Bluebeard's Revenge Shavette - a replaceable blade razor, akin to a traditional cut throat razor.
DESCRIPTION:
Well, I looked into buying a shavette to see if I had the dexterity to hold a razor of this type before pulling the trigger on a traditional straight razor. It is a plastic scaled, steel blade holding equipped piece of kit. The blade loading mechanism is straight forward enough. You simply lift the top piece away, allowing access to the holder. There is a groove in the end (otherwise known as the 'point') of the blade holder that encourages the two piece holder to come apart, exposing the blade locating pins.
Once you've loaded a blade, it is as simple (almost) process of reversing the steps taken to open. I say almost, as the snapped blade does have a habit of moving around in the holder until you've developed the knack of holding, locating and closing the razor. The blade type is a snapped DE blade, and when you snap the blade, there is a bit of a kink where the blade was folded then snapped. If you don't get it quite right, the blade exposure will be uneven and therefore presents a danger to your skin. Definitely take your time when loading blades.
I find that it pays to trial many blade types in the razor to find one that suits your beard growth and skin. I find you need a sharp, but smooth blade in this razor. Duller blades such as Derby tend to tug, something you really don't want when taking an exposed blade to your face. Gillette 7 o'clock Yellow or Astra Superior Stainless work best for me.
In use, the hinge point of the razor is fluid enough to manipulate during the shave, yet tight enough so as not to move once you have the razor in a position you are comfortable with. The plastic scales are light weight, and the razor is comfortable to hold. The shave experience is entirely dependent on your ability to maintain a feather light touch with the razor, and to be able to dedicate time to learning the required angles to ensure you don't cause your face to resemble a doner kebab. And this is the downside to a shavette type razor. The blades are extremely keen, and very much suited to a safety razor.
CONCLUSIVE COMMENTS:
In short, it's a piece of shaving equipment that absolutely demands respect. In inexperienced or heavy hands it can cause some damage, and indeed to this day, I can still get irritation when I'm not giving it 110% of my attention. It is a useful piece of kit however, as I can also use it to tidy up my sideburns or mow down several days of growth in a single pass much easier than a double edged razor. Should you get one? Well, yes. It WILL force you to slow down and analyse your technique, and as such, develop a better technique and knowledge of your face.
No comments:
Post a Comment