BlueShaver's Shavette Odyssey.

Congrats on the new razor!

 

In time, open blade ATG will yield a closeness and comfort beyond what you expect.

 

A small update:



I am actively investigating the acquisition of the proper Feather Professional blades as advised by the learned members of this forum ( ) , but.......

In an effort to get a feel for the shavette and have some "dry runs" i have loaded one of the blades supplied and have been doing some training runs on the easier bits.
Some initial thoughts:

• I now realise that my stubble is tough. With the best of prep, the length of the shaving edge of the blades over DE's makes the shaving affair a bit of a pull and a tad uncomfortable. I also suspect that these blades may not be up to it (some report that they are actually OK?). I also think this thought will be utterly discounted if and when i become a bit more proficient and get a better edge.
• I struggle to see what i am doing as my hand is in the way of my line of sight when shaving. I now understand why this forum has a Yoda Smiley.
• I feel very clumsy, but not impossibly so and i do think i will get better.
• A 30DF beacons....
• Having cut myself twice, i am no longer terrified of the blade, just merely scared. Slight nicks are not too bad although i fear the day when i am rooting for the superglue...
• A good soap is a must.

I have had a few stabs (lol) at it. No big effort and i got a few inches hewn here or there.
One other thing, as a barber tool, this thing is fantastic for trimming and 'scaping

 

great progress J..

 

Thanks. I tried that but i felt like i was brandishing a shovel lol.
Persistence and dedication is key here isn't it? 100 shaves perhaps? I should do @Trigger on it lol

 

Jon, this is a good sign that you are willing to go forward with shavette shaving. You went from terrified to scared so that is a big improvement. You will go from scared to ok, it's not so bad and then from there to the feeling that this is cool. I want to point out that as long as you don't need stitches then you are on target to continue to improve. I am proud of you, my friend!

 

You might want to throw in some Proguards or the Kai equivalent, Protouch MG. I only have experience with the latter. I found it almost difficult to nick myself with the guarded blades (keeping in mind I was an experienced straight/shavette user when I first tried them). With your tough stubble, my guess is that you'll eventually settle on the Pro Supers, but I still recommend trying others.

Again, the tryablade variety pack may be worth checking out (15USD + 5USD for international shipping).

I'm glad to hear that you have graduated from terrified to just plain scared. You're doing quite well!!

Rob

 

It is not a hard fast rule, but it is said that @100 shaves, then you should achieve competency. Personally, I have 110 traditional straight and 115 shavette shaves under my belt. I don't consider myself Master Level, but I am very comfortable shaving with both types of razors so that I don't have to think about it. However, it is true that if you become too comfortable so that you let your guard down, then the risk of injury increases.

 

congrats Jon on your continued exploration.i am happy to have found vintage gillettes as my way..thought about trying a shavette and/or straight but my collecting habits made me think otherwise..hoping you have continuing success and am following along..

 

Super replies from all and thanks!

It's well needed encouragement

 

I have just loaded a new blade, lathered up and completed my first pass with a shavette!

A few things:

• Speed and confidence seem key. Going slow and feebly is not good.
• I have followed @PLANofMAN 's advice #1 and tried to use both hands. Hard. Very hard buy not impossible..
• I followed @PLANofMAN 's advice #2 and used Arko comfort cream. It has increased cushion and is slick as ....
• I struggled with two areas, the chin and the top lip. I went sideways on the chin and faffed around on the lip.
• Only one scar. On the chin. Not sure how to go round that corner!
• Final result was good! Nowhere nr good enough as a full shave but quite acceptable!

 

Awesome, keep at it.

Some folks get it all pretty quick.

For 2 weeks or so I did partial shaves and finished up with a safety razor.

I think I was was about a month in and decided to commit to open edge only. Stayed mostly with the same razor for a hundred shaves.

Since I was using a straight I allowed myself a hour of time, with stropping and all. By the end of 100 shaves I was far more comfortable and used much less time.

I recently ordered an Artist Club Shavette. I ordered 2 of the blade samplers from tryablade.com zero in on what I like.

 

Congratulations, Jon! I think you misunderstood going slow with a shavette. You should use short, but deliberate strokes and not be in a hurry to complete a pass. As you get more comfortable, the speed will come. As far as shaving the chin and under it, it can be tricky. For now, I would start under my mouth (top of chin) and shave downward. This is with the grain. To go around the curve of your chin to get to the upper neck, you have to swivel the blade. In other words, you have to gently turn the razor to follow the curve. I would suggest going to an Adventures in Wet Shaving youtube video. Eric Latta does 3 passes with a straight and you can see how he moves the blade to shave the chin. His video provides closeups from different angles as he shaves an area. After watching his videos, you will get an idea of how to shave your face. Just so you know, your beard may grow in a different direction than his so you may have to adjust accordingly.