5 Best Safety Razors - Reviews of Top Brands for Beginners & Experienced

Before the safety razor, men relied on the straight razor for shaving. 

In 1880, the Kampfe brothers added a guard along the edge of the steel blade to help protect the skin of the person using the razor. And the safety razor was born.

In 1901 King Gillette improved on the original designs when he patented the disposable blade; and outside from a few basic design improvements, the safety razor has not changed much since then.

So why, then, would anyone prefer to use something designed over 100 years ago? Aside from nostalgia, the safety razor is better for your facial skin and gives better shaves.

Over time, companies that make razor blades were able to stack multiple blades on top
of each other and the technology applied to them has become almost too good. I'm talking about the regular cartridge razors we're all familiar with.

This doesn't sound bad right? WRONG!

According to Dr. Terrance Keaney, a Washington DC dermatologist, the skin is not a smooth surface, shaving with multi blade razors results in "too much shave" - where the blades actually make cuts under the skin. This can cause in grown hairs, razor burn and other problems.

The safety razor solves this problem by giving a close shave without the problems of shaving too close. Additional benefits to using a safety razor are:

With a safety razor you'll get very close shaves. You can even choose the razor by its aggressiveness level according to your preference, so you get to decide how close your shaves are.

Less pressure applied to the face means there is less chance for irritation or razor burn.

You are less likely to develop ingrown hairs caused by multi blade razors pulling the hair up with the first blade and subsequent blades cutting the hair.

Replacement blades are far less expensive than the plastic multi blade razors. Also, you will wind up using less shaving cream because you will soon find that a safety razor requires just
a bit of lubricant on the skin to do its job.

You have more control over your shave since more technique is required. Since you are less likely to rush through your shave, you reduce the chance that you find a missed spot later in the day.

That last point mentions technique.

When it comes to safety razors, the technique is the most important aspect.

Unlike multiblade disposable razors, you cannot whisk the razor around your face in carefree swipes.

​Shaving with a safety razor isn’t as hard as it may seem, and it may be a bit intimidating when you see the blade exposed. However, if you keep two important points in mind:
angle and weight; you will find the technique is easy to master.

First off, don’t over lather your face with cream. Your best bet is to use a good quality 
shaving soap applied to your face with a brush to help lift your whiskers from your face.

You are going to want to set the right angle of the blade to your face.

These razors are designed to move across your face at about a 30-degree angle. 

One trick that most people use is to rest the head of the razor against their face and let the handle drop, slowly, until the blade itself rests against their face. This will usually give you 30 degrees.

Safety razors are not meant to be pulled across your face like the cheap disposable ones are.

Instead, you need to let the weight of the razor guide the blade across your face. You don’t need to apply any pressure; the razor should glide across your whiskers with you controlling its path.

It does help to stretch your skin out to make your face tauter. Most razors have a double-edge to them so when you are rinsing feel free to flip sides to use the other side of the blade.

You don’t want to make the mistake of going out and spending your money on any old safety razor. When buying one, you want to make sure that you pick the best safety razor that's right for you. 

Since they are not all made the same, consider some of the following options when choosing.

You can go to about any store and find a plastic handled razor for under ten bucks.

Typically, it will come with one replacement blade head and after that, you are stuck spending a lot of money on packs of blades; sometimes over $20 for a pack of 5.

With a safety razor, you are going to spend more up front. A razor handle can cost anywhere from $25 to $200. However, when it comes time to buy blades you are going to see a big difference in cost. Typically, a box of 100 blades will cost you between $10 to $20. (which will last you for at least few months)

Another consideration is the cost of accessories. You can make do with just the handle, but
you may want a nice boar bristle brush to apply shaving soap or a stand to keep your razor upright. These can add to the upfront costs.

When it comes to using your razor, you are going to want to consider two important factors:

The handle gives you control on the razor. There are short or long handles.

If you have big hands or want more control over your razor then you may want to look at longer handles. (Although I know of a lot of men with big hands that like short handle razors, so don't get too stressed about it)

Shorter handles give you less area for your fingers, so you want to be sure that you are comfortable guiding the blade before you move to one of these unless you have small hands and the longer handle feels too awkward.

At the end, it's a matter of preference, choose whatever you find comfortable.

Safety razors typically come in either classic or heavy duty weights and weights vary among the different manufacturers. Commonly, people feel that heavier razors are easier to control for clean shaves while lighter razors help shave around facial hair.

When it comes to the head of the razor there are different options:

In a single edge, only one side of the blade is exposed where both sides are exposed in a double-edged, these are known as DE safety razors. It's a matter of preference, but double edge razors are the most popular ones and are recommended for beginners. 

Most razors you find will have a fixed blade. However, some manufacturers allow you to
adjust the amount of blade exposed. These should only be used by people experienced 
with safety razors. This is how you can actually set the razor's aggressiveness. 

With the open comb style the razor blade is exposed and a set of teeth that looks like a comb, helps guide the whiskers into the blade. Those more experienced with a safety razor generally prefer this type.

Beginners often stick with the safety bar option to keep that piece of metal between their face and the blade as they better learn to control their razor. More on open/closed comb here.

The twist to open or butterfly razor is a design that allows to use a knob at the handle to open the head and replace the blades. The butterfly razor is one piece razor, you will often hear about 2 or 3 piece razors, where you need to screw out the heard to replace the blades. These are usually also referred as closed head razors.

Usually the butterfly razors don't last as long as other razors because of the moving parts - but you can definitely expect them to last for at least a few years!

The double edge razor in the image above is a butterfly one.

Different razors will give a different experience based on skin type, beard type and the type of razor itself. This can be a hard thing to discover because you likely won’t have all the razors available to you to test out on your own.

To see what type of razor will give you the best shave for you make sure to read up on what others have to say. However, make sure that you read reviews that match your personal choices as well as your skin, face, and beard.

Safety razors are often more durable than their plastic counterparts, but that’s not to say that there are some brands that don’t quite measure up to the others.

Look for razors that offer a warranty; there are a lot of moving parts that can break on a cheaply made product. Those that come with a warranty are often solid brands that are more reliable.

See what other people have to say about the individual razors. You may be surprised that an expensive razor doesn’t hold up or perform as well as a mid-range one.

As a general thumb rule, a decent safety razor will last you for years. So don't worry about it too much.

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