5 Best Safety Razor Kits In 2023

With the best safety razor kits, getting into wet shaving will be a breeze. Whether you’re interested in getting started or you’d like to convert a friend with a gift, these sets include nearly everything a person needs to get a great shave. 

Merkur Futur Shaving Set (Our Top Pick)

This luxury shaving set from Merkur is a sleek, elegant choice. It’s one of the best safety razor kits for men looking to upgrade their wet shaving game.

This set features one of Merkur’s coolest safety razors, the Futur. Futur is an adjustable double edge safety razor, which means that with a twist of the dial, you can alter the level of blade exposure. 

The lower settings correspond with a more gentle shave while the higher settings correspond with a closer but potentially more irritating shave. However, even the lowest setting on the Futur is a little more aggressive than what I would normally recommend for beginners. For intermediate shavers, especially with coarse or thick facial hair, it’s an excellent choice. 

The kit also includes a matching silvertip badger hair shaving brush. This brush is exquisite – it creates a thick lather quickly and easily, and the bristles feel surprisingly gentle against the skin.  

Aside from that, the set comes with a highly-polished stand, a white lathering bowl, and just a single blade. It’s definitely a set worthy of display. 

It’s not a “crowded” kit, which may seem disappointing considering the cost, but each item is quality – the kind of thing that a wet shaving connoisseur will appreciate. 

Pros:

• This set comes with the adjustable Merkur Futur razor, which gives you a lot of control over the closeness of your shave from day to day. 
  
• A slightly more aggressive range of cutting options is great for men with coarse beards. 
  
• Superb badger hair brush guarantees a great lather every time you shave. 
  
• Very luxurious, cohesive, and sleek-looking set for intermediate and experienced shavers.

Cons:

• Not recommended for beginners.  
  
• Somewhat expensive. 

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Supply Pro Ultimate Starter Set

From Supply, this is a very modern take on the wet shaving set. It comes with Supply’s Edge Pro, an adjustable single-edge razor, as well as 8 blades, a synthetic bristle shave brush, shaving cream, and quite a few skincare products. 

The Edge Pro is a remarkable razor. It’s a great hybrid between the traditional safety razor and the cartridge razor most men are already familiar with. The design looks great and performs very smoothly. The range of blade exposure settings is a little higher than the Futur, so it’s also a gentler, more beginner-friendly option that still shaves very closely on the high settings. 

It comes with 8 injector blades, which should last you for at least a month or two of shaving if not longer. However, replacement blades will be more expensive than blades for a double-edge razor. 

Despite being synthetic, the brush in the set is easily on par with some animal-hair brushes. It’s large and springy, and the bristles have enough firmness to create an excellent lather. It’s still quite soft against the skin, though, which makes it a nice option if you want to try lathering against your skin rather than in a bowl (which you may want to try since the set doesn’t come with a bowl). 

Then there are all of the added products in the set. The shaving cream is soap-based, so it lathers easily and keeps the skin nicely lubricated. The after-shave spray is alcohol-free, so it’s gentle and lightly soothing without a sting. 

Finally, there’s a skincare set with a face wash, moisturizer, and eye cream. All three products are fairly light and gentle, so they should suit all skin types. That said, I think adding a full skincare kit in a shaving set is overkill, and I doubt most men will make use of all of the products.  

All of these products are lightly scented, and you have three scent options to choose from. 

The set doesn’t include a lathering bowl, which is not a big deal since alternatives are cheap and easy to find. What I think is really missing is a stand, though, which Supply sells separately for $25, and could have been a very convenient and attractive addition to this mix. 

Pros:

• Comes with Edge Pro, a unique hybrid between traditional safety razor and the cartridge razor that’s easier for beginners to use. 
  
• The razor is adjustable, with both mild and aggressive settings to suit all shavers. 
  
• Excellent vegan brush that creates a pleasant lather. 
  
• Comes with a useful set of shaving soap and aftershave. 

Cons:

• Replacement injector blades are pricier than replacements for double edge safety razors. 
  
• Added skincare products are likely unnecessary for most men, so a stand would have been a better addition. 

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Shaving Kit For Men by Bevel

This is one the best safety razor kits for men who are prone to ingrown hairs and irritation. 

Bevel is a modern men’s grooming company founded by and for Black men. Men of color are a little more likely to have shaving-related sensitivities, so this set was designed with their skin’s needs in mind. That said, plenty of men suffer from the same skin concerns, so consider this kit if you have sensitive skin, no matter your ethnic background. 

The safety razor in this kit is very mild and gentle with a modern aesthetic. It has a curved head that keeps things moving smoothly. It’s not the closest shave, but it’s incredibly unlikely to irritate or nick your skin, which in turn also reduces the risk of ingrowns. It also comes with 20 Bevel blades, which are at a medium level of sharpness. 

The priming oil in the kit is an excellent little addition, since it helps to really enhance slip and protection for those with very dry skin. The shaving cream is very moisturizing and protective, but it doesn’t build a big lather so you’ll use it up quickly. 

The Restoring Balm is the standout – it contains salicylic acid, an exfoliating ingredient that actively prevents ingrowns by keeping the pores clear. These added products aren’t bloat – they’re genuinely useful, especially for guys with sensitive skin. 

Finally, there’s the badger hair brush. It’s not quite as robust as the brush in the Merkur set, but it’s gentle on the skin and it’s effective enough. You may have to spend a little more time swirling to build a lather, but that shouldn’t be an issue considering the reasonable cost of this set. There’s also a newer iteration of this set with a synthetic brush. While the synthetic brush is a workable vegan alternative, I don’t think it performs as well as the original.  

Pros:

• Set includes a mild safety razor to that is unlikely to irritate skin and reduces the risk of ingrowns
  
• Includes genuinely useful added grooming products, with a standout anti-ingrown aftershave balm.
   
• Reasonably-priced and well-curated. 

Cons:

• Won’t provide as close a shave as more aggressive sets.
   
• Shaving cream will likely run out quickly. 

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MÜHLE RYTMO Safety Razor Shaving Set

Lastly, this is another luxury set, this time from the German brand MÜHLE. It has a similarly sparse range of items, much like the very best safety razor kits from Merkur, but each piece here is quality. 

It’s a very upscale starter set option with a very elegant and cohesive style. It’s geared towards beginners, and with that in mind, it’s a little pricey. It might be a little over the top if you’re not sure that you’re ready to commit to shaving with a safety razor, 

The safety razor here is pretty simple, as opposed to the more versatile and adjustable Merkur Futur. It’s a medium-mild design that’s a very nice mid-point between the ultra-mild Bevel razor and the more aggressive range in the adjustable Merkur Futur. 

The razor would be excellent for most beginners who want to try a traditional safety razor, especially compared to the slightly more aggressive options in budget kits like the one from Viking Revolution. 

The shaving brush in this set is made of quality silvertip badger hair, and it’s probably as good as a shaving brush can get. It creates a lot of lather very quickly, and it’s soft on the skin which makes it a nice choice if you also want to try lathering your shaving cream or soap directly on the face. 

Otherwise, the set is admittedly sparse. It also includes a lathering bowl and stand, but you’ll have to buy soap, blades, and aftershave separately. 

Pros:

• Very upscale and stylish set. 
  
• Simple, medium-mild safety razor is a nice mid-point for most shavers including beginners. 
  
• Exceptional, high-quality shaving brush. 

Cons:

• Would probably be a little expensive for most beginners. 
  
• Set is a little sparse considering the cost. 

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Viking Revolution Shaving Kit

More is more with this budget-friendly shaving kit. It’s the only shaving set that actually includes every single item a man needs to start wet shaving.

At first glance, this kit looks really attractive and cohesive, with a handsome razor, matching stand, gleaming bowl for building a lather, and an impressive box that holds everything. It could be an impressive gift – just don’t give it to anyone who’s already deep down the wet shaving rabbit hole. 

The butterfly razor in the set on the more aggressive side, so if you’re new to shaving, watch out when using it – you’re more likely to cut yourself. That said, once you get the hang of it, it gives a very close shave and it has an easier time with coarse hair. It comes with 10 fairly mild blades, which compensate a little for the intensity of the razor. Just be aware that the head rattles, which is genuinely unnerving although, surprisingly, it doesn’t impact performance.  

The brush in the kit is thoroughly mediocre, and can start to shed not long after you start using it. You’ll have to replace it within a year, if not sooner, at which point I’d definitely recommend upgrading to something more high end. 

The kit also includes a shave soap, which lathers well but can leave the skin a little dry, a pre-shave oil which is very necessary considering the dryness of the soap, and a light aftershave balm that helps nourish the skin a little after you shave, but likely won’t be moisturizing enough for men with very dry skin. 

All of these products have a prominent sandalwood scent, which is a masculine crowd pleaser even if it’s not particularly sophisticated. 

All-in-all, none of these products are at the highest quality you can find, but they’re all workable.  They’ll save you the hassle of having to buy additional items separately, so it’s a simple introduction to wet shaving. So while we do consider it to be one of the best safety razor kits for men, you’ll still probably find yourself itching to upgrade within six months to a year. 

Pros:

• Cohesive, generous set with every single item a wet shaver will need. 
  
• Very affordable, which is excellent for those who are still on the fence about wet shaving and don’t want to spend too much on introductory products. 
  
• Aggressive razor provides a very close shave 

Cons:

• Not the highest quality range of products. 
  
• Aggressive razor is more likely to cut or irritate skin. 
  
• Brush and razor are both not very well-constructed – they’re functional but with some issues.