Today I Learned

I have a Henson double edge shaver and use cheap but effective blades a couple of times. Better shaves and way cheaper overall than anything I’ve used before.

What are Feather blades?

I like Leaf razors. Less expensive than Harry's after you buy the handles, and there's no plastic packaging anywhere. And the refills are cheap (and were even cheaper) until Trump screwed up the economy. It can take any single edge razors, it's not proprietary.

There's three blade and single blade variants for your face or body. Both work great. (Just a heads up, you don't have to tighten the shit out of the screw on the back of the razor)

https://leafshave.com/products/the-leaf-kit?variant=35383432904870

Old school safety razors. I like Wilkenson blades.

https://www.themodestman.com/best-safety-razors/

Henson shaver and the blades they sell. Or get some of the Vietnamese blades I use. “Dorian” I think is the name. Get the ones made in Vietnam. They are a bit better than the ones made in S. Korea. $10 for 100.

Get a safety razor and a variety of blades. You might need to try a bunch of blades to find the ones you prefer but what works best for you will depend on the razor and you. You don't have to spend tons of money on the razor but you can. I use an old (1950s or something ) Gillette I found on ebay like 15-20 years ago. See nicer new ones but mine works so I just keep using it. Anyway, razor barely matters, blades depend more on you than anything.

Edit: Just looked on ebay. Lol, vintage ones are spendy now - I think I paid a couple bucks for mine. Did see a new stainless steel basic version for under 15 bucks. I'd start with something like that and a variety of blades.

I'm using a safety razor, blades are less than a dollar, you get a nice shave and there are whole communities about getting the best shave with the least skin irritation.

Get a Merkur adjustable, they are a bit pricey, but you have to buy it once. Alternatively you can get an old Gillette from ebay. From there, blades are cheap. You can go all the way and get a cutthroat, but it needs technique and care. DE is a good compromise.

I use electric when I need to be fast. Panasonic Arc 4 or 5, the Braun mentioned is good too.

For better shaves though, Leaf Twig as the razor, and Arko Shaving Bar wicked up with a cheap boar’s hair brush. Takes some getting used to, I’m in my late 30s and only used disposable and electric all my life. It was totally worth the transition. Smoother skin, no irritation after the break-in period, and I feel like I look better.

The Leaf Twig is BIFL, very easy to handle for rookies, and it’s small so it helps shaping if you keep a beard.

I've had a Maggard double edge safety razor for about 5 years now and I love it. Just get a head, handle, and assortment of blades to see which kind you like best. I still haven't used all the blades I bought in my first order 5 years ago

I use electric, and have had the same braun 9 series with cleaner for more than 20 years. You can replace the heads on it when they get dull (which takes a long time) and it has an automatic cleaner which keeps it working well even when you don't shave for quite a while.

FYI blades go dull after a few years even without use just due to entropy.

I bought a titanium Henson safety razor for like $100 (they have cheaper aluminium options) and like 5 years of blades for $5. I get a great shave every time and very rarely draw blood these days :) Well worth it, especially compared to a couple months worth of cartridge razors for $30+ from the local supermarket. It's probably the best cost cutting move I've made in years.

Edit: Just looked at Henson again, out of curiosity. The titanium razors are over $600 now, but the aircraft grade aluminium are still affordable. It looks like my shaving "investment" has performed better than my stock/share portfolio LOL.

i switched to electric, which was more convenient, and less irritation.

When I switched, I got the whole setup you describe. Even special soap from etsy. It was too much of a ritual.

Between simple blades and an electric, I'm good and it's pretty fast as long as I keep up with it.

I did do dollar shave for a little bit and it was okay. But this is an easier version of set it and forget it. Like you said, it's pretty cheap.

Honestly, an absolute classic. I read it every couple of years whenever this pops up on the internet, and it's still good every time. Truly superb.

Vintage Tony Martin

I inherited an old safety razor that a great uncle used. It's likely older than I am, by a lot. I still use it to this day. My hair follicles are more like copper wire. Any other kind of razor (minus my straight razor) would be dulled half way through. They'd also be completely clogged up after just like an inch so it took forever too.

That sounds exhausting