Shavette, anyone?

[DanJMag]

Hello fellow SBGs. Been DE shaving for about a month, give or take, on my face, and just made the jump to the dome, which was a fantastic experience. I am interested in trying a straight razor, but I know that I am not up for the responsibility of one, with all the stropping and sharpening required (which are skills within themselves). So, I thought I might try a shavette. Not the same a straight razor cut, to be sure, but I like the idea of getting used to that style of shaving, while still being able to change the blade to a fresh, sharp one whenever I want. I figure by the time I master the technique with the shavette I may be ready to move on up. Anyone have any thoughts or advice. Also, on some sights I have seen straight razors with disposable single edge blades as well as shavettes, in the same section of the site. Is there any difference between the two? They look fairly similar....

[warhawk]

Hi Dan:  As you know, I love my DE and SE shaves.  One thing about straight razors is that (for me), I do not like the maintenance part of SR shaving.  If you don't know how to hone a SR than you would have to let a professional do it for you.  Plus it can get more expensive than DE/SE shaving.

That is why I have a Feather Artist Club SS.  It uses the Feather Professional single edge blades.  I have a good friend who uses SR and he said that the Feather Artist club blades are sharper than the SR.

I have only tried my Feather AC a couple of times on my face and I cut myself pretty bad both times.  It requires a very challenging learning curve which I kinda placed on hold.  Maybe one day I will revisit the Feather Artist Club.  This is the one I got.  It comes in the folding type and kamisori type.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=feather+artist+club+ss&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=1848668992&ref=pd_sl_qrrap5vmq_ee

WARHAWK

[DanJMag]

Hi Warhawk. Thanks for the info. I haven't even been brave enough to try the feather blades in my DE yet. I don't think that's where I'd want to start if I moved  forward with this. I was looking at some of the Parker SE razors, which will accept any regular DE blade broken in half (though the though of snapping a new razor blade in half fills me with a certain amount of trepidation). Looking for the next logical step between DE and SR, knowing that I have no SE skills at all, to start. Something that will be forgiving enough to allow me to learn the craft. It seems like the Feather AC you described is more suited for someone who already has the skills, and less for someone to learn with.

[warhawk]

Hi Dan:  We also have a SBG member who uses a shavette.  It's our very own..."Bluebriz" aka Brian.  He is an experienced shavette shaver and hopefully he can chime in when he sees this post.
On a side note... do not be afraid of the Feather blade.  With proper pre-pepping the face and dome and patience, the Feather blade will reward you with some incredible shaves.

WARHAWK

[warhawk]

Hi Dan:  As with anything in life whether it is shaving, riding a bike, fishing, swimming, etc... you obtain the skills but learning.  With that said... the Feather Artist Club is a tool that must be learned like how you finally learned to use a DE razor.

There are many people who have used the Feather AC razor that did not have the skill.  Agian, before having the skill you must learn.  So... as far as the shavette and the Feather AC; you must learn my friend.  And I know a lot of people who started off with the Feather AC to get into the SR way of shaving.  Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

WARHAWK

[DanJMag]

Thanks for the advice, Warhalk. I took another look at the Feather. While it is the nicest one I have come across in my wanderings, it is a bit more than I wanted to spend at the moment. I think I may go with the Dovo Shavette, which is about 1/3 of the cost of the Feather (in Canada, at least), is fairly well reviewed, and will accept both standard DE blades snapped in half as well as the long style SE blades. And, yeah, I think I'll put in a Feather blade when my next DE razor is in need of a fresh blade. Thanks!

[Bluebriz]

There is a wealth of information in this thread from Badger and blade http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/360385-Shavette-And-Barber-Razor-Enthusiast-(SABRE)-group

I've never used the Dovo but I know the Parker models are very good to start with.  Even cheaper options are the Sanguine shavettes which are very cheap on ebay.  I've heard good things about the Coolcut 4. http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEEL-Shaving-Razor-Traditional-Shaving-Shaving-Blades-Barber-Razors-Sanguine-/110848925885?pt=UK_Health_HairRemoval_RL&var=&hash=item19cf1c60bd

If you like the look of the Feathers but not the price then there are also models by CJB and Sam Seong available on ebay (search cjb razor on ebay and you'll see one of each), but both use special blades (made by Feather, Kai, Samsung, Dorco...) which are a bit more expensive.  I'm not sure of the prices in the US, but you should remember that they're generally good for 10-15 shaves, which is more than most people get from DE blades.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Shavettes or disposable blade straights (Shavette has become the accepted name even though it's the model name of the Dovos) can give great shaves, but they need practice and a light touch.  You'll probably be amazed by how sharp the feather and kai blades are for the razors mentioned above!

[Bluebriz]

No reply from Dan for a few days.  I hope he hasn't hurt himself with his new shavette 😫

[DanJMag]

Hi, Brian. Thanks for the advice. I check my new replies everyday, I'm not sure how I missed your original reply; but, no, I did not hurt myself. Lol. At least not yet!. I just checked Canada Post and it looks like my Dovo Shavette should be delivered today (along with some long blades). I intend to take the plunge this weekend. I will let you know how it turns out.

[DanJMag]

Also, Brian, I have been taking a look at the Feather Artist Club SS models. I know myself, and if I become enamored with the straight style of shaving it probably won't be long before I will be looking for an upgrade. So, in regards to the Feather ACs, would you recommend the folding type, or the non-folding Japanese style. I sure do like the look of the Japanese style Feather, and it almost seems like they would be easier to manipulate, without the scales. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

[Crowbar]

I have been using straights for a while now and I also have the feather artist club with pearl handle. It is a beautiful Shavette both in looks and design and I believe when you compare it to others it is well worth the money

The feather blades are sharper than you will ever get a straight razor,
so the technique when shaving with the feather is different compared to using a straight razor I have found

[Crowbar]

P.s I am experimenting with stropping the feather artist club blades. What I do is move the blade straight down and out of the razor until it is just gripping it. Then I strop

This will extend the blade life hopefully. I am also thinking that if I can make a simple holder for the blade, there is no reason why these blades couldn't also be honed on sharpening stones

If you search for my 100 straight razor shaves thread you'll see what I am talking about re honing

[Crowbar]

Looking forward to reading your review after you have used your new Shavette a few more times!

[DanJMag]

Well, patience has never been my strong suit, so I could not wait for the weekend to try my Dovo Shavette. I just did my first (partial) straight shave. I say partial because there were just some areas that were a little too awkward to try with confidence the first time. Navigating around the goatee, and some ATG strokes under my jawline were neglected, but I did between the sideburns and the jawline, and ATG from the bottom of my neck up to the goatee. It went really well. No bloodshed, so that was encouraging, and shaving the areas I did shave felt quite comfortable. I'm encouraged, that's for sure. Also, the areas I did get are totally smooth. The Shavette seems to work really well. My normal DE routine for my face is 3 passes, all ATG. I have a feeling that once I get the hang of holding the Shavette as required to get all areas, that one WTG pass and one ATG pass should do. It's definitely a style of shaving that is immediately enjoyable, if not fully successful. Yet.

[greatnessinc]

I personally wouldn't dare to use a straight razor or a shavette on my dome. DE is my comfort spot. When I was shaving my face, I found the shavette to be great at getting directly under the nose. I have a Parker SR1 which uses a DE snapped in half.