VIKINGS BLADE Safety Razor for Women + 5 Swedish Steel Blades. Quick Release Head, Double Edge. Smooth, Reusable, Recyclable (Model: Athena)

I love this razor. I’m not new to using safety razors but this is the first one I’ve bought by this brand. As a woman, it’s important to me to find a good razor and I wanted a plastic-free option. I love that using this razor is cheaper than using a traditional one, and the refills are cheaper too. I’m very happy with my shave after using this product and would recommend to anyone. I seriously can’t say enough good things about this product. No ingrown hairs and my skin is so smooth. My only complaint is I wish the handle was a little longer but this wasn’t an issue.

I hate shaving! Who doesn't? I mean, it's a daily chore that, frankly I could do without! I find it interesting that companies who try to make money on that grind, like to refer to it as an "art". Like "let's go back to the nostalgic art of wet shaving!" What a crock! Just give me a razor so I can get this crap off my face!Recently when the manufacture of the razor I'd been using for years stopped making my twin-blade cartridges in favor of a 3 or 7-blade (seriously?) replacement that cost more than twice as much, I started shopping around and came across the rebirth of these old safety razors -- they're just like the ones I remember my dad using in the 70's! I watched several YouTube videos and read plenty of reviews before I finally decided to try them out.I bought this Viking razor because it was cheap, it's supposed to be intended for newbies like me, and it had good reviews. I paired it with a sleeve of 100 Falcon blades, a Viking shaving brush and a generic shaving bowl. The next morning I used them.First of all, should probably point out that I shave in the shower as the last part of my shower routine -- been doing it for years. It's just so much more convenient that way - my face is already wet, my beard has already been softening in the steam the whole time, and it saves the extra time and messy hassle of having to do it over the sink. I have a steam-proof mirror that suctions to the wall of the shower that has a little razor holder on the bottom which makes it crazy convenient. My first time shaving with this new razor took a LONG time! I was super careful to keep the angle of the head right (30-45 degrees) and gingerly took lots of small, short strokes. When I was done, I thought it was one of the closest shaves I'd ever had - but at what cost? It easily took more than twice as long to get the job done (does this mean I'm I destined to become a shaving artist, then?). But without a single cut or scrape, the next time I shaved I went a little faster, then a little faster after that, so that by the time I was on my 5-6th shave, I was back to my normal time. Change in anything takes a time to get used to - especially when you interrupt a routine you could normally do in your sleep, like shaving! I've now used the razor more than a dozen times and I'm only on my second blade that cost all of eleven cents, yet has provided me with wonderfully close shaves! I'm completely sold and not going back, sorry Gillette.As for the brush and bowl - well, they went back to Amazon. They just weren't for someone who had no time or was unwilling to make the chore of shaving an art. The badger brush (apparently if you're going to shave like an artist, your brush must be crafted from actual badger hair) was scratchy and the whole swirling thing in the bowl incessantly just seemed unnecessary and frankly, it took too long. When I shave, I use Noxema because shaving creams and soaps really dry out my skin, so at the risk of offending wet shaving aficionados who have nothing better to do than to dream about tomorrow morning's stare in the mirror, I just grab a little clump of Noxema, lather it up directly on my face with my HANDS (scandalously barbaric, I know) then get down to business.Bottom line: For me, this razor coupled with Falcon blades provides A VERY close shave in the same amount of time as it takes with an expensive multi-blade cartridge, but at a FRACTION of the cost.

Honestly I did have some razors before this, all cartridge ones. I had a set of about 5 of them I bought last year and barely ever shaved anything more than my face. They ran out a few weeks ago and I went to walmart to pick up some replacement heads and boom 40 bucks? Seriously 40 bucks for a tiny piece of plastic and metal? What gives? I then kept looking up ones I could reuse and stuff, found out old razors in the 50s were this type. I was like maybe I should get one of these. My folks said "they'll make you cut yourself" I am like whatevs. So I weighed my options and decided to give this a try. Honestly first try I did not cut myself a SINGLE TIME, when with cartridges I always do. Good one. I ordered a sampler pack of about 100 razors of varying brands to go with this for CHEAP only like 11 bucks. Rather than 40 bucks of the bloody cartridges. I was able to shave myself easily. I decided, oh considering this razor's blades are so cheap I could shave other parts of my body just to test it, So I did, frankly does a better job than cartridges, jams less with hair, and I cut myself less. I also like the heft and aesthetic better, I'm pretty sure this is brass rather than stainless steel but it does do the job just as well and brass is a step above pot metal. I wanted quality and to give this a go, I MIGHT get another one of this brand but not sure what one. I give this Razor a 5 out of 5 cause honestly cartridges feel like crap compared to this and a ripoff. Why pay MORE for something that should cost LITTLE! In the long run this is gonna cost a LOT LESS than those cheap disposable ones. I highly recommend this!