Thread: Shavette vs straight

Strikes 2-3 with two different kamisoris. God I wish I could find someone close that could show me what I'm doing wrong

There is a fairly large ground in CA, check for members in your area. Most will be happy to help

Where are you located in KommieLand?

Alternatively, do you have the skills to make a video of you shaving yourself?

Oh, and please don't give up. We can help you sort this out if you stick with it.

You haven't put in the time yet, maybe list where you are instead of kommieland, There are plenty of experienced guys in California, but without patience and some decent coordination you won't succeed. Slow down and search for mentors, if your wanting help you got to be willing to search for it, starting by letting these guys know where you are. Tc

I use both and I prefer the straight razors. Much more comfortable shave with less irritation. The straight razor needs to be properly honed and stropped to get the best results.

To me I love both, the shavette is less forgiven VS the straight for sure but if i pay attention I get great results whit both. To me I choose the shavette due to the lack of time I got, I don’t alway’s have the time to strop and refresh my straights so it’s simple to me to change the blade when it gets dull. I still used once in a while a real straight but only if my time permit me to use it correctly(general maintainence).

In wet shaving, it is not only the sharpness that counts, it is also the smoothness of the blade that decides how comfortable a shave can be and in that area shavettes are outclassed by a properly honed and stropped straight razor.

For shavettes you only need to master one skill, the shave.
With traditional straight razors you need to master the shave, stropping and (unless you want to go on having it honed by someone else for you) honing.

Therefore it may initially be easier to get an acceptable shave from a shavette.
For traditional straight razors a mistake in either of the above disciplines can ruin an otherwise perfect shave, which explains the long learning curve.

Having predominatly shaved with straight razors for years, I can attest that a properly honed and stropped straight razor has the potential to beat a shavette in closeness, smoothness and comfort anytime.
It just takes so much longer to get there and in the interim a shavette may appear to be a better choice.


Now, considering that this is a sub-forum for shavettes, let me close by saying there is nothing wrong with shavettes, that I have no intention to ruffle any feathers, and that I myself use a Feather DX from time to time. Shavettes are handy when time is of the essence or when travelling, but for me nothing beats the satisfaction that I get from a well executed straight shave.

Now, if you excuse me; it’s my day off and I have to go and hone and strop some razors for the coming week - something a shavette shaver never has to worry about.


B.

Originally Posted by Papabear11

To me I love both, the shavette is less forgiven VS the straight for sure but if i pay attention I get great results whit both. To me I choose the shavette due to the lack of time I got, I don’t alway’s have the time to strop and refresh my straights so it’s simple to me to change the blade when it gets dull. I still used once in a while a real straight but only if my time permit me to use it correctly(general maintainence).

I have also used straight and shavettes. I find that my Dovo and Kingsland straight shave rather well for about a week each between stroppings. I have time on the weekends for edge care so I do it then and sometimes a quick strop while my lather sets, about 10-15 passes keeps them working very nicely. Shavettes, on the other hand, I started shaving with. That's where I learned the tech of shaving with that style of razor. They always left my face irritated even with the best quality blades I could find. Having always been good at sharpening knives I can maintain a decent edge with my straights and because they seem to not irritated my face much at all that is what I choose for my daily shave. But as many have said before, you have to find out what works best for you. Timer is definitely important for maintaining the edge on your straight, but you shouldn't have to strop a quality razor after every use. Like I said, my low end Dovo holds a good shaving edge for at least a week sometimes two weeks with daily use. Might I suggest that if your straight does not that you should look into a better quality blade. Or perhaps send it off to classic for a professional honing. It may be that your edge geometry is not correct, or even that your blade was not properly hardened when it was made. In that case it will never hold an edge for any length of time. What ever comes from this, best of luck to you.

Aloha!

I much prefer my straight blades over Shavettes. If I am in the mood for a nick or a weeper, sure, I'll try a shavette. I always get a more comfortable shave with the straight.

I recently tried this Chinese Shavette (I posted it in the what do you have in the mail thread recently) and I am impressed. The razor handles very similarly to a straight, and with the blades that came with it, I get a pretty good shave that somewhat mimics my straight blades. Somewhat. Closest I have come, anyway.