The razors that every safety razor user should try

[DonOhio]

I haven't used any really recent razors so I'd suggest five:

Any Gillette adjustable
Gillette red tip
Any gold plated Gillette SS with the bars and doors in good shape (uncannily smooth, and not just my imagination)
Schick Krona
Any older (pre-'50s) Schick injector, they seem to be more aggressive than newer ones

I'd no longer suggest a Ever Ready SE only because, for the inexperienced, obtaining good modern SE blades can be so hit and miss at first.

 

[Slivovitz]

Not really a long term member yet, but if you don't mind another opinion:

1. Schick Injector, say G or L type
2. Gillette Superspeed
3. Gillette adjustable, either Slim or Fatboy.
4. Gillette "New"
5. Gem 1912 or Ever Ready equivalent.
6. Some sort of modern Merkur 3 piece, like the 23C or 34C.
7. Gillette Tech.

And I'll just leave it at that. Don't really have 10 "must tries" based on my own experience.

 

[curtis909]

I stopped at an Edwin Jagger DE89L

 

[ctakim]

Merkur HD
Slim Adjustable
Fatboy Adjustable
Super Adjustable
40's Aristocrat
Red Tip Super Speed
Blue Tip Super Speed
Flare Tip Super Speed
40's Super Speed
Old Type
New Improved
New
Tech of any vintage

Oops that's over 10, but that is true too!

 

[Ray-Vigo]

Gillette:

Tech: a great place for a starter because it's simple, mild, common to find a good one

Early Triangular Hole Tech: a lesser-known diamond of a razor. It's a bit more aggressive than the common Tech, giving it a perfect mix of simplicity and balanced aggression. People all too often mistake these early ones for common Techs, when in fact they're different enough to be worth trying.

1940s Superspeed: a nice balance of aggression and mildness in a TTO package.

Blue/Red Tip Superspeed: depending on whether you like more aggressive or milder, pick one of these two and give it a shot.

Gillette New: a classic open comb with a nice head that shaves well.

Gillette Old: this one is for perspective-- it's an understanding of true vintage shaving from the early days of DE. Extra points for a Khaki set to get an idea of what the troops in the early days had.

Gillette Adjustable: take your pick, but these are nice, classic adjustable razors. If you want an old style, solidly built adjustable then I think this is the place to go.

Gillette Senator: a nice and unique mix of open comb and TTO for people who like both those features and want them in a single package.

Merkur HD: good for a modern experience. Nice balance.

Merkur Progress: a good modern adjustable. Extra points for the upgraded aftermarket modders who can help take the razor to the next level.

 

[DougK]

I haven't tried enough razors to come up with ten "must-try" models, but the two that I'm glad to have purchased and tried based on what I've read here are the Gilette Tech and the Personna injector. Both are mild razors that do a great job and are very forgiving.

 

[tom myers]

I'm partial to single edge razors, so . . .

At the top of my list has to be the 1900/1901 patent Gem Jr. Bar Razor.
Next would be the Gem 1912 patent.
Third would be the Gem "G-bar"

In DE's would be, in approx. order of preference:

The big Barbasol with no name on it
The Gillette red tip SuperSpeed
The New Gillette
The Pomco (Merkur) slant
The Gillette Old Style
The Gillette Tech

For variety, an injector; I like the Eversharp Schick Hydro-Magic (type I-2)

Regards,
Tom

 

[rm71]

Merkur
HD
38c

Gillette
Tech
Slim
TV Special
1950's models Superspeed

 

[Will P.C.]

E type injector

gem 1912

40s superspeed

fatboy

New/open comb

 

[xillion]

I stopped at an Edwin Jagger DE89L

+1