Blade choice might be as critical as which of the listed razors you choose. I've had best luck with Astra SP and Dorco ST-301, packets of which can be picked up for very little on Ebay. Be sure to mix up a pre-shave oil as well. Just try any light vegetable oil you have, until you decide to make this a permanent switch. Then go with 1 part castor oil, 2 parts olive oil, and 3 parts sunflower or other light oil. A brush and any shaving soap, but Williams, and you're set. Except of course for your after-shave balm.
In the 1930's Gillette came out with the "Tech razors." Very cheap at the time and still can be gotten for next to nothing on Ebay. They are a great shaver. Anything made by Gillette from that point on is a winner. Some of the older open combed razors, I find a bit too harsh. A couple of still affordable truly vintage razors that you may enjoy are the Schick Krona, and the Simplex, WWII vintage. The Simplex, like the Gillette of that period, used mostly plastic because of the diversion of brass to military use. Be careful. If you find a razor that you really like, you may be a prime target for the RAD bug, and end up buying everything in site (pun intended) in search of the perfect shave.
I forgot to mention. From the fourth quarter of 1950 and on, Gillette date coded their razors. You may get a special kick out of acquiring one from your birth year. 1950 = W-4; Jan-Mar 1951 = X-1, etc.
Gillette adjustable, like a Slim, gives you lots of choices for mildness and aggressiveness in the same razor. At around $20 or so, it's a good value. If it's not what you wanted, the market is pretty stable. (I got mine here!)
I would also consider one of these. So far this razor has given me my best shave. Each shave has been irritation and blood free.
cant believe Im the first to say this, but if you do it right you can probably get all those for under $40....I am a big believer in adjustables for a 1st or 2nd razor, you can figure out what works best for you and save a lot of money with just 1 razor.
Yep... adjustable... for me either slim or black beauty. The beauty with an adjustable is that you can find out how aggressive a razor your skin will tolerate... once you find that out buying other razors will be much easier.
I'm also liking the idea of getting a razor from my birth year and month. My birthday is in 2 weeks and I was born in 1975. Are there any good razors that I should look for that would match this?
Gillette super adjustable black beauty. V1. It looks like this except not in gold but a nickel finish
There are good razors from that year. Unfortunately sometimes birth years razors take a while to obtain. Unless you're lucky of course. For your price range you should be able to get a complete starter kit. I have purchased many razors from Ebay, Etsy, etc and have never had a problem. I soak the razors in alcohol and then wash it with antibacterial soap. Most vintage razors do not need to be adjusted. Especially the black handle Superspeeds. These are relatively young as far as vintage razors are concerned. You will get into trouble with the older Gillettes, the Old Type, New Long Combs, Short Combs, and even triangle slot Fat handle Techs. These require a little more attention to make sure you are getting a good one (cracks and worn threads are common). Not to sway you into purchasing from the mentioned sites, but just giving you an option. The best option would be to purchase from a member Classifieds section. Good luck with our search.
Thank you for the advice. The more I think about it the more I just want to get something. I was reading on the Italian Barber site about their RazoRock Protege kit and I might just go that route. Once I get the technique down I can always go looking for a better shave but I'm tired of being uncomfortable when I use my disposables. It's been going on long enough.
