Thread: Why Straight Razor

Hi guys,

This has probably been asked a million times before on here however being new I'm unfamiliar with the site and all I'm returning is Shavette vs SR vs DE where the emphasis is why a straight razor is better than the double edge.

Please could someone tell me why the straight razor shave would be any better than the shavette shave? OR is it purely down to the experience you have whilst shaving?

Thank you

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...r-shaving.html

Originally Posted by WadePatton

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...r-shaving.html

AWESOME thank you very much, a lot of very interesting stuff on that link

Once you get the hang of it, it's a lot smoother than a DE or electric.
When RAD sets in, you'll also end up with some truly good looking razors that look more like art than tools.

Telling people you shave with, what is essentially, a very sharp knife, sounds quite impressive.

Originally Posted by Strops

Hi guys,

This has probably been asked a million times before on here however being new I'm unfamiliar with the site and all I'm returning is Shavette vs SR vs DE where the emphasis is why a straight razor is better than the double edge.

Please could someone tell me why the straight razor shave would be any better than the shavette shave? OR is it purely down to the experience you have whilst shaving?

Thank you

It's a drug worse than crack don't do it! 👹

Originally Posted by Strops

Hi guys,
Please could someone tell me why the straight razor shave would be any better than the shavette shave? OR is it purely down to the experience you have whilst shaving?
Thank you

~~~been shaving with a straight razor for 3 years. About a year into using traditional western straight razors I picked up a shavette that uses disposable saloon blades, mainly to compare one to the other. What I found overall, the shavette was extremely light, the blades I was using (Racer), each end was a spike point and would bite if not careful. I did not care for the shavette experience, as compared to using a traditional straight razor

For me, the western style straight razor feels more planted by virtue of the extra weight. the length of the blade on a *real* straight razor, most around 3", seemed to me, more suited for the task at hand. I didn't care for the stubby blade length of the shavette

And maybe I'm sucked in to the routine of stropping and of course honing, AKA taking care of one's edge. I like both of these tasks, and neither are needed with disposable blade 'straight razors' or shavettes

I have and used a Korean copy of the Kai Captain. It's a step above my saloon blade shavette. I'm sure some shavers like the premium shavette experience, but from my POV, I prefer the use of western style straight razors with blades that need stropping and the occasional attention from a hone

here's my uber chintzy shavette



the Kai Captain knock off I tried



this is what I prefer to shave with



Best for me in the long run...others may have better and different ideas


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.

I use shavettes because I think I might lack the discipline of regular stropping etc.
There are insets for shavettes which accommodate longer blades, similar to SR blade length. Those are what I use as I do think the length is much more suitable for the job. Shavettes are also super-sharp &, I've heard, require even more care than some SR shaves (or at least, comparable). This makes me feel like I'm not missing out on anything

I shaved with a Parker SRB for quite some time and LOVED it and actually asked a very similar question to the forum since I had BBS shaves on a consistent basis and always knew that I had a sharp blade (feather was my favorite). Why switch to a straight? The reason I made the switch was because I like to sharpen things and instead of an ultra sharp knife that I use maybe once a month I figured I could use a straight razor daily! How fun would it be to put a great edge on a blade and then use it daily? I was up for the challenge and it has been awesome so far (about a month). A shavette is a really good shave too and I still love my Parker but the straight is just more fun for me. Definitely a personal choice and a great shave no matter which way you go. (A straight is much easier to shave with then a shavette though). Best of luck to you in whatever way you decide.

I like the extra weight of a straight razor - the shavette, although sharp, just doesn't feel as substantial. There's something more badass about stropping and honing a chunk of straight razor metal to shave with, than swapping fiddly little DE blades into a shavette.

Similar shaves from both - objectively, my honing skills aren't quite good enough yet to provide consistent sharpness on par with the feather DE blades. With this said, my last hone yielded a fantastic edge and I haven't touched the shavette for weeks.