Shavette sharpness

I have a "shavette" that has a split apart that allows 1/2 of a DE blade and also I have one that takes a long single sided blade, more akin to the straight razor blades I have. Is this also considered a "Shavette"?

How sharp to the longer blade compare to DE? And how do really good honed and stopped straight razors compare to normal DE blades?

I also have several straight razors, DOVO, Wacker, Gotta Superfine 120, Imperial, Wade & Butcher, some Revisors, and an assortment of others. One dates back to 1854... probably shaved someone during the Civil War, and yes, I've shaved with it as well. But I find that no matter how hard I try to get the straights sharp, they never are as nice as my Personna DE and others.

Aside from DE blades that are always shave sharp, how well do those longer shavette blades do?

The Feather and Kai 50 mm blade lengths are great shavers in the Kai or Feather shavettes. They can be a bit sharp for the unpracticed. I found that when I shave with either the Kai or Feather shavettes, I like the "Guard" blade best on my skin.

As with any comparison, the shaving quality of a razor type is a combination of thickness, bevel angle, and polish, That is equally true of a straight and who honed it and how it is stropped. Mechanical just does not cut it for a straight razor.

Also one man's great shaver is another man's so so. Beard types and hair thickness can be a major factor in shave quality of any blade.

Blade angle to the face is a significant factor in shave quality, the blade should slice the hair at the skin not scrape it off.
JMO
YMMV
~Richard

Thank you Richard, and I remember you from years back when I was more active.

The "break in half" DE blade will always be what they are for sharp, but it seems they are held pretty stiff in the holder with very little flexability. I also have a longer shavette holder that takes a bit longer blade, near that one of a short straight razor. However, I would say that it is not as keenly sharp as most DE blades come. Surely there are better single edge blades out there? This blade reminds me of a single edge regular razor blade but shorter in height and longer in body.

I can't say I'm super experienced with the longer blades. They never sat properly in one of the black holders for Dovo's shavette. I tried the one that came with it and it was a terrible experience. The curve put into the blade by the plastic holder squeezing it lengthwise made it near impossible to shave. I find the feather DE's, split in half, work best for me.

One thing to mention, I typically use only 1" of a straight at a time. Sometimes less (near 1/4"), with the heel, to line up facial hair.

I got in a DOVO shavette I ordered from Amazon. Came with 2 holders, 1 black and one clear(opaque), and 2 blades, one Mekur DE blade and a longer DE blade that breaks in half. Got it yesterday and shaved with it last night. Went very well with the longer blade. I was looking for something better than the Personna long blades for hair cutting as I felt those were really not that great for shaving the face, even though I have a holder for them. THOSE blades remind me of a long skinny Single Edge razor blade with the protective backing/ridge on the one side. Like I said, it seemed to be not as sharp as regular DE blades.

I have also seen, and saved in my favorites, the Feather Plier razor and their blades. The Feather Plier at $86 dollars is a lot more expensive than the 26.00 DOVO I just received. Are they that much better? Do they hold blade better and how good are the Feather Plier razor blades?