The folks over at
Badger & Blade use safety razors, or straight razors, and nothing else; any kind of cartridge razor is treated with the utmost contempt. I trust their opinion on this matter because, let's see, how do I put this:
these people are insane. They buy every razor on the market, every blade, every brush, every soap; they try every combination of these, review them, examine the results with magnifiers, consult old treatises on shaving, etc etc etc. I've always turned to forums like this for info on special topics; being a more than crazy about my own hobbies, I can relate.
I used to try and shave with an old Gem safety razor, having a long standing interest in all things antiquarian, so I bought a Merkur 34C Heavy Duty model, the B&B forum's recommended model for beginners. The big stumbling block I had was finding a good brand of blade - Merkur actually make crappy blades, the razor comes with one; and the Van Der Haagen blades you find in Walmart or Krogers/Fred Meyer are garbage, too. So try brands like Feather, Astra, Derby, Platinum. You'll likely only find these online.
You need to develop technique to use a safety razor, which is oh-so-complex: held perpendicular, it will scarcely cut, add angle for more sharpness. Done. I haven't cut myself on the face in months, I was a bloody mess at times with the Gem. I've tried pricey cartridges and any more they just seem like bicycles with training wheels. They might be fantastically complex training wheels, but they're still wholly unnecessary, and just add weight and cost.
I have very sparse body hair so can get away with just using Gillette lady's gel in a can, which, to my surprise, works better than various cake shaving soaps, other gels/foams, or unconventional items like hair conditioner or bar soap. I'm on month 5 of HRT so hair is becoming more manageable for that reason, too.
The other big plus with the blades is how cheap they are, you can buy 100 Astras for about $12. Even cheap knockoffs of cartridge razors cost more.
Another thing I had to come to terms with regarding shaving is that even the fanatics at the B&B forum don't try for a Baby Butt Smooth Shave, as they term their finest cut, on a daily basis; it can be done but going for that fineness on a regular basis is trickier and takes extra time, and it's best to be happy with a day to shave that looks fine. You might feel the hairs a bit still but it's good enough. Being trans with a massive body hair dysphoria I wanted to feel like a woman with pure smooth skin all the time, and really overdid it at times, hacking and scraping for an hour. Now I'm content with being quite smooth, having perfected a system for myself that gets the job done. I should have my face cleared via electrology by mid next year anyway.
