@rollincoal69... I wouldn't need the guards. The only little bites I got was because of the tip, but it's not hard to adjust. I had gotten too used to shaving with an actual straight. And I agree that these are good, but not as good as a straight. I'll be using my straights at home and taking these with me while traveling to places where stropping/honing will not be possible. The shavette for me is a travel back up. But I'm glad to see that the feather is MUCH better than my Parker. I had about given up on shavettes.