I was so happy to find this site! My 19 year old son wants a Safety Razor and (ironically!) I am concerned about the safety of his using one. I would like to know if one can do serious damage to oneself beyond some nicks and if not, which brand of razor would be the best for a beginner, if there is one. I appreciate all of your help and advice!
First, welcome to TSD! You'll only SERIOUSLY hurt yourself with a safety razor if you're trying. Nicks however, are likely while learning (in most cases just a few).
Just be careful changing the blades. However, when in use, you would have to work to seriously injure yourself. Slight nicks may happen when learning not to use pressure. There are a lot of good suggestions in the link that was added above.
Hi! Welcome to the Den. If you still have questions after reading through the above link, always feel free to ask. Lots of great folks here who will be glad to help out.
There is also the Gillette Superspeed Blue Tip, which was supposed to be a mild shaver. I have never used one myself. I read somewhere that ladies used this before Gillette came out with one specifically for leg shaving or what not.
Welcome To TSD! This is the best wet shave board on the planet! Asking which razor to buy is like asking an army how each person would like their eggs cooked. Bill did a great job of putting together the post linked by Jim in the first response to this thread. All of those razors are good choices. I like my eggs scrambled usually, so I am throwing in a vote for the Lord L6.
Another split decision for the Lord L6 or the Weishi. I started with a Weishi to see if I would like wet shaving and quickly realized I wanted more and moved up to a Vintage Gillette Slim. Oh and BTW: Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
If you're looking for something mild, a vintage Gillette Superspeed would do well IMO. I've had a 55 Flare tip which was very mild. Currently have a 55 Blue tip and 73 Super Adjustable which both are/can be very mild. Mind you, these were not my first razors, but they are great for learning the art of DE. The blue is a bit mild for my tastes. And Welcome!
I found and bought and cleaned up a Gillette Black Beauty adjustable for my 19 year old. He shaves with it regularly and has even come to find a favorite blade! The yellow feather is his favorite so far. Just work with him and show him the do's and don'ts and he will do fine with what ever purchase you guys decide to make!
I can recommend a ton of different razors (as most of us here can). My 18 year old son has a preference for the GEM G bar (it looks cool isn't that aggressive and is easy to get the technique down) I though would highly recommend the Lord L6. It's really a good razor at an excellent price.
I think the best beginner razors to keep you from nicking yourself too much and still get a good wetshave are: Gillette ball-end Tech, Schick Krona and Gillette blue-tip superspeed. You can find the first two at very affordable prices.