OK Here goes...
E's Adventures in Shaving.
This is another one of those posts, decisions, reviews that legitimately took years to produce.
Somewhere back a lot of years ago, I started looking for alternatives to the Gillette Fusion I had been using for about 15 years or so.
As a head shaver I was a bit skeptical and nervous about going to a full on safety razor, the thought of slicing my head open trying to shave does not appeal to me greatly.
I am also not the type that "fetishize" shaving. Shaving is something I have to do, not something I find really enjoyable in any way. I have no interest in getting set up with dozens of razor hosts, an assortment of blades, creams, soaps, brushes, balms, etc... Taking 30+ minutes prepping, hot towel, multiple passes, etc.. I want to get it done with get on with life... as long as the results are good I'm cool with it.
I looked at some of the options like Dollar Shave Club and Harry's but none of them really struck me as that great, or much better of an option and I never bothered with any of them... OUT
In my searches I ran across a razor called Beluga Shave (
Safety Razor Shaving Made Easy - Beluga Shave Co.). I liked that it had the same format as the Gillette Fusion I had been using but used safety razor blades, so you could really fine tune it to the shave you wanted and after price of the initial razor body, blades cost literal pennies each... Unfortunately this was vaporware... never came out and is still showing pre-purchase on their website... OUT
While looking at safety razors, I stumbled across a company called OneBlade (
OneBlade Single Blade Razors & Shaving Supplies | Official Site) not the electric model by Philips. This one looked pretty cool, took a replaceable single blade, had a pivoting head, and a format similar to the older Gillette Mach3 and earlier type razors. Interesting... unfortunately at the time it was only available in a full stainless model that seemed to be looking for that "premium because it's expensive" crowd. It had a price tag of $400. That put it in the "hell no" category. Eventually they released a plastic model that had the same format and took the same blades (Made by Feather), and was only $50, I gave it a try. This razor was ok... it did a good job on my face, but no matter how many times I used it, no matter what I did I could not get a good shave on my head. It consistently felt like I shaved a day ago when I was finished. This led to me finishing up with another pass from the Gillette Fusion, that landed it in the "whats the point" category. The only blades made for this razor were the ones by Feather, and while Feather makes some of the best/sharpest blades available there really isn't an oportunity to fine tune anything with this setup. The shave you get is what you are stuck with. This razor might work OK for someone just shaving their face, and might even work for other head shavers, but for me it was a - Swing and a miss
The search continued, eventually I ran across a company called Leaf Shave (
Leaf Shave Official | Plastic Free Shaving Made Easy) Again similar format to the Gillette Fusion I was using, used basic double edge razor blades (1/2 blades), and this one was actually available. Price was reasonable-ish so I gave it a shot. I ended up getting their bundle with the 3 blade razor and single blade razor. I wasn't really huge on needing 2 razors, but it gave me something to do with the 2nd half of the 2nd blade. It came with a bunch of their own blades (not really sure who they are made by) and some other accessories like a grippy sleeve for the handle and stands... Winner
I also got a sampler set of blades off Amazon with 9 different blades to test out.
(Shark, Derby Extra, Derby Premium, Dorco Titan, Feather New High Stainless, Feather High Stainless, Astra Superior Stainless, Astra Superior Platinum, Persona)
The journey began. First I tried out all 10 of the blades I had, and arranged them in order of which one I subjectively liked/thought was better. Once i got through the first round, I decided to keep track of how many and what quality of shaves I was able to get from each.
For reference I generally shave my face and head every 3rd day (shave, skip 2, shave), and these are the results I got, with my razor, on my head/face. Your mileage may vary.
M - Meh - Crappy shave, should have chucked the blade by now
OK - A decent shave, smooth-ish finish, more blade feel, needed more time and a few repeat passes
G - Good - Smooth shave, fairly quick, not much blade feel or repeat passes needed
VG - Very Good - Shave was quick and easy, with very smooth results with a single pass
S - Super - Flat out amazing shave, blade wasn't even noticeable, shave lasts more than 24 hours
Results:
Leaf: S - S - VG - VG - VG - G - G - G - G - G - OK - OK
This is the arrangement I put the sampler blades in initially after the first round.
Shark: G - OK - M
Derby Extra: G - G- OK - M
Derby Premium: G - G - G - G - OK - OK -OK
Dorco Titan: VG - VG - G - G - G - G - G - OK
Feather NHS: VG - VG - G - G - G - G - OK
Astra SS: S - S - VG - VG - G - G - G - G - OK - OK - OK
Feather HS: S - S - VG - VG - G - G - G - OK - OK
Persona: S - S - S - VG - VG - VG - VG - G - G - OK - OK
Astra SS: S - S - S - VG - VG - VG - VG - G - G - G - G - OK - OK - OK
I put the Gillette Fusion in the mix as well. I ran it as I would have normally until the "moisturizing strip" wore away.
G Fusion: VG - G - G - G - G - G - OK - OK - OK - OK - OK - OK - OK - OK - M - M - M
The Shark blades are basically trash and not worth using
The Derby blades make for a cheap 1 or 2 use blade, might be good for people who can't or won't reuse a blade
The Dorco was good, very comfortable shave. I could be perfectly happy with this blade
The Feather blades have a reputation for being some of the sharpest around, and it is well deserved, they are scary sharp. The NHS seems more aggressive than the HS and I think that caused it to dull faster.
The Leaf blades were surprisingly good, a little costlier than the others, but they last a while and gave a great shave
The Astra and Persona blades are flat out God tier blades, they last forever and shave smoother than anything I've tried
Went through a 3rd round to verify my results.
Everything remained more or less consistent. So now I had some data I could work with.
With Gillette Fusion blades costing about $3.60 each, they end up costing about $0.25 per good - decent shave
Astra SS you can get 100 blades for $9. So they are $0.09 each x2 blades = $0.18... your shaves cost a penny each
Really any of the ones from the Dorco on are so much better than the shave of the Gillette Fusion it almost isn't even right putting them against each other. The only thing I have to hand to the Fusion blades is they last a very long time. They are also easier to deal with, and require no special care or attention.
Overall I am very happy with the Leaf shave razors. There is a nice weight to the razor, it was a big difference from the GFusion that weighs almost nothing by comparison. Made me a little cautious at first, but that's probably a good thing. The fit and finish of the razor is very good, everything feels well made. The shave is awesome with new and good blades. It glides smoothly with almost no pulling or effort. It never feels like it is scraping the hair away. The overall razor is set up with a pretty mild angle and exposure (not at all aggressive, makes more aggressive blades easy to use). This makes it very easy to get comfortable with the razor.
It is not without fault. The format of it requires you to buy more expensive half blades, or simply snap them in half yourself. Snapping them sounds scarier than it really is, do it when it is in the paper still, and they break smooth and easy. Loading and unloading the razor is pretty easy and safe. It is also a little bulky so if you find yourself using the single edge precision blade on a Fusion style blade, you will probably want / need to get the Twig sidekick razor for it. Also you can not bring safety razor blades in your carry on. Depending on how much you travel by air that may or may not be an issue.
I was able to try the Twig (basically 1/2 a safety razor) for shaving my whole head and definitely think I made the right choice not going with a regular safety razor, too awkward for me. I could probably get it eventually, but it would be a long and bloody journey.
I'm not saying that the Leaf is right for everyone, and honestly if you are only shaving your face I would probably recommend something like the Rockwell 6C (
Rockwell 6C Double-Edge Safety Razor | Rockwell Razors | Try Risk Free) or one of the many dial adjustable type razors. They allow you to fine tune / figure out the best combination of blade and level of aggressiveness for you.
If you, like me, are more comfortable with the Fusion format, then the Leaf is a great option.
