"BEGINNER RAZORS" vs "Razors Suited for Beginners"

This past few weeks I've been using two Edwin Jagger DE89 razors to compare some blades.  Test blade in one and a blade I know well in the other.  It's a system that works marvelously well because I get to feel differences between blades realtime.  But that's not why I write.  I have had some amazing shaves these weeks using what are commonly referred to as "beginner razors".  Boy howdy that term chaps my hind end.  I think we as a hobby shoot ourselves in the foot by such reference.  We risk alienating folks who can't see the sense in shelling out $200 dollars on a high end razor.  Fact is, the DE89, Merkur 34C, and I'm sure a bunch of other entry level priced razors would shave me satisfactorily for the rest of my days. Shoot, the Gillette Fat Boy was a buck fifty when it was new.  So do me a solid and instead of calling them "beginner razors" be more specific and call them "razors suited to first time shavers".  We need all shavers to want to stay here on DFS.

I have no problems with what others refer to as “beginner razors”. It’s similar to my wine hobby. I’ve got some really nice, expensive bottles in my wine fridge that I lust over but my goto is a twenty-something dollar bottle of Côtes du Rhône.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think Gillette already keyed in on exactly what you're saying.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I love the Merkur 34C. It's still my travel razor after 9+ years of wet shaving. It's the razor I recommend for people just starting out. I'm on my fourth one now because I've loaned them out to new wet shavers and they never come back. And my fourth has been "loaned" out for a couple of months. It's a great razor and will last a lifetime if cared for.

Sent from my 2PZC5 using Tapatalk

If I started wet-shaving today, I would definitely get Rockwell 6C.
It is a great shaver, and easy to get experience by trying 6 different plates.

If I started wet-shaving today, I would definitely get Rockwell 6C.
It is a great shaver, and easy to get experience by trying 6 different plates.

I purchased a 6S way back before there was a 6C. I totally agree in it being a great “forever razor” for the regular guy.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

While at some begging point, about 3 months, i wasn't happy with 38c, I eventually came to the point that by trying things myself I found out that prewar Gillette Tech, Timeless Ti68 and GC68 brass Karve SB-B are what I'm looking for. Russian START .69 works great for my sensitive skin

It's an old idea, and not original with me, that the razor you shave with day in and day out gets better and better and better.  So do the soap and brush.  Why?  Because we learn to use them better.  All you need to make that happen is good gear in proper working order - it need not be great or the "best" gear.  It is also easy to overlook the fact that back in the day, most wet shavers were not hobbyists, and I imagine they did not have multiple razors etc.  Therefore they necessarily used the same razor, brush and so on day in and day out.  I could be wrong, but I doubt they had beginner razors.  Well, the [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]EJ89 and Merkur 34C are both good razors, and anyone who shaves regularly with either of them probably has good experiences, as did Lipripper660 .[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Fast forward to today, when many of us, including me, have dozens of razors.  There are only a half dozen or so I reach for[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] mostly.  Of these, two cost me about $60 each (Game Changer .84 and 2013 R41), and two cost an average of about $40 each (Gillette New Long Comb and GEM Featherweight).  I do not mean to dismiss high end razors - I have owned a few - but they don't have to cost a lot to to be "goTo" razors. And with the possible exception of the R41, I think the other three I mentioned would make fine "First Razors".[/font][/font]

I only disagree with one thing you said. I would say it wasn’t just back in the day when most shavers had just 1 Razor. I would say that’s still true. Hobbyists are a small sliver of the population.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I don't really agree with the whole 'beginner razor' mantra...I suggest people try from the very mild to the very aggressive and then work from there....so like a gillette tech, razorock mamba or feather as-d2 (all are mild IMHO) to the ikon tech, blackland blackbird or muhle r41 (all are aggressive IMHO.

I spent a lot of time & money playing around with mild razors only to find that the most aggressive razors shaved me better with much less effort and time. the repeated thoughts in the wet shaving world is that those who have sensitive skin or are prone to irritations & weepers should steer way, way clear from aggressive razors.