Hi All,
Having had reasonable results with the Shavette, I decided to jump into staights. I ordered a Dovo 5/8 from Straight Razor Designs with a strop, honed and ready to shave. After 3 shaves, I'm not happy. It seems to me that the 5/8 is nowhere near as sharp as a Shavette, it drags on the skin, forces me to press harder. I don't cut myself but the shave is harder and not as close.
I've read that the 2 techniques are not the same...I understand that and have watched multiple videos on straight razor shaving. I'm also pretty good with my hands, but I'm really disappointed in the experience and ready to sell the kit.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Alan
Dovo straight vs Shavette
Alan, I'd give it more time. One of the problems just starting out is that we don't know how sharp our razor is, unless we know it was sharpened properly before we got it. Assuming it was shave ready, then the next issue will be our technique.
I understand that using a Shavette would have some benefit, helping us develop how we hold and use the open razor, which is obviously different than how we use the DE razor. But when it comes down to it, the Shavette is not a true open (straight) razor, due to the differences in the blade angle, etc.
Before you sell your stuff, I'd focus on making sure of proper stropping of a good shave ready blade, and then it's going to depend on the individual's dedication to the learning curve, which varies from one to another, for sure.
It has been said that it takes about 2 years of shaving with a straight to develop a good technique, and I believe that to be true in my case.
The stropping we do at the beginning is very important, because it's so easy for a beginning SR shaver to do damage to the edge while learning to strop. It's probably going to be necessary to send the razor out for honing by a honemeister if the edge seems to have gone away in spite of our initial attempts to strop before we shave with it.
Good luck. I can say that it is a very good feeling to know how to shave with a straight razor. For that reason, the initial struggles are worth the final result.
I understand that using a Shavette would have some benefit, helping us develop how we hold and use the open razor, which is obviously different than how we use the DE razor. But when it comes down to it, the Shavette is not a true open (straight) razor, due to the differences in the blade angle, etc.
Before you sell your stuff, I'd focus on making sure of proper stropping of a good shave ready blade, and then it's going to depend on the individual's dedication to the learning curve, which varies from one to another, for sure.
It has been said that it takes about 2 years of shaving with a straight to develop a good technique, and I believe that to be true in my case.
The stropping we do at the beginning is very important, because it's so easy for a beginning SR shaver to do damage to the edge while learning to strop. It's probably going to be necessary to send the razor out for honing by a honemeister if the edge seems to have gone away in spite of our initial attempts to strop before we shave with it.
Good luck. I can say that it is a very good feeling to know how to shave with a straight razor. For that reason, the initial struggles are worth the final result.
Gary
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
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Alan, Well, FWIW, that sounds a bit like my experiances with traditional straights. I've tried them for two seperate periods ( about two years apart ) and I know that the razors were well honed when I got them ( perhaps not up to Chris M.'s standards, you understand, but still, well honed by gents who know what they're doing ). I learned real quick that I definately had to put some 'pressure' on the razor if I wanted it to cut at all. Like you, I got no irritation but I just couldn't get okay with the sensation of 'drag' or 'pull' ( keeping in mind that I've been shaving with a DE and premium blades for 45 years so I'm pretty used to almost no drag ). I tried all sorts of different blade angles but still that pull and drag. The shaves were passable, and would have gotten better I'm sure with more practice but I'm not sure that they ever would have quite equaled what I can do with a DE. Maybe, but if so it would have taken quite awhile to get there. Anyway, I did not have enough motivation to persist past a certain point. Perhaps if I'd been coming to straights direct from cartridge razors and was dissatisfied with them, it might have been a different story. So, I dunno...those were my experiances at any rate. Best of luck whichever way you choose to go with this.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
Hi Gordon,
That's exactly where I'm at...really great, effortless shaves with a DE. For now, I've put the straight away for awhile, but will probably give it a go one day when I'm bored. I think my stropping technique was good, but I didn't do 50 strokes, as I assumed shave ready meant just that. So maybe there's a correctable factor I can work on. I like the idea of a straight, but so far I've not had any advantage from it.
Alan
That's exactly where I'm at...really great, effortless shaves with a DE. For now, I've put the straight away for awhile, but will probably give it a go one day when I'm bored. I think my stropping technique was good, but I didn't do 50 strokes, as I assumed shave ready meant just that. So maybe there's a correctable factor I can work on. I like the idea of a straight, but so far I've not had any advantage from it.
Alan
Alan,
Imagine you lived 150 years ago. You (in NY) were being pressured to join the bluebellies. If you wanted a shave it had to be performed using a straight. How would you proceed?
A straight razor will easily match a DE, and out-perform it with the requisite skills and experience. Would you regard the hours of practice necessary as a chore or as a source of fun?
Honing a razor requires another kind of skill and experience. How fascinating do you find stones, hones and metallurgy?
In the end, there are shaves for everyone. Even straight shaves. But if you want the maximum degree of freedom and control, then honing, stropping and shaving with an open blade is the only way to achieve that degree. It isn't easy, or it wouldn't be worth the effort. It isn't too hard, or there wouldn't be the burgeoning market for straight razors that has been created by the resurgence of straight use as described on internet forums. We won't judge you whatever you choose to use, or even if you decide to grow a beard and never shave again. I just wouldn't want you to miss out on a source of lasting pleasure and satisfaction unless you have to do so.
Anyway, it's cool to say you shaved with something like this:
Chris
Imagine you lived 150 years ago. You (in NY) were being pressured to join the bluebellies. If you wanted a shave it had to be performed using a straight. How would you proceed?
A straight razor will easily match a DE, and out-perform it with the requisite skills and experience. Would you regard the hours of practice necessary as a chore or as a source of fun?
Honing a razor requires another kind of skill and experience. How fascinating do you find stones, hones and metallurgy?
In the end, there are shaves for everyone. Even straight shaves. But if you want the maximum degree of freedom and control, then honing, stropping and shaving with an open blade is the only way to achieve that degree. It isn't easy, or it wouldn't be worth the effort. It isn't too hard, or there wouldn't be the burgeoning market for straight razors that has been created by the resurgence of straight use as described on internet forums. We won't judge you whatever you choose to use, or even if you decide to grow a beard and never shave again. I just wouldn't want you to miss out on a source of lasting pleasure and satisfaction unless you have to do so.
Anyway, it's cool to say you shaved with something like this:
Chris
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
another try...and what is that weapon?!
So today with lousy weather in NYC, I gave the Dovo another try. Stropped it 20 X on the cloth and 50 X on the leather. All in all, things were a little better. Not a great shave, but OK. Importantly, no blood. So I will probably continue with intermittent use.
Chris, what is that weapon?? Looks like it should be hanging on the wall rather than used for something as mundane as shaving. It's gorgeous, whatever it is.
Alan
Chris, what is that weapon?? Looks like it should be hanging on the wall rather than used for something as mundane as shaving. It's gorgeous, whatever it is.
Alan
Alan,
Sounds like your razor isn't sharp then. Either it came out of SRD sub-par, or some clumsy stropping has affected the edge. The only other thing that increases tugging is to have too great an angle of attack. Try holding the blade so that the spine is lifted off your skin by one spine's width and no more.
Chris
It's a Livi Snake
Sounds like your razor isn't sharp then. Either it came out of SRD sub-par, or some clumsy stropping has affected the edge. The only other thing that increases tugging is to have too great an angle of attack. Try holding the blade so that the spine is lifted off your skin by one spine's width and no more.
Chris
It's a Livi Snake
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
This probably goes against conventional wisdom but may I suggest doing one or two passes with the straight and then finishing with a DE. This has the advantage of growing accustomed to the straight and maintaining its edge on a daily basis. I do think there is an advantage to having two straights, the second for comparison.
Ron
I read on some other online articles when comparing a straight vs shavette..the straight razor is gonna have a "thicker" cutting edge..the shavette much thinner and like a DE blade..can dull quicker..then to the bin it goes..some like the Shavettes while others like myself havn't tried em but have read/heard from many sources its about a 60/40 ratio straights to Shavettes..try em both n compare!
ST
ST
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
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ST Well many 'Shavette' style razors actually use DE blades clipped in half. So yes, the blade is much thinner, and it is sharper, than a traditional straight. But, using a blade that is that thin/unstable and that sharp without any sort of safety bar, not held that firmly, and with a lot of the edge just hanging out there makes for a tricky situation. Almost all the shaves I've had where Shavette style razors were used resulted in at least some razor burn...and in a couple of cases it was severe. Small nicks have also not been that uncommon, especially on the neck. All in all I have a very low opinion of this type of razor. The Feather AC is WAY better although it has it's own set of somewhat different...a....'issues'.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
Taking a break.
Honestly, I'm taking a break right now from both the Shavette and Dovo. After a run of bad shaves, I'm back to my DE for now, as I've just run out of patience. When I restart, it will be with the Shavette, whose greatest advantage is lack of required maintenance. I'm still not sure my Dovo is sharp enough (fails the HHT but cuts arm hair). Maybe I screwed up the stropping.
With regards to the stropping, honing and care required for a staight: one man's passion is another man's chore and PITA....I'm just not sure yet where I am in all of this.
Alan
With regards to the stropping, honing and care required for a staight: one man's passion is another man's chore and PITA....I'm just not sure yet where I am in all of this.
Alan
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bernards66
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Alan, If it turns out that you can not get with the Dovo ( and it's maintenace ) yet still insist upon using an open style razor I urge you to check out the Feather AC. Granted, it's not inexpensive but it is leagues ahead of other disposible blade straights, both in the shave it can deliver and in it's general quality.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
I think that plenty of time and words are spent on the forum sites discussing honing, and it is a fascinating subject (I just spent a good while watching gssixgun's movies. . .), but stropping is equally important and often overlooked in terms of what damage the neophyte stropper can do to an edge (and to a shaving experience).
Give us the luxuries, and we will forgo the necessities.
Give a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
Set a man on fire, he'll be toasty for the rest of his life.
Dominic
Give a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
Set a man on fire, he'll be toasty for the rest of his life.
Dominic
Just my opinion, but keep the Dovo, and get it sharpened.
Stropping wrong even once can mess up your edge badly.
Might also want to consider getting a second razor. I have several Dovo razors (and umm others) and all are excellent shavers. However there was this one...that simply did not agree with my face no matter what.
Perhaps this is similar to some men who like one particular brand of DE blade over another simply because one agrees more or less with their faces than the other, given an equal amount of sharpness.
FWIW if your razor doesn't shave your arm with almost no resistance ABOVE the skin (e.g. it should cut the hair without ever touching your skin...) then it is not ready for your face.
Just my opinion
John P.
Stropping wrong even once can mess up your edge badly.
Might also want to consider getting a second razor. I have several Dovo razors (and umm others) and all are excellent shavers. However there was this one...that simply did not agree with my face no matter what.
Perhaps this is similar to some men who like one particular brand of DE blade over another simply because one agrees more or less with their faces than the other, given an equal amount of sharpness.
FWIW if your razor doesn't shave your arm with almost no resistance ABOVE the skin (e.g. it should cut the hair without ever touching your skin...) then it is not ready for your face.
Just my opinion
John P.
John, you are probably right. I bought the razor "shave ready", but was told to strop it before the first shave, so I did. It will shave arm hair on the skin, but not above the skin. So when I'm ready to restart, I will send it to be honed AND stropped, so all I have to do is wipe off the oil and shave. Then we'll see.
But I must admit that I'm enjoying this respite....shaves with my DE are fast, easy, a no-brainer, and no irritation to deal with the next day. Still, there is something that attracts me to straights, so I will try it again at some point.
Thanks to all for the pointers and thoughts. While I'm thinking about it, are there shows or conventions for this type of stuff? Would be fun, I think.
Alan
But I must admit that I'm enjoying this respite....shaves with my DE are fast, easy, a no-brainer, and no irritation to deal with the next day. Still, there is something that attracts me to straights, so I will try it again at some point.
Thanks to all for the pointers and thoughts. While I'm thinking about it, are there shows or conventions for this type of stuff? Would be fun, I think.
Alan
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bernards66
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Alan, Well, I wondered about that also with my first two go arounds with traditional straights; that is, did I mess them up with inept stropping? So, the last time out I got several that were fully 'shave ready', stropped and all and I picked them up in person so no potential nonsense in transit. Didn't matter. I still had the same issue with 'pulling and tugging'. I don't know whether I would have simply gotten used to it in time, but I wasn't willing, at that point, to persist and find out. It's a shame, if for no other reason than it would be nice to have an ultimate back-up plan with the DE blade situation being as unpromising as it is, but it was not to be.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
