Well, are you? There are four main breeds of razor out there: straight, disposable, safety and cartridge. They aren’t too hard to distinguish from one another, but it might not be a bad idea to read up on them anyway. You just might have been using something completely wrong your entire life. You never know.
Straight Razor
If you’re using a straight razor, I commend you for your courage. These things are also known as “cut throats,” and were mainly used before 1900. You can’t really find them in stores, but they can be found online if you really have to have one. Just, please, get some sort of guard for it.
Best for: Sweeney Todd, daredevils, hipsters
Disposable Razor
Disposable razors are pretty self-explanatory. These are usually pretty cheap and will last you only a few uses before you have to move on to the next one. If you don’t have much to shave, or if you don’t shave very often, a disposable shaver is probably a good way to go.
Best for: Budget conscious, those who don’t shave/have little to shave
Safety Razor
The safety razor is designed to protect your skin from cuts and nicks. There is always a piece of plastic or other material between the blade and your face. Of course, having a guard is an upside. The downside with safety razors is that shaving with a guard can be very time consuming. If you don’t have a lot of practice using a safety razor you might be in for a surprise as to how hard it is to get a good shave.
Best for: Those who have time, those who are overly cautious
Cartridge Razor
A cartridge razor may seem like you are getting a good value at first, but wait until your blade goes dull. Then you start having to spend $25 on a replacement blade for a razor that cost less than half of that price in the first place. (Tip: If you use cartridge razors just buy a new razor when the blade goes dull. It’s usually cheaper.) Cartridge razors are usually the best shave at the end of the day, but they are also usually the worst value.
Best for: Anyone
