Shaving Products
Van Der Hagen Safety Razor Review: My First Double-Edge Shave
An old razor of Dad's sparked the DooDude's curiosity about double-edge shaving. A $24.99 grocery store razor was supposed to be the start of something beautiful.
Hands-on review
The DooDude bought and tested this himself. Everything below is his own experience.
At a glance
- Product
- Van Der Hagen Traditional Long Handle Safety Razor (product code 401200) with Ice Tempered blades
- Brand
- Van Der Hagen
- Type
- Double-edge (DE) safety razor
- Price paid
- $24.99 for the razor and blades
- Bought from
- A local grocery store
- How it was tested
- 3 shaves (the 8-shave test was stopped early)
Flushed with success
- Great-looking packaging
- Glided smoothly and never tugged
- Gave a close shave
Clogged up
- Lots of nicks on the very first shave, with no warning while shaving
- Serious razor burn after every shave, even with better prep
- Needed 3 to 4 days of healing between shaves
The verdict
I went right back to my Gillette Fusion 5. My face cringes at the mere sight of this razor and blade combo. If you have sensitive skin, be warned!
Shaving razor review: When my father passed away, I remember throwing out a lot of things I didn’t think I’d ever use, at least not yet. One of them was an old-school double-edge (DE) razor that, after some research, appears to have been a vintage Gillette. I wondered if my old man was onto something. More research showed that if I did like DE shaving, it could save me some money. With my interest piqued, I spotted a razor that looked a bit like Dad’s at my local grocery store and decided to give it a spin. The razor I bought was none other than the Van Der Hagen Traditional Long Handle Safety Razor (product code 401200). With $24.99 gone from my pocket (for the razor and blades), the only thing left was to try it out.
I took it out of the packaging (which looks great, by the way) and loaded up the blades it came with: Van Der Hagen Ice Tempered Stainless Steel Blades.
Then I went for my first DE shave ever. After reading lots of other blogs, I was excited to chase something called a “BBS” (baby-butt smooth) shave! I prepped with Gillette Fusion HydraGel shave gel, just like I do with my Gillette Fusion 5. The results were… very interesting.
My 8-shave review
Shave #1:
- This tore my face up! I had nicks all over my face.
- The razor burn was even worse than the nicks.
- The razor glided over my face and did give me a close shave, but I didn’t even know I’d been nicked until I looked in the mirror.
- The razor never tugged, so I had no warning I was getting nicked.
The agony of this first shave led me to a ton of research. Why were all these people on other blogs saying DE gave them the best shave of their lives? After posting on several shaving forums, I took this advice before my next shave:
- Have a better pre-shave routine (with better products like shave oil or shave gel).
- Rub hot water onto my face. (Taking a hot shower first is even better.)
- Get a better shaving cream. I ended up getting Cremo shaving cream.
- Hold the razor at the right angle (30 degrees).
I wasn’t looking forward to shave #2, and I needed a few days for my face to heal. This was a terrible introduction to the world of DE shaving. I obviously have a lot to learn to get a BBS shave with a DE razor.
Shave #2: Four days later, I can finally feel my face again. It healed quickly, but I still have a little leftover razor burn on my neck, so I’ll be extra careful there. I loaded a brand-new VDH Ice blade just to make sure the last one wasn’t defective. Then I followed steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 from above, and I was ready to go!
The first long stroke on my cheek looks good. The second, and I still feel like a champ. My new pre-shave routine is really paying off! I finished my whole face with only one nick! But before I break into my celebration dance, I look in the mirror. Dang it! My face is covered in razor burn. No amount of aftershave will help this. I’ll think about what I did wrong before my next shave.
Shave #3: This time I waited three days to recover, because that’s how long the razor burn took to calm down. Let’s try this again… I took a very long (10-minute) hot shower before starting the 1-2-3-4 routine. Just like last time, the first few strokes felt like a hot knife through butter, and this time I didn’t get a single nick. Eureka! The hot shower really does wonders. But wait… is that a trace of razor burn again?
The razor burn was so bad that I didn’t even want to continue. One hour after my third shave with this razor, nothing could convince me to try a fourth. I’m going back to my Gillette Fusion 5 for now.
Shave #4: No more shaves with this razor combo. Eight-shave mission aborted.
My overall assessment
I went right back to my Gillette Fusion 5. I refuse to shave with the Van Der Hagen razor and Ice Tempered blade combo when my face cringes at the mere sight of it. I’m sure my technique could be better, but if I have to try that hard for a great shave, something is wrong.
I’d also like to point out that my sensitive skin may not be the best candidate for DE shaving. I have coarse, thick hair, but my skin just can’t handle this razor combo for some reason. Test it for yourself, but be warned: if you have sensitive skin, this might not be a pleasant experience.
