Thread: Safety Razor

Hello, its been a while since ive been on here, its just been a really bad year, but i finally went forth and got a safety razor, after today in the shower(i know bad picture)ive had enough and figured id go forth.. so my wife got me my first one for X-mas from the kids, i did a little looking around, and the best one i could find for the $$ and best ratings is this one, any thoughts? JR
Amazon.com: Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor: Health & Personal Care

It's a quality piece and should serve you well. Now starts the fun part figuring out which blade works best for you.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

It's a quality piece and should serve you well. Now starts the fun part figuring out which blade works best for you.

I hope so, to bad i have to wait till after X-mas, i ordered Wilkinson Sword Classic along with it, my neighbor said that they were what he used back in the day,, JR

This is the exact one that I use every day (most days.) I don't know why they call it the model 180 while other sites call it the 23C...

But anyway, I like it. It's got a very solid feel to it. It shaves well. Not very much else to say about it.

Originally Posted by THG

This is the exact one that I use every day (most days.) I don't know why they call it the model 180 while other sites call it the 23C...

But anyway, I like it. It's got a very solid feel to it. It shaves well. Not very much else to say about it.

Thanks for the info, I've. Been after a good shave since I started 20 yrs ago, and every razor that I've tried, blade or electric, just hasn't cut it..(literally) so this is the next one to try, hope this works, cuz the only one left is the straight, and I'm to nerves for that.. JR

Not too man fans of (modern) Wilkinson blades out there. I'd recommend buying a blade sampler to see what works best for you and your razor.

Definitely get a sampler pack. I made a mistake of not doing that. I just went straight ahead and got a 100 pack of Astra blades.

So the blades I have tried so far are:

1. Merkur
2. Astra (Superior Platinum)
3. Shark (Super Stainless)

I started off with the Merkurs. They don't stay super sharp for long at all. They give a good first shave, though.

Astras are much sharper than either of the other two. I've been using them for months and months, and because they're so sharp, I think that might be the source of so much irritation and skin dryness that I've been getting much of the time.

I just tried a Shark today. While it's not even close to the sharpness of the Astra, it is a very smooth shaver. I can't tell the difference between the Astra shave and the Shark shave in terms of closeness, but my face feels a lot better.

I also got a pack of Derbys and Feathers that I'll be trying soon. Don't make the same mistake I did. Get a sampler pack (or a bunch of 5-packs of different brands) and see what's good for you. What works for you will be different from what works for me.

Astras, Feathers, and Personna Reds work well for me and my 23C.

Yeah, I know what you mean. The worst part of starting to shave with a straight is putting steel to your face for the first time and making that downward stroke.

But, after that, it only gets better.

Well I guess its good that I only got a few, and not 100. But thanks for the advice.. JR

Yea I made the ...mistake? of ordering the Wilkinson blades in a pack of 100 some time ago and I've been slowly going through them. There are better out there. Also depends if you get the German ones or the Asian. I prefer the feathers in all but the open comb DEs where they can really get aggressive.