Back when I first decided to get into wet shaving I was on a tight budget and made every attempt to keep the costs from spiralling out of control. Not knowing enough about the products available locally nor about the various ways to cut costs, I basically bought all of my gear online from a single source. I was buying gear for both my wife and myself and believed that I would not have enough money to purchase everything that I wanted. I decided that I would have to make do with a single soap, a couple of safety razors, and a small selection of blades. There was just not enough money in the budget to include a couple of shaving brushes, a wide selection of blades, or any of the other extras that I would have liked. Then I found Bestshave.net. Bestshave.net is a web site based out of Turkey that sells shaving gear at rock bottom prices. One of their big draws is the #6 brush, which they sell for less than $3. Seeing as one of the pieces of gear that I was having a difficult time working into my budget was a brush bestshave.net seemed like the perfect answer to my problems. Unfortunately, packages from bestshave.net can take a month or more to arrive, and by the time I received my gear from Turkey I had already managed to get a couple of brushes and a large selection of blades. When the package finally arrived I eagerly tore it open and noticed that beyond the stuff that I had actually ordered there was also a little something extra added. The good folks at Bestshave.net had thrown in a plastic three piece razor with my gear at no extra cost. This razor turned out to be the best part of the whole order. The Sik Bay razor is a black plastic three piece safety razor that seems pretty unassuming upon an initial examination. The razor handle has a sort of bumpy texture that makes it easy to grip, even when wet. The handle threads into the top plate in the usual way and tightens down smoothly and evenly, it seems to have a fairly solid construction which keeps the plastic threads from stripping or becoming easily worn down. The bottom plate has two notches which work to keep the DE blade evenly and securely in place and also holds the solid guard bar at an optimal angle. The top plate holds the male portion of the threads and the Sik Bay logo imprinted on the face. The razor has a fairly aggressive design that allows for a quick and easy shave, even with a good amount of beard growth. In spite of its aggressiveness the razor head is designed well and shaves smoothly and without the harshness of most other aggressive razors. The razor is made out of plastic which means that it is very light in weight, but due to its aggressive nature it requires very little pressure in order to shave effectively. I did not expect much from a plastic safety razor, but after using it several times I can honestly say that some of my closest and most comfortable shaves have come from the Sik Bay, and it has become one of my go to razors. I find myself reaching for the Sik Bay almost as often as my Edwin Jagger DE86 or my Gillette Super Speed, and at a price of only $1.75 I would recommend this razor as an excellent all around razor equally suited for both travel and home use. Ratings (1-10, 1 being the absolute lowest and 10 being the absolute best): Aggressiveness: 8 Shaving Effectiveness: 9 Weight: 2 Grip: 8 Blade Placement: 9 Overall: 8 Product Link: http://shop.bestshave.net/plastic-safety-razor-p-171.html
Well after such a glowing report, I guess now I know one more of the items that will be on my next bestshave order...
