Thread: Shavette as Sharpness Reference

You can get a straight razor blade up to the same level of sharpness as a shavette if you know what you are doing, but they are slightly different.

A well honed straight will have the same edge profile as a shavette, but the shavette blade is coated in teflon as well which gives increased glide and that slightly "over-sharp" feeling that some people dont like.

I follow a bit of advice from JimmyHAD about sharpness testing and that is to get hold of a DE blade and use that as a benchmark. That works great for me and I use this as a benchmark for my own honing efforts.

A straight razor shave should be smooth, close and comfortable and if it isnt then it'll be an issue with technique, prep, stropping or the edge itself. Dont automatically assume that a shaving issue is a problem with the razor, as its more likely to be an issue with one of the other points..!

You need a good lather, good stropping and the proper angles and skin stretching (as well as a good edge) to get the best possible shaves.

In terms of the hones you are using I am unfortunately unable to comment, at least until I get a BBW and coti myself! I use Shaptons and I know what the grits are for each stone and I dont have any naturals. JimmyHAD, Lynn, Glen and Bart, amonget others, are all experienced BBW/Coti users and would be able to give more advice about how to use these stones.

Good luck!