Mantic59 has a new article at Sharpologist in which he reviews a variety of “mild” safety razors, and I think he is talking mostly about comfort, though he also includes the Weishi, which is also “mild” in performance—that is, it is (very) inefficient.
Here’s the list from the article, which is worth reading for the discussion.
- Dorco PL-602
- Feather AS-D2
- Maggard V3 head w/ MR7 or MR11 handle
- Merkur 15C
- OneBlade
- Parker “Twist To Open” (TTO) Razors
- RazoRock Baby Smooth
- Weishi (& Clones)
The Dorco PL-602 and the Feather AS-D2 are both quite comfortable (“mild” in that sense) but also quite efficient (“aggressive” in that sense).
I find the Maggard V2 open-comb head is “milder” (more comfortable) than the V3 and also more efficient, so I would have picked the V2OC over the V3.
I have no experience with the Merkur 15C, and the OneBlade, though quite good, is a single-edge razor using a special blade made by Feather.
The Parker TTO razors are not all that good for me, but I’m surprised that the list doesn’t include the Parker 24C and 26C (same head), which match the Maggard V2OC in comfort and efficiency.
The RazoRock Baby Smooth is a superb razor, but it is not longer made: extremely comfortable and extremely efficient, much like the Dorco PL-602, which (like the Baby Smooth) curves the blade more than most DE razors. The article promises it will return in February, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. (At one point, Italian Barber said that the razor would not be re-issued; if they have changed their mind, let us all rejoice.)
UPDATE: I just remember a current RazoRock razor that should definitely be on the list: the RazoRock Old Type: extremely comfortable, extremely efficient, just $15. /update
The Weishi is certainly “mild” in terms of comfort, but it is so inefficient that I would not recommend it to a novice. It is also, IMO, over-priced for what it is.
To his list I would add the Fatip Testina Gentile, which I used in yesterday’s shave, along with several iKons: the 101, the Short Comb, and—if we include slants—the 102 and the X3. iKon’s Classic Open-Comb (B1-coated stainless steel) is also quite comfortable.
And if the article is going to venture in the price range of the OneBlade, then I definitely think the Rockwell 6S should be included in the initial list of mild razors rather than listed as an afterthought: the 6 baseplate “settings” are all extremely comfortable while being also extremely efficient
Filed under: Shaving
