The 10 Best Safety Razors

Shaving guides keep naming the Merkur 34C as the place to start, and the reasons hold up. Its closed-comb head shows only a thin line of blade, so it forgives a shaky hand. The short, chunky handle is chrome over brass with a deep texture that grips when wet, and Merkur has built it in Germany for decades. Loading a blade takes some practice, and people with big hands can find the handle cramped.

In a side-by-side shave comparison by one5c, the Edwin Jagger DE89 gave the closest shave of the starter razors it tried, without a single nick. Edwin Jagger makes it in Sheffield, England, from solid brass under a heavy chrome finish, and that finish came through a salt-spray corrosion check intact. The head unscrews with one twist, so blade changes are quick. The smooth, polished handle is the weak spot: with soapy fingers it can slip.

Very little blade peeks out of the Muhle R89, so it's hard to cut yourself while you learn the angle. The three-piece build comes apart fully for rinsing, and the standard-length handle carries an engraved crosshatch pattern. Muhle makes it in Germany. That gentleness has a cost, though. On several days of thick, coarse stubble it can take extra passes, and the engraved grip holds less surely than a deeply textured one.

Made for people who want to put a razor on their face and pull, the Henson AL13 holds the blade at a set angle, so there's less to get wrong, and its open head doesn't clog with lather. It's machined from anodized aluminum in Canada and won't rust. It's very light, so it does none of the work for you, and pressing harder to make up for it is a common mistake. Henson's razor-burn claims come from its own study.

The Rockwell 6C grows with you. It comes with three base plates, each usable on both sides, so you can start gentle and move to a closer, bolder shave as your hand gets steadier, without buying another razor. Its heft helps it glide with no pressure. The body is chrome-plated zinc alloy rather than brass, and a few owners have had the cap's threads wear out within months.

Single-edge shaving gets simpler with the Leaf Shave Branch: you twist the handle to open it, and a magnet holds the half-width blade in place while you load it. The compact head reaches tight spots, the grip is textured and weighted, and a travel cover comes in the box. It's a new design with little long-term track record yet, and its blades are harder to find in stores.

Switching from cartridges is less of a jolt with the Merkur 23C, whose long, slim handle feels close to a drugstore razor in the hand. It's light and mild, a calm pairing for daily or every-other-day shaving, and the three-piece design comes apart for cleaning. The long reach makes tight spots like the area under the nose awkward, and on a full week's beard it can struggle.

On a tight budget, the Vikings Blade Chieftain gets you a hefty butterfly razor: twist the knob and the head opens like two doors, so the blade drops in without taking anything apart. Its weight and closed comb make it forgiving for beginners, and a pack of blades comes with it. The chrome finish is where it cuts corners, and plating that spots or peels over time is a recurring complaint.

Built to outlast its owner, the Feather AS-D2 is solid stainless steel from Japan, with no plating to chip or wear. The fit and finish are first-rate, and the matte grip holds well. Its shave is mild, which suits careful hands, but it wants a sharp blade to shine, and Feather's own blades fit that bill. Coarse, dense beards may need extra passes, and the high price is hard to justify for a first razor.

For confident shavers who want fewer passes, the Muhle R41 uses an open comb, a row of teeth that lets thick stubble reach the blade. Shaving writers rank it among the boldest razors from a major maker, and the shave can be very close. That same bite punishes a sloppy angle, so it's a poor first razor. The handle's fine pattern can feel slippery with wet lather on it.