Safety razor and straight razor reviews from Thomas Hargrove: 20+ years of wet shaving experience in every assessment.
I’ve spent 23 years testing over 300 safety razors, and here’s the truth: vintage razors aren’t inherently better than modern ones, but the best vintage pieces often outperform mid-range modern options because of superior brass construction and tighter tolerances. The real question isn’t which era wins—it’s which specific razor matches your face, beard type, and…
Best Travel Safety Razors: TSA-Friendly Picks for the Road After 23 years of wet shaving and countless flights with razors in my carry-on, I can tell you the best travel safety razor is one that balances three things: TSA compliance, durability to survive baggage handling, and a close shave in unfamiliar hotel bathrooms. The Henson…
Shaving Sensitive Skin with a Safety Razor: The Complete Guide After 23 years of wet shaving and testing over 300 razors, I can tell you this with absolute certainty: a properly chosen safety razor will give you a better shave with less irritation than any cartridge razor, especially if you have sensitive skin. The key…
How to Clean and Maintain a Safety Razor: Complete Care Guide After 23 years of wet shaving and putting over 300 razors through their paces, I’ve learned that a clean safety razor isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about performance, blade life, and preventing skin irritation. The good news: cleaning a safety razor takes less than two…
I’ve been wet shaving for 23 years, and here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t need to spend $30 on artisan soap to get a slick, protective lather. The best shaving soaps under $20 deliver performance that rivals premium options—you just need to know which ones actually work. After testing hundreds of soaps across every price…
I’ve tested over 300 razors in my 23 years of wet shaving, and the Gillette Nacet remains one of the most consistently recommended blades in every wet shaving forum I visit—yet it rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. These Russian-made double edge blades deliver exceptional sharpness with surprising smoothness, making them a genuine contender for…
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve personally tested and believe in. Why I Keep Reaching for the Gillette Tech After 20 Years I’ve shaved with hundreds of razors over the past…
Ask any wet shaving enthusiast to name the most influential razor brand in history and you’ll get one answer: Gillette. For over a century, Gillette has shaped how the world shaves — inventing the disposable blade in 1901, perfecting the adjustable razor in the 1950s, and producing some of the finest double-edge blades still used…
Thomas Hargrove tests the Henson AL13 safety razor — aerospace-grade aluminum, minimal blade exposure, and precision machining. Does the engineering justify the price?
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve personally tested and trust. If you’ve spent more than five minutes researching safety razors, you’ve almost certainly come across the Edwin Jagger DE89. After twenty…