Zwilling
Kamisori shaver
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to sell off my only DE and just stick to straights again like I did for many years. There is just less joy in the shave for me, even though DE have fantastic performance.
But every now and then, I don't feel like shaving with a real straight, worrying about whether the edge needs a touch up, stropping on linen yes or no - some days I just want to grab something and know that the edge is going to be hanging hair sharp. And while I think my own honed edges are decent and slowly improving, they are not honemeister quality. And I also need something for when I am travelling abroad, which I would not want to do with a real straight razor.
So - I was looking for a shavette. The obvious and popular option is a Feather Artist Club. But the razors and the blades are not cheap. Plus, I still have about 150 DE blades, mostly Gillette Nacets and GSB. I was aware of the Parker shavettes, but @culcreuch suggested a look at the Focus R28 from Italy (thanks!).
Made fully out of aluminium, this is a clever design that relies on DE blades snapped in half (interestingly, it is NOT made for ready made half blades, but relies on the slight upturn of the point where the blade is snapped for friction and thickness). It covers the blade tabs. The razor has a perfect balance on the hinge between the scales and the blade holder. Connaughts has them for £48, so it's not too bad an investment for a piece of industrial design. I like that there is a kind of typically Italian modernism about it. It certainly does not try to look like a traditional straight.
So how's the shave? From the first shave, I found it was an automatic transition from a straight to this shavette. The shorter blade does not bother me, and the blade is clamped very well. The corners do not bite. The thickness of the blade holder provides a guide of sorts for blade angle, though I mostly forget about this and just shave like I normally would. And the balance of the razor is fabulous, it feels weightless in the hand. This is a keeper for me. Exactly what I was after, and I find the aesthetic very pleasing. I have often seen DE shavettes described as 'nape shavers' or as incredibly difficult to use, but I personally do not subscribe to this after my experience with this razor. I could happily shave with this daily (but I would miss the beauty and craft of my straights after a while!).
Being light and reliant on easily available DE blades, it makes a perfect travel straight - you couldn't pop into a chemist in Copenhagen or Moscow and expect to find AC blades, but you'd find a tuck of DE blades. More generally, there is a great variety of DE blades of available, and you'd get 200 snapped blades for a tenner. It will be interesting to see how the aluminium wears over time, but some reports from barbers using them indicate that they hold up to heavy use.
I hope that is of interest to anyone who is looking at moving into straight shaving, or branching out from your Feather, or like me adding a travel razor to the collection.
But every now and then, I don't feel like shaving with a real straight, worrying about whether the edge needs a touch up, stropping on linen yes or no - some days I just want to grab something and know that the edge is going to be hanging hair sharp. And while I think my own honed edges are decent and slowly improving, they are not honemeister quality. And I also need something for when I am travelling abroad, which I would not want to do with a real straight razor.
So - I was looking for a shavette. The obvious and popular option is a Feather Artist Club. But the razors and the blades are not cheap. Plus, I still have about 150 DE blades, mostly Gillette Nacets and GSB. I was aware of the Parker shavettes, but @culcreuch suggested a look at the Focus R28 from Italy (thanks!).
Made fully out of aluminium, this is a clever design that relies on DE blades snapped in half (interestingly, it is NOT made for ready made half blades, but relies on the slight upturn of the point where the blade is snapped for friction and thickness). It covers the blade tabs. The razor has a perfect balance on the hinge between the scales and the blade holder. Connaughts has them for £48, so it's not too bad an investment for a piece of industrial design. I like that there is a kind of typically Italian modernism about it. It certainly does not try to look like a traditional straight.
So how's the shave? From the first shave, I found it was an automatic transition from a straight to this shavette. The shorter blade does not bother me, and the blade is clamped very well. The corners do not bite. The thickness of the blade holder provides a guide of sorts for blade angle, though I mostly forget about this and just shave like I normally would. And the balance of the razor is fabulous, it feels weightless in the hand. This is a keeper for me. Exactly what I was after, and I find the aesthetic very pleasing. I have often seen DE shavettes described as 'nape shavers' or as incredibly difficult to use, but I personally do not subscribe to this after my experience with this razor. I could happily shave with this daily (but I would miss the beauty and craft of my straights after a while!).
Being light and reliant on easily available DE blades, it makes a perfect travel straight - you couldn't pop into a chemist in Copenhagen or Moscow and expect to find AC blades, but you'd find a tuck of DE blades. More generally, there is a great variety of DE blades of available, and you'd get 200 snapped blades for a tenner. It will be interesting to see how the aluminium wears over time, but some reports from barbers using them indicate that they hold up to heavy use.
I hope that is of interest to anyone who is looking at moving into straight shaving, or branching out from your Feather, or like me adding a travel razor to the collection.
