Disposable straight razor good to start?

J

joepa150

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Mar 15, 2010
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I have been shaving with a DE safty razor for about 4 years. I finally want to get into straights BUT I don't want to jump into it with buying expensive straight razors and sharpening equipment.

So I saw amazon has a few straight razors made by Parker and Dovo (shavettes) that are less than $50 shipped. The Parker I believe is less than $30. The blades seem to be as low as 10 cents each.

Any recommendations on shavettes?

Are they worth trying out before buying a regular straight?
 
I highly recommend Shavette-type razors. It's probably my own skills that are to blame, but I never find straight razors to be sharp enough. DEs are always extremely sharp, and with a Shavette, you get the control of a straight razor.
 
Are these those straight razors that take a DE blade? I wouldn't recommend unless you like lacerating your face on a regular basis. The only good thing about them is that if/when you eventually manage to have a cut free shave, the transition to straight razor will be a walk in the park. The blades aren't long enough and the corners are too sharp. Ironically, once you're used to shaving with a straight razor then the shavette is a practical alternative to carrying round a strop, but as a beginner, the blades are too thin and the weight is all wrong for learning the techniques. There are usually some good quality reconditioned straight razors out there for a similar price. (Well, there are in the UK, anyway). You do have to learn to strop a razor properly and they should be stropped every time you use it. The only extra equipment I use is a strop and Boots Botanicals Shaving Gel. I find it's much better than mug & bristle, you can see what you're doing.
 
Shavettes and straights are two very different experiences. Shavettes are a good bit harder to get used to. Check out whippeddog.com as mentioned in an earlier post and start off with an inexpensive straight razor.
 
Go with Larry at Whippeddog. He is great to deal with and the razor will for sure come shave ready. A regular straight razor is much easier to use than a shavette, as the others have stated above, shavette blades are very unforgiving.
 
I started with a Parker and the transition to straight was really awkward. If I could do it again, I'd take the advice above and buy a setup from whipped dog. At the prices he charges, I'd say he's more interested in getting people into straight shaving than making any money!
 
I too say go with whipped dog, get the poor mans strop kit and a sight unseen razor and as for expensive sharpening equipment, I just have my razors honed by someone else, a single razor doesn't need it all that often, and I have a few that are honed and could probably go a few years without a honing

Good luck with the straoghts
 
joepa150 said:
Going staight with a straight razor! Should be here in a few days.
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Yes, good decision. For $30-50, you can get a great used razor freshly honed & stropped. No replaceable is going to substitute for a straight razor wet shave.
 
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