What safety razor should i get? im a beginner

[House Boy]

Don't listen to these guys, if you're starting out try an adjustable razor. I suggest the Qshave, you can get for under $20 at amazon also get a 50 pack of Personna Platinum or Feather blades, Personna may give you more shaves per blade, and a good can of shave shave cream. With the Qshave you can play with the different settings for a couple of months, once you find the setting that's good for you, you can than find a non adjustable razor that will fit that setting or just keep using the adjustable, it's not a bad razor.

Now the next question you have to ask yourself, once you like the wet shave and you will, do I want just a good shave or do I want to go down the rabbit hole spending lots of money on accessaries and razors.

Welcome and it's not that complicated.

 

[profusion]

Merkur 34C is what I started with, and it's fine. That and a sample pack of blades would get you started.

However, my 34C had sloppy blade alignment, and I later discovered I needed to manually align the blade before clamping the razor tight if I wanted a good fit. That might tip me in favor of the Muhle 89.

The prep and technique are where your focus should be at this point more than getting picky about hardware. A skilled DE shaver can get a good shave with almost anything. A low-skill shaver will struggle with anything.

For that reason, you might consider a vintage Gillette Tech. They are mild, but also unforgiving of bad DE technique. You'll learn faster and better with a Tech, perhaps.

 

[blethenstrom]

For a beginner you should get Tedalus Velocity 1. No, no, no erase that, Im just kidding.

I am surprised that @Jaybyrd has not gotten one yet. The RAD is strong with this one.

 

[blethenstrom]

Welcome to B&B! We are so glad that you decided to join us. Yep this is a bit overwhelming, I agree. There are so many razors/blades/soaps/ etc to choose from. I would start out pretty simple so you have a chance to get your feet wet before getting all tangled up. Many solid recommendations in previous posts and any of them would work really well.

Tell us a bit of yourself and what you are using now and if you are using any soap/cream or canned products etc.

 

[tejolot3]

Merkur 34C is what I started with, and it's fine. That and a sample pack of blades would get you started.

Agreed. That's what I started with, and it's one of only two razors I have a decade later. I had two others at one point: one broke doe to Zamak rot, and the other was too aggressive for me and ended up getting PIF'd to a forum member in Pakistan (IIRC).

The prep and technique are where your focus should be at this point more than getting picky about hardware ... A low-skill shaver will struggle with anything.

Agreed. Pick whatever razor seems like the best choice at the time, and then focus all your effort on (1) building a good lather and (2) pressure and shave angle.

 

[Phoenixkh]

First of all, welcome to the B&B community.

I do agree, it would help us give more targeted advice if you told us a little bit more about yourself. Do you shave every day? If you could describe your whiskers and any known skin issues……That sort of thing. There will undoubtedly be someone here with whom you have a lot in common.

 

[gms]

In theory Rockwell 6C/6S looks like a safer choice for a beginner. But the truth is that most users use 6C and 6S with plates 3 and 4. And most mild razors offers the plate 3 and plate 4 efficiency and safety without the confusion of many plates.

For me, Muhle R89 or Edwin Jagger DE89 (its the same but R89 is better for brass cap screw) is the best choice for a beginner. It works only with the angle that the head design permits and this is very helpful for a beginner. Its also price friendly. It is similar with plate 3 or plate 4 of Rockwell 6C/6S but the head design is better because it is thinner. The only problem of R89 for me its the handle. The Grande version has better handle but still not good. Its way better to buy only the head of R89 and a another handle (like Razorock Bulldog or something similar).

Another good mild razor is the Razorock Game Changer 0.68-p. But its not that beginner friendly. Its better to start with Muhle R89, DE89 or even Merkur 34C and when you learn the basic to buy a Razorock GC 0.68-p. If you want to risk it and start with a Game Changer at least stay away from the Game Changer 0.84-p. It is too aggressive for a beginner. Get the 0.68

Do yourself a favor and don't buy 6C or 6S for first razor. I started with Rockwell 6C because I read that many about the plates. Big mistake. The plates will confuse you and in reality will offer you nothing. It is a marketing strategy that works good. In theory you have 6 plates. But you can't really shave with plates 1 and 2 (blade gaps 0.20mm and 0.35mm). The mild plates are the plate 3 and plate 4. Plate 5 is close to plate 4 and not really add something and plate 6 is more aggressive and not useful for a beginner. So, from the 6 plates in reality you have only 2: the plates 3 and 4. And from those 2 plates the plate 3 is too mild and most prefer the "sweet" plate 4. You will confuse yourself to test all the plates with many blades and at the end will select the plate 3 or 4. I ended with the plate 4 like the majority. And by design the head of 6S/6C is very thick (twice as thick from most mild razors).

Get the Muhle R89 and learn how to shave with a good mild razor and test it with various blades. Than buy something with better quality or something more or less efficient depending your needs. For me there is no reason at all to buy the thick bulk Razorock 6S at all.

 

[Lane101]

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie who is approaching the world of safety razors. I was considering a few of these to start with: King c gillette, muhle r89, merkur r41, rockwell 6c, edwin jagger de89. my need is to have an excellent bbs, considering however that I have somewhat sensitive skin and I shave about every day or every 2. I also wanted to know which brand of razor blades I should use, I had seen the green Astra ones which are considered good. thank you for your help

Welcome to B&B! Let me second the many recommendations above for the King C. Gillette (KCG). While it is a mild razor I've found that it can easily deliver BBS shaves with some use of the "riding the cap" technique on a final buffing pass (See the Shave Nation video on this on YouTube). The KCG is a nicely finished three piece razor that is readily available at reasonable prices in the $20-$30 range.

If you would like a twist-to-open (TTO) razor there are choices from Weishi and Baili at $10-$15 price points. My Weishi 9306 Long Handle (around $15) works really well for me with a moderate level of aggressiveness. Similarly priced Baili TTOs from recent production have been noted as milder by other B&Bers.

There is a real bargain out there in adjustable razors. The Razorock Adjust (rebranded Baili) for around $15 runs in between my Weishi and KCG in aggressiveness. It uses the same style of adjustment mechanism found in the classic Gillette adjustable razors from the 1960's to 1980's. The only other modern production razor with this type of adjustment mechanism is the well regarded Rockwell T2 that will run you $100+. I purchased the Razorock Adjust last fall and have found it to work really well. Note that Stirling also sells this razor for around $10.

Finally you may find that one or more of these reasonably priced razors works really well for you. While there is a lot of marketing out there that refers to reasonably priced razors as "beginner" and "starter" razors there is no reason why you need to move to a more expensive razor unless you prefer it. The chromed zamak or brass the above razors are made of can last years.

With razors it's all about the blade positioning geometry and shaving angle. Make your own decision regarding whether upgrading to a razor made of stainless, artistic design, or via a CNC machining process, where you don't need to check that the blade is evenly positioned, is worth it.

There are also sub-$10 razors out there that work well for many B&Bers. While they work you will typically find a significant drop off in finish quality and longevity at these price points. I experimented with a $6 Lord L6 and found it far too aggressive for my tastes. Also other B&Bers have had the razor eventually fail since it uses an aluminum handle that screws into a cast Zamak head. Good example of YMMV in my case.

Best of luck on your shaving journey!

P.S. What are you planning to use for a shaving soap/cream and a shaving brush?

 

[Jaybyrd]

Welcome to a great forum with many more knowledgeable people than me. I am still new to wet shaving but have acquired about 20 razors already…you only need one but I am really enjoying myself so that’s all that matters - and that my wife doesn’t come on here 🫣.
So you have some really great suggestions here to work with, my thoughts would be the Henson, Leaf Twig, KCG, or Rockwell 6S. Now I don’t know your budget but I think any of these are a nice starting point for a razor. The blades, well I have tried a few and can say initially it didn’t do so great with Feathers or BIC (both are a nice blades but maybe I’m just too new for them and had a lot of irritation and weepers). I have had success with Astra, but my favorites so far are Gillette Nacet, Gillette Silver Blue, and Permasharp. I have been buying blades 100 at a time after, I sample them and find they work. This is very much a YMMV - your mileage may vary sort of “hobby”.
Rest assured you’re in the right place so keep on reading and learning!
All the best!

Jay

 

[Saloogie]

I'll bet your head is spinning by now @francospa!

My head is still swimming over all the choices a available these days. We are lucky.

But that said, I go along with the vintage razor mentioned here, the Gillette Tech. Very easy shaver, it seems good with all blades and it's forgiving. It's a great beginner tool. The Schick Krona is another great, easy shaver from the 60's that won't nick you up or leave you irritated. It has a longer handle which you might find more comfortable if you're just coming out of the cartridge world as well. Both can be had for about 20 bucks.

They're not the sexiest razors on the market, but there's a reason they were such great sellers in their day.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

If you are looking for BBS as a starter, I’d say avoid DE and go Artist Club or 1/2 DE with a Parker Soloedge. The fixed angle and blade rigidity takes a lot of the variance out of the shave. Soloedge with cut in half Bics is like magic. Slick hydrated lather helps too.

Another option would be to pick up an L or N Schick Injector razor and use Injector II blades from Japan, but that is a little harder to do as they are rarer.

I gave my nephew a Soloedge and he is enjoying it.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I started shaving in 2019 with a Baili TTO, and in a few months bought a Parker Variant (which is basically a heavily redesigned clone of Merkur Progress).

This immediately became my favorite razor.

Now years later, it's still my favorite razor.

It is very smooth and forgiving at low settings, extremely smooth and efficient and rather forgiving at medium settings. Its fairly hefty weight makes it easy to not apply pressure. It is not finicky about blades, at all. I still think it's a great razor for both a beginner and an experienced shaver, as it allows to dial the aggressiveness to your level / liking. I would recommend even more the open comb version, it's equally smooth and pretty forgiving but a tiny bit more efficient at lower settings. But either Variant is great.

If you are not comfortable spending $60 on a razor at this point, I would recommend getting a flare tip Gillette Superspeed on eBay, those were made between mid-1950s and 1980s (the later ones have black aluminum handles). They are cheap, mild, efficient, and not as sensitive to the shaving angle as the Techs, at least in my opinion. I like my Baili TTO and see that it's been recommended, but I find both of my Flare tip Superspeeds to be superior - easier to maneuver, more forgiving yet pretty efficient.

Personally, I'd avoid Techs. They tend to be way too mild (the post-War ones, which are also most common). While they are easier to get a comfortable shave with than perhaps any other DE razor, they are also the hardest for me to get a BBS level shave with, and I personally tend to get irritation from scrubbing my face with one too much. I find Superspeeds to be a lot more efficient while not much more aggressive.

As far as Astra SP - they are very good blades. I have a big stash of them, both the older Russian version, and the current Indian one. They are reasonably sharp and pretty smooth. A good blade to learn shaving with.

But, I would also recommend getting a blade sampler. Blades are the most YMMV thing in wet shaving.

 

[Wgg2017]

My recommendation would be to start with a razor that is adjustable. Some like mild razors and some like aggressive. It’s good to find out what you prefer with your first razor and an adjustable will let you do that.

Don’t go switching back and forth between settings every shave though. Start at the mild end and use it for at least a month. If you aren’t getting the results you want you can start to move up the aggressiveness scale.

I’d also like to echo the advice that your results are very unlikely to be bbs at the beginning. DE razors are more difficult to use than carts and require time to get great results. Don’t get disappointed and quit when the shaves aren’t as close as you expect in the beginning.

 

[tm3]

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie who is approaching the world of safety razors. I was considering a few of these to start with: King c gillette, muhle r89, merkur r41, rockwell 6c, edwin jagger de89. my need is to have an excellent bbs, considering however that I have somewhat sensitive skin and I shave about every day or every 2. I also wanted to know which brand of razor blades I should use, I had seen the green Astra ones which are considered good. thank you for your help

Welcome to The Jungle.

I think an adjustable makes a lot of sense for a beginner, and the Merkur Progress and Rockwell 6s are two excellent choices.

However, your particular skin and shaving habit suggests to me that you are a perfect match for a Henson mild. So that's my vote.

The green Astras work very well with the Henson (and everything else I have tried them in).

 

[srgjazz]

Decades long daily shaver here. I have bought and sold more razors than I can count. Super mild to super aggressive. Open comb closed comb slant adjustable you name it. For me nothing beats the Henson mild with a Gillette Silver Blue.

 

[DrStrange]

Get one of these:

VINTAGE GILLETTE SUPER SPEED 1PC RAZOR. NO DATE CODE. SHAVE READY. | eBay

NO DATE CODE. Shave Ready. Razor has been cleaned in an Ultra Sonic cleaner and dip in Barbicide. Razor does function. A few marks on the razor handle and doors. Razor doors do not open correctly.

www.ebay.com

Vintage Gillette Super Speed One-Piece Safety Razor in Original Case, Blades | eBay

Untested Ha Ha , needs cleaned up , study pictures for a detailed description

www.ebay.com

Vintage 1940's Gillette Super Speed DE Safety Razor Pre Date Code NO Date Code | eBay

Razor functions well.

www.ebay.com

Vintage 1940/50's? Gillette Super Speed Safety Razor Notched Post No Date Code | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">This is used and shows signs of wear such as marks scratches and scuffs and other signs of wear. See all pictures for better idea of condition. I don't know what year this was made I found the one that looked most similar to mine. </p> <br> <p...

www.ebay.com

Vintage 1940's Gillette Super Speed DE Safety Razor Pre date Code | eBay

<p>This vintage Gillette Super Speed DE Safety Razor is a collector's item from the 1940s. It has a classic design and was made by a well-known brand. The razor is perfect for those who appreciate the history and craftsmanship of traditional shaving. Its unique design is sure to impress any...

www.ebay.com

 

[GaryTha]

As others have suggested, you should get a variety of blades. Astra SP (green tuck) are reliably good so, if you do only get one brand, that's a good one to get.

But if you go the blade sampler route, let me offer a couple of suggestions:

1. You only need a few brands to sample early on, not twenty. Too many will just muddy the learning process. Along with Astra SP, you might want to try both more- and less-sharp brands. Gillette Nacet is my favorite sharp blade; Feather is also good, and I've heard a lot of good things about Gillette Silver Blue and Gillette Perma-Sharp (I recently received some of each but haven't tried them out yet). Along with Astra SP, another reliable medium-sharp blade is Gillette 7 o'Clock Super Stainless (Russian green tuck). Recommending less-sharp blades is trickier, but I personally like the ones from Mostochlegmash PJSC (Moscow) such as Voskhod, Ladas, and especially Rapira Swedish Supersteel. Basically, if it's made in Russia, then chances are it's a reliably good brand of blade, with St Petersburg ones being more reliable and sharper than Moscow ones; just bear in mind that Russian blades are getting harder to come by these days for obvious reasons. Production of some have moved to other countries, with reportedly varying results.

2. Don't switch blades each time you shave, at least not while you're still learning. Stick with one blade for a couple of shaves, then bin it and try another blade of the same brand for a couple more shaves. This will help you learn difference between a blade you don't like and poor lather or poor technique. In the beginning, it's really easy to have an awful shave and blame the blade, when it wasn't the blade's fault at all.

3. Don't buy a hundred-pack of blades until (a) you're decently confident in your ability to tell the difference between brands and (b) you've tried quite a few different brands.

Blades don't get broken in for about twenty-five shaves. The next hundred are the ones that count.

 

[cpcohen1945]

. . . .

Mühle R41
Omg, why that? Ok, let me tell you my thoughts. It's a very direct shaver, but not uncomfortable if used the right way, carefully and without applying pressure. It FORCES you to develop a very steep learning curve. The first shaves may be very difficult but once you tamed and learned how to control it, it it delivers an easy BBS shave. Easier than any other razor with fewer passes. It's a challenge. Maybe buy a R89 and a separate R41 head. Additionally I recommend the grande versions with the bigher handle.

+1. An R41 as a first razor is just asking for trouble.

A Merkur Progress adjustable (watch Mantic59's videos for hints), or another adjustable razor (Parker Variant or Pearl Flexi), or something in the "mild-to-medium" category (DE89 or Merkur 34c) is more likely to give you a good start.

I was tied to Feather blades for years -- very sharp, but unforgiving. I'm now using Astra Superior Platinum (SP) -- gentler, but still sharp enough. Also cheaper than Feather's.

Have fun, and don't try to rush the learning curve.

. Charles

 

[Quaznoid]

Tech

 

[giftofbab]

I am going to recommend the Timeless Aluminum razor. IMO, it’s ridiculous this razor isn’t talked about nearly enough.

$50 for a CNC machined razor that is made in the US (if that matters to you) with fantastic customer service. Being aluminum might shy people away from it but here’s the caveat…You still get a quality razor for much cheaper than other metal offerings. It’s easy to maneuver around and you have the ability to apply some pressure. Also, aluminum can still last your lifetime albeit more care might be required.

$50 for a Timeless whereas their other offerings are much much more is an absolute no brainer to me. However, it isn’t a Henson with its defined angle. This razor does take a little bit to get the angle right. IMO, the lather channels could be a little bit bigger. It takes slightly more time to rinse out than other razors but that’s just getting petty. It’s plenty smooth with a hint of blade feel to tell you it’s there.

I can honestly say I love this razor. If you told me I could only have this razor for the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly happy and content.