GTA Poker;385375 wroteHmmm... This has me wanting to try a safety razor. What are the main factors in choosing one? They seem to range in price from $30 to hundreds.
I chose mine based mostly on length of the handle and the price. A lot of them have short handles, and I wanted something a little longer.
This is the exact razor I have.
http://www.amazon.com/Parker-99R-Handle-HEAVYWEIGHT-Butterfly/dp/B003NTHWLU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=105269C5VRMDP909GF24
Turns out it's a Parker and not a Merkur. Who knew I was a liar?
I've been very happy with it, and I don't see any reason why you'd need to spend more than this for a quality product honestly. More important than the razor is the brush in my opinion. Typically, brushes are made of either boars hair or badger. Badger holds much more water and creates a better lather with your soap. It's pretty amazing actually, you can soak the brush and then hold it upside down and nothing will happen. Then if you squeeze the brush water will just pour out of it.
You can check out this forum also.
Badger & Blade - B&B Homepage
Finally, watch some videos on the old you tube which will help you get used to the razor. The temptation is to pull the razor across your skin. This is wrong!! Instead you have to get used to allowing the weight of the razor to do the work, and also to learn how to take the hair off in short strokes a little at a time.
As mentioned previously, I really enjoy the ritual of it. Usually, I'll fill my bowl with hot water and allow the brush to soak in it right before jumping in the shower with the plan to shave immediately afterward. From there, it's mixing up the soap and proceeding to shave. It's fun, it's manly in a good way. It's also cheaper, and a better shave.
I can't think of any reason not to switch.
