The chrome and the bamboo safety razors on their stands, on a marble basin top in morning light

Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

The single blade razor you buy once and keep for life

Cartridge refills cost up to ยฃ162.50 a year. This razor takes any standard double-edge blade, at 50p each.

  • Lifetime warranty
  • A hundred days to decide
  • Yours now, then your sonโ€™s
  • 10p per shave

THIS RAZOR ASKS FOR A LITTLE CARE.

It needs a light touch and a few unhurried minutes. If you shave on autopilot, a cartridge suits you better. Weโ€™d rather say this now.

Engraving of Dionysos reclining on a rock, in gold line

Men who have already made the switch

  • โ€œYou wonder why youโ€™ve been using 5 blades held together with plastic when one does the job as well, if not better. If it ainโ€™t broke, donโ€™t fix it.โ€

    Ivan S.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œFantastic from start to finish. High-quality and plastic-free materials, beautiful and functional designโ€ฆ very intuitive, no nicks, not painful at all.โ€

    Ed W.

    Chose the bamboo handle

  • โ€œI used to get razor burn on my neck. It took a few shaves to get the hang of, but now I get a closer shave with no cuts and no rash.โ€

    Andy R.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œIโ€™ve shaved for work every day for ten years. After a week, this is the best, closest shave Iโ€™ve had: no bumps, no going over twice. And it works out cheaper.โ€

    Tom

    Ten years of daily shaving

  • โ€œSimple, easy to use design. Looks classy and works great as a razor. Very easy to clean and the stand works well. Would definitely recommend.โ€

    Cai S.

  • โ€œThere were no unpleasant cuts or nicks. I get less shaving rash on the neck area.โ€

    Marcus

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œIโ€™ve tried other safety razors and still managed to slice and dice my face and neck. Five shaves in with this one and thereโ€™s not a single cut.โ€

    Stuart G.

    Five shaves in

  • โ€œRazor bumps and ingrown hairs have been slowly going away. Much better than a normal cartridge razor, and the blades arenโ€™t too expensive to buy monthly.โ€

    Jake M.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œI really suffer from curly ingrown hairs. I expected an uncomfortable shave and a rashy neck afterwards. Quite the opposite! Such a smooth, comfortable shave with no rash.โ€

    Kevin G.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œUsed multi blade razors for years, always had shaving rash. Sceptical at first, but no shaving rash and such a close shave. Would never go back.โ€

    Anthony M.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œI was expecting a steep learning curve. If, like me, you have pondered switching to this type of razor for a while, rest assured it is worth it.โ€

    Rob

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œMy neck used to look like it was covered in molehills. Take your time, donโ€™t rush, and now thereโ€™s nothing. A fantastic shave.โ€

    Ollie D.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œA month in and Iโ€™ve not had a single ingrown hair; my neck is so much more comfortable. It takes a little getting used to.โ€

    Elliott L.

    Verified on Trustpilot

  • โ€œI have never been able to get rid of the razor bumps on my neck. After a few uses my razor bumps had disappeared and I no longer bleed when shaving.โ€

    Matthew C.

    Verified on Trustpilot

The handle is the bait

  1. The handle is cheap on purpose. It only takes one brandโ€™s refills.
  2. The refills are where they make it back: ยฃ108 to ยฃ162.50 a year.
  3. This razor is bought once. Its blades are 50p each. Kept for life.

Fig. 1 A cartridge

Made to be kept

  • The safety razor on one side of antique scales, a bowl of cartridges on the other

    Bought once, kept for life

    Only the blade replaced. Handle is solid metal, no plastic to wear out. Guaranteed for life.

  • The safety razor beside a fan of double-edge blades

    No lock-in, ever

    Standard double-edge blades, sold for pennies. No cartridge trap.

  • A hand holding the chrome Kronos safety razor

    A ritual, not a chore

    A shave that takes a few minutes more, and becomes the five minutes of your day that belong to you.

1 / 3

โ€œIn my shop the handle stays. Only the blade changes.โ€

One blade on every client, in a razor I have kept for years. The Kronos Safety Razor takes any double-edge blade at 50p, so a year of shaves costs about ยฃ25.

Alexander C. Colucciโ€™s Barbershop & Academy

Rented for life, or bought once

A plastic cartridge razor, close up
The head of the Kronos chrome safety razor, cut out
A cartridge Kronos
Proprietary blades No Yes
A year of shaves ยฃ162.50 ยฃ25
A lifetime of shaves No Yes

There is a reason why barbers have used a single blade for centuries.

The part that nicks.

A blade nicks at its corners. Kronos encloses them; only the edge meets skin.

A typical safety razor head; the blade's corner stands clear of the cap
The Kronos razor head laid over it; the blade's end sits inside the head

Fig. 1. Typical DE Razor Fig. 2. Kronos

Enclosed blade design

โ€œIโ€™ve tried other safety razors and still managed to slice & dice my face. Five shaves in with this one & thereโ€™s not a single cut.โ€
Stuart G.

In their own words

Unprompted comments left for us in public.

Your first shave in three steps.

  1. Know what you're holding

    Three parts, one blade. The guard shields the blade. The head sets the angle. The handle carries the weight.

  2. Let the weight work

    Don't press. The razor is heavy enough. Hold it like a pen and let it glide.

  3. Use short strokes

    An inch at a time. Lift, move down, go again. Keep the skin taut.

“The trick is don't treat your morning shave as a chore to be rushed; look upon it as a pleasure, take your time.”
Tony R., verified buyer

Read the full guide

The three things people ask first

  • Forty pounds, when a cartridge handle is a fiver?

    Cartridges run ยฃ108 to ยฃ162.50 a year. This is ยฃ40 once, then blades at ยฃ2.50 for five.

  • Is a single sharp blade more likely to cut me?

    The corners of the blade sit enclosed, the part that nicks, so only the safe edge meets skin.

    @neiltoye on Instagram, asked how often he cuts himself

  • Am I locked into buying your blades?

    No. It takes any standard double-edge blade, and Kronos blades fit any double-edge razor.

Everything else people ask

The full rating, including the reviews that are not five stars, and the questions that come up after them.

5 stars 77%
4 stars 8%
3 stars 4%
2 stars 4%
1 star 7%
The Kronos Safety Razor is rated 4.3 out of 5, Excellent, on Trustpilot across 244 reviews (read 4 October 2026).

The long answer

Why the handle is cheap

Cartridge handles are sold at or below cost, because the handle was never the product. The blades are. Every refill fits one brandโ€™s head, and the pack price climbs a little each year. You cannot choose a cheaper blade instead.

A cartridge shaves well enough. The question is whether you want to keep renting the right to shave from a company that sets the rent. That is the whole of the disposable model, and it has run for sixty years.

The handle is the cheap part on purpose; the refills are where the money is made. Cartridges run ยฃ108 to ยฃ162.50 a year. This one is ยฃ40 once, and blades are ยฃ2.50 for five, which is about ten pence a shave.

What five blades do to skin

Five blades also change what happens to your skin. The front blade lifts each hair away. The blades behind it cut, and the hair ends up cut below the surface. It grows back trapped, and the bump is what you see a day or two later.

One blade cannot do that, because there is nothing in front of it to lift the hair. It cuts where the hair leaves the skin and nothing is left underneath. That is the difference. It is the shape of the blade, nothing you could put in a tube.

What it asks of you

It asks more of you than a cartridge does. Short strokes, no pressure, and about a week before it becomes second nature. If you want a two-minute shave you can do while thinking about something else, this is the wrong razor, and we would rather say so now.

With the right technique, a single sharp blade is no more likely to cut you. The corners sit enclosed, the part that nicks, so only the safe edge meets skin. Sharper means less pressure, and less pressure means less irritation.

A Kronos razor takes any standard double-edge blade, and Kronos blades fit any double-edge razor. Buy them from us, or use any standard double-edge blade, for as long as you shave.

Can one blade really beat a five-blade cartridge?

With one sharp edge, the Kronos Safety Razor cuts the hair in a single clean pass. Five blades just drag it over five times. Fewer passes, a closer finish, nothing gimmicky to clog or wear out.

How much do the blades cost?

About ten pence a shave. Twenty blades for ยฃ10, each good for five to seven shaves.

Will it really last a lifetime?

That is the point. The Kronos Safety Razor is solid metal, with nothing to wear out, and guaranteed for life. If it ever fails, we replace it.

Do I have to use Kronos blades in a Kronos razor?

No. A Kronos razor takes any standard double-edge blade, and Kronos blades fit any double-edge razor.

Why do I get ingrown hairs and bumps?

Multiple blades pull the hair up and cut it below the skin, where it grows back trapped. The Kronos Safety Razor cuts it level with one blade, which is what dermatologists suggest for razor bumps.

Can I shave my head with a safety razor?

Yes, with short, gentle strokes and no pressure; the enclosed corners of the blade make awkward angles forgiving. Shaving Fox, a UK YouTube reviewer with around 500 videos, bought a Kronos Safety Razor himself, shaved his head with it on camera and called the result "as smooth as a baby's bum". He made that video unprompted, and we later paid him for an advert.

A hundred days to make up your mind

Shave with it properly, for as long as you like. If it turns out not to be for you, send it back.

A lifetime warranty when you keep it