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If you’ve read our article on choosing a safety razor, you’ll know there are plenty of options available on the market. While most safety razors follow a similar design, there are some differences in the way they are loaded with a new blade.

In this article, we’re going to tackle exactly that–how to correctly place blades into each type of safety razor, to ensure you get the best shave without any hiccups along the way.

Quick Tips

Butterfly (or 1-piece) razors

These razors are the best option if you dislike handling little bits and bobs. It’s simple and straightforward. Twist the bottom of the handle in an anti-clockwise direction and you’ll see the doors of the head open, much like a butterfly unfurling its wings (hence the name).

Take your blade and place it neatly in the middle, following the alignment tabs that every razor blade has. Once secure, turn the base handle clockwise to close the head.

2-piece & 3-piece razors

These are the most common types of safety razors. Our choosing guide about safety razors summarised their differences perfectly:

“2-piece razors have a handle that is fused to the base of the head, while 3-piece razors have a head that can be fully unscrewed from the handle.”

Loading a blade into these razors is a similar process. First, turn the base of the handle to untighten the head.

If it’s a 2-piece, the top of the head is what detaches. From there, take your razor blade and align its holes with the head that was detached. When lined up, connect it back to the safety razor and retighten by turning the base of the handle clockwise.

For 3-piece razors, the difference is that when you untighten the screw, the whole head–the top cap and base–will detach completely, leaving you with three separate components. Again, take your razor blade and align its holes with the tabs on the cap, then sandwich it with the base of the head. Finally, screw the handle onto the head by turning it clockwise until finger tight.

SO WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE?

There is no right or wrong answer with this, and comes down to personal preference.

That said, you could place it into different contexts to help you decide. If you’re a frequent traveller or you can be a little clumsy sometimes, a butterfly razor is a great choice as there are fewer pieces to work with. Whereas, if you don’t mind handling separate pieces of a safety razor blade and putting them back together, then 2-piece or 3-piece razors are a top pick due to the many models available.

If you're not sure which blades will suit best, take a look at our razor blade choosing guide.

And finally, if you've yet to make the switch to a safety razor, these reasons will convince you!