plastic-handled shavettes/shavette-style razors.

2) Quality - Seems good, if utilitarian - the "scales" are stamped metal and seem drable, but nothing to write home about.

3) Ergonomics - feels good in the hand, nicely balanced, some thumb jimps, but these are rounded and made of plastic, so might get slippery when wet.

4) Blade Holder - this is the only component that I think could cause problems - its basically a hinged sleeve of red plastic with some tabs to hold the 1/2 DE blade in place. This is less durable than the integral sliding metal sleeves I've seen in other shavette-style razors and I'm surprised Dovo would use this sort of thing in its products. However, I haven't heard any specific criticisms of this, but it just seems less durable (ie., plastic hinge breaking, wear possibly resulting in a loose fit, etc. However, if you get a couple of years out of one, that's not so bad for something that costs just a couple of bucks.

Anyhow, I'll take this for a quick shave tomorrow and get back with my initial impressions as to shave quality.

JL - if you're interested, I'm happy to send this off to you to test if you're interested (if you have a thing against using someone else's razor, just let me know), as I can ship it to you for a couple of bucks.

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Originally Posted by JLStorm

LOL I know, but I have too many hobbies to run out and buy another strop...I need money for other things! Besides...strops arent cheap. Plus that would mean that on many trips if I brought a shavette I wouldnt have to check my luggage. I thought about a cheap straight....but that still leaves me with my strop issue...although I could just use a belt....I have done that before.

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Wrong again, bucko!:D The shavette in a carry on is okay! The blades??? :nono: As much as I want to say get the Feather, you can't pick those blades up just anywhere. At least with a shavette you can buy DE blades at most drug stores or markets.

RT

If you're just looking for a shavette to travel, I would recommend a Diane (I know they're made in Pakistan but you won't be honing it so you're OK.) This is the corn cob pipe of the straight razor world. Utilitarian, effective, works great, blades can be had anywhere, and if you lose it, a replacement can be had for < $10. Here are some others worth a look:
http://bestgroomingtools.com/straigh...rles-p-70.html

SR1 Changeable-Blade Barber Straight Razor

Barber razors, shaving razors, xd20 razors, x d20 razors xd 20 razors, sanguine Hairdressing Scissors - Xperia Scissors - Sanguine, Hair Scissors - Sanguine Scissors

I would NOT heowever recommend the Magic shavette. This one dramatically illustrates the huge difference between affordable shave gear and cheap crap. I think mine literally came apart in my hand before I had shaved with it a dozen times.

I got a Parker SRW on amazon in the middle of last summer when I started looking into str8 shaving. It was about $22 and came with 120 blades. It accepts single side blades or you can break a DE blade in have and use that. Gives a good close shave in my opinion, but is not as forgiving as a real str8.

From your original post your main reason was your concern with losing your equipment. I would definitely recommend a Parker for an adequate shave and not having to get upset upon losing it. I know Feathers and the Dovo shavettes are a little more expensive and the blades for them are not as easy to come by (at least for the Dovo, not sure about Feathers).

-amt

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Originally Posted by Sharp&Shiny

I have got the same dilema . I got a focus blade razor from The Gentlemans Shop in the UK.WWW.Gentlemans Shop.co.uk. Iwas going to by a Dovo shevete But Charlote (she owns the shop with her Husband) put me onto the focus razor as the blade is held securely in it & doesn't float about like the Dovo. Its very light but you do get good shaves with it. Her Husband uses the same razor to shave the customers with.I believe that is in use by a lot of barbers in the UK.Paul

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I have one of those focus shavettes from the Gentlemans shop it does the job but you have to treat it like a straight with a spike point.