Thread: Shavettes, the whole truth.

Morning

Let me begin with my experience. I have been shaving with various shavettes for 6 years. I have tried a vast number of blade holders( dovo, focus, wierd plastic no name thing at the dollar store, Feather ss) and blades Single edge (SE) and Double edge (DE).

First off lets dispel some rumors.

Often people claim that these aren't meant for shaving. hmmm they use razor blades and cut hair....That sounds like shaving to me.

The are too sharp and will cause more cuts. Most people I know don't like dull shaving instruments so I would hope the are sharp.

The corners always catch. That is a skill issue and we can get to this later...

This style of shaving is great for the beginner. It eliminates so many variables. There is no honing, stropping required. These 2 things alone have caused many of the curious to walk away from straight shaving. These are very precise movements that are difficult to get right when your blood is rushing at the thought of putting a blade to your face.

For those of you who are currently thinking about jumping in lets start small. Work on your prep and lather first. Buy a brush and some shaving soap/cream. Take a long shower to prep the beard, use a beard softener if you wish Poraso is a good start. Then work on your lather with your fancy new brush. Work on your lathers for a week or two. Continue to use the multiblade razor during this period. You will feel a difference, it will be immediate and will get better over this short time frame.

Also start shaving with your multiblade as if your wrist is locked with your elbow. Think of it like a train conductor pulling the horn, or those kids in the back of a school bus asking the trucker to blow the horn. You wrist is locked and your elbow is moving.

Now that you have mastered the prep and lather it is time to get that first shave. My first shavette shaves were done with a very inexpensive trimming shaver from a local barber supply. Cut or break your DE blade in half load the shavette as per the instructions on the package and lets get to the shaving.

Before we start putting this thing to our face look at the blade. Those corners of the razor are not at the edge of the shavette are they ? There is usually some space between the end of the shavette and the corner of the razor blade. If this is a cheap 8 dollar holder get a sharpie out and mark the edge of the razor on the blade holder. The razor blade protrudes a bit at this spot on both sides. When your shavette is covered in shaving soap you will not see this corner, creating an optical illusion regarding razor location. When trying to get into tight corners this illusion will cause you to guess and then cut yourself.

I cannot stress enough Do Not Use the ends of the razor to shave. The belly or middle does the shaving. The 1/8" on either side should be left out of the major shaving. They will be on your face don't misunderstand, but the part you are looking to shave with is the center.

Lets get to the first shave, in many ways its like straights. See Lynn's post in the beginners forum to understand if this is your first time.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ead-first.html I will wait ........

Ok thanks for coming back. Now the differances, you will need to pull a little bit. NOT ALOT A little. Many of the shavettes, excluding the Feather clubs, have no weight. This is the biggest difference between Straight and Shavette shaving. This is also why you see those bloody experiences all over the shavette forums. You will need to pull, but not like with your multibladers.

Remember when I told you to go all train conductor with that multiblade, lets put that to use. The motion and angle are what you are learning here. Get that blade on your dominant hand side of your face. For most of us that will be on the right, pull the skin up with your left hand and with that 20 to 30 degree angle of the razor shave that cheek. Woo Woo (train whistle). Now if this is your first time, STOP. You did it. You put a blade to your face and cut hairs. Put the razor down and continue to shave with your multiblade. Why? Because your heart is pumping, you feel alive and you most likely didn't cut yourself.

If your heart is racing by the end of this pass you will most likely have a hand tremor. Shaking means the blade moves wrong and then you cut yourself. I want you to be free from those garbage hunks of plastic. You will get there I promise. Put the shavette down.

After a week or two you will begin to feel more relaxed. Then go for the rest of the face. There are tons of great attack pattern posts all over this forum. Read them all. There is hundreds of years of experience here regarding the paths to shave, direction of hair and number of passes.

You will begin to be so confident with that razor that you will be whipping it out on that 3 day hike in no time. Just remember, watch those corners, lock the wrist and you will be on your way to freedom and a smoother, more comfortable shave.

WoooWoOooO

Nice piece. As an intro, with SE as my goal, I (stupidly?) bought a $6 Diamond something-or-other "shavette" on Amazon. I've been DEing for a few years. I don't know if it's because it is a cheepo, or if I just need more practice, but it hasn't been great. I may upgrade to a Dovo shavette, or even to a Feather SS, but with my goal being a SE, I hesitate to invest too much at the shavette stage. Your thoughts would be welcome.

The only thing I would add is that I'm not sure shavettes are beginner blades. These things are sharp as hell. I have many straights plus a parker and a feather SS, and the only time I generally cut myself is with the shavette. It takes as much, if not more skill, to use a shavette vs a straight.

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

The only thing I would add is that I'm not sure shavettes are beginner blades. These things are sharp as hell. I have many straights plus a parker and a feather SS, and the only time I generally cut myself is with the shavette. It takes as much, if not more skill, to use a shavette vs a straight.

For me, I would agree with that, I had a Parker for awhile to give it a try, very harsh with the Shark Blades and very unforgiving...the Parker at least I think would be more difficult to master than a real straight.

The really cheap ones are a pain. They were originally designed for the back of the neck.

You can use it but keep the same blade for multiple shaves and reverse the blade in the holder every other shave.

The dovo is a slight up grade, its the same blades so you get the same feeling. You can use the se blades with the new attachment and that will give a bigger cutting area.

What razor brand are you using? That is a huge part of the selection process and will dramatically change your shave quality. To cheap and the shave will suck.

The feathers are a beautiful razors and will compete with a straight for shave quality. But that comes in at twice the price of a decent used straight razor and strop. There are many members who have almost completely converted to them.

I would suggest get better blades before upgrading. And sharpie that razor. It will help in the immediate future.

Good luck with the addiction.

Originally Posted by Phrank

For me, I would agree with that, I had a Parker for awhile to give it a try, very harsh with the Shark Blades and very unforgiving...the Parker at least I think would be more difficult to master than a real straight.

I started this way. And I was running on student wages, yay education.

They are always sharp though and the edge is always aligned. The trade off is scary sharp. The worst cut from any blade was a 7/16 under my left nostril. I felt it and stopped.

This is the way a lot of younger guys are starting....so make the best of it. I see to many "cut myself with the corner bad" photos to remain silent. And when you finally make the switch to straight shaving you have the technique down.

But you're right, Se is less forgiving, but there is less to think about.

Thanks.

The blades I use are from my DE, the Feather New Hi-Stainless. Very sharp, it seems to me.

The crappy holder I bought is the Diamond Edge:
Amazon.com: Diamond Edge Professional Straight Razor Includes 5 double edge blades: Health & Personal Care

In your opinion, would a regular straight razor be easier to learn on than a Feather SS?

Originally Posted by Smyth

Thanks.

The blades I use are from my DE, the Feather New Hi-Stainless. Very sharp, it seems to me.

The crappy holder I bought is the Diamond Edge:
Amazon.com: Diamond Edge Professional Straight Razor Includes 5 double edge blades: Health & Personal Care

In your opinion, would a regular straight razor be easier to learn on than a Feather SS?

In my opinion yes.... I started with a shavette, then went to straight - and wish I did the opposite. Shavettes are brutal. Real straight have some leeway between a good shave and cutting your face up. After 6 months with a straight, I now really like my Feather for travel. But the opposite was a bit bloody. Took me months with an actual straight before I could use the Feather SS properly.

great write up and applicable to any new wet shaver weather a Shavette, Straight or DE even,
I believe this should be added to and compliments the beginners guide, as all the basic progression you noted apply to all wet shaver types.
there is only a couple of truly Shavette specific sentences,
but the rest of the write up should be a definite Beginners read article as it outlines and reinforces the best recommended approaches to starting as per the beginners guides
and also highlights all the anticipation & excitement that effects the first timer to rush in and potentially have a bad experience
noting the reason for not rushing is not just get a feel of the blade or practice the angle used but to break in & smooth out the anticipation & hype you may feel

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

The only thing I would add is that I'm not sure shavettes are beginner blades. These things are sharp as hell. I have many straights plus a parker and a feather SS, and the only time I generally cut myself is with the shavette. It takes as much, if not more skill, to use a shavette vs a straight.

I would also agree with this. I started with a Dovo for precisely the above mentioned reasons - blade maintenance isn't appealing at first.

My two cents from 9 months experience...

I've never had a bad cut from my Cadman straight. It was the best thing I ever did in my straight shaving career. Oh I still nick myself every now and again, but they are small shallow cuts that heal up straight away. After months with the shavette I had much better technique but the slightest error meant a bleeding cut. Those things are sharp! Until they get dull, and you get a new blade and they are sharp again.

I've found the blade maintenance to be enjoyable. I get my razor honed by a pro every so often so I've never learned to hone. Stropping is really not that hard.

The best thing about it is the consistency of the blade. It's always the same. Like an old friend. The Shavette was like a moody partner you didn't know how they would react. One day sharp and painful, the next day blunt and abrasive. It caused me considerably more concern than my straight ever has - but that said perhaps I'd had a lot more practice by the time I got my straight which no doubt helped.

I used to think there wasn't such thing as too sharp - we are cutting hairs right? But we are wanting to cut hairs and leave the skin alone. The shavette was hungry and selfish. It wanted to do both! Like a dog with a strong nature it can be trained but requires a little more patience and time. The straight is perhaps a more obedient animal - confining itself to whisker cutting for the most part.

I never got to use Feather blades, but everyone says they are the sharpest. This is good if you know what your doing. It's bad if you don't.

This is only my experience, and I'm glad people still use and enjoy shavettes, I still have mine but my straight gives me the most consistent experience.