****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I'm @ 54 y/o, and have used a standard disposable 3-5 blade cartridge razors for my entire life. I had a friend who started using a safety razor and liked the results; it's cheaper over a fairly short amount of time and, most importantly - a good close shave. For a point of reference, I've got what I would call relatively "lite" facial hair and can often get away with only shaving every other day if needed. If I wanted to look extra squared away, I would have to shave every day though.I believe that when you buy quality you only cry once, so I bought this model specifically as it was stainless steel, made in the USA, and shouldn't rust. I like how it fits in my hand, and the picture shows how the item looks, as I just now went up into my bathroom, took it off the caddy, and snapped a picture (no extra cleaning - what you see is how it cleans up). I'm an average-sized guy I'd say: about 5'10" & 220 lbs. The dollar bill in the picture was to give a better idea of proportion. Also, in the picture, you can see the number "3". That's a "setting" that you can adjust by changing the bottom piece. I describe it a bit more below. Those with bigger hands - or if your current razor is longer - might want a longer handle, but this bad boy isn't light! When you have it in hand, you know you've got a hunk of good quality stainless steel there. :) The handle texture is pretty high, and I think it helps keep a good grip on it when being used. I've never felt it slip in my hand while shaving; definitely a positive!It was a bit of a learning curve as I was probably more cautious than I needed to be from watching lots of videos on using safety razors and folks saying you needed to be careful not to cut yourself. I especially liked the ability (by way of the 6-way adjustable bottom sides, via 3 separate bottoms) to manage how "aggressive" the shave is. I started off on the mildest and have worked up to the #3 side. Each of the three bottom pieces has two different levels; so, you get 1 thru 6 overall. It's super easy changing the bottom part: It just unscrews from the handle. You will have to be a tad more careful when you change blades, but I don't think it requires any specific skill or dexterity. However, if you DO have some manual dexterity challenges, you might need a helping - errrrr hand - to swap the blade. A 1 / 10 for effort, but maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10 for dexterity needed to change them. I think a small child COULD do it, but with a super sharp blade, you'd probably not want to take the chance.So far, not a single nick! :) I very much like the shave, but you do have to adjust your method, as I can see the potential for a cut if you were to try to shave using the same manner as a disposable. I now shave with much shorter strokes and with less pressure, as the best description, I can offer.The included blades worked perfectly. Now that I got the hang of it, I bought another 100 count package of another brand, based on some other reviews & cost analysis. Nothing I disliked about the included ones. It seems that safety razors are pretty much a standard with design.The item has NO rust or other discoloration to date (having been used over a month now - but I actually bought it on August 2021, and waited to finish off my last cartridge razor). I usually shave in the shower and make sure that I rinse it well before I put it back in the hanger (my shower caddy has a space just for razors).I've found that some pre-shave lotion works wonders as I transitioned to this style from my original cartridges. BUT, some of these lotions can be kind of.... "gummy" and cause the small pieces of shaven hairs to clump up and clog the drain sections of the razor. No-fault of the razor, more an issue with some lotions.I tried both foam and gel AND even some classic paste/brush type, to see if there was any noticeable difference. I'd say all have performed more or less the same for me, but your mileage will vary. :) Sometimes I like the older fashion paste/brush, as it's got a nice Sandlewood smell that my wife really likes, but mostly I use a good quality gel for day-to-day.I would definitely recommend some type of container to store your used blades. Me: I get about 5 or 6 shaves out of an individual blade before I start to notice that they're getting dull, so I don't go through too many. Still, they come off the razor still... razor-sharp; you wouldn't want to just toss the bare blade in the garbage. :) I bought a fairly small dedicated metal razor blade storage case that I will just toss in the trash when it fills. This case will hold a stated 300 blades, so it'll last me YEARS!The pictures are untouched and I didn't do any special cleaning of the item before the pictures, just to show you how things really are with really basic care. As with any good tool, one does need to put SOME effort into keeping it clean, so I normally give it a good rinsing under the shower head when I'm done.Overall, a positive experience, and I would highly recommend this unit. For a PURE beginner - say a young person just starting to shave, maybe a less inexpensive model to see if they like the style, then upgrade to a better quality version. This wasn't a cheap buy.EDITED 5 Nov 2022I've had my version now for over a year now. The razor itself hasn't rusted, but if you let the blades stay in the razor for too long - WHILE WET - the blades rust & they will stain the razor. See the pictures. You can see in 2 pictures, where there is NO staining - that's where the blades were NOT touching. In the other 2 pictures, you can see where the blades rest inside the razor (as used) and you can see the light staining. I did NOT clean up the razor at all - the "rust" is an issue with the blades. NOT the razor. FWIW, I shave in the shower and have a small razor hook where I hang it, so it drips dry and doesn't stay wet.
