Looking to get into safety razors

I switched over about 10 years ago. My wife gave me one as a present. She got it from the Art Of Shaving. I absolutely love it. I get an awesome shave and the blades are very inexpensive. I have no idea why men stopped using them.

What about using it to shave your head?

Am I going to cut my head off?

Rockwell T2 is my favorite. It adjustable so you can dial it in how you like. Also a great company. I dropped it and fricked it up, completely my fault. They sent me a new one for free.

I went feather blades from the start with zero experience and it wasn’t bad. Just take your time and you should be fine.

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I’d like to step up to a safety razor but I’m a little intimidated

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Merkur 34c (or 38HD if you want a long handle and have big hands) or Mühle r89. Both are very mild. Barely more likely to nick yourself than with a blue plastic 2-blade BIC.

Grab a variety pack of blades that includes Astra (both blue and green) and Feathers. These are on the “super sharp” side, and most people wind up preferring them (I’m an Astra Blue (stainless) man myself). Derby is another popular brand that’s much less sharp. You’ll probably spend close to $1/blade while doing this. That’s far more than you’ll eventually spend, but trying them out early on is critical and worth it. I think I pay $0.11/blade the last time I bought them (and I think that’s been 3 years ago now. I’ll buy a couple hundred at a time and use them 4-8 times each, and I’m an every other day or so shaver).

Brushes- I love the silver tip synthetic fiber brush by Mühle. I’m unlikely to ever buy a different knot (though occasionally I go on the looking for a gold Merkur Futur brush without luck. Mostly because I have a Merkur Futur and I just want it to match and think it’s a best looking brush.


Creams- I like Taylor of Old Bond Street. They don’t really make a bad product. My favorites are Rose (just a nice smell in the mornings and not overpowering. Very subtle and just pleasant) and Royal Forest (a Creed Aventus mimic that does a pretty good job. I plan on eventually buying the aftershave but am pretty lazy when it comes to that. I’m still disappointed that Skin Bracer no longer makes their blue-colored aftershave. I go through a bottle every 5 years or so, and between bottles it had gotten discontinued. I would’ve stocked up had it not already gone from $5–>$50 for the newly “rare” bottle.



Don’t be scared. Spend a little up front. Don’t go crazy and get convinced that you need an heirloom-quality razor. Pot metal is fine.

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Bought a Henson AL13 a

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second this. I shave blind with mine with bar soap. I’ve only cut one plug from my upper lip since Jan.

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Muhle R41 (mild), Muhle R89 (aggressive)

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This is consistently described as the opposite . R41’s open comb makes it considered the more aggressive or “not for beginners” razor. There are loads of jokes online about signing up as a recipient from your local blood bank when buying one.


This is, of course, quite overblown. I have an r41. It’s definitely on the “aggressive” side but doesn’t do it for me- I use a Merkur Futur on the widest setting (which is apparently pretty retarded and something not most people do. Oh well).

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The open comb doesn't get clogged, and so I don't have to rinse the razor head as often.

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Futur is a closed comb but with a fairly large blade gap. I essentially don’t have to rinse the thing, and I think that’s why I like it so much.


ETA- you edited. Just didn’t want our new friend to buy the wrong one

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Definitely worth it. Still on the same cartridge for 2 months now.

Are you talking about one of those blades that old cowboys used to use?