I using safety razor but i like to try something else.what is the most easy to youse..shavette or the straight razor?? And what brand and type will you guys say is the best to start with??
I find a straight "easier" to use in the sense that the blade tends to be a bit more forgiving, but you have the (relatively minor) task of maintaining your edge. Shavettes have the convenience of a replaceable blade, but have a little tougher learning curve, IMO. While the general skill set to use them is the same, they have very different characteristics. Read this good thread from our own @PLANofMAN : http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/shavettes-the-truth-about-disposable-straight-razors.29942/ I prefer shavettes that use the Feather Artist Club blade platform. If I were starting out again, I would recommend either an Irving Barber or a Kai Captain. Both allow what I find to be the closest experience to an actual straight but won't break your wallet like a Feather DX or Kia Excelia. If you opt for a real straight, look at the BST's, and read threads here; lots of good help. You can get yourself set up pretty well at Whipped Dog, with a Sight Unseen and a beginner strop. Just take your time and make sure you are getting what you want, without spending a ton of money to start. Lots of options with this route, so there is a lot to absorb. Good luck!
Without a doubt, a "Real" Straight Razor is easier to learn with. The blades are thicker, and more forgiving. You are much less likely to slice yourself. Some members have learned on a Shavette, but it is the hard way to learn. I tried a straight, over 30 years ago, and got a couple of good shaves, but wasn't able to maintain the edge. Nobody knew about them back then, where I lived. Fast forward to a couple of years ago. I tried shavettes, and sliced myself good, several times. I gave it up for a year and tried straights again, and its been only straights since then. Best shaves ever!!!
Oh that is a loaded question that can not be answered with a straight answer. First the question asks for personal feeling, "which is better for you". Second, there is a lot of other things that must accompany a straight. You will need a strop. You will have to have it professionally honed before use. Then you asked about brand. What is the best brand of car verses pickup truck? The questions are the same. It comes down to personal preference and what rabbit hole you want to go down. To be honest, I have yet try a shavette but I have a den full of the others. You want to try something different, try a SE or Injector.
Stropping is easier than you think. You can get an excellent shave from both but the learning curve is a little bloodier on the shavette path.... at least it was for me.
That was not an intended pun, just that my spelling sucks. I will how ever take credit for the pun as if it was intentional.
Learning on a shavette is doable it's also super inexpensive. Many run $10 each. You can spend 5-10 times that much on a straight and still have a learning curve. One bad stropping session and you have fudged the straight and it needs a hone job. You won't know because you think you are learning. When I picked up a real straight for the first time I hit ebay and found four. I sent them off to be honed and i messed up three before I figured out stripping. Then I got a barber hone and practiced on two until I got that down. Another option and mi favorite razor right now is a CJB kamisori shavette Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
A Shavette & a Traditional SR are Two Different Animals..I Started Using a Feather Club with No Intention of Using Traditional SRs..Long Story Short..When I Lifted a Proper Shave Ready SR I Could NOT Get a Shave Out of it..Two Different Animals..Chalk & Cheese.. A Shave Ready SR, Strop & 0.5 Chro/Ox will Maintain an SR for a Very Long Time..Its NOT Expensive to Buy & Maintain One..Add a Finishing Stone to that & You are Set for Years as Long as the Edge is Not Damaged.. Simple as That.. Billy..
+1 on both points. I would venture to say that stropping is quite easy, as long as you stay slow enough to be deliberate until your muscle memory takes over.
As you can see from the responses so far, each member has a valid point based on their own experience. All of the above advice is good advice, but you will have to decide how it applies to you. "EASY to use" is a broad concept. Skillset is the one area where that gets personal based on your own experience. Some think that it is tremendously easier (and even safer) to learn to SHAVE with a straight razor. Some would assert that this "ease of use" while learning to shave would offset the relative difficulty of learning to hone & strop the straight blade. Fact is that you need to buy several products beyond the razor, and learn several skills beyond the skill of shaving to use a straight razor effectively. If you want a NEW straight razor, you will most likely have to spend more money, both for the razor and for the additional strop and hones (or honing service). If you acquire a used razor, you will need to have it serviced and or restored by someone who knows how to do it properly - OR learn these additional skills yourself (at the cost of much time, patience, trial & error, and money). You can get a decently useable shavette for a fraction of that cost and it will always be "shave ready" with insertion of a new blade. So it all comes down to what YOU prefer to focus on. But I would caution those giving advice to not speak of things that they do not have any experience with. My experience is likely different than many here. I started MY journey into straight razor shaving using a Parker SR-1 shavette. It was not more scary or dangerous in my experience than shaving with a straight razor. I did not cut my face up nor experience discomfort. I did proceed slowly, carefully, and with due caution. I actually enjoyed the experience and got great shaves (still do). AND it was much cheaper and much simpler for me to start. If you want to shave with a straight like blade, I would suggest that you try a shavette. Just be careful. If you don't like it, you can always move on to a real straight and save the shavette for later. IN SUMMARY Edge maintenance - easiest on a shavette - just replace the blade with a new one. Acquisition cost - cheaper (easier on the wallet) on a shavette - a cheap shavette is shave ready out of the box. Acquisition complexity - much simpler with the shavette - no additional equipment needed. Skillset required - fewer skills to focus on for the shavette - just learn to shave, no edge maintenance or restoration skills needed. I do suggest that the straight razor is a very enjoyable way to shave (depending on the particular razor). Today, I use my straight razors more frequently than I do my shavettes. Learning the additional skills for the SR and acquiring the additional equipment is fun and exciting. And I think we can ALL agree that shaving with a nice, properly honed and stropped straight razor is a special treat. If you are willing to invest the time and money, there is great fun to be had in this hobby of shaving. Good luck with your journey.
Aloha! Years ago I decided that since 9/11 I'd start traveling with a Shavette instead of a Straight razor. No trouble with TSA as long as there are no blades in the Shavette at checkpoint, I can always get blades at point of destination (or mail my favorite blades and have them waiting for me at the hotel), and I don't need a strop or barber hone. And since I have decades of straight razor experience under my belt, what could be easier, right? Just switch to a Shavette when I travel and all will be right with my travel-shaving-world. OOPS. Not quite so, Joe. NICK! CUT! OUCH! I quickly learned how much more forgiving my straight razor blades were than a Shavette. Glad I travel with a Styptic pencil. DE to the rescue. I still shave with a Shavette once a week to keep in practice, but I only do ONE pass with the Shavette, the 2nd pass (cleanup) I do with a DE. I found that most of my nicks, cuts or razor burn were on my 2nd pass cross-grain or against-grain. I also learned that not all Shavettes were created equal and you can't assume because one cost more than another that it is "better" for holding the blade or for handling your particular beard. I have an inexpensive Facon that outperforms and holds the blade much more securely than a Samurai that cost me 5 times as much. So I went back to traveling with my Straight. I don't like to do checked luggage, but it's a necessary evil if you are flying with straight razors in the US. Either that or rent your own plane. -Zip
