What's new

Advice Needed

Hi everyone

I would like to purchase a double edge razor for my partner. He has wanted one for a long time but money is tight and he doesn't buy himself much so I thought I would get him one. I would love recommendations on which razor would be good to get him. He spends alot of time on his beard. He is very tall and has large hands but I was reading posts here about long amd short handles and the majority seemed to prefer short handles. Would love advice on this. Thanks in advance.
 
The Italian Barber's Razorock DE1 is a well made, mild razor that is perfect for a beginner. It costs about $8 but shipping is about $8 as well. The Baili BD176 which is the same razor sells for $12 on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members. The Baili BD191 has the same razor head with a longer handle and sells for $15 on Amazon, again with free shipping for Prime members. The Italian Barber's Razorock Teck 2 is the same as the Baili BD191 and sells for $10 with about $8 for shipping. The Italian Barber offers free shipping with a minimum purchase of $60.

Both razors are well made and mild shavers. Perfect for a beginner who doesn't want to spend a lot of money. You will also have to buy some blades as well as some shaving cream and/or soap and brush to get started. Boar bristle brushes are inexpensive and quite good as are synthetic brushes.

eric
 
The Van Der Hagen TTO is a good starter, but the blades are not well regarded at all. Also some good solid starters for not much money are the Wilkinson Sword Double Edge Razor or at half the price but well regarded the Lord L6. A starter pack with a variety of blades would be nice.
 
Amazon still has the Gillette Heritage which is a really nice set and a good mild razor. Even the blades that come with it are good. It's only $34, if you can swing it.

Welcome to the forum!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
This is a neat looking razor and is easy to learn with, I bought 2 so far. I bought 1 for my son at Christmas who uses it and he seems to know how to use it now. Very carefree shaves and will give a DarnFineShave, The razor is the Razorock SLOC and it is a good deal for around $20.00 & comes with a Stainless steel handle.
Read the reviews of folks like myself who bought one.
Razorock SLOC 2017 (2).jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
If you're not in a hurry, the Yaqi Mellon DOC on AliExpress is one of my favorites. Mild but efficient. Shipping just takes a long time from China.

You can get the same head faster from Italian Barber, called the SLOC.

Edit: looks like Ron beat me to it as I was typing!
 
Depends on the budget. I would honestly get him a more middle of the road razor and spend a little more. Instead of cheap razors that'll break or won't be great. I recommend the merkur 34c, Merkur 43c, rockwell 6c, edwin jagger de89.

These are all great and probably be a better first experience with a DE that won't push him away.

- Fayiz D.
 
It is difficult to recommend what handle size since it is personal preference (it took me a long time and many razors to determine I like shorter handles).

If cost is an issue then Razorock makes quite a few decent razors. I would recommend a mid priced razor the Razorock game changer .68 since it is mild enough for a beginner but efficient enough to get a decent shave. This razor is sitting more around 55.00, but is made from stainless steel which will last longer then zamak coated super El cheapo de razors.
 
You've probably already figured out that you're going to get an overwhelming response to your inquiry. I'm inclined to offer you some suggestions but I have some questions for you that might help guide us:

How much do you truly want to spend?

Do you want him to not have to fiddle much with it or do you think he would enjoy taking it apart to clean it?

Does he have a heavy or thick beard or is it thinner or perhaps patchy? Maybe in between?

How long do you want it to last?

Does he take to new stuff really well or do you want him to have something he can learn on without getting easily frustrated?

Don't worry about handle length. It's not important right now as most handles are medium-short anyway.

Many of us own hundreds of razors. We can get you started :)
 
Yeah, I won’t recommend anything without a price. Hand size doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to handle length. I prefer shorter handles.

That said, the Lord L6 is around $6 shipped on Amazon. It has a long handle and it shaves great. Crude casting and plating though.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
If you could let us know what part of the world that you are in that could help us narrow down some possibilities for you. Not much help giving you recommendations for razors that are not in your country and could cost a fortune in postage to get one.
 
I’ll second the KCG razor. It comes with the KCG blades which are now becoming my favorite. You can walk into a Walgreens and pick one up. I started off with a DE89 and this will give a similar shave. I’d recommend also getting a sample razor blade pack online. I love the KCG blades but they are pricey.

VDH is also a good start and available in Walmart and other stores. The Van Der Hagen is basically a clone of the old Gillette Super Speeds and delivers a similar shave. I do not recommend using the VDH blades.
 
Welcome to B&B.
I would suggest some razors such as the King C Gillette (available from Walgreens), Edwin Jagger DE89 or the Merkur 34C.
All of these are readily available from many vendors online and are suitable for novice or experienced DE shavers alike.
 
Are you looking to give him something to cherish forever or something that will work well for not much money?

I personally like the Lord L5 (listed as the Lord L122). It's what I would recommend to a beginner DE shaver. It's not going to be a family heirloom but it is an effective shaver and should make for a great introduction to DE shaving.

The razor itself is light but balances pretty well in my hand (though I should note I only have medium sized hands). It's also only a little over $5 on Amazon. It comes with one blade (a Lord Super Chrome, which works well for me but may not work well for others). If you buy it from Amazon, you can also get him a package of sample blades from Amazon so he can try out various blades to see what works well for him.

Alternatively, some forum members have mentioned using a $1 butterfly razor they bought at Dollar Tree. It's nowhere near great quality, but it provided these experience ld DE shavers with a decent shave. However, I'm not sure how well it would work for a novice DE shaver.
 
Top Bottom