DE Safety Razor for a Beginner

[Azyaan]

Hi,

I've recently started looking into the world of wet shaving with DE Safety Razors. After going through a lot of comparisons between Electric Shavers, Cartridge Razors and Safety Razors I decided the DE would be an efficient and interesting choice. I'm not sure which DE razor to begin with.

The TTO butterfly mechanism really caught my eye. I have my dad's old Gillette Black Beauty (Super adjustable) but it's a little rusty. I could try to restore it but I've read it's not so easy to begin with. Also, about the aggressiveness, it's still a clouded subject for me. Can you please recommend a good budget beginner friendly razor to start with. I'm from India, so it would be nice if they're accessible.

Below are the two I've shortlisted on Amazon. Some of their reviews say it's too aggressive for a beginner. Are there some lifehacks I should know about the aggressiveness? Also, I wanted to get a butterfly one. What would be better to start with, the butterfly or the 3-piece? Thanks. Have a great day!

1. Pearl Shaving Double Edge Butterfly Safety Razor SBF-11 (Chrome)

Pearl Shaving Double Edge Butterfly Safety Razor SBF-11 (Chrome): Amazon.in: Health & Personal Care

Pearl Shaving Double Edge Butterfly Safety Razor SBF-11 (Chrome): Amazon.in: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.in

2. Bombay Shaving Company Precision Safety Razor + 10 Platinum Coated Feather Blades Combo https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01MRHQYHV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_j0wkEbF0H4YGN

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[ajkel64]

I personally would give the Black Beauty a good clean and then use it. Start at setting 1 and move up until you find the best setting for you. Mine is usually setting 3. Some like to start on a certain setting and move it around on each pass. It is whatever works for you. By the way, welcome to the forum.

 

[Brian C.]

I highly recommend the Parker semi slant. It’s very mild but efficient. Parker should be available in India as that’s where they are from.

Welcome to B&B.


AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019

 

[wgn!]

I personally would give the Black Beauty a good clean and then use it. Start at setting 1 and move up until you find the best setting for you. Mine is usually setting 3. Some like to start on a certain setting and move it around on each pass. It is whatever works for you. By the way, welcome to the forum.

+1

Cleaning is simple. Numerous threads on cleaning. Hot water, dish soap, toothbrush. Any rust you see is from old blades, not the Black Beauty. Brass doesn't rust.

 

[Type1]

I personally would give the Black Beauty a good clean and then use it. Start at setting 1 and move up until you find the best setting for you. Mine is usually setting 3. Some like to start on a certain setting and move it around on each pass. It is whatever works for you. By the way, welcome to the forum.

+1

 

[THall]

Use the Black Beauty. Starting off, I’d recommend setting 3 WTG (With the grain) and XTG (Across the grain). Drop it down to 1 ATG (Against the grain).

No matter how high you go ultimately WTG and XTG, keep it at setting 3 or below on the ATG pass.

Do a basic clean. Try not to get chemicals on your numbers as they will take them off. Use plumber’s tape on numbers if you use any chemical including Scrubbing Bubbles. Don’t use Scrubbing Bubbles with bleach at all.

Down the road, the razor can be refurbished/refinished only once due to that aluminum handle. Your head consists of brass and a black nylon baseplate. The handle is anodized aluminum. Choose the best vendor as this is just a one time thing with that razor.

 

[THall]

Forgot to mention, there is a date code of manufacture on the razor. Starts with a letter and ends with a number (Separated). It will tell you when the razor was manufactured. If your dad remembers what year he got it, it would be interesting to see how long it sat in the store before purchase as that 1980s Super Adjustable was one of the last DE Gillette manufactured in the US and the switch to carts was in full swing.

 

[Cphobes]

I highly recommend the Parker semi slant. It’s very mild but efficient. Parker should be available in India as that’s where they are from.

Welcome to B&B.


AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019

While it would be nice to clean up the Black Beauty, I'd go with the semi-slant. Having owned both the Black Beauty and Semi-Slant, I think the semi-slant is a better performer.

I've cleaned up older razors and had them restored but they just never seem to work as well as a brand new one. Might just be me.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Another vote for cleaning up the Black Beauty.

Plus, it's your dad's razor. To me, it's a great honor to be able to shave with your dad's razor. Treasure every shave and treasure the memories..

 

[Nomad116]

Haha hello brother! Seems we actually have the same kind of razor! I just posted mine yesterday on how to clean and someone replied! Later this week I'll start cleaning it. This is coming grin someone with only a year of experience so bear in mind.

I think the adjustable is a great start as you don't have to worry about having a razor too aggressive or too mild. With the adjustable you can finish where you are comfortable with. I'm simple knowing that when my blade is too sharp, I'll lower it, but too smooth and not as sharp, lvl up! The razor to handle what the situation calls for (my opinion) I have a course and heavy beard, so only sharp blades (all blades are sharp but some are sharper than others) could cut through with more ease and smoothness (Feather and Astra). It's been over a year and I still shave auth lvl 4 on feather and lvl 5-6 on Astra because it's more smooth. Before you think on buying multiple razors, take time to hone yours. Like a weapon, master it before you try moving on to something else, because it'll only take much longer because you need a foundational understand on how to use it. Cleaning Vintage Safety Razors: DO's and DON'T's - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/cleaning-vintage-safety-razors-dos-and-donts.411329/post-9896522

 

[Atlantic59]

The Black Beauty is a good razor to learn with.

If you have a heavy beard like a lot of Indian guys seem to, you may do well with a mild open comb razor such as the Parker 24c.or 26c 3-piece.

 

[Pippirull]

Of course you should try and clean up the razor. Most of what you see is dried soap and gunk, will probably be cleaned away with regular dish soap and a toothbrush. I have cleaned some razors, and so far hardly used any chemical at all. Avoid using chemicals as much as you can.

Would personally highly recommend to buy a Merkur 34C, it's quite cheap, easy to find and deliver great results for most of them who try.
It's definitely one of my personal favorite razor.

 

[Nomad116]

The Black Beauty is a good razor to learn with.

If you have a heavy beard like a lot of Indian guys seem to, you may do well with a mild open comb razor such as the Parker 24c.or 26c 3-piece.

Imma have to look into open combs and see hire the go in the future. How different is it compared to the super?

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B. Like others have said, try cleaning up the razor.

 

[emwolf]

The Black Beauty is the razor I learned on and it's still a great one. I would clean up the one you have, but from your original question, I've only used the Pearl, never heard of the Bombay razors. Pearls are decent and affordable.

 

[xiletero]

clean the Gillette using the above recomendations....better than others. once clean use a nice new blade

 

[BigJ]

I personally would give the Black Beauty a good clean and then use it. Start at setting 1 and move up until you find the best setting for you. Mine is usually setting 3. Some like to start on a certain setting and move it around on each pass. It is whatever works for you. By the way, welcome to the forum.

+2! The BB would be a fine place to start!

If you really want to purchase a razor, then my recommendation would be either one of the EJ89 series or a Merkur 34C, two fine shavers in the mild/moderate range.

In either event, purchasing a blade sampler or two would also be a good idea.

 

[NPK]

The Wilkinson Sword Classic is the perfect beginner DE razor.

Its durable, has rounded edges with the blade 100% enclosed except for the cutting surface. It is very mild allowing you to work on technique without too much worry of nicks and you have to be deliberate if you want to cut yourself. I gave it to my 14 year old son to use for his first shave (never shaved at all ever before) and he had no problem with it.

Best of all it is very inexpensive to purchase at ~$10 and even comes with 5 blades.

Get the technique down first, then explore getting various gear, plenty of time for that later.

 

[merovirginian]

I recommend the Rockwell 6c as another beginner DE razor. It's what I gave my son.

 

[Ivo4u2]

first a good black beauty is a great shaver!
however! First oil it, open and close the doors and check they do that properly! Check the head alignment. If it is like my slim crooked then do not shave with it, keep it as a reminder or go to a revamp service to repair and revive your dads.
if it works properly clean it as good as you can and use it. It will bite anyhow ;-).

want another variant razor. Parker makes a nice copy of a merkur. Qshave/Weishi does the same for hé merkur futur.