Next Safety Razor and Blade Suggestions

[salman]

I’ve been shaving with the Wilkinson Sword DE Razor and Astra Platinum Blades for a while. The shave is fairly mild, which i dont mind, although i would like to take the step up to a closer, more aggressive shave.

I have sensitive skin so i want to avoid going for a third Against the grain pass, and hopefully get a close enough shave with two passes only ( with the grain and across the grain ).

Any suggestions for what razor and blade combination would work best for me? Im open to SE Razors too. Would feather blades on my current Wilkinson sword do the trick too?

Id like something that isn’t super expensive, so under $50 inclusive of shipping n all woule be perfect. ( Im in Canada ).


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[ftrez]

The Razorock Game Changer from Italian Barber is an efficient but mild shaver. It slightly exceeds your $ limit (but only by $5). They only have the .84 version in stock (and only with the HD handle) but I find mine pretty mild.

I'd also suggest some research on the Razorock Lupo. I'm looking at it as a travel razor.

All of this is YMMV but as to blades, I find that Gillette Nacets and Voskhods are sharp and mild. Gillette Silver Blues as well but maybe slightly less mild.

 

[Whiterook]

If you would like to try a vintage razor I suggest the Schick Krona. Put in a sharp blade such as the GSB or Astra SS and it is amazing.

 

[BigJ]

How many blades have you tried? If the answer is ‘not many,’ then I suggest you work your way through a blade sampler pack (or two) before moving to other razors.

 

[Sotiris_A]

How many blades have you tried? If the answer is ‘not many,’ then I suggest you work your way through a blade sampler pack (or two) before moving to other razors.

+1 (... as usual )

 

[Invicta]

I’ve been shaving with the Wilkinson Sword DE Razor and Astra Platinum Blades for a while. The shave is fairly mild, which i dont mind, although i would like to take the step up to a closer, more aggressive shave.

I have sensitive skin so i want to avoid going for a third Against the grain pass, and hopefully get a close enough shave with two passes only ( with the grain and across the grain ).

The Astra SP is a good blade and has a good following. The Gillette Silver Blue may be worth trying as it should still give you that smooth shave.
As for a new razor I would suggest the Merker 34C or the Fatip Gentile; the latter is an all brass head and very competitively priced.

 

[les24preludes]

I would suggest that you get a properly efficient razor so you know how that works for you. If you're in Canada you have two choices, which should both suit your budget.
1. Get a Muhle R41 head only and put it on a better handle. It's the usual M5 thread
2. Get a Karve OC E plate head, and as above use whatever handle you favour.

With the Karve (made in Canada) you can order further bottom plates, so you can experiment. The top caps of both should also be inter-changeable. The above are the two DE razors I have personally and I only do one pass and cleanups. The good thing about a properly efficient razor is that you need less strokes, so less irritation.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

A vintage Schick injector would be well worth a try. They're very cheap on the well known online auction site, and give great shaves. The blades are a bit more expensive than DE ones, but I find they last significantly longer.

 

[FireDragon76]

I second the injector. I have a bunch of Shick type M's, as well as a few clones. It's a mild razor but still very effective, even in a single pass. I typically do one pass + touch-ups.

The bakelite handle jobs are much more aggressive, despite their looks.

 

[RayClem]

The Wilkinson Sword DE razor is a mild shaver. The Astra SP blade, while many people love it, is also pretty mild. I have a coarse beard and have never gotten a satisfactory shave with one, even in an aggressive razor.

Since blades are relatively inexpensive, I would suggest you move up to sharper blades. Someone has already mentioned Gillette Silver Blues. They are good mid-sharp blades. Other in that range are: 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow, Voskhod, Gillette Platinum, 7 O'Clock Super Stainless Russian Greens, and Rapira Platinum Lux and Astra Superior Stainless. Try a few of these brands and see how they work for you. Since they are sharper than what you are currently using, they will provide a more efficient shave.

If you are still wanting more after trying these blades, you can either go with a more efficient razor, or try some of the sharpest blades out there: Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Gillette PermaSharps, Gillette Nacets, 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Indian Blacks, Personna Platinum Israeli Reds, German Wilkinson Swords.

Some less popular brands I find to be very sharp and smooth are SuperMax Blue Diamond, Dorco Prime Platinum and the newly released Shark Platinum blades.

When using mild razors, I equip them with the sharpest blades to cut my coarse beard. When using more aggressive razors, I drop back to one of the mid-sharp blades to minimize irritation of my face. I can shave with any razor from a very mild VDH TTO to an aggressive Muhle R41 as long as I match it with a suitable blade.

 

[stuttgurth]

I’ve been shaving with the Wilkinson Sword DE Razor and Astra Platinum Blades for a while. The shave is fairly mild, which i dont mind, although i would like to take the step up to a closer, more aggressive shave.

I have sensitive skin so i want to avoid going for a third Against the grain pass, and hopefully get a close enough shave with two passes only ( with the grain and across the grain ).

Any suggestions for what razor and blade combination would work best for me? Im open to SE Razors too. Would feather blades on my current Wilkinson sword do the trick too?

Id like something that isn’t super expensive, so under $50 inclusive of shipping n all woule be perfect. ( Im in Canada ).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have good luck with a gillette superspeed with chinese made wilkinson sword blades.

 

[gdawg55]

I would recommend the Fatip Gentile with your Astra blades. It's one of my best performers. Great shaving razor for the money. It's efficient while not being aggressive....and very smooth.

 

[Azzurri]

I like the Parker 94 with Astra. It's a very good combo. Two passes and I get a close shave. No burn.

 

[Azzurri]

The Wilkinson Sword DE razor is a mild shaver. The Astra SP blade, while many people love it, is also pretty mild. I have a coarse beard and have never gotten a satisfactory shave with one, even in an aggressive razor.

Since blades are relatively inexpensive, I would suggest you move up to sharper blades. Someone has already mentioned Gillette Silver Blues. They are good mid-sharp blades. Other in that range are: 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow, Voskhod, Gillette Platinum, 7 O'Clock Super Stainless Russian Greens, and Rapira Platinum Lux and Astra Superior Stainless. Try a few of these brands and see how they work for you. Since they are sharper than what you are currently using, they will provide a more efficient shave.

If you are still wanting more after trying these blades, you can either go with a more efficient razor, or try some of the sharpest blades out there: Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Gillette PermaSharps, Gillette Nacets, 7 O'Clock Super Platinum Indian Blacks, Personna Platinum Israeli Reds, German Wilkinson Swords.

Some less popular brands I find to be very sharp and smooth are SuperMax Blue Diamond, Dorco Prime Platinum and the newly released Shark Platinum blades.

When using mild razors, I equip them with the sharpest blades to cut my coarse beard. When using more aggressive razors, I drop back to one of the mid-sharp blades to minimize irritation of my face. I can shave with any razor from a very mild VDH TTO to an aggressive Muhle R41 as long as I match it with a suitable blade.

Excellent post. I have a coarse heard. The blades you suggested are are really good.

 

[Azzurri]

The Astra SP is a good blade and has a good following. The Gillette Silver Blue may be worth trying as it should still give you that smooth shave.
As for a new razor I would suggest the Merker 34C or the Fatip Gentile; the latter is an all brass head and very competitively priced.

I LOVE the 34...but I would rate it very mild for course beard. But still one of my favorites. It just gives a shave.

 

[Ron R]

One of the best razors for irritation free, carefree handling and give a great shave is the Razorock SLOC. If you nick yourself it's your technique that needs improving.

Have some great shaves!

 

[jbreakfield]

I started with the Merkur 34C, and have to use sharp blades to get a good shave. When I wanted to move "up" in aggression, I tried the ICE razor from Global Shave, and I really like it. It's inexpensive, and seem very well made, and is what it says, a step up from the 34C. I've not tried many other razors, but for the price that one is great.

I will say, not the best customer service from this company (Global Shave). The purchase went smoothly, and I received the razor on time. But, when I tried to ask some questions following my purchase, I was never able to get a response.