Shavettes: The Truth About Disposable Blade Razors Redux Part II

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by PLANofMAN, Aug 4, 2021.

  1. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    9 years ago I wrote my first article for the shave Den. It was about shavettes.

    I've decided to completely redo that old article and update it with current information as a whole new redux post.

    This is part 2, it's only about the blades that fit the various shavettes.
    (Edit: I'm still writing part one!)
    Click on pictures to enlarge.

    Blades Maketh the Shave.
    The most important part of any open blade or shavette style razor is the blade. For most of these types of razors, the blade defines 90% of the shave feel. How well the blade is held makes up the other 10%. This is so important, I almost started the Shavette article with this section, but figured people wouldn't want to start with blades when the razors are more fun to look at. The razors mentioned in this part of the article are listed in no particular order.

    • Advice. If you ignore everything else in this article, don't ignore the following... The blade should be in motion BEFORE it touches skin. The skin should always be stretched BEFORE the blade touches skin. If you follow those two rules, 99% of cuts and mishaps can be avoided.

    The DE (Double Edge) blade.
    Blade length 45mm. .10 USD or less per blade. Most shavettes use the DE blade...
    ...or rather, half of a DE blade. The spike points on either end of the edge make these blades the most unforgiving of the shavettes, though some razors cover the corners. I cannot in good conscience recommend any shavette style razor that only uses DE blades, with few exceptions. I feel the blade is too short to be held tightly enough to prevent back and forth movement, which is detrimental to the shave experience. The one benefit to using DE blades is that these blades are easy to find, cheap, and there's a wide variety to choose from, from countries all over the globe.

    Razors: Focus Slim AL, Shear Mattaki shavette, Strong Jaguar (clone), Parker SRX, Universal Full and Half Blade razor.

    The Vincent Sigma blade. Blade length 35mm. .15 USD per blade. This is an unusual blade. Designed for the Vincent Weasel razor, these blades are also compatible with most DE open blade razors. And DE blades are also compatible with the Weasel.
    Screenshot_20210824-231752_Amazon Shopping.jpg
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    The mini shaper blade. Blade length 1.5 in/38.1 mm long. .50-.70 USD per blade.. This actually covers a few different blades...
    [​IMG]
    If the Personna blade container looks familiar, it's because it uses the same blades as Schick injector razors. It merely lacks the injector key, the blades are identical. The blades are thick and stiff, and the edge is long lasting. A little known fact about these blades is that they can often be used in open blade razors designed for half DE blades. These blades are a huge step up from the snapped in half DE blades and a short step below true hair shaper blades in these type of razors.

    Razors: Sanguine Coolcut 9, Monsieur Charles, Hess EZY Shave 1010 or 2020 (with included blade adapter).

    Weck Improved Barber's Edged Blade. The Sextoblade.
    More commonly known today as Hair Shaper Blades. Blades are 2.258 in/57.35 mm long. Approx. .55 USD per blade. In between the Injector/mini hair shaper blades and the Kai/Feather Artist Club blades for sharpness, are Hair Shaper blades. These blades are more rigid than most due to their thick spine and thick and long blade. This blade works in the vintage Weck Sextoblade and many other modern razors. The Weck Sextoblade was in production for almost a century and can be found relatively cheaply at online auction sites like eBay or in antique stores. This vintage razor has one huge benefit. It takes modern blades. This one brand of razor left its stamp so deeply on the industry the blades for this razor became the industry standard for hair shapers. And hair shapers are still used today. Modern hair shapers with non-removable guards, unfortunately, won't work for shaving. The blades will.

    Fromm, Personna, Wilkinson Sword, and Schick all make hair shaper blades. For those who care, the Personna blades are triple bevel edged like Feather blades, and made in U.S.A. Vincent also makes these blades, and calls them 58mm single edge stainless blades.
    [​IMG]
    Razors: Weck Sextoblade, Weck Bantam, Diane D21, Hess EZ Shave 1010, Hess EZ Shave 2020, Personna Classic Hair Shaper.

    Cabinet Blades.
    Also called Long Blades. These are the 2.5 in/62 mm blades created by Dovo for the Dovo Shavette, and are the longest of all the shavette blades. Dovo abandoned this blade style and discontinued it a number of years ago. Tondeo and Erbe still makes it, as does Jaguar. The Jaguar blades are called various things. They were 'Jaguar 77', but now go by Jaguar JT1, JT3, Orca blades. There are also Tondeo TSS3, and Erbe Solingen Long blades. Sibel IN Inox made by NRK in Japan, Hercules Sägemann 9101, and various other Solingen manufacturers also make these blades.
    BK04BO165-Tondeo-TSS-3-Blades_800x.jpg

    Razors: Vanta 109, Dovo Shavette w/black insert, and Tondeo Sifter razors.

    Tamsco USA Blades. Or Wilkinson branded blades. (I'm not even sure if that's what either of the blades are called). These only fit the Tamsco USA razor or the same razor with Wilkinson Sword branding. The blades are permanently mounted in plastic sleeves that slide into the razor. This razor exudes more 1980's style than any other razor I've seen. I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide if that's a compliment or a insult to the razor. My answer is "yes." :p
    [​IMG] Screenshot_20210804-204541_Amazon Shopping.jpg

    Tondeo TCR Blades. Blades are 1.57 in/40 mm long. As far as I can tell, these blades are exclusive to the Tondeo TM. The razor has an all metal blade holder and opens by sliding a side panel which is removed, the blade is then inserted into a plastic sleeve and the razor is reassembled. One thing to consider with this razor is it only accepts Tondeo blades, these are double edged and about the same dimensions as a normal DE blade, save that it is much longer. When snapped in two the half blade has holes which locate over pins in the holder before sliding the cover back into place. The holder guards both corners of the blade and greatly reduces the risk of nicks. Please note the other shavettes offered by Tondeo are for hairstyling and not shaving. I have heard that the razor and blades are good, but some people will be put off by the single source razor & blade supply.
    [​IMG]

    The following blades are all of the same type, and if a razor accepts one brand it will accept the others. I've gone into greater detail with each brand of blades because they are so different from each other, deliberately so.


    Blades are 1.93 in/49.11 to 50 mm long.

    Feather Artist Club Blades. Light blades for sensitive skin, Professional blades for every skin and hair type (these are the first blades Feather designed for their razors), Super Professional blades for thick or coarse hair growth, and ProGuard blades for the safest shave.
    [​IMG]
    Screenshot_20210824-224656.jpg
    Kai Blades by Kasho.
    On par with Feather blades, but a bit more expensive and harder to find. The Captain Titan Mild and The Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Schick Blades. Proline P-20 and P-30. Same blade in a 20 or 30 pack. Considered the smoothest and longest lasting of this type of blade.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Dorco BB-20. This blade is not as sharp as the Feather and Kai blades, but is sharper than the Schick blades, if not as smooth. These are the cheapest "good" blades.
    [​IMG]
    Chinese manufacturers make this type of blade as well. Most of the reports I've read on them is that the good ones only hold their edge for a shave or two, and the bad ones are unusable.

    At least three razors must be mentioned in any discussion about blades, and these razors are part of the drive to at least refer to the higher quality razors as open blade razors rather than the word Shavette, which rightly belongs to Dovo. The one feature shared by all three of these razors is the ability to take DE, Injector, and Feather AC style blades.

    Razor shown below is the Essence by Tedalus. Blades: (from left to right) Injector, DE blade, Feather Artist Club blade.
    [​IMG]
    Antiga Barbearia de Bairro ~ Navalha
    (translation: Old Neighborhood Barber Shop - razor)
    [​IMG]
    IBC Razor by Irving Barber Co.
    [​IMG]
    Essence by Tedalus
    [​IMG]

    It's also worth mentioning that an injector blade will work in most Feather Artist Club compatible razors, including Feather's, though it must be hand loaded.

    You might be wondering why I did not include the original Dovo Shavette with the razor trio above. The green and red blade holder inserts have all been discontinued by Dovo. They still make the scalloped black and the flat black long blade holder inserts. The Long blades have also been discontinued by Dovo. Dovo shavettes now include only a standard sized Merkur DE blade and the clear insert that holds it.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2021
  2. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    Great article. I might add that the Dovo shavette takes Personna and Fromm hairshaper blades using the green inserts.
     
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  3. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    DSC07725.JPG
    Some sellers say Dovo has discontinued the green inserts. They are not easy to find in 2021, but not terribly hard either. I suspect that vendors are sitting on NOS inserts at this point. The red insert for DE blades was replaced by a clear insert, and the black insert is for Dovo Long Blades, which have also been "discontinued" by the manufacturer. The Dovo brand blades are not widely available, so maybe internet rumor got something right for once.
     
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  4. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    I have all three original inserts. The white insert is a joke because it is hard to see the posts to fit the blade.
    I just checked. You can still get the red and green inserts online. What ticks me off is that the Dovo long blades are rare that they are quite expensive if you can find them. Obviously, they aren't worth the current asking price.
     
  5. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Good thing Dovo doesn't make the only long blade.

    Edit: and yes, the inserts are available online. However, Dovo no longer makes them, so what is out there is all there is.
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2021
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  6. lottenhem

    lottenhem Well-Known Member

    Really good article! I have one Shavette, but I seldom or rather never use it. Though I have bought several different DE blades ( mostly for trying out in my Merkur Futur 700 ). So now it’s time to go down the line and try the Shavette again.
    Regards
    Hans


    Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk
     
  7. Edison Carter

    Edison Carter Well-Known Member

    Great follow up article.

    In the half DE realm, the Focus R21 Evolution is the shavette I started on. It has a plastic slide in holder that recesses the blade and covers the corners. It allows a lower shave angle than it’s cousin, the Slim Al. I have a couple and have recommended them as a great performing, low cost option that is less threatening. I have a couple.

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  8. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    I can't ever see myself using a shavette but found this article interesting and informative.
     
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  9. jgreenepa

    jgreenepa Nasal Barbarian

    Great follow-up, Ryan! I had an epic shave with my Tedalus and a Feather Super this morning! That’s definitely going to be my go to for this razor. The shave was identical in sharpness to the one I get from one of Vic Creazzi’s masterpieces!
     
  10. brit

    brit in a box

    cool article Ryan.i have only used a Lord disposable shavette.should i ever go further..:cool:
     
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  11. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    Many years ago, I said the same thing about straights before shavettes were even a thought. Presently, I own 15 straights and 2 shavettes and I am glad that I shave with them.
     
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  12. Steve56

    Steve56 Hone Hoarder

    I understand the allure of shavettes, no honing, and fast in the morning for work.

    Although they are undoubtedly functional and useful in a busy life when honing and stropping are perhaps not an option, they just aren’t sexy.

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  13. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    I am curious, why are you glad that you shave with a shavette?
     
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  14. Trigger

    Trigger Double Jedi Knight

    My very first open blade razor was my Dovo shavette. It taught me how to have a gentle touch and to find the right angles for straight shaving. I also have a Parker shavette as well. Shavette shaving keeps my skills sharp. Yes, the pun was intended. Finally, my Dovo shavette gave me the confidence to use a regular straight razor. It's almost 3 yrs ago that I started open blade shaving. I own 2 shavettes and 15 straights and I believe 8 safety razors. Finally, there are times that I just want a straight shave without stropping a razor. Shavettes give me that option.
     
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  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Most are more utilitarian, but this is about as sexy as it gets.
    IMG_1625072702520.JPEG
    And then you have not sexy too. Unless you think Night Rider is the best TV series ever made, in which case you will probably think this is a well designed razor. Edit: I wonder if this and the Wilkinson bonded system came out about the same time?
    Screenshot_20210804-183948.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2021
  16. Steve56

    Steve56 Hone Hoarder

    Nice! That Tedalus does look good.
     
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  17. IAmTheJody

    IAmTheJody Gillette-i Master Staff Member

    I don't know, I kind of like the look of that Wilky. Industrial, lines, brutish. Looks like a work of art compared to the Gillette DE shavettes I have. lol
     
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  18. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    It looks like a 1980's TransformersTM toy.
     
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  19. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    It's all technique. Keratin yields to. Steel.



    Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk
     
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  20. danbuter

    danbuter Well-Known Member

    Just my experiences:

    I bought Derby single-edge blades. These work much better for me. When I tried to break a regular DE blade in half to use, the nibs would be a little bent. This meant that the blade was slightly angled when I put it into my shavette. I got a lot of cuts before I just stopped breaking DE blades and bought the SE blades.

    If you do use SE or DE blades with the corners exposed, run the corners over a stone (I have a marble countertop sample I use). This dulls that corner and makes the blade a lot safer to use.
     
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