Best safety razor for a noob?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by TheManWithNoName, Dec 18, 2015.

  1. Marverel

    Marverel Well-Known Member

    Interesting question - you'll find pages over pages of discussions about this topic on the wet shaving forums.

    I'll try an explanation to the best of my knowledge though. To me, the aggressiveness of a razor is mostly connected to blade exposure. You have the razor head with base plate and the cap, with the blade fixed between those two. Now imagine a straight line between the cap's edge and the safe guard (doesn't matter whether it's open or closed comb). Blade exposure describes how far the blade protrudes over that imaginary line and how much it touches the face. The less it does, the more mild a razor appears to be. And in most cases the blade will be bent in a certain angle - this angle is another defining factor. Oftentimes both of these things are connected to the size/shape of the blade gap, meaning the opening between cap and base plate.

    And then there's the human factor ;) You can turn even "mild" razors into aggressive beasts by using too much pressure or choosing the wrong angle while shaving.

    Razors like the EJ89 and the Super Speed are considered beginner friendly because the are more forgiving as far as user errors go. You have to try pretty hard to hurt yourself with these.

    On the other hand I know some people that started wet shaving with a Mühle R41, which is one of the most "aggressive" razors on the market. They say they like the more direct feedback from the blade, so that they have more control over what they are doing.
     
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  2. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    To expand on what the gentlemen before me have said, here's a diagram that outlines the various parts, demonstrated on a super speed.
    [​IMG]
    Gap, exposure, blade angle, and shaving angle all play a part in how "aggressive" or "mild" a razor is.

    For example, the G.E. Jones Shake Sharp razor has a larger blade gap and exposure than 99% of all DE razors, but because of the stiffness of the blade edge (due to baseplate and cap design) combined with a very shallow (single edge razor style) shaving angle, it is a mild razor.

    Drop it down to a Gillette style shaving angle and it can rapidly become a beast. In this way, in experienced hands, this razor allows for some self regulated adjustability.

    This kind of razor usually winds up being called "efficient." It doesn't fit into the mild or aggressive category, because of it's large effective shaving angle.

    Mild razors always have a small effective shaving angle. This is often called "the sweet spot." If you leave that sweet spot, the razor won't cut at all. Virtually all 'newbie' recommended razors have that above characteristic. You won't get as close a shave (without multiple passes) as you can with more aggressive razors, but you will learn proper shaving angle, pressure, etc. without too much risk of bloodletting.

    Edit: forgot to add the Mehaz razor to my earlier list of newbie razor recommendations. It's a modern, inexpensive, Gillette super speed copy, made in Solingen, Germany. They tend to slip under the radar on the forums, probably due to the name. I reviewed one here:
    http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/mehaz-razor-yes-i-do.30086/
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2015
  3. Robyflexx

    Robyflexx Broke the Like button

    Fantastic post, should be a sticky :happy088:
     
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  4. Douglas Carey

    Douglas Carey Wildman

    I think this link is very helpful to your cause. Good luck!
    Always remember YMMV.
     
  5. Monkeylord

    Monkeylord The Lather Lord

    EJ 89 seems to be an universal answer :D
    But Razzorock has made an EJ 89 head combined with some great handles , even SS ones for less money
     
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  6. TheManWithNoName

    TheManWithNoName Well-Known Member

    Hey, guys, thanks for explaining the aggressive and mild terms for me. That really helps! PoM, I especially liked the picture with the diagram you provided. That helped immensely!

    As I thought about the various recommendations that have been provided here, I really like the idea of finding one of those Gillette Super Speedy razors. So I went out today and found a couple of Gillette DE safety razors at a local shop, and one in particular really stood out to me. However, I was hoping you guys might be able to help me figure out what it was that I was looking at. Upon closer inspection, all I could find on it was the Gillette name, that it was made in the U.S., and that it said "Off Patent."

    When I was reading up on the Gillette DE safety razors, one of the articles I read said that the ones from the late 1940's-1955 were some of the best made and after that, they weren't made as well. Do you guys know if that's true? The article also mentioned that many of them have the year it was made somewhere on it and to look for it so you know you're getting one from when they were made better.

    Also, do you know if Super Speed should be somewhere on the razor? If it's not normally on the razor, how do I know if it's one of the Super Speed models. Lastly, what does "Off Patent" mean? Thanks for any help you can offer in helping me identify what I was looking at today.
     
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  7. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    They will not say what they are. It's hard because you just have to know the shape of them. I'm useless at that. The date code if it has it will be on the bot to of the head on either side of where the handle is attached. Mine is a Y2. Hopefully you can make out the picture. My razor is dirty it was my daily driver last month and needs a deep clean.
    [​IMG]
     
  8. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    the letter is on the left side near the door hinge and the number on the right same place.
     
  9. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

  10. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    WP_20151220_001.jpg You can see the date ( barely) on the picture of my super speed. On the left is the "A" Year and the "1" on the right side for the quarter of the year. This one has a date code of "A1" meaning that it was produced the first quarter of 1955. Now you even have an idea of how old I am:)
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
  11. TheManWithNoName

    TheManWithNoName Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the pics, Ducky and Spyder. I'm going to go back to the shop and take a closer look at the razor again ans see if I can figure what it is. I've also been looking at some of the Gillette SS razors available online, and I think I might go with one of them if I don't go with the one at the local shop. Thanks again, you guys.
     
    Douglas Carey likes this.
  12. twhite

    twhite Peeping Tom

    Take some pictures when you are there. Somebody here can surely tell you what you are looking at.
     
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  13. TheManWithNoName

    TheManWithNoName Well-Known Member

    Thanks for your reply, twhite. I went to the shop today, and it turns out they're closed on Mondays. I'm heading out of town tomorrow to go see my family, but when I get back into town next week, I'll go back and take some pics if I can. I might just go with one of the ones I've seen online instead. Whatever I decide, I'll post pics of the one at the shop or what I get online, if I go that route instead.
     
    Robyflexx likes this.
  14. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Welcome to the fun side of shaving. Razor aggressiveness is determined by gap, exposure, and head geometry. Closed versus open affects the way the razor interacts with the lather. Pick anything really, and stick to it for a while. Master one razor, all the others will become intuitive. Good luck to you!
     
  15. TheManWithNoName

    TheManWithNoName Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the warm welcome, the information, and the advice, Bama!

    I'm down in Phoenix now visiting my family for Christmas, and I'm hoping there might be some time for me to hit up some of the local antique stores in the area. My hope is that I get lucky and stumble across a good deal on a Gillette SS razor. I know there are a few different brands and models that have been recommended to me, and the one thing that keeps coming up from people here and other places online is that the Gillette SS razor is one of the best made and beginner-friendly safety razors, so that's why I'm looking to find a good deal on one of those if I can. I've found a ton of them online, but if I can, I'd like to find one while I'm down here so I have one to take home and not have to wait for one to be shipped to me.
     
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