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The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

Greeting from ZIMBABWE

K

KRS

Shave Newbie
Hey guys !

it’s great to come across a group of fellow wet shaving enthusiasts. I moved from cartridges to a DE about 4 years ago and I’ve since been bitten by the bug . I decided very recently to try straight razor shaving and I’ve ordered my first straight razor which should arrive by the end of next week. I read somewhere that first time straight razors shavers are better off starting with a shavette , so i bought by self a feather artist club SS razor and i tried it for the first time last week , and i must say i find it incredibly hard to shave with it. I will admit that all good things in life usually have a learning curve and i will keep practising but i wanted to check where you guys stand on the topic . Ease of use … straight razor or shavette?
 
Welcome to TSC @KRS !!! I think you will find very many knowledgeable straight razor shavers here. Unfortunately...I am not one of them. I just didn't have the patience sorry to say. I am probably the last guy in the world to answer your question, so take it with a grain of salt. But in my experience, shaving with a shavette was so much harder. There as less room for error with the shavette and that angle has to be perfect! I am sure someone else with more experience than me will stop by in a second. But I just wanted to welcome you to the Cadre!
 
Welcome to the forum!

When I started, I heard that shavettes are less forgiving than a straight razor. So that’s what I started with. I thought that if I master the shavette, I can transition to a straight. There is a steep learning curve and you have to have patience. They say give it 100 shaves to learn, so I did. The first 20-30 shaves were rough. But over time I started improving and developed my muscle memory. I have many SR shaves behind me now and I’m glad I stayed with it.
 
dangerousdon said:
Welcome to TSC @KRS !!! I think you will find very many knowledgeable straight razor shavers here. Unfortunately...I am not one of them. I just didn't have the patience sorry to say. I am probably the last guy in the world to answer your question, so take it with a grain of salt. But in my experience, shaving with a shavette was so much harder. There as less room for error with the shavette and that angle has to be perfect! I am sure someone else with more experience than me will stop by in a second. But I just wanted to welcome you to the Cadre!
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Thank you for taking the time to reply and its good to be here . Feedback noted
 
MilkCrate said:
Welcome to the forum!

When I started, I heard that shavettes are less forgiving than a straight razor. So that’s what I started with. I thought that if I master the shavette, I can transition to a straight. There is a steep learning curve and you have to have patience. They say give it 100 shaves to learn, so I did. The first 20-30 shaves were rough. But over time I started improving and developed my muscle memory. I have many SR shaves behind me now and I’m glad I stayed with it.
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Thank you for taking the time to reply , yes practice does make perfect. Not looking forward to nicks and cut though
 
KRS said:
Thank you for taking the time to reply , yes practice does make perfect. Not looking forward to nicks and cut though
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Start slow and use a light touch. Videos can help too. There should be others popping in with suggestions later this morning.
 
Welcome to the board. For me, my only exposure to SR style shaving has been and actual straight razor, so I really cant compare it to a shavette. I will say, that personally I went against conventional wisdom and dove right into vintage razors, razor restoration and honing as my first experience, and enjoyed it. So success can be had even when "doing the wrong thing" :ROFLMAO:

I will echo what others have said, videos and experience. Just keep trying and gather knowledge, you'll gain muscle memory and hopefully find it very enjoyable.
 
Welcome @KRS ! Glad you could join us!

When I started learning to use open bladed razors, I got my first 50 or so shaves in with an SR, then I also invested in a Feather SS because I was not entirely enjoying the maintenance an SR needs from shave to shave (didn’t have the time to do it and felt like a chore to me). Up through about shave 150, I swapped back and forth between SR and shavette. Then I made the choice to pretty much go shavette 100%. I enjoyed the shave the same as an SR but the maintenance was way easier for me. Shaves 150-400+ were nearly all shavette. It really all preference and practice.
 
Fenster said:
Welcome to the Cadre. Not sure I agree that starting with a shavette is better, both have pros and cons. Here is a video tutorial series on learning to straight razor shave, it should help. Tutorials

What kind of hardware and software do you currently use?
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This! Check out the videos!

Personally I encourage people to start with a vintage, 4/8-5/8 full hollow straight razor over a shavette. They are quite forgiving and very nimble, but there is also the maintenance routine, that often dissuades a lot of folks. Any of us straight shavers are ready to provide pointers or to push you face first into a new shaving rabbit hole.

Keep the questions coming, and as mentioned welcome to the forum!
 
Luecke3262 said:
push you face first into a new shaving rabbit hole.
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iu
 
Welcome to The Cadre! I spent 6 months in Africa when I was in the Air Force. I spent most of my time in Djibouti, but I also got to see a little bit of Kenya and Comoros. I'd really like to go back and see more sometime!

I'm curious what type of shaving gear and software you have available to you locally?
 
Thank you all for taking the time to post , for welcoming me and your valuable feedback . I will most definitely watch the tutorials, and practice. I think for the most part i did walk into this with my eyes wide open, and i think the process involved with a straight razor and the care required to mainTain one actually appeals to my obsessive nature . I can’t wait for my Thiers Issard to get here next week .
For those that asked , iv ordered a TI 5/8 Bramble Spine Black Horn Razor with Bijou de France Mark. The shavette is a feather artist club SS with a wooden handle and the injector blades are the feather professional ( i have thick hair growth , but i realise now i should have ordered less aggressive blades till i actually got a hang of the shavette . ) i use an SV brush Manchurian badger or a Simpsons super chubby 3 manchurian badger ,soap SV opuntia Or 70th anniversary , after shave SV, EDP SV . As you can tell , i love SV . None of this stuff is available locally so i order them and get them in from the UK. I use invisibleedge.co.uk (great guy ) they specialise in wet shaving products or executiveshaving uk , also very good .
 
Spider said:
Welcome to The Cadre! I spent 6 months in Africa when I was in the Air Force. I spent most of my time in Djibouti, but I also got to see a little bit of Kenya and Comoros. I'd really like to go back and see more sometime!

I'm curious what type of shaving gear and software you have available to you locally?
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Haven’t been to Djibouti , but Kenya is an amazing place. Although traffic is a nightmare in Nairobi . I import all my gear from the UK. I have listed what i am using below
 
Luecke3262 said:
Any of us straight shavers are ready to provide pointers or to push you face first into a new shaving rabbit hole.
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It's the latter, @KRS . Since SR shaving dates back hundreds of years, well, a long time anyway, there is no end to this particular rabbit hole. It's one that I chose not to explore. Truth be told, my reluctance had more to do with not wanting to suffer through the learning curve.
 
Welcome @KRS

I started with straights and added shavettes.

Keep and learn both.

Try some guarded blades like Feather ProGuard in the shavette. It will help you with handling the tool as you develop your style.

For both:
Allow yourself plenty of time.
Low angles
Light touch
Stretch the skin
Target comfort
Us a suitable backup tool for the finish you want while your skills develop.

Above all… Have fun
 
Welcome to the Cadre!

I prefer using shavettes over straights, as I'm not into SR edge maintenance.

Your shaves with the Feather AC SS will improve with time and practice. Shaving with anything else becomes easy at that point. Try a Parker SRX half DE blade shavette. I think it is easier to handle than the Feather AC SS.
 
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