[salemh]

After using Dollar Shave Club for a long time, I may start looking at trying a safety razor. Mostly because the shave quality is going downhill.

What’s kept me away from safety/straight razors are: Learning/practice. I already nick myself with a regular shaving blade.

Time: while meditative, I am in a rush sometimes and don’t want to spend twenty minutes with lather/shaving (probably an exaggeration of time).

Choices: it seems too much like a hobby, where I can’t tell what a good “starter” is.

Apologies for formatting, this is phone posting.

[dagxskars]

I split my time between a safety razor and Harry's. I usually shave before getting in the shower in the morning.

Nicks: I have uneven skin. I also damage myself with a cartridge razor. I get nicks with a safety razor. I get bad razor burn with a cartridge razor, depending on how much growth I have. The nicks go away after a shower. The razor burn does not. After my first safety razor shave, I've only gotten minor nicks. Pick up a styptic pencil if worried.

Time: I need two full passes to match a Harry's. Three passes exceeds a Harry's. I can do it in 10 minutes, but, if I'm in a hurry, I use a cartridge razor. Taking 15 minutes, relaxing, getting a great shave is awesome when I have the time. Sometimes I shave before bed so I can do this.

Choices: Several online companies have variety packs of blades. Get one of those, find the blade you like, order a bunch. Buy whatever razor fits your price range. Buy the most popular blade shaving cream (not soap) you think will smell OK. A cheap brush will get you going, though you don't "need" one for shaving cream. You don't need a bowl.

Hope that helps some if you decide you're interested. Watch a few videos on YouTube to get the basics. The critical rule: don't move the blade side-to-side.

Edit: Added styptic pencil note.

[news_to_me]

It does take some practice to get the hang of it, and in that time, you are more likely to nick yourself. For me, it took about a month or so to be as good with the safety razor as a cartridge one.

Now it takes me about an equal amount of time as it did using a cartridge razor, and I rarely nick myself (about as frequently as I did with a cartridge).

There are some good lists for cheap "beginner" razors online - I'd suggest trying out one of those. You can just use your normal shaving cream, too.

The bottom line for me is the crazy cost of razor cartridges. My razor blades cost 25 cents apiece, and that's on the expensive end.