Shavette with shaving brush and shaving cream.
This was a question that was posed to me recently. In fact, I had that same question when I first got into wet shaving a few years ago.
How I Got Into Straight Razors
When I got into straight razors I had been watching documentaries on Netflix. I watched one called “No Impact Man” and visited their blog after watching it.
On their blog they talked about straight razors being more environmentally friendly. I have to be honest and say being environmentally friendly didn’t really tug on my heart strings, but shaving with a dangerous looking implement did.
Shortly there after I stumbled upon the Straight Razor Place forum and started learning about straight razors. I really didn’t want to go all in and purchase a straight razor, strop, badger hair brush, and soap dish only to discover that shaving with straights wasn’t for me.
When I learned about the Dovo shavette it intrigued me.
Why Starting Out With a Shavette Is a Good Idea
What drew me to the Dovo shavette was its cost. I could get the handle for around $30 and the blades at most would run me $10 for a pack of 10 if I went for the real high end ones. This was an investment that was willing to make.
Now the only question was how similar is shaving with a shavette to shaving with a straight razor?
I figured since the shavette has relatively the same shape and style as a straight razor, shaving with a shavette would be very close to that of a true straight razor. If I did want to continue on with a straight razor then I would have the muscle memory down and the transition to a straight razor would be relatively simple.
I also figured that shaving with a shavette I wouldn’t have to worry about the sharpness of the edge as I would with a straight razor.
Even if you get a shave ready straight razor that has been professionally honed, you still have to strop it. If you are new to stropping there is a potential to mess up the edge which in turn would affect the quality of the shave.
Since I could just swap out the shavette blade this one variable I could eliminate as I learned how to shave. If I cut myself I knew my technique was off and that it wasn’t due to a dull edge.
Ultimately, I decided to purchase the shavette. After using the shavette for a little while I decided that I did like the feel of it, so I decided to purchase a straight razor.
For me transitioning to the straight razor wasn’t hard at all. You do have to adapt the angle a little bit, but it’s really simple to get the hang of. In fact, I felt that the straight razor was a little more forgiving than the shavette and that it was harder to cut myself with a straight razor than a shavette.
Do I regret purchasing the shavette first?
Not one bit. Learning with a shavette was a good experience and it was an easy transition to the straight razor.
Also, it’s nice having both a shavette and straight razor because the shavette makes for a really good travel razor. I like to take it with me when I travel and leave my straight razor at home. I don’t have to worry about damaging it when I travel.
Furthermore, it’s not a big loss if I accidentally put it in my carry on luggage, and for some reason security won’t let me take it through without the blade. It’s much cheaper to replace a shavette than a straight razor
If you’re leaning towards buying a shavette as your first “straight razor” then I say go for it! Feel free to leave me any questions or comments below. 🙂