Shavettes in to straights?

Satanfriendly

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LeJog 2022 Finisher
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I have always flat fell flat on my face with straight razors but I keep getting an urge to nail it one day.

Is a shavette a good way in to learning technique? I really don't want to go down the road of the maintenance etc of a straight unless I am 100% confident about what I am doing. A shavette appears to remove this side and I have enough AC blades to keep me happy for a lifetime.

Any advice please and as always very welcomed
 
I have always flat fell flat on my face with straight razors but I keep getting an urge to nail it one day.

Is a shavette a good way in to learning technique? I really don't want to go down the road of the maintenance etc of a straight unless I am 100% confident about what I am doing. A shavette appears to remove this side and I have enough AC blades to keep me happy for a lifetime.

Any advice please and as always very welcomed
The technique of shaving is similar so yes a good step towards a straight razor. :) P.
 
The Artist Club format gets pretty close. If you pick up a Kai Captain or a Feather DX you will get a fairly similar feel. The Feather SS and the wooden handled Kai both have a lip which makes the shaving experience more hybrid and less close to a traditional straight shave.

The Kai Captain with an AC Pro blade or the Feather DX with a Pro Guard blade both feel a lot like a synth sharpened straight to me.

What you will miss out on is blade length and the softer edges that can be put on a traditional straight.
 
I have always flat fell flat on my face with straight razors but I keep getting an urge to nail it one day.

Is a shavette a good way in to learning technique? I really don't want to go down the road of the maintenance etc of a straight unless I am 100% confident about what I am doing. A shavette appears to remove this side and I have enough AC blades to keep me happy for a lifetime.

Any advice please and as always very welcomed


Actually I'm going the opposite direction. I learnt SR shaving with a conventional SR and now switched to a shavette. I believe this is the easier way.
 
Thank you for your replies and appreciated.

I was thinking towards an option of getting in to learning a straight without having to go down the straight road. I thought a shavette might have been a good place to start but reading between the lines, 'not in every case'

I take it the technique is much the same and assume they can do just as much collateral and no more forgiving.
 
Thank you for your replies and appreciated.

I was thinking towards an option of getting in to learning a straight without having to go down the straight road. I thought a shavette might have been a good place to start but reading between the lines, 'not in every case'

I take it the technique is much the same and assume they can do just as much collateral and no more forgiving.
On a personal note I've found a straight razor to be more forgiving than the AC type shavettes but that may just be someting I found and may not be common across the board :) P.
 
Buy one ready to shave straight and play, if you like it, then get the strop, paste, stone, and lapping film. I feel like the maintenance is endless.
 
re technique using straight or shavette

go slow in mindfulness style, if you feel a slight burning sensation you will automatically pull blade back before any real harm is done

go fast and furios and bad things might happen

slow or fast, one thing to avoid like the plague in my experience is a razor with unmuted spike tip
 
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On a personal note I've found a straight razor to be more forgiving than the AC type shavettes but that may just be someting I found and may not be common across the board :) P.
SR are less sharp so they are more forgiven than Shavettes. Even if you can shave with a SR you have to be ever so gentle with a Shavette but you get used to a shavette and find the right blade for you then it's very enjoyable.


Buy one ready to shave straight and play, if you like it, then get the strop, paste, stone, and lapping film. I feel like the maintenance is endless.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the maintenance but you only need a finishing stone OR paste OR lapping film to refresh the edge, you will need a strop no matter what. It's not so bad if you actually learn to shave with a SR.
 
Problem for a newbie with "you only need a finishing stone" is stropping, mess up and a refresh may not be enough to get back to shave ready.
 
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I started with half DE shavettes, graduated to straights and then bought a Feather AC SS out of curiosity.

Despite the fearsome reputation of the AC blades, I found the SS much more forgiving than a half-DE type shavette. Love the AC SS and I would recommend it to anyone starting out.

If the price is an issue, there are clones for a fraction of the price, and in all honesty they perform just as well as the real thing. I own both. True the real ones are made from better materials, and will last a lifetime, but if you want to try before you splash the cash, the clones are just as good.
 
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