Thread: Want to buy a safety razor for my father

My old man is coming to visit me in a few weeks and I'd like to get him a safety razor with a hefty supply of blades.
He obviously remembers them from watching his own father use them, but if he did ever even use one himself it would have been ages ago. I mentioned it to him on the phone and his only answer was an unenthusiastic "but those things are so old" and, "I love the disposables, they are so convenient." However, if I take him into AOS I know for sure that he'll get very interested. He also tends to like things a lot more if they're made in Germany.

Has anyone here ever gotten a safety or even a straight razor for someone who was not already a user or aspiring user?

If you get him a vintage one that is in good shape and he does not become interested it is likely you will be able to resell it without really taking a bath. I have heard that the Gillette Adjustable is a good all around DE. Perhaps just take him out to the shop and see if he gravitates to anything. A nice brush and a good soap is always a good place to start. No matter what you shave with a good brush and nice soap will always make it better.

Must not be too old if he's not familiar with using a DE , so he might not know how good they were, when I started shaving that's just what was out there to use till the Bic disposable one came along , but I never went for it myself , used mybDE. For 40 plus years till I started straight shaving, so if you get him one get an adjustable so he can start if mild , and just get him a few blades like a sampler to find which ones he likes best. Tc

the few guy I have given razors to get started received EJ89 s. They have good finish, work well and are middle of the road in aggressiveness. They all still have them.

I have given people DE's, showed them some various soaps and creams, explained that they can be used with canned goo, etc. I don't think any of them have stuck with DE's. I think it's something about "that's a RAZOR, it seems dangerous/time consuming/etc," even though using a DE is exactly the same as using a disposable, but with a (IMO) far superior shave.

Take a look at the German Mühle R89. Essentially the same, well designed head as the Edwin Jagger DE89 previously mentioned.

With the right blade, it provides a very forgiving, mild shave for a first razor.