Recommendations for a newbie living out of a backpack?

**Goyu** · 05-17-2012, 03:31 AM

So I recently grew a beard. Which for me, is sort of ill-advised, because I have impressively wiry, tough facial hair (I once dated a girl who literally would have nothing to do with me in the bedroom if I hadn't shaved that day) and pretty soft, sensitive skin. Shaving has always been a sort of unpleasant experience for me, usually resulting in those evil red bumps or just general skin irritation, my time in the military was pretty unpleasant as well, as I was often sent home mid-workday to shave a second time, as my superiors were sometimes convinced I hadn't shaven at all (because it grows so fast). I'd NEVER experienced what I now know to be called a BBS shave.

Until yesterday.

So I had this beard, and after four weeks without shaving, it had gotten pretty uncomfortable. But shaving is such a nightmare when it gets that long, and I can't really afford to be buying things like electric trimmers, because as I live out of a backpack, space is sort of at a premium, and each thing I buy tends to replace something else. So I went to a barber and was just going to ask him to buzz my beard, but due to a translation issue, he thought I wanted a full shave.

Best mistranslation to come of my crappy Spanish skills ever. My face was clean shaven, and I could run my fingers against the grain and feel nothing but smoothness. So I'm hooked, no more crappy disposables or nine-bladed, vibrating mach-whatever's for me, thank you very much. I'll take a straight razor.

But there's the catch: I live out of a backpack, and sort of need to keep everything I buy portable. It seems to me that a strop and hone would be a bit of hassle to lug about everywhere I go. Does anyone have recommendations on where to start as far as buying a straight-style razor and appropriate travel gear? I was looking at a shavette (Dovo caught my eye) or a Feather RG folder, but I would really like some feedback before I just dive in. I'll probably get a classic "actual straight" razor when I'm done wandering around, but for now, avoiding the maintenance-related gear makes sense.

Bonus points if your suggestion looks totally awesome.

**Sledgehammer39** · 05-17-2012, 03:38 AM

Welcome Aboard!! Dovo has a decent selection, but the Parker 31R is better IMHO in the shavette department. The Parker is about ~20 bucks and is pretty solid.

**coachschaller** · 05-17-2012, 03:40 AM

You can try the Shavette using 1/2 a DE blade. The blades should be able to be picked up wherever you go! You could go with the Feather, but you might need to order blades. I have used a Shavette before going to real straights and still use it as a travel option. You will not have to worry about sharpening the blade and they are light. IF you go with a straight you could look into a paddle strop or travel strop and use a barber hone to maintain the blade. The advantage of the disposable straight types is that you will get a feeling for technique and will not have to deal with dull blades. However, you will still need to find the right blade for your razor and face combo. I use straights now with the exception of the shavette for travel.

**Goyu** · 05-17-2012, 03:48 AM

Thanks for the feedback. Although, I don't know what DE means, or what a barber's hone is. I'm guessing from context that it's just a smaller option as far as honing? Ideally, I'd prefer to use a straight as it would be nice to never be without a blade, but I'd be pretty concerned about the space that strop and hone would take up.

In response to what you said about finding the right blade for your razor and face, do you just mean that I'm probably going to have to do a bit of experimenting?

Also, is there anything to recommend the Parker over the Dovo or Feather? Price isn't a huge issue, but performance is.

**coachschaller** · 05-17-2012, 04:38 AM

DE stands for Double Edge. It is a single blade that fits into the safety razors. You can still find them in most drug stores. One uses them in a safety razor for a few shaves and then tosses/recycles them and put in a new blade. There are dozens of manufactures out there for blades and you can find them as cheap as a few cents per blade up to about 50 cents per blade. In the Parker and Dovo Shavette one would break a blade in half and place it in the holder of the straight. In the feather, one must use their proprietary blade (which are more expensive), but the shaves and the razor itself is leaps and bounds better quality that the Parker or Shavette. The Feather disposable straight is going to cost a lot more money, but is quality compared to the others. If you were to go the route of a safety razor or Shavette/Parker, you would need to do some experimenting with different DE blade manufactures to find out what works for your razor and face combo. The forum here is full of pros and cons of different blades. Some blades are the bee's knees for some, while they tear up others' faces. Many of the vendors will sell sample packs of different blades - I highly recommend that route to find out what works best. If you go with a real straight razor, make sure it is professionally honed and not factory honed. One can get quality vintage blades from the classifieds here or from a couple of vendors. Once you have a shave ready blade, one can keep up the sharpness using only a barber's hone for 6 months up to infinity - if you don't ding your blade. Barber hones are about 2-3 inches by 1/2 an inch by 6 inches. You will need to learn to shave with any of these systems and the technique will take some time. Check out this forum along with wiki's on how to get properly started. There are plenty of youtube videos as well.

**Jim** · 05-17-2012, 05:06 AM

Goyu,
Welcome to B&B.

I will elaborate on what Coach said above, the tool is only a very small part of the equation in getting a great shave. The man holding the razor is more important than the tool itself. There is a learning curve to becoming proficient with any wet shaving tool and the straights are perhaps at the difficult end for all the reasons of maintenance as well as the act of shaving itself.
Stop in the Newbies forum and read the tutorials posted in the stickies. Keep us posted on your progress.

**Slash McCoy** · 05-17-2012, 08:57 AM

I am a straight shaver, but in your situation maybe a DE would be better. I suggest a vintage Gillette Slim Adjustable, or a Super Adjustable, or a Fatboy. These three are adjustable so you can easily customize the razor for whatever blade you happen to have available. If you want to go cheap, a Tech can be had on ebay for as little as $5. I most definitely recommend against a shavette type razor. You will cut yourself much more with one of those Franken-razors than with a proper straight or DE. Personally, I hate them. YMMV of course.

If you insist on a straight, you will need a strop and also something to maintain your edge with. A hanging strop can be rolled up but it can cause wrinkles and cracks in some. So I would go with a bench strop, basically a piece of wood with some leather glued to it. For maintenance, a block of balsa, 1" x 3" x 12", pasted with .5u diamond, would work fine. Or maybe 1u on one side, and CrOx on the other. You could go a LONG time between honings if you give your razor a dozen laps on the pasted balsa after every shave. A small badger brush like maybe a Tweezerman, will gitterdone. Don't use mug and soap... use cream, from a tube. Squeeze a dab into your palm. Mix in a little water. Pick it up with your wet brush and face lather.

A full size sheet of newspaper makes a decent emergency or expedient strop. Fold it lengthwise until it is about 3" wide. Pass one end of it over a horizontal bar like a towel rack, pinch both ends together and pull it tight against the towel bar, and strop. Not as good as leather, but better than nothing.

**petr** · 05-17-2012, 09:51 AM

In what countries are you traveling? If feasible, I'd keep going to a barber twice a week.

**Goyu** · 05-17-2012, 08:07 PM

Petr, I'll be in Mexico and just about everywhere between on the way to Brazil. It's not cost effective to get a barber shave twice a week in Mexico, but might be once I get further into central American. In any case, I'd prefer not to be dependent on finding barbers and trusting that all possess the same level of skill in shaving. It's really a skillset I'd like to develop myself, regardless.

Slash, can you tell me what specifically it is about "franken-razors" that you don't like? I've looked into a safety razor, and I'm considering the Bluebeard's Revenge (yeah... I confess... I just kind of think it looks cool). Is there really a great deal of variance in the performance of one safety razor over another?

Jim (the old curmudgeon), thanks for your input. I'm sort of considering the idea of picking up a few (cheaper) options and testing them out and seeing if one method jumps out at me as being preferable. Currently looking at barber's hones and travel strops to look into the possibility of traveling with a true straight, and maybe having one of these DE's as a backup in case sharpening isn't feasible or (the horror) I ding my blade.

**Slash McCoy** · 05-17-2012, 10:29 PM

The blade and holder are not a single monolithic structure. The rigidity and heft/feel of a normal straight razor are not there. The wafer type blade is quicker to cut. They just aren't RIGHT. They have no class, no cool. A proper straight handles and shaves better, IMHO.

**vreddy2000** · 05-17-2012, 10:55 PM

+1 on the parker, if you want a straight experience without the straight maintenance.
the dovo comes with a plastic sleeve that you take out and insert the half blade into.
the parker , you flip open a tab and insert..
blade exposure is less in the parker compared to a dovo IMO and that gives you more leeway and a shorter learning curve.

biggest lesson for me when switching was that less is more..
be very gentle when you bring the razor to your face.. 0 pressure..
no scraping ..
what helped me was the thought that you are slicing hair...not scraping it off...

The parker does not look as cool as a straight but it definitely gets the job done and maintenance is as easy as wiping it down with a tissue after use..

and give yourself time..if it took you 5 mins to shave with the multi razor ..it will take you at least 20 with a straight/shavette/de razor

gl in your travels...

**Goyu** · 05-17-2012, 11:26 PM

Slash. Thanks for clarifying. The Franken-razor name seems very apt when you put it that way.

Vreddy, thanks for the tips! I've been waffling on the idea of a parker, and I'm also looking at a Bluebeard's revenge

http://www.shaving-shack.com/the-blu...le-blades.html

I appreciate the endorsement of the Parker, though, while still addressing it's shortcomings (who DOESN'T want a cool-looking razor?).

**publius2k4** · 05-18-2012, 12:33 AM

I would recommend using a DE safety razor for portability and travel. Also, using a stick of Arko shave soap would save a considerable amount of space that would be usually taken up by the shave mug. Using the DE safety razor over a straight razor would provide similar results without all the extra maintenance. After you acquire more permanent living arrangements, getting a straight razor and all the required accessories would be a more feasible undertaking.

In theory, all you would need for a DE safety razor would be a stick of shave soap, the razor, extra blades, a shave brush, and water. You could also swap out the shave brush and shave soap for a can of shaving cream, but in my opinion the brush and shave soap really add to the experience.

**KMF79** · 05-18-2012, 03:43 AM

+1 to what publius2k4 said. A DE is your money ticket while traveling.

While you're debating on what to get, check out the Edwin Jagger DE8911 series of razors. They have a great finish to them and perform very well. The skull and crossbones are pretty cool, I have to admit, but IMO the Jagger is an overall nicer piece.

**Jim** · 05-18-2012, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by Goyu

Slash. Thanks for clarifying. The Franken-razor name seems very apt when you put it that way.

Vreddy, thanks for the tips! I've been waffling on the idea of a parker, and I'm also looking at a Bluebeard's revenge

http://www.shaving-shack.com/the-blu...le-blades.html

I appreciate the endorsement of the Parker, though, while still addressing it's shortcomings (who DOESN'T want a cool-looking razor?).

A cool looking comfortable shave is a bit better!

**Go West Young Man** · 05-18-2012, 07:41 AM

A big +1 to the advice to buy a better lathering product, and learn HOW to shave. Even with a cartridge or disposable you'll get much better results.

**Goyu** · 05-22-2012, 10:23 PM

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I decided on a compromise. I've bought a very classy Torrey 992 that a reputable seller is restoring for me and will send to a friend of mine who is receiving some Amazon gear before he mails it all out as one priority DHL shipment. I picked up a Simpson Wee Scot travel brush and I'll be putting it in an old prescription bottle with some holes punched in it (to let it air out). I also got some nifty Colonel Conk shave soap. It comes in this watertight case, which is pretty nice for someone in my position. The guy selling/restoring the razor is also including a self-designed travel strop and a hone with a protective leather case (so I don't nick it).

To account for those times when stropping/honing just isn't feasible, or in case I (the horror!) nick my blade, I've also gotten an affordable safety razor. Edwin Jagger DE86BL or something, and a pack of Derby's. Did I miss anything?

**shakin_jake** · 05-22-2012, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by Goyu

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I decided on a compromise. I've bought a very classy Torrey 992 that a reputable seller is restoring for me and will send to a friend of mine who is receiving some Amazon gear before he mails it all out as one priority DHL shipment. I picked up a Simpson Wee Scot travel brush and I'll be putting it in an old prescription bottle with some holes punched in it (to let it air out). I also got some nifty Colonel Conk shave soap. It comes in this watertight case, which is pretty nice for someone in my position. The guy selling/restoring the razor is also including a self-designed travel strop and a hone with a protective leather case (so I don't nick it).

To account for those times when stropping/honing just isn't feasible, or in case I (the horror!) nick my blade, I've also gotten an affordable safety razor. Edwin Jagger DE86BL or something, and a pack of Derby's. Did I miss anything?

~~~Hi Goyu!, I've been following with interest! IMO, you've made some good decisions on gear. I'm curious though as to what type of hone they're sending to you

your trip sounds like fun

Best,

Jake
Reddick Fla.

**coachschaller** · 05-23-2012, 03:39 AM

you might think about adding or substituting some Derby blades for others. They may not match your razor or face.

**mistervee123** · 05-23-2012, 05:26 AM

Using a shavette with a 1/2 blade can be tedious, but +1 on getting blades most anywhere. I would purchase and carry both the half and full blade sleeves to allow me some options, and I would carry full blades and restock when back in civilization as often as possible. That said however, I think I (emphasis on I) would use some kind of DE instead to make it easier, quicker, and less technique intensive to shave--if I was living on the move, so to speak.

If I was living out of a backpack (and I have), IMHO, I would be carrying a Wee Scot, or maybe a Duke 1 or similar, to use for face lathering. That way I wouldn't have to carry a lather bowl. I'd be carrying a tube of shaving cream which is quick and easy to use over tubs or pucks. The tube also has the benefit of an easy to pack shape that diminishes in size with each use. Oh, I would carry the tube or tub in a zip lock bag to protect against spills inside my pack.