Best disposable straight / shavette which uses normal DE blades?

Hi gents,

I've been shaving with a DE safety razor for a while now, and I want to give a disposable straight (a.k.a. shavette) a try.

I want to try a proper straight razor in the future, but for now I want to test the waters with a shavette. At the moment, I don't have the expertise or time to commit to stropping/honing.

As I already have a ton of DE blades, I want something that takes normal DE blades snapped in half - which I think rules out things like the Feather Artist Club shavettes.

So... in your experience, what's the best disposable straight / shavette which uses half of a normal DE blade?

Cheers,
aytri

jez foster said:

i'd recommend the parker 31r, but i have just gone over to a traditional straight, nothing fancy, just a GD 66, and i love it!!!, don't be put off with thoughts of honing and stropping, it's really not that hard, or expensive!!, my total outlay including razor, strop and some lapping film for honing is no more than £25!!

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Thanks for the advice. It's not so much about the expertise (I'm sure I could learn!) - it's more about the time factor. I just don't have the time to commit to the whole rite at the moment.

How did you get along with the Parker? And what made you switch?

I have a Universal that I like. It takes whole blades so no breaking them in half. It also has a nice weight to it versus some of the other which are very light. I know you asked about one that use DE blades but right now I really like the Weck. It uses hair shaper blades and it seems more forgiving than the DE blades.

I've also got a Universal that works well enough. That and a feather RG/DX is all I've tried.

The Donjae is a great shavette that uses regular DE blades.

Also, the Sanguine R5 is a nice shavette for less.

Donjae has a web site and Sanguine has a seller on E-bay.

My neighbor is cleaning out her late uncles house and gave me three Weck razors that he used years ago. They use an injector type blade and are pretty cool.



Send me your address and I'll send one of them to you.

Edit:

sorry, just read your full post. I see you are looking for something with a DE blade. That would not be what I've got.

Good luck finding something that suits your needs better!

Don Jae

For the best cheap shavette that uses half blades in my opinion it would be a Parker. I think feather shavettes are the best quality though. Of course this is just my opinion and I am biased since I started out with a Parker SRB.

I'm happy w/ the Parker SR1.
I can't say I've gone around and tried others so it's really all I know. It's sufficiently rigid and retains the blade well and seems sturdily built - it also shaves as well as my skill allows. It does all the things it's supposed to do.

I have a $15 sanguine. Shaves ok. You can buy a Feather SS on bst, which is completely on a different league and if you decide later on to sell it you would be down less than $15... if any.

I'd say the Bluebeard's revenge or Dreadnaught depending where you live. Pretty cheap price wise but super sturdy and high quality.

For whatever it's worth, I found an Equinox shavette on Amazon for $11 US, including 100 1/2 blades and shipping. I assume it's not the greatest piece of equipment, but thought it worth the minimal investment, especially with all the blades. Am not sure why, but the prospect of snapping my DE blades in half unnerves me a bit. Assuming I don't fatally injure myself, will report back.

Thanks for the advice all. I've just bought a Parker SR1 from Amazon - £10 delivered.

Will let you know how it goes!

froogle_jimmy said:

I'd say the Bluebeard's revenge or Dreadnaught depending where you live. Pretty cheap price wise but super sturdy and high quality.

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I have this and a Charles Mon... The Charles has a tough time holding the blades in tight, the dreadnaught is the better of the two. I just want to caution you on evil sharpness of these. You will be hard pressed to ever get your true straight as sharp as a DE blade and thus a DE blade can mess you up fast. I shaved with my straights for a few days (still learning technique and my face from mastering DE shave). That little dreadnaught bugger nipped me something good. I took a good chunk out of my lip and a point a finger and laugh straight line on my sideburn area. All in all, the amount of blood cleanup did not save me a bit of time, but then I might have just been a spaz that day.

Another vote for the Parker. I bought it for the same reasons you list. Besides, it was only $15 on Amazon. I've never had a blood bath or even a cut, but I'm still trying to figure it out. I've only used it a few times and have had to use a DE to clean up on the last pass. It's fun to use, but it takes me longer to shave so I've only pulled it out on weekends.

I've used a few of these now, at the bottom end of the price range. Mostly they shave the same, with seemingly insufficient weight. There is a Chinese knockoff of the Coolcut 4 that may be my favorite over the Spilo Magic, Sedef, and one no-name that I have.

Incredibly cheap Chinese knockoff that I like:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221307914883
It takes a while to arrive but it's a decent, if unforgiving, shave.

Alejandro Salemandro said:

My neighbor is cleaning out her late uncles house and gave me three Weck razors that he used years ago. They use an injector type blade and are pretty cool.

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Injector, or hair shaper? I haven't seen Wecks that take any blade other than hair shaper blades.

^ This. the Chinese knock-offs are very nice, (stainless steel) and very cheap.

chongo gordo said:

^ This. the Chinese knock-offs are very nice, (stainless steel) and very cheap.

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With free shipping?!?! Hello, travel razor.

froogle_jimmy said:

I'd say the Bluebeard's revenge or Dreadnaught depending where you live. Pretty cheap price wise but super sturdy and high quality.

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These are just re badged models which can be bought cheaply elsewhere...

I would have gone for a Dovo Shavette, that way you could switch to Cabinet blades for a far better shave....