Worst shave so far

Bigjohn

Bigjohn

Messages
59
Location
Saffron Walden
Hi all

Followed my usual routine today

Hot shower
Hot towels
Bluebeards shave oil
Bluebeards shave cream bowl lathered with badger hair brush
Shavette with polsilver blade (1)
Cold face rinse and cold towels

Nicks a and bleeding everywhere. Would stop with. Old towels, alum block or Styptic matches.
Still trying to stop it nearly an hour later.

Only thing different is it was 3 days growth I was shaving off. Up until today I had been shaving everyday for about 5 days straight.

Any help or thoughts

Regards
 
I don't think the fact that it was 3 day's growth makes a difference - when you are shaving with a bare edge as in a shavette, you are cutting whiskers at skin level therefore why should there be a difference? Obviously a safety razor can be different because of clogging.

The things to look out for are angle and pressure - we will all get the odd nick where we catch a spot or whatever, but if you've ended up with lots of cuts it's because you've approached your face at the wrong angle. A brand new blade will possibly make things worse - I generally use a straight but if I use a new Feather SE blade in my Cobra or Feather razor I run it through a cork 3 or 4 times to take the extreme sharpness off.

Personally I'm not a fan of shavettes that use cut down or whole DE blades and what you are finding seems all too common. If you want something different, try the Feather/Kai or similar cheaper straight and don't forget that SE razors can be picked up very cheaply as well.

In the meantime I'd give the shavette a rest and go back to the DE.

Forgot to mention - take a look at the thread about stopping bleeding - both talcum powder and black pepper are given as last resorts such as you needed.
 
Hi ukrob

Thanks for this. Putting it down to just a bad day. I am going to go back to daily shaving but maybe with the DE for a bit.

Excuse my ignorance. Is the feather/Kai a straight ? Single edge? A different shavette?

Is feather/Kai one manufacturer or two desperate?

Sorry so much to learn.

Big John
 
No need for apologies John - the whole point of the forum is to share experiences and give advice where possible.

The Feather range (Japan) covers both folding and straight design (kamisori) razors - the difference between them and traditional straights is that they take a branded SE blade that is longer than a DE and is specifically designed for their razors. Kai manufacture very similar razors and are even more expensive but both of them are superb quality.

In theory you would say that there is not a great difference between them and shavettes - after all, some shavettes come with their own branded SE blade. Where there is a noticeable difference is in quality and, this is my personal opinion, I don't like the thought of a cut down DE blade as an open edge. Handling and weight/balance are other factors in Feather/Kai's favour and both manufacture different types of blade depending on your preference. There is another Korean make CJB which is much cheaper than either Feather or Kai and as all three take any of the others blades it's a good alternative at not a great deal of money. Search for the thread.
 
I had a very similar time last week, had been using a parker shavette with some good success for a few days, then one morning carved the shit out of my face on one side. Purely down to lack of concentration and incorrect angles. and now i'm attempting to get to grips with my new straight (thanks rob).
 
Hi All

Braved the face again tonight but this time I just used my DE and just used the shavette for the sideburns. Much better results, a few tiny blood spots but they stopped with the cold flannel and two required the alum block.

Much happier tonight than I was 24 hours ago lol.

Regards
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom