The 7 Best Safety Razors for Men

This collaboration between Dr. Squatch and iconic razor brand Henson is a match made in heaven. It’s modeled after the Henson AL13, which is one of the most popular safety razors out there, but with a Dr. Squatch twist. The lightweight aluminum handle is perfectly weighted to allow for an easy grip, and the 30 degree blade positioning in the head design allows for a smooth shave even if you’re a beginner. Like any safety razor, there is a learning curve associated with using this, but we found that the blade positioning helps to smooth that curve better than many other more traditional razors we tried. This one is so good, one tester called it “the Rolls-Royce of razors” and the best he’d ever used.

Some might say Bevel was responsible for the safety-razor renaissance of the past decade with the release of this razor (one of its very first products). The thought behind this design, and the reason many people prefer safety razors, is that they don’t cut as close to the skin as multiblade razors, which helps prevent razor bumps and ingrown hairs. That’s a great thing for men with coarse and/or curly hair, which tends to form ingrowns more easily—and it’s also great for anyone with sensitive skin. This handy razor is on the weighty side, which can be a good thing for a safety razor, and the sleek design is easy to understand and use. The double-edged blades are easy to replace using the screw top. Whether you’re a safety-razor beginner or expert, this is a solid choice.

The keys to a smooth shave with a safety razor are the weight of the razor and the angle of the blade. You want a handle that is hefty and feels heavy in your hand, but not so heavy that it’s hard to hold and not so light that you’re tempted to move it too quickly over the surface of your skin. The right weight lets the blade do most of the work and allows you to shave your hair with minimal strokes and less risk of nicks. The blade angle should always be about 30 degrees, not perpendicular to your skin, so you usually want to hold the razor at a slight angle. This well-designed razor takes both of those into account. The weight is perfectly hefty, and the blade is actually already designed to sit at a 30 degree angle, so you don’t need to worry as much about how you’re holding it. Both of those things allow this razor to give a supersmooth, close shave with minimal effort.

Have we mentioned that when you first decide to switch to a safety razor, there is a steep learning curve? If you’re used to shaving with a multiblade and/or cartridge razor, a safety razor can help control razor bumps and ingrown hairs but also takes a lot of patience and can increase the risk of nicks and cuts, at least at first. The innovative design on this razor is meant to minimize that curve so you can make the switch almost painlessly. It uses a single edge “injector” style blade, which is thicker and more durable than your typical double-edged blade. It features what the brand calls Nickstop technology, which is basically 16 raised fins on the edge of the razor that helps guide stubble toward the blade but not skin. It provides a close, smooth shave with minimal risk of cutting yourself, which really is the most important thing when you’re first starting your safety-razor journey. The weight isn’t too heavy or too light, and the alloy metal of the handle feels good in your hand, providing a good, ergonomic grip.

Sometimes you gotta go with a classic. Merkur has been making razors in Germany for over 125 years, and you can’t argue with that pedigree. This traditional safety razor has a traditional screw-top design and a weighted head that allows you to get a silky-smooth shave pretty much immediately. There aren’t any newfangled features in this thing, but that’s kind of the point. The short nonslip handle and the perfectly weighted head, as well as the closed-comb design, make this the ideal traditional razor for beginners and pros alike.

Safety razors are good for a lot of things, but if you’ve ever used one to try to tackle a few days’ worth of stubble, you know it’s not always great at powering through a lot of growth—at least not with the risk of nicking or cutting yourself going up exponentially. That’s where this safety razor shines. There are six different adjustable settings that subtly widen the space between the razor and the comb, allowing for thicker and coarser hair to be shaved more easily. If you shave every day, you’ll likely want to keep it on the lowest (zero gap) setting, which is basically your classic safety-razor setting, but if you tend to go a few days between shaves, change the setting to allow you to shave your stubble more easily with fewer strokes.

If you’re new to safety razors, investing in an expensive one might not be your top priority. This budget-friendly razor is all you need in order to get the hang of safety-razor shaving. It has a traditional screw-top design that uses the same double-edged blades as the more expensive handles on this list. It’s not quite as heavy but still has a good heft to it that helps you get used to using a safety razor coupled with an easy-to-grip handle. The closed-comb design is ideal for beginners and pros alike and delivers a smooth, close shave with minimal risk of nicks and cuts. If you’re a beginner, it’s a great option to learn with. If you’re a pro, it’s a great travel option so you can leave your pricier tool at home.