Thread: People's read on cheap Amazon shavettes

Hey guys,

Looking to get into SR shaving and don't have any equipment yet and I watched Lynn's vids where he said shavettes might not be a bad idea for newbies starting out to see if SRs are for them. I already have a brush and soap but no blade and I'm debating getting a shavette or a real SR. I've found a couple really cheap shavettes on Amazon and wanted to get people's opinions on whether they would be worth the money (and possibly chunks of my face) I would be spending to use them to learn SR shaving. If people would like to dissuade me from using shavettes and starting with a real SR that is welcome too. Here are the links to the shavettes:

http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Edge-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Samura...ct_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...B4X355BVJ5AWSP

My experience with shavettes has been a stainless Parker and a Leopard. Of the 2 the Leopard has less blade exposure, giving a stiffer blade. It is an absolute joy to use with my favored blades, Viking sword. the geometry of the blade holder comes into play as well, the Parker will bite if not careful, but you almost have to try to nick yourself with the Leopard.
The first one that you linked to has a very scary blade exposure if it was properly seated for the pic.

The second may be serviceable but looks to be a very cheaply stamped construction. It can also be found much cheaper on E-bay.

The third, the Parker, is often recommended as a quality shavette. I greatly prefer the Leopard to a Parker though.

Blade choice is very important as well the Sharks and Derbys did not perform well at all for me.

It's a bit higher priced but the Feather system is quality all around , but I've heard the Kai is pretty good but a lot cheaper,mand you will be using a great blade, they have some of the sharpest blades known, it will take out the stropping and honing variable, so my guess it's not a bad idea for a beginner.
I started with a straight but later bought a feather rg , it is my travel brush for when I ride my bike , saves the room of packing a strop and it really gives me a great shave. Tc

My thought process was identical; learn to shave then get a quality strait razor. I got a cheap straight as a gift so, so tried switching between the two with little success and more scrapes and nicks than I preferred. I came across a great deal on a quality Ralph Aust, although I didn't think it would have mattered if it was another quality brand, and I never looked back. I still have around 150 disposables that I will probably never use.

Buy a quality razor, even used but honed properly, and you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the input and recommendations guys!

On your input, I actually bought a leopard on Ebay for cheap. So far I have been quite happy with it. So far I have only used the included Concord blades but look forward to trying out some more.

I would recommend a Feather SS or a Kai Captain. That would be an economical approach to get a quality shavette. I've used both and couple them with either a Kai mild blade or a Feather Pro-Guard blade and you will have a first class quality razor.

Hello SingleMaltWhiskers, you may take my advice for what you will but when I wanted to give straight razors a go I went and bought a Magic brand shavette at Sallys Beauty Supply and blades I believe Persona. Now I had about $15 invested and thought well if I don't like this I am not out a bunch of money. I still use this from time to time, I can not seem to get rid of it maybe its because its my first or because I hoard things ;D I have no experience with the ones you are looking at or any others because I found out quickly I wanted a SR. I bought my gear and love it. So I guess what I am getting at is I see nothing wrong with spending less money first to see if you are going to like it. Not telling you it is the right thing but this was my journey. I will also state that using a shavette and using a straight are two different animals. In my limited experience I have noticed these things, different angles of attack, the shavette is not as forgiving and a bit more cleaning after shaving with a shavette. Again these are my novice experiences and I only want you to have the best informed decision you can. Enjoy, best of luck and shave on

Originally Posted by SingleMaltWhiskers

On your input, I actually bought a leopard on Ebay for cheap. So far I have been quite happy with it. So far I have only used the included Concord blades but look forward to trying out some more.

I used my Leopard this morning, it does a better job than any of my straights mowing down the whisker whorls and swirls on my neck.
When and if, you move onto straights, you'll probably want to keep it in your rotation.

Originally Posted by SingleMaltWhiskers

Hey guys,

Looking to get into SR shaving and don't have any equipment yet and I watched Lynn's vids where he said shavettes might not be a bad idea for newbies starting out to see if SRs are for them. I already have a brush and soap but no blade and I'm debating getting a shavette or a real SR. I've found a couple really cheap shavettes on Amazon and wanted to get people's opinions on whether they would be worth the money (and possibly chunks of my face) I would be spending to use them to learn SR shaving. If people would like to dissuade me from using shavettes and starting with a real SR that is welcome too. Here are the links to the shavettes:

http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Edge-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Samura...ct_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...B4X355BVJ5AWSP

I, personally, wanted to start with the 3rd option you posted...the parker SRW/SR-1.
However, I started with the 2nd option you posted...the "Classic Samurai" Shavette.
I love it!
Yes, it is unforgiving and will bite you if you're not careful...but I've mastered it's usage and never cut myself anymore. i didn't want to spend lots of money on something plastic that would break if I dropped it...so I went for the stainless steel classic samurai with the 100 pack of Derby blades.
I've been using this setup for the past 2 months since starting and I love it. It's accurate, sharp, almost cost-less and much MUCH less stress than honing a full-on Straight Razor every now and then.
I'm good at sharpening convex blades...hollow...no experience.
Plus I don't have honing stones, strops and all the rest of the highline gear you need for a full-on Straight Razor.