Advice on buying a shavette.

Apologies if this is a repeat posting... I am sure this question has been asked before. I think the time has come for me to try straight razor shaving...but based on what I have seen and read I think I will start with a shavette first. There are so many models from which to choose...can you recommend a good model? And yes, I know the rabbit hole is deep...​

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Budget?

I have a Parker SR1. It does its job well and holds the blade tight. I would not hesitate to recommend one or one with a similar blade clamping mechanism if that's your budget.

I would suggest you take a gander at some various posts over here:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/360385-Shavette-And-Barber-Razor-Enthusiast-%28SABRE%29-group

More info than you knew you wanted about lots of different shavettes.

Budget?

I have a Parker SR1. It does its job well and holds the blade tight. I would not hesitate to recommend one or one with a similar blade clamping mechanism if that's your budget.

Spiked Lemon has some wise words above.

I would just get the parker.

I have the Parker and recently picked up a Leopard shavette from the bay.
In my opinion the Leopard is much better, it has a good weight, the blade is secure and has minimal exposure. The blade is held stiffer than my Parker and you almost have to try to nick yourself with it, while the Parker still bites me once in awhile.
Finish could be a bit better but for the cost I won't complain about it.

Check out mdbarber.com

I really like their shavettes. Also, I recently acquired a Parker SR1. Great shavettes for beginners and masters alike, you can't go wrong with it.

+1 on the parker sr1 too. Or feather ac ss if you really want better grip, control.

I'm a fan of the Feather AC razors.

The Parkers are an excellent way to get into straight shaving. They won't break your budget, and they work just fine. If you like them you can then move up to the Feather AC straights, or the Kai Captains. But really, the Parkers are a great way to go, I have 3 of them, and they shave just fine.

I started on a Bluebeard's revenge shavette, which is pretty similar to the Parker and was really cheap. It's really good. I mostly use a Feather AC SS now, which I bought straight after the BBR when I came across a good deal on one. The fit in the hand and the finish of the AC is much nicer and the blades last a while, but there's nothing wrong at all with how the BBR shaves in comparison - I can get just as good a shave from it.

By the time you move on to traditional straights you'll have mastered the light touch...

I've just brought the rapture

I purchased both the Parker SR1 and a Bluebeards Revenge...both are very nice, but I think I prefer the Bluebeards Revenge because it seems to have a better feel in my hand. Maybe it's just in my mind. I only use it now and again because I seem to nick myself every time and I have to go back to a DE for a few days to allow my face to heal. Thanks everyone for the advice.

If you're looking for a shavette that can be a gateway to a regular straight, I'd recommend the Weck Sextoblade. You can only find them used on auction sites and the like, often in the $10-$20 range. They use hair shaper blades which are available at any Sally Beauty supply. I feel the technique required and the shave they give most closely mimics a regular straight out of all the shavette style razors. I use mine on a regular basis and like it more than my MD Dragon, which is a Parker-style shavette.

One word of warning: Weck also made a "Hair Shaper" which is a hair cutting tool which has a guard that covers the blade edge. It looks just like the Sextoblade, but is a little shorter in the tang. You can use them without the guard to shave with, but I've always found the grip to be a little too crowded for my comfort. The "Sextoblade" is the razor meant for shaving and is the same size as a straight. Details can be found at the link that Shave_Rat posted above.

I started my shavette experience with the Feather AC system and the pro-guard blades. Those blades definitely cut down on nicks while I was learning tech. The learning curve for me (and most men I think) on going from a DE to Straight/Shavette is long. I've heard people say 100 shaves and that's probably a decent benchmark. I was a "weekend" shavette user. While this suited my needs, it increased my learning curve. I'm sure that at the 100 shave mark I was OK, but not great. I'd still rate my tech as very good but not great. However, the Feather AC gives my closest shave and is by far the easiest way to shave off 3 or more days of stubble.

This is a long way of saying - keep at it and use the shavette as much as you can to speed up the retention of muscle memory. My sense is you'll be rewarded.

I've been shaving with shavettes for 8 years. You know what I started with? I have no clue. I just went and bought shavette with Astra razors and started to shave. And it worked out pretty good, 8 years later, I am using the same shavette. I learned that I like the heavy ones so only difference is I added lead (the metal, not sure about the spelling) to it to have it more heavy. Works fine. So my personal recommendation: Go for whatever is there. To snow your self in looking for the "right shavette". I never really understood there. OK if it was a straight razor cause u need to hone and strop and blabla. But for a shavette it feels straight forward. Buy one (they cost 10-20$), you like it, good. You want to try something else, try it. There is no "oh this is better then this" in my opinion.

There is a shavette (can't remember name) that uses real pinned scales and is weighted like a real straight. It gets great reviews. Someone here should know its' name.