Another newbie 1st shavette shave

[EB Newfarm]

I took the plunge today and tried my shavette that I have been staring at for a few weeks. I only did my cheeks and went WTG. I was fairly nervous and decided to quit while I was ahead and finished up with a DE.
I had been reading here a lot about how to begin- I also found out after I bought the shavette that many find an actual straight to be a good option to lean on instead of a shavette. Oh well, I don't have a straight-yet.
I tried to keep a very light touch, and to make small strokes, just taking off the lather. I also made my lather (Stirling MITA) more slick and a bit runny. Everything went well. No nicks or weepers and no burn. I hope next time I might be more comfortable and try to cover more ground.
Am I right that Larry (WD) does not do the sight unseen thing? If so, I am looking for advice about a cheap way to try straights in case I don't like it.

 

[Andy77]

Good for you for taking the plunge! I (and many others) found Shavettes extremely difficult and painful for many reasons.


Whipped dog’s site doesn’t list the sight unseen razors anymore. If that’s true ya the end of an era!! In terms of new, kn the ~$100 range, Ralf Aust makes a 5/8 that is one of my favorites (among many other, higher priced razors).

 

[EB Newfarm]

Thanks Andy77 - I want to do that Whipped Dog sight unseen deal, but read that he does not do it anymore.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Yeah, the sight unseen deal was pretty cool. I think it was becoming more work than it was worth. Probably everyone was specifying what they were looking for in minute detail, stuff like that. But if you look at his site, there are still some nice vintage blades for very reasonable prices, shave ready of course. Check out the prices on his 30mm silvertip brushes. That is a pretty big brush, holds a lot of product too. I have had silkier badgers on my face but his knots are still pretty good, silky but firm and dense, and darn good for the price. I think I have three of tahem, with the big handle. One is with me on the ship, one on my boat, one at GF house.

Nothing wrong with a decent shavette for learning. I have at least 15 lbs of straight razors. I have heavily modded them, restored them, even made a few from scratch. Know what I have shaved with for the last 2-1/2 months? A "Magic Razor" shavette from Sallys, with Feather DE blades snapped in half. Why? Tired of my strops getting creased and wrinkled and deformed in my seabag, carrying plates and film and balsa, all that stuff. I shave ONLY with a straight at home, with occasional use of wedge blade hoe handle razors, because while I like the shave just a bit more, I also enjoy the whole ritual and maintenance routine, and a straight just has class. But at work, I got enough stuff to carry already, and a pair of shavettes and a couple packs of blades, along with a big badger brush and a tube of Godrej or a couple pucks of VDH, a bottle of Lucky Tiger, do the job quite well enough.

But yeah, you do need to try a straight. Check whippeddog.com anyway, even though the sight unseen deal is no more. Watch BST. Sometimes good deals pop up, but the good ones get snapped up quick, so don't hesitate. Make sure the seller lists it as shave ready. Any member selling a shave ready razor is selling a razor that actually IS shave ready. Most ebay vendors selling shave ready razors don't have a clue what the word means, and don't even shave with a straight razor. There are a handful that are okay, though. Look for a large ebay store with a lot of razors, a good history and near perfect feedback. Check in here and see if anybody has bought from that seller. You might also spring for a new razor. www.thesuperiorshave.com is one of our favorite vendors here, and all his razors ship shave ready. My recommendation in new razors is a Dovo Bismarck or one of the several Bismarck shaped razors from Dovo, TI, Revisor, and other makers. Remember, Jarrod ships shave ready. Most vendors do not.

Since you have already started with the shavette, I suggest you stick with it for a few weeks, though, before punching the button on a straight. Keep the momentum going, and stay with what you got long enough to get good at it and comfortable with it, before trying something else. But of course if a really sweet deal pops up, or you see something that really strikes your fancy, who am I to say don't get it? My only warning is to not fall in love with a razor that you havent held in your hand yet. Or try not to, anyway.

 

[kingfisher]

West Coast Shaving is also selling vintage straight razors now; some of them come in at around $50 or $60.

Larry at Whipped Dog also has great prices on beginner strops and the like.

 

[Alum of Potash]

What kind of shavette do you have? And why don't you learn to shave with it before buying a straight?

 

[EB Newfarm]

Thanks for all of the info Slash, I will take your advice. I do plan to learn from my shavette- it was an impulse buy from The Holy Black. It takes a snapped-in-half DE blade. For some reason I thought it would be easier to learn on, but of course I bought the thing before I really read up on it. That's Ok as it was not really expensive, and I actually lathered up and tried going through the motions of a shave without a blade in it, just to figure out the movements and finger positions. I will keep going with it. Will look at WCS, the superior shave and also back to WD, and will try to hold off on buying anything until I know more.

 

[kluber]

I took the plunge today and tried my shavette that I have been staring at for a few weeks. I only did my cheeks and went WTG. I was fairly nervous and decided to quit while I was ahead and finished up with a DE.
I had been reading here a lot about how to begin- I also found out after I bought the shavette that many find an actual straight to be a good option to lean on instead of a shavette. Oh well, I don't have a straight-yet.
I tried to keep a very light touch, and to make small strokes, just taking off the lather. I also made my lather (Stirling MITA) more slick and a bit runny. Everything went well. No nicks or weepers and no burn. I hope next time I might be more comfortable and try to cover more ground.
Am I right that Larry (WD) does not do the sight unseen thing? If so, I am looking for advice about a cheap way to try straights in case I don't like it.

Congrats on your shavette first run!

No blood? Excellent....Already better than my first try. Had a Parker SRX (I believe that’s the right model) and had a nice slice from the corner of the blade on my cheek on the first few strokes!

Let us know how the journey continues to go. I could never get along with DE blade shavettes myself.

 

[GearNoir]

Well done on your first shavette shave! Keep up the practice!

 

[Rory1262]

I watched this video yesterday (because I have developed an interest in the Crown King, which is what I believe the Holy Black is, rebranded).

I wish I'd watched it years ago before getting my first shavette. I finally understand skin stretching, and using the very short strokes also made a big difference.

​

 

[EB Newfarm]

Had my second shavette experience today and did more of my face, I did my cheeks and neck and tried to do the sideburn areas and even a small stroke on the side of my head. Finished up with the DE. I was far more confident and it worked fine. no cuts or weepers or irritation. The jawline is going to take a while to work up to. I have a goatee so the hardest part

 

[EB Newfarm]

Today I did my cheeks, neck, and sideburns, and a bit up on the head. No issues, but it is hard to figure out the angles. I realize my shavette is not that great, so I bought a Gold Dollar from Frank on Etsy. Small investment if I do not like it, although I already like the the shavette. I was using some Glacial Lime aftershave, and I could really tell where I had used my DE and where I had used the shavette.
Thanks for all the info, everyone.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Keep at it, EB. I'm a newbie with the straight format too, but am enjoying it so far. I had a few shaves with my Dovo Shavette, which like yours, uses the half DE blades. Then a few days ago, I suddenly decided to hone up and use the straight razor that had been lurking here for a few years, awaiting my attention.

Shaving with a razor that you've honed yourself, with no prior experience of straight razor honing or shaving is far from the recommended route, but I did it anyway All went well for a first attempt, and it's something I'll be doing more of in future.

I totally agree about the angles too. Everytime I move to a different area of the face, I have to stop and think about how to tackle it. It's going to be a good while before I become fluent even in that respect. I'm looking forward to getting past the cluelessbit of holding a razor up to my face and wondering how the heck I'm going to make it go in the direction I want without fumbling it, or poking my eye out with the scales

It's certainly fun, and it's rewarding too. I'm only doing occasional shaves with it at the moment, so I don't get frustrated with it and give up. I'm sure we'll both enjoy the shaves more as we improve.

 

[GearNoir]

The angles will come with lots of practice and care. I’m at over 100 SR/shavette shaves and I still make a bad stroke from time to time.

 

[EB Newfarm]

I totally agree about the angles too. Everytime I move to a different area of the face, I have to stop and think about how to tackle it. It's going to be a good while before I become fluent even in that respect. I'm looking forward to getting past the cluelessbit of holding a razor up to my face and wondering how the heck I'm going to make it go in the direction I want without fumbling it, or poking my eye out with the scales

That really sums it up!

 

[EB Newfarm]

Today I'm going to try my GD honed by Frank from Youstuckgold. It will be my first true SR shave! Kinda nervous. I need to be confident!

He included a beginner strop, and I figured the whole kit was small change if I wreck the strop or the razor as I learn to strop. I have watched a few stropping videos and read up on it here. In addition, I'm reading all that I can here on lapping, balsa, and methods.

 

[Slash McCoy]

No need for nervousness. If the shavette didn't gotcha, the GD won't gotcha, either. That GD will probably be much kinder to your face, assuming decent honing. It very likely won't have the raw cutting power of the shavette. You will get used to that, and maybe eventually learn to put a superior edge on the razor that will at least approach the sharpness of a disposable blade.

 

[GearNoir]

Today I'm going to try my GD honed by Frank from Youstuckgold. It will be my first true SR shave! Kinda nervous. I need to be confident!View attachment 894621He included a beginner strop, and I figured the whole kit was small change if I wreck the strop or the razor as I learn to strop. I have watched a few stropping videos and read up on it here. In addition, I'm reading all that I can here on lapping, balsa, and methods.

Great kit!

Treat it with the same care as the shavette and you’ll be fine. Stropping is an art in itself. Just remember to keep the leather firmly stretched at a comfortable level, not death grip, but firm. Lay the razor down to the surface, spine first, then very lightly roll it on the spine until the edge and spine are both in contact with the leather. Make “x” strokes with the spine leading and almost no pressure (only a tad is needed). You’ll get it!

 

[EB Newfarm]

So.... I did my pre-shave shower routine, whipped up some MITA, made it kind of runny and slick, got the alum block out to dry my non-shaving hand in order to get a good grip while stretching my skin, took a really deep breath, and shaved my right cheek, using the same technique as I did with the shavette. Major disappointment! It would not take the stubble off. I mean, not even a little. I re-lathered, tried a steeper angle, no luck, re-lathered and even put some pressure on the blade, no dice. Slash, I saw that you wrote that it would not be as sharp as a DE blade, but I could not get this to take any hair off in any manner. I eventually switched over to my Fatip DE and still had a good shave.
I wrote to the vendor, and he will take it back, but I am super bummed. He has a good reputation, both on Etsy and here, so I figured I would get a true shave ready razor to learn on. Unless I am doing something wrong. I told him the same thing I am writing here, and he just said to send them back for a refund. I might be doing something wrong.
So, the Whipped Dog option is no longer available- anyone have a recommendation on getting an inexpensive razor to learn on and make my mistakes with before going for something nicer? I have contacted Larry about a poor man's strop, Looked at WCS and Maggrds, but prices seem high for my initial blade. I mean, I would be happy to spring for a nice one, (I have looked at the Dovo Bismark a lot), but still want to have one I don't feel bad about jumping right in and messing around with.

 

[EB Newfarm]

The vendor has also offered to refund, re-hone, but assures me that it was honed and stropped well before he sent it out. He will stand behind his work, so that seems reassuring. He actually seems very cool and is trying to give me tips. Ugh, learning over the internet is tough. It should not be this hard-should it?