If the razor itself matters apart from the blades, how does it matter?
Do you have a favorite one? Good or bad experiences?
Shavegeeks certainly seem to think so. You might stick your head in on a shaving board, like Badger and Blade, to get some idea of what people think.
That said, in my experience, most guys seem to like something that has a bit more heft to it than the ‘classic’ style of razor. You can also do the slant bar thing, which makes for a bit more of a slicing motion as the blade goes across your skin. It’s more aggressive, but may be better for sensitive skin–at least, I’ve heard some guys claim that. I seem to recall seeing some with an open comb–no safety bar at all. Still safer than a straight razor, of course, but a bit much for me. You can also get adjustables, though I don’t know if there are any in production–you’ll have to go on eBay and look for something like a Gilette “Fat Boy.” That’s what I’ve got–a 1950s Fat Boy, if I recall correctly. Does quite nicely.
The bottom line, of course, is that it’s just a matter of personal preference. Different guys like different razors, which is why razor manufacturers are kind enough to make so many different kinds! 
I love my 1955 Fat Boy. It has a heft to it the disposable razors don’t, and I like that. The blades themselves also matter too. I used to buy the cheap Kroger blades, but now I buy… uhm… well something else but I’ve forgotten the brand offhand, but they’re much sharper and last longer.
After many years of using the twin blade Atra, the blades were getting hard to find and the quality seemed to be slipping when I could find them. I did some reading on the shaving message forums and found the Merkur Model 178 Classic Safety Razor was highly recommended for beginners.
I got one, along with a bunch of Merkur blades. Been a few years now and I am totally content with both the razor and the blades; haven’t bothered to try anything else
I have two - one is a barn-door type, the other just screws together. I assume it’s just to do with angle between blade and guard, but I get a much more comfortable shave from the screw-together one. Even if it’s more of a pain to swap blades, it’s worth it.
Both were bought at flea markets, so no idea about model/brand (I’d have to look).
I’ve also found that applying shave soap with a brush to give me a much, much smmother shave than anything that comes out of a can.
If you’re going to get a safety razor, get yourself a brush and some soap and add them to your morning ritual as well.
I’ve already done that. All I could get in a brick and mortar was an 8$ brush (likely synthetic) and some wilkinson shaving soap. I do like it even though sometimes it’s still uncomfortable.
Does the brush matter? I heard about synthetic, boar, pure badger, silvertip badger and other kinds. Does it make a difference?
I have found this is the priority list for me for the difference each item will make to your shaving experience:
-
Use shaving soap and brush (The kind is much lower on the list, the act of using them rather than a foam or gel is the important part. Even if you use a modern multi-blade razor.)
-
Blades (Feather makes a crazy-sharp blade that I particularly like)
-
Adjustable razor (More important than the brand. Yes, they are available online and from shave stores. I will look for the website I particularly like later.)
-
Brand of razor (mostly for length of handle and weight)
-
Brand of brush and soap
Do the rest of you agree or disagree?
ETA:
Yes, both the type of brush and the type of soap do make a very noticeable difference. It has been a while since I compared them, but I seem to recall that I found pure badger to be an excellent balance between cost and performance
Flight,
Thanks for the list. Can you give me an example of an adjustable double edged safety razor? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one. What is adjusted, the angle of the blade, something else?
I’m definitely with you on #1. I picked up a cheap brush and some cheap Colgate or Williams shaving soap at the grocery store sometime in the 1970s … what a difference from canned foam. A couple years later I got a somewhat better brush as a gift and it was definitely softer feeling and lathered better. That brush lasted about 20 years and I replaced it with one costing around $20 or $30 … still using that one.
I used the cheap grocery store soap until just a couple years ago when my local store stopped carrying it, then I experimented some. There are noticeable differences in soaps. Now I mainly use Kiss My Face that I get in the health food section of the grocery store and Tabac that I get mail order. The Kiss My Face is inexpensive and comes in lots of different smells; being an old hippie, I like the patchouli. Tabac seems expensive at first but it lasts a long time, so I think the cost is still probably lower than for canned foam … and the stuff really smells good … remember when you were a little kid and you got close enough to a man to smell him – that’s what it smells like.
Haven’t tried blades or razors other than the Merkur … I’m happy with what I’ve got – a better shave than those ridiculously expensive three to five bladed gadgets.
The adjustment is the distance from the blade and the metal piece that touches your skin (safety bar). The further away they are the more it is like a straight razor.
This is a great video to show you the different kinds of adjustable razors by a guy who spends way to much time on the topic.
I have the Merkur Progress (featured at 3:11 in the video) with an extended handle that adds weight. Since you should be letting the weight of the razor do the shaving and not be applying pressure, the weight and handle length are important.
This is one of the really nice things about shaving with safety razors; since you will only be buying a brush and razor once every 20 or so years you can dump as much money on it as you feel like and still spend way the hell less than you would on comparable modern razors or foam.
Also, the soap you get lasts forever, since a tiny amount gives you more lather than you need (even if you go for the recommended method of shaving again against the grain after shaving with it). So, again, you can get really nice stuff and still spend less.
The same goes for blades. I buy the nicest ones I could find (feather). They last a bit longer than a comparable Mach 5 Turbo Fusion Blah Blah Blah head and yet cost about 40 cents a blade compared to $3 a head (plus you don’t need batteries).
Ah, and I just discovered the place I normally buy from:
This article does an excellent job explaining the differences.
I use a double-blade razor, but actually prefer “regular” shaving creams to the fancy brush on stuff. At least from a price:performance standpoint. I’ve used rather pricey stuff and liked it. I’ve also used Barbasol and liked it. My usual is a brand of non-foaming shave cream sold at Target called Jack of Shaves.
The best shaves I’ve ever gotten are using olive oil in place of cream, but it necessitates a shower afterwards, and that’s not how I like to do things.
Could you repost that link? It’s a link to a comic.
Whoops, here you go:
Basically the handles do two things:
-
Set the blade/guard angle, which is the main determinant of how harsh or gentle a razor is.
-
Have some heft, so that your razor will dig into the hairs and cut them. You’re not supposed to actually apply pressure, so you’re supposed to let the weight of the razor do that.
I’m partial to my grandfather’s 1959 Gillette Fat Boy, or my father’s old 1969 Gillette Superspeed, but I also do fine with my own Merkur 33C that I bought a couple of years back.
The real trick to it is to find a combination of blade and handle (and possibly adjustment) that works well together for you. Different blades work better with different blade/guard gaps, which is why blades that rock with the Fat Boy set to 6 or 7 don’t work so well with the Merkur, and vice-versa.
Found an interesting article on the history of safety razors on the site flight linked to:
http://www.classicshaving.com/articles/article/590351/5693.htm
“Gillette’s real purpose was to seize market share by using clever (and often deceptive) marketing and thereby assuring a never-ending stream of sales for his products. What Gillette actually invented was the “Loss Leader” the concept of virtually giving away a product (the razor) in order to create a customer for the high profit replacement blades. Selling safety razors and blades (cartridges) has been all about profits ever since.”