Parker Shavette

**GreekGuy** · 07-26-2012, 10:31 PM

I recently bought an SR1. I use it for traveling. Works brilliantly.

If you have good technique and good lather it does require a more careful touch and caution than a regular straight, but it can give fantastic, bloodless shaves. I don't prefer it to a "real" straight, but I prefer not to carry strops and fragile (not to mention expensive) blades with me when I travel

**Jtokle** · 07-27-2012, 07:33 AM

I started out with a Parker SR1 and Shark SS blades. It was very unforgiving but I enjoyed the challenge of learning with it. It took me about 10 shaves before I completed a shave without any blood, and it was another shave or two before I managed to get a better shave than I ever did with a cartridge. It is a fun way to learn if you enjoy a challenge, and the learning curve honestly isn't as steep as people on here will tell you. The only problem is that a lot of people will not stick with it through the terrible shaves you get in the beginning. For the first four or five shaves, my face honestly looked like I'd been head first through a bunch of razor wire. Then I'd finish my shave with a few weepers and a small cut or two. Then the weepers disappeared, and then the cuts did as well. When it finally clicked for me and I was able to shave without any blood, it felt amazing.

Now I'm experimenting with different blades. I've used Feathers for my last two shaves, and this morning I got a BBS shave with zero irritation with a Feather blade. I've been at it for about a month and a half, and I only shave every 2-3 days. Make no mistake, it is very unforgiving, but only when you don't know what you're doing. I've found that as my technique improves, I don't even worry about drawing blood anymore. I really wish that people would stop giving the shavette a bad rap around here, it's a great learning tool and if you can consistently get a good shave with it then you can pretty much shave with anything.

**adios_mach_3s** · 07-27-2012, 10:14 AM

Thanks, guys. I think I'll try one and see how it goes. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment.

**sychodelix** · 07-27-2012, 11:16 AM

Honestly, I'm thinking about giving my shavette another shot in a few days when my face heals up. Yeah, it's a painful learning experience, but it shaves like a dream.

**bvance554** · 07-28-2012, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by sychodelix

Honestly, I'm thinking about giving my shavette another shot in a few days when my face heals up. Yeah, it's a painful learning experience, but it shaves like a dream.

I used a shavette now and then, off and on for about a year before I finally got a real straight. I shed a lot of blood with it. I hadn't used it for a long time until last week. I was on the road and its all I had and I was very very pleased with how well it shaved. I used it again tonight. Dare I say it felt better than my real straights. And smooth. Amazing what a little bit of experience will do for you.

**Jtokle** · 07-29-2012, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by sychodelix

Honestly, I'm thinking about giving my shavette another shot in a few days when my face heals up. Yeah, it's a painful learning experience, but it shaves like a dream.

Definitely give it another shot. I'm getting the best shaves of my life right now with it. Just finished another BBS with no irritation except for a single tiny weeper, and that was only because my Wilkinson Sword blade decided to bite me. It wouldn't have happened with a better blade.

You should also try different blades. My early shaves were brutal and there was blood everywhere, but then one day (after around 10 shaves) it finally clicked for me with a Shark SS blade and I got nearly-BBS without a single drop of blood.
As my father would say, the learning curve builds character

**VirtualAsylum** · 07-29-2012, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by Jtokle

Definitely give it another shot. I'm getting the best shaves of my life right now with it. Just finished another BBS with no irritation except for a single tiny weeper, and that was only because my Wilkinson Sword blade decided to bite me. It wouldn't have happened with a better blade.

You should also try different blades. My early shaves were brutal and there was blood everywhere, but then one day (after around 10 shaves) it finally clicked for me with a Shark SS blade and I got nearly-BBS without a single drop of blood.
As my father would say, the learning curve builds character

I completely agree with this. I sold all of my DE's except my 34c, and lately I've been using a Dovo Shavette almost exclusively (stainless version is a must IMO- it's heavier). I'm getting to the point where I'm even getting good at using my non-dominant hand. I do recommend some sort of pre-shave with shavettes---something like proraso pre/post; either that, or a nice slick soap like Tabac/MWF. That accounted for, I find the shavette to deliver some of the best shaves I've ever had (and I think it's more fun than DE shaving). Only thing that takes a little getting used to is going ATG with a shavette...it takes some skill and patience to learn proper angle, pressure, and wrist motion, but the results are well-worth the effort.

Also- I firmly believe that blade choice is more important in shavettes than perhaps any other razor. I would highly recommend starting with something nice and mild like a dorco st300 blade to just get the hang of technique. Once you have the hang of using/guiding the razor, then step up to something sharper. With the shavette, I've personally found that Feathers are a no-go. Mind you, I can get an 95% BBS irritation-free shave, but it's REALLY hard to avoid getting at least one weeper during a 3-pass shave with those blades. For someone new to shavettes, those weepers would probably be slices.

On the other hand, Astra SP's give me FANTASTIC irritation/blood free shaves every single time....and at $8-10 for a 100 pack, how awesome is that?

That's my two-cents....make sure the soap is real slick and make sure you try different blades. That combo = shavette success, IMO. I love mine now!

**Jtokle** · 07-29-2012, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by VirtualAsylum

I completely agree with this. I sold all of my DE's except my 34c, and lately I've been using a Dovo Shavette almost exclusively (stainless version is a must IMO- it's heavier). I'm getting to the point where I'm even getting good at using my non-dominant hand. I do recommend some sort of pre-shave with shavettes---something like proraso pre/post; either that, or a nice slick soap like Tabac/MWF. That accounted for, I find the shavette to deliver some of the best shaves I've ever had (and I think it's more fun than DE shaving). Only thing that takes a little getting used to is going ATG with a shavette...it takes some skill and patience to learn proper angle, pressure, and wrist motion, but the results are well-worth the effort.

Also- I firmly believe that blade choice is more important in shavettes than perhaps any other razor. I would highly recommend starting with something nice and mild like a dorco st300 blade to just get the hang of technique. Once you have the hang of using/guiding the razor, then step up to something sharper. With the shavette, I've personally found that Feathers are a no-go. Mind you, I can get an 95% BBS irritation-free shave, but it's REALLY hard to avoid getting at least one weeper during a 3-pass shave with those blades. For someone new to shavettes, those weepers would probably be slices.

On the other hand, Astra SP's give me FANTASTIC irritation/blood free shaves every single time....and at $8-10 for a 100 pack, how awesome is that?

That's my two-cents....make sure the soap is real slick and make sure you try different blades. That combo = shavette success, IMO. I love mine now!

Agree with everything. For me, my go-to blade is the Shark SS. I have some Astra and Shark SC blades coming, maybe one of those will be my "magic blade" to usurp the Shark SS. I have tried Feather and while it gives an excellent shave, there was still blood in the form of one or two weepers. I don't slice myself anymore and have refined my technique to the point where my weepers can be blamed on the blade.

Plus, you can use a brand new blade for every shave and still get two shaves out of a DE blade. A 100-pack of DE blades = 200 shaves? Yes, please.

I highly recommend a shavette for anyone willing to take the time to learn with it.

**Stevenamills** · 07-30-2012, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by sychodelix

It is a good idea, in theory. When it actually gets down to it though, a real straight is dramatcally more forgiving than dragging a DE blade across your face. I tried it, and first few shaves went pretty well. The 3rd shave and a few little mistakes and my face looks like I got tangled in barbed wire. Shavette shaving is not recommended IMHO for a beginner. YMMV, but you have been warned. A whipped dog sight unseen razor and strop will only set you back less than $60 and is much easier to learn with.

I, too, thought the Parker SR1 would be a good and inexpensive entre into the world of straight razor shaving. Having used it for the last five days, I wish I had known about the whipped dog sight-unseen route suggested by sychodelix. From everything that I have experienced and read on the forums, the Parker SR1 is very unforgiving. You will pay in blood with even the slightest mishandling of the blade. My morning DE shave ritual which had come to be a time of quiet contemplation has now become filled with tension and gore. That is not to say that the Parker doesn't deliver a good shave - it does, but the learning curve is too great. I believe the Parker SR1 to be a useful razor to an experienced straight razor person, but should be avoided by the inexperienced. I plan to ditch the SR1 for now and go with a whipped dog sight-unseen-deal. When my skills are more developed, I'll try the Parker again.

http://whippeddog.com/straightrazors...ht-unseen-deal

**ladykate** · 07-30-2012, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Stevenamills

I believe the Parker SR1 to be a useful razor to an experienced straight razor person, but should be avoided by the inexperienced. I plan to ditch the SR1 for now and go with a whipped dog sight-unseen-deal. When my skills are more developed, I'll try the Parker again.

http://whippeddog.com/straightrazors...ht-unseen-deal

Yep. +1, +2, +3, ad infinitum. Some will be able to figure it out quickly. Some will be anemic. Best general recommendation is to go with the whippeddog. Exceptions exist. Me? I love a Feather with a Super Pro in it. However, I got there by using a regular straight first.