Handy guide to safety razors

21.5. 2020
Handy guide to safety razors

It won't come to you as a surprise that there are several ways to shave, each with its own list of pros and cons. That is why we have put together a quick guide you should go through before choosing the right tool.

Classic safety razors

There's no other starting point that comes to mind than the classic safety razors that use razor blades, for it is the most common choice for men who decide to switch to wet shaving. The reasons for that are pretty self-explanatory and do not stop with the fact that such razor looks great. What is more is that it provides a truly smooth and very cheap shave. Just run the maths for yourself, knowing that you can use one razor blade to shave up to five times. This shaving method is also very clean - classic razors don't have much space where dirt could get caught up, plus they are very easy to maintain. This makes them great for guys with sensitive or acne-prone skin. 

There are some downsides to it as well, one being that shaving with a classic razor takes more time and practice than shaving with a modern one. We won't lie, there might a bit of blood in the beginning. Once you get the hang of it, however, you are golden.

The risk of cutting yourself is a factor that should play a role in your decision-making process - you can either go for an open head or a closed head. The first one is slightly more aggressive, since the blade is more exposed. Thanks to that it can deal with harder and thicker beards like no other, but the risk of smaller cuts is also greater, especially the first few times you use it. If you are a beginner, we recommend you go for a closed head razor blade, because it is much more forgiving in that respect.

Mühle R89 Closed Comb Chrome Plated Safety Razor
Mühle R41 Open Comb Safety Razor

Mach 3 and Fusion razors

We are not too conservative, which is why we also offer classic-looking razors with modern heads with 3 or 5 blades. Their main advantage is that they are very convenient to use - the resulting shave is fairly fast and smooth, plus you only need to use water to make it glide better. Cutting yourself with modern razor would require so much effort that we don't really see it as an option.

It is not all roses and sunshine, however. Modern razor head only works well the first few times, then it becomes more of a beard tugger, which leads to bigger risk of irritation (of your skin, that is). Spare razor heads are also more costly and not quite so nature-friendly, since you have to discard them fairly often. 

You have all probably seen some ad that said something along the lines that more blades = smoother shave. Well, let us correct that a little. There are studies that say the difference between the quality of shave when using a classic safety razor or a modern razor with more blades is either insignificant or even non-existent. What is an actual difference is that shaving soap or cream often gets stuck between the blades, together with what you just shaved off, which makes modern razors less hygienic. You get something, you lose something, that's one way to sum it up.

Mühle Purist R56 Fusion Razor
Taylor of Old Bond Street Mach 3 Black Razor

Shavette

A true "back to the roots" approach would be going for a straight razor or for its close relative - a shavette. The difference between the two is that straight razor has its own integrated blade, while a shavette uses classic double-edge razor blades, usually split in half. This makes it easier to maintain and more hygienic (which is also why barbers usually use shavettes instead of straight razors), but does not diminish the classic shaving feel. Cutting yourself with a shavette is a possibility, there's no reason denying that, especially if you're a shaving rookie. However the resulting shave is incredibly smooth and feels really good once you get a hold of it.

Captain Fawcett Shavette
Parker Stainless Shavette

So which one is it gonna be?

Do you like what you’re seeing? Share it!

Máte dotazy? Ptejte se, rádi odpovíme.

Dosud nebyly přidány žádné otázky. Ptejte se nás, rádi poradíme