I decided to give shaving with a safety razor similar to this one a try after seeing the rising cost of disposable razors and cartridge razor blades. I got a nice, nick free shave the first time I used my standard safety razor. Great! I finally found a solution I thought. (Disclosure I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)
Until I nicked, gashed, and cut myself on every shave since.
I was ready to dump the safety razor until I read a thread from someone in a similar situation on a frugal living forum. Many folks in the comment section empathized and even more recommended shaving with a Leaf safety razor like this one. The difference being that the Leaf safety razor has three blades and a pivoting head just like the cartridge razors I used with much better success.
The Leaf is more expensive than a standard safety razor but I decided to buy one because that was the only negative anyone had to say about it. Particularly since this was a frugal living group who want good results for less money (eventually) and not a green living group that will put up with bad performance for the sake of a zero waste living (glares at my safety razor.)
The only concern I had was that Leaf razors use what looked like a proprietary safety razor blade. Turns out, you can use any brand of safety razor blade that looks like this in a Leaf razor if you cut the razor blade in half.
How to Install Standard Safety Razor Blades in to a Leaf Safety Razor
1. Fully loosen the screw on the back of the razor. Don’t worry the screw is blocked from falling out when it is fully loosened.
2. If you are using a standard safety razor blade, carefully fold the razor blade in half. Cut the blade in half on the fold using a standard pair of scissors. Or you can buy pre-cut Leaf razor blades here.
3. Carefully lift the razor blade holders from the side of the razor blade head.
4. Starting with the
bottom blade holder first, carefully remove the dull razor blade and
install a new razor blade in to the holder. The new blade will snap
into place due to the magnets in each razor blade holder.
Science!
I like to use three blades in my razor but you have the option of using only one or two blades if you like. If that’s the case install those razors blades in the top two razor blade holders.
5. Close the razor blade holders and tighten the screw on the back of the razor to finger tip tight. And you’re done!
After four months of use, I can honestly say that the Leaf safety razor is definitely worth the extra cost. The pivoting head makes all the difference when getting a close shave. I rarely if ever, nick myself when shaving with the Leaf and if I do, it’s usually a sign that the blades are dull and I need to change them which also happened when I used a disposable cartridge razor.
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