Thread: a little torn

Hello all,

I started this wonderful obsession about 18 months ago and haven't looked back, my first and only shavette is a Personna hair shaper, looking to upgrade soon. I also have some DE's. in the beginning I also picked up a couple straight razors that were in good shape for a good price at the local antique store.

A lot of time went buy and I finally sent them out to get honed by a professional. i got them back and was ecstatic, though I don't get the comfort of my shavette. it is a lot more comfortable and easier to use, I even switched back to it on one of my straights mid shave.

is it me? or the razors?

one was a little better then the other. I might just stay with shavettes though. I do like not having to strop every time.

I would have to hazard a guess that it might be you. I say this because every razor is different and switching from a shavette to a straight is kind of like eating Granny Smith apple compared to a Golden Delicious. While similar they have two very different flavors. I would give the straights some more time and see it it doesn't get better. If stropping is an issue perhaps try a paddle strop or a loom strop and see if this helps.

The great thing here is there are a lot of different approaches and choices so you should be able to find something that works for you. If you are happy with what you have then that is all that matters. Good luck!

Stropping is a necessity, but you'll never have to buy replacement blades

both are true, I was wondering if anyone had similar experiences. I will keep at it. check to see if it is me. I know they are honed up good, so I will adjust technique. and look for new shavettes as well. good for travel if nothing else.

don't give up. with me some razors were easier to keep the correct angle than others. once I found this out and watched my angle closer I started getting more comfortable shaves and the razor stays sharper longer. good luck.

I have also found that I do much better with shavettes, despite having 2 quality straights honed by 2 different expert honemeisters. There is no question in my mind that razor blades are sharper and smoother, maybe because of the coating on the edges. With a very light touch and improved technique over this past year, I get a very nice shave with no irritation. I'm using a Dovo, Feather SS, turkish sedef and a russian type I bought from my barber. Still playing around with blades, but it looks like the russian PermaSharp half blades are my favorite so far.

It's still fun trying different creams, soaps, AS, balms, etc. My default, when pressed for time, are DE's, which I've been using for some time.

What to do with my straights and strops?!?

Best,
Alan

I am having a great time, and am not going to stop at any point that I can see. I was just curious if I was the only one that noticed this or was having a problem.

Originally Posted by Otsm

I am having a great time, and am not going to stop at any point that I can see. I was just curious if I was the only one that noticed this or was having a problem.

I bought a Parker shavette, was at the store and figured why not, it was an excuse to send my blades out while I tried the shavette.

While I was blown away at the shave of these things, the beard just fell off my face, the end result, after about using it 10 times, was that it was essentially a very harsh shave. By the 4th shave, the blade noticeably deteriorated, so replaced it and was right back at ultra harsh.

Just didn't seem to have the same character as my straight. Having said that, I can totally see how a shavette would be an option of choice, given purchasing a nicer shavette and much better blades, finding a blade that was mellow for me would have changed up the equation.

In the end, it's whatever you like and suits you best. I'd give enough time to acquire the proper skills in using a SR and maintaining it, and once you're comfortable with both, then you can make an informed decision.

Either way, it's about what works for you, and there are lots of members here who use DE's, SE's and SR's...and there's no wrong way.

Cheers!

Just take it slow and keep the angles on the st8 very low, almost flat with short strokes and it will get better. I have found shavettes to be pretty forgiving compared to their cousins.
Keep calm, and Shave on!

Originally Posted by Crusader

Just take it slow and keep the angles on the st8 very low, almost flat with short strokes and it will get better. I have found shavettes to be pretty forgiving compared to their cousins.
Keep calm, and Shave on!

Just goes to show you, different strokes for different folks, I found the opposite, shavettes will bite you bad for the smallest slip, while a str8 is a little more forgiving.....