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Shavette vs DE experiment!

There has been some debate lately on the subject of differences between a straight shave and a DE shave in terms of closeness and softness of skin after the shave. Being mainly a straight shaver, I like to think that my shaves are closer than a DE shave and that the post shave skin feeling is silky smooth instead of just smooth. I must admit this is only speculation but this evening I am embarking on an experiment that if successful should give some evidence either way. Thus using the same prep, brush and soap, I will attempt to shave one side of my face with a shavette loaded with half a Personna and the other half with a slim adjustable set to 9 loaded with a Personna blade from the same box. I do not have any more aggressive DE than the slim so it will have to do. On my next shave on thursday evening, I will clean the slate with a full straight shave using a regular straight and then on saturday I will perform the same type of shave as this evening but switching sides shaved with DE and the shavette. I will tell you how I get on.
 
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IMHO, this is not a valid comparison of anything other than the effectivness of various blade holders. If you really want to test the difference between a straight razor and a DE, use a straight razor not a shavette. Secondly, since you will be making the judgement as to the quality of the shave, you are likely to bias the results since you will know which side is which. You should actually allow someone else, who does not know which side was shaved with what, to make the call.
 
IMHO, this is not a valid comparison of anything other than the effectivness of various blade holders. If you really want to test the difference between a straight razor and a DE, use a straight razor not a shavette. Secondly, since you will be making the judgement as to the quality of the shave, you are likely to bias the results since you will know which side is which. You should actually allow someone else, who does not know which side was shaved with what, to make the call.

On my next shave on thursday evening, I will clean the slate with a full straight shave using a regular straight

IMHO, YHO (Your Humble Opinion) is wrong, and dismissive.The gentlemans post was only one paragraph long. The least you could have done was read it all the way through, before dismissing his experiment as not being valid....He clearly states he'll use a regular straight as well, never mind the fact that three thread title is ” Shavette vs DE Experiment !”, and not ” Straight Razor vs DE Experiment”.......
 
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IMHO, YHO (Your Humble Opinion) is wrong, and dismissive.The gentlemans post was only one pargraph long. The least you could have done was read it all the way through, before dismissing his experiment as not being valid....He clearly states he'll use a regular straight as well.

+1
 
I am not saying that this is going to be an experiment which will settle this issue once and for all, I just want to try it and see what happens and then communicate my observations to you to the best of my abilities. It is quite obvious that I am biased and therefore I hope others will give this experiment a shot to confirm or disprove my observations.

To do an objective and comprehensive study on this issue you would need to find yourself a statistically significant cohort of men with no experience whatsoever of either a DE or a straight, subject them to a general anesthetic and them have them shaved by a professional barber after which they would be asked to fill in a lengthy questionnaire on the results of the shave. Such a procedure is however beyond the scope of my experiment.

:wink2:
 
1st experiment

Prep: facewash with Fitjar Nyasha soap followed by rinse and application of Fitjar Folgefonn SC massaged into stubble. Then I made lather from euro Palmolive lathering with my Vie Long horse hair brush whilst leaving the cream on my face. I finally applied a hot towel to the beard for 2 x 30 secs prior to face lathering.

Right side: Gillette slim adjustable at setting 9. Shaved with right hand
Left side: Dovo shavette. Shaved with left hand except on XTG where I always use the right hand.
Blade: Personna in both razors.
Shave details: 3 pass WTG, XTG and finally ATG starting with the DE on WTG and ATG and with the shavette on XTG.

Initial impressions: the shavette side causes quite a bit more tingling upon rinsing than the DE side. I had a few nicks on the shavette side especially on the neck whereas the DE caused nicks on my upper lip. The upper lip is better shaven on the DE side but the shavette did a better job on the neck and the chin. Both sides have a very acceptable DFS quality. It is too early to feel any smoothness difference because of the Speick ASB.

Fccexpert has a point regarding the subjectivity of my impressions so I thought SWMBO will act as second opinion. She will not be informed on which side is which. Also I am a bit out of practice using DEs so I gave it the advantage of the fresher lather on two out of the three passes. I will get back to you when I have more.
 
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Your results should be interesting. Of course many factors will be at play here, and as most experienced shavers realize YMMV is the biggest.

I for one would side with the shavette, because just like a regular straight this type of straight is the ultimate adjustable. IMHO anyone who has the experience with, and is comfortable with using a straight, should have an overall better shave. Your results should be interesting.
 
I know nothing about straights but what is the difference between a straight and shavette? I mostly want to know because I will ask a barber which is he using.
 
I know nothing about straights but what is the difference between a straight and shavette? I mostly want to know because I will ask a barber which is he using.

straight is a slab of steel with edge, a shavette uses disposable 1/2 DE style blade set like a straight.. your barber probably uses a shavette.
 
straight is a slab of steel with edge, a shavette uses disposable 1/2 DE style blade set like a straight.. your barber probably uses a shavette.

Oh okay. Well here is a picture from the website of the equipment:

proxy.php


That's a shavette right? How is its performance?
 
I use both a straight razor and a DE. It depends on how much time I have. I tend to take more time when using the straight because I like my nose on my face. The results are basically the same. The blade I use has a lot to do with the quality of the shave. The DE's you get at the grocery store are good and get the job done but they are not the best. Your straight razor and your DE blade need to be the same brand just so you can assume that the quality is the same. If you use a traditional straight with out removable blades then your ability to sharpen a razor will determind wich shave is best. My Feather straight has a removable blade that is not half a DE and the blades that Feather makes give me the closest shave. I also have discovered that the Wiliknson Sword DE blades that you get from Wal-Mart are pretty good.
 
well, that's pretty much a dovo straight... so perhaps they use a straight.. i wonder if that's marketing material though..

Oh okay. Well here is a picture from the website of the equipment:

proxy.php


That's a shavette right? How is its performance?
 
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Very cool. Does the Slim on 9 seem a little to aggressive or is that part of the parameters of the test?

When shaving with the slim I usually prefer put it on 5-7, but for the purpose of the experiment I thought dialing it up to 9 was more appropriate. On 9 it gives just as good a shave as on 7 but feels more aggressive.

It is now about 8 hours post shave and in all honesty, I must confess that there is still no significant tactile difference between the two sides. SWMBO has not had a feel yet. When I open my jaw, I do however notice that the shavette side seems a bit more taught than the DE side which is in line with the shavette being more aggressive than the DE.
 
SWMBO just confirmed my observations, she did a thorough check and could not feel any difference whatsoever.
 
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