If you want to buy a safety razor, but aren’t sure of what to get, this guide will help.
Shaving is an essential part of your daily grooming routine but, with so many different types of razors on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is the best for you.
If you’ve been wondering whether a safety razor might be better than a disposable or straight razor, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the three best safety razors for men, so you can determine whether the style is right for your purposes. So whether you’re looking for a close shave or a more comfortable one, you’ll be sure to find the perfect safety razor.
An Overview of Safety Razors
Before we discuss our top picks though, let’s clear up what we mean by “safety razor.”
A safety razor is a type of razor that has a guard built into the blade to reduce the risk of cuts and nicks while shaving. It typically consists of a long handle and a head that holds a double-edged blade.
The blade is only exposed at the end of the head (as opposed to a straight razor that exposes more of the blade), allowing the user to achieve a close shave with minimal irritation.
So basically, a safety razor is a great compromise between disposable (but wasteful and more expensive) multi-blade razors and more dangerous straight razors.
If you want to learn even more about safety razors, check our our What Is a Safety Razor article.
Quick Take
Here are our recommendations from the list:
Facón Vintage is a simple but useful razor that will give you up to 200 shaves for a reasonable price.
The FUTUR is known for its adjustable blade along with its sleek and modern design, which allows you to customize the razor's angle to suit your beard and skin type.
Read on for more info and the complete list…
Our Top Picks for Safety Razors
And without further ado, here are our favorite safety razors:
Merkur FUTUR Adjustable Safety Razor
The FUTUR Adjustable Safety Razor is our favorite safety razor from the German brand Merkur, a company that has been making high-quality razors and other grooming products since 1906.
The FUTUR is known for its sleek, modern design and its adjustable blade, which allows you to customize the razor’s angle to suit your beard and skin type.
With an overall weight of four and a half ounces, the FUTUR feels sturdy and gives you plenty to hold while you’re shaving. It’s made with a smooth handle, which I like.
However, if you do most of your shaving in the shower, you may want to go for a razor with a knurled handle instead; that makes a razor easier to hold onto when your hands are wet.
I’ll note here that while the FUTUR provides an exceptionally nice shave, it has a fairly aggressive angle even at its lowest setting.
If you’re already experienced with using safety razors, you’ll probably love it, but beginners might want to start with a different razor.
See our full review of the Merkur FUTUR here.
Edwin Jagger Double Edge Safety Razor
Sporting a similar style as the Merkur FUTUR listed above, but sold at a significantly lower price, the Edwin Jagger Double Edge Safety Razor is a fine alternative to my top pick.
This razor’s double-edge design allows for a more precise shave than cartridge razors and other types of safety razors and has easily replaceable blades that are often more economical and sustainable than disposable razors.
That said, the double-edge blades might be more expensive to replace than cartridge blades, depending on where you buy them.
The main differences between this razor and the Merkur FUTUR are its lighter-weight construction, and its less aggressive blade set.
In my opinion, that combined with its lower price point makes the Edwin Jagger Double Edge Safety Razor an excellent choice for newcomers to the wet shaving world.
Parker 99R Heavyweight Double Edge Safety Razor
Founded in 1973, Parker Shaving has been a family-owned and operated wet shaving business for nearly five decades. They offer a wide selection of razor styles, but their most highly acclaimed products are definitely their safety razors.
The 99R Heavyweight Double Edge Safety Razor has a lot going for it.
A solid brass frame gives it significant heft in the hand (four ounces in total weight), making for smooth and easy shaves with minimal drag.
And if you’re a guy that shaves while you’re in the shower, its textured handle provides an excellent grip even with wet hands.
The flip side of that heavyweight construction is that the 99R is quite an aggressive razor. If you have sensitive skin or are just now learning to wet shave, it may be too much razor for you.
On the other hand, if you have thick beard growth or are already comfortable with the wet shaving process, The 99R offers great value for the price.
Honorable Mentions
Our top three safety razors, listed above, are my go-to choices. But there are many options out there, so I’d like to introduce a few more for your consideration in case any of those aren’t in stock.
Vikings Blade Double Edged Safety Razor
Short and heavy-handled, the Vikings Blade safety razor provides a good grip.
It comes with a pack of blades too, so you will have time to test it out before having to get any refills.
Manscaped The Plow 2.0 Double Edged Safety Razor
From the popular men’s grooming brand Manscaped comes The Plow 2.0.
It’s a simple and no-nonsense safety razor with a knurled handle for a better grip and a gunmetal coating for aesthetically pleasing good looks.
Van Der Hagen Men’s Traditional Safety Razor
This razor is Made in German but offered at an exceptionally low price.
Van Der Hagen’s Traditional Safety Razor Kit is a simple but useful razor that comes with five blades to get started with.
Leaf Shave The Twig Razor
The Twig sports a retro-futuristic look and feel.
It uses a magnetic blade loading mechanism to make for quick and easy blade changes.
Gillette King C. Safety Razor
Major shaving brand Gillette throws their hat into the ring with the King C., a chrome-plated razor that comes with five platinum-coated blades.
It’s sold separately as part of a package of wet shaving tools.
Facón Vintage Long Handle Double Edge Safety Razor
Made from Japanese steel in a classic style, Facón’s safety razor comes with a ton of blades — 50, to be exact.
That means that for under 20 bucks, you’ll get something like 150 to 200 shaves out of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we go: Here are the answers to the questions we’ve heard guys asking about safety razors.
Is a safety razor actually better than a regular razor?
We think safety razors are generally better than regular razors. They provide a closer shave with less irritation and fewer nicks and cuts.
But perhaps more importantly, they are also more economical, as the blades are cheaper and last longer than disposable razors.
What type of safety razor is best?
Our personal experience is that Merkur’s safety razors offer the best combination of performance and value.
How many shaves is a safety razor good for?
Most safety razor blades are good for about a half-dozen shaves before they start to dull. If you’re shaving every day, that means that each blade will last for about a week.
Conclusion
While safety razors require practice and skill to master, their combination of value, sustainability, and close shaving benefits are second to none. I stand by all the razors listed here and would encourage you to choose one based on your relative experience and your budget.
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