cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/5774540
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ICanStopTheRain on 2025-05-07 03:51:37+00:00.
Original Title: TIL that in 1975, after Gillette introduced a two-blade cartridge razor, Saturday Night Live aired a fake commercial for a three-blade razor. Gillette introduced one in 1998. In 2004, a satirical article in The Onion introduced a fictional five-blade razor. A real five-blade razor came out in 2006.
Can someone recomend a non-disposable, non-enshitified razor? I’m in my twenties and have only ever used disposable razors. Please help.
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 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 learned to use a straight razor over covid. You use barely any pressure, tilt the blade and go with the grain and you’re good
The handling is not complicated. Once you feel confident you’ll surely cut yourself though:) But the blade needs more care, you need to leather and occasionally hone it - but you might probably need a single one for life
The Merkur Mk34c looks pretty good to me. Thank you!
Check out the adjustables as well!
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 really like my Henson Shaving razor. Had it a year, haven’t gone through more than about a 3rd of the blades. Unfortunately for USA’ians, Trump’s tariff package just made them more expensive for residents of the US of A.
I bought a Merkur heavy duty razor for $35 in 2008 and I’m still using it today.
I think I buy a 50 pack of feather blades every 4 years for <$20.
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.
you can use electric razor, more gentle, but you still have to watch out for irritation. all the manuals caused severe irritation for me thats why i switched, plus a semi-permanent rash/folliculitis induced by the razor. im also prone to dermatitis so im more susceptile to it too.
electric is less likely to cause said irritation(not 100%), you will have spend some pretty penny for one.
are you using shaving cream when using a manul one.
Have you tried beard?
I’m doing a wet shave with a shaving soap, with some pre and after shave products, no alcohol in any of the products so it doesn’t dry off my skin.
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.