The Best Razors for Women of 2021

The biggest surprise to me while testing all of the razors on this list was that I liked all of them. There is not a bad option on this list—only ones that make more or less sense depending on your skin, shaving habits, and lifestyle (will you travel with it? Do you like replaceable cartridges?). Even still, it was easy to conclude that the Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Swirl is the Best Overall razor for women.

After coating my legs in Barbasol Shave Aloe, I glided this five-blade razor against the grain (the opposite direction my leg hair grows) and received a smooth, clean shave. One swipe removes all of the hair in the razor's path and one or two swipes in touch-to-reach areas, like around the knees or ankles. The blade has a coating of lubrication around it to aid in this, and I didn’t experience any scraping, pinching, or nicking—instead, the razor felt comfortable against my skin and left my legs feeling silky.

The “swirl” refers to a silver ball between the handle and the head of the razor that allows it to swivel and rotate, with the idea that it could help the blades contour to the body for a closer shave. I expected this to make the razor significantly more flexible than others on the list, but this wasn’t the case. In fact, nearly every razor has some mechanism for the cartridge to move in response to gentle pressure, meaning you can keep the blades against the skin no matter the angle you’re shaving from.

The bottom line: This is an excellent razor, but the swirl element is not what makes it special. This razor stands out because of how well it removes hair and makes it easy to maneuver through large swaths of hair. You can find it in a pack with handle and one, two, or four cartridges, as well as purchase refill packs of four or six extra cartridges. (It doesn't come with a shower hook or holder, but we found that most of those don't work anyway.)

This five-blade razor from Amazon’s brand Solimo feels nearly as luxurious on the skin as our Best Overall pick. It glides effortlessly across the skin with shaving cream and it even works well without lubrication, thanks to a coating of conditioning ingredients around the perimeter of the blades. I quickly shaved my underarms without bothering to apply the Barbasol and the results were silky smooth.

When you’re in a pinch and want a quick shave, this product excels because of its no-fuss design and ability to remove hair in one pass. Though great, it didn’t score our Best Overall spot because it has a smaller head than the Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Swirl and a clunkier handle. The win here is that you can find this razor in a pack that includes one razor handle and either two or 12 cartridges, the latter option making it cost a fraction of a price per cartridge compared to the Gillette Swirl. Unlike the Gillette, it comes with a holder that suctions to the wall, but the accessory fell down over and over again throughout my shower, rendering it useless.

The only real downside is that you’ll have to purchase the full 12-pack again (which includes another razor handle) to get the exact same blades, as Amazon doesn’t seem to sell refill cartridge packs for the women’s handle. This is odd because Solimo offers a package of 12 men’s cartridge refills that appear to have a different design with a squarer and less lubricated head, but I did not test these. Reviewers report that the men’s refills are compatible with the women’s handle, even if they may have different design elements on and around the blades themselves.

The benefit of using a razor subscription service is that you don’t have to keep tabs on how many razor cartridges you have left and run to the store at the last minute when you realize you’ve run out. Athena Club’s The Razor Kit, which we’ve crowned the Best Subscription for women’s razors, includes a razor handle, two five-blade cartridges, and a handy magnetic hook that sticks to the shower wall and holds the razor securely.

The razor itself glides over the legs with ease, though it does not have a thick coating of lubrication around the blades in the way that the Gillette Swirl, Solimo, or some others do. It was smooth enough that I could shave quickly, but moving haphazardly resulted in a few stings (no blood was drawn—I described it to a friend as feeling a zing on my skin).

This razor also stands out for its sturdy, durable build quality. The handle feels weightier than others, which I attribute to Athena Club’s use of aluminum and fiberglass in place of the usual all-plastic handle.

Subsequent shipments, charged separately, include replacement cartridges based on the frequency you shave. The subscription model, included items, and shaving results are almost identical to the other popular subscription razor Billie, but the blade quality on Athena is better, which bumped it higher in our scoring.

Like others on this list, the Schick Hydro Silk Sensitive Skin razor slid across my legs, removing all hair in its path in a pass or two. Like every other razor with a removable cartridge, this has a flexible head that makes it possible to hold the handle perpendicular to the legs while still keeping the five blades against the leg. This was helpful in curved areas, like the back of my knee.

Where this differs is its handle design. While most handles have a curve that slopes downward to the razor head, this slopes down and then lifts up right before the razor head, making the blades on the same plane as the highest part of the handle. This is a small detail, but it gave me pause when using the razor because it felt different in my hand than others on this list. To push to the top of this list, this razor would need to feel more natural to hold and have a sturdier build. Still, I got a good shave and wouldn’t hesitate to wield this again.

You can snag this in a package with one handle and two cartridges. Refills come in packs with four cartridges. It comes with a holder that suctions to the wall, but it was ineffective, as the device kept falling.

The Gillette Venus Smooth is one of three razors on this list that contains three blades. The fewer blades didn’t hinder my experience at all, but the razor’s smaller head did. Though the actual blades appear to be the same size as the ones on other razors on this list, the surface area of the head made me feel like I had less control while shaving. The surrounding plastic also didn't seem to have as much lubrication as others on this list. The result was a mild scraping sensation that didn’t hurt or leave irritation but also didn’t feel as great against the skin as other razors.

That said, if you prefer a smaller head for more precision work, such as along a bikini line, you may enjoy this, as it’s easier to get into curved areas. You can find this razor in a pack with two cartridges and refill with an eight-count package of blades.

Though it falls further down this list, the Billie razor is a top-notch choice both as a standalone razor and as a razor subscription service. Like others, its five blades effectively remove hair in one pass, though it may take a few passes in curved areas, such as around the knees or ankles. The results are a clean, smooth shave that’s easy to achieve if you don’t mind working more slowly in trickier spots. Its lubricated cartridges help to achieve that silky-skin effect. The handle is comfortable to hold but not the highest quality, which is where it falls short compared to the Athena Club subscription razor.

The service costs the same as Athena and has a similar pricing model. Your first shipment includes the razor handle, two cartridges, and a mount that magnetizes to the razor and sticks to the wall. From there, you receive four replacement cartridges per shipment, with delivery frequency (and recurring charges) based on how often you say you shave.

The Gillette Mach3 Turbo is our Best Overall men’s disposable razors because it provides a close, clean shave for facial hair. After using this on my legs, I can see why it earned those accolades. It has a small, three-blade head, similar to the Gillette Venus Smooth, that allows you to work effectively in hard-to-reach or curved areas, like around the jawline or, in my case, around the knees. It skates well across the skin without tugging or scraping and offered me the aforementioned clean shave.

This is a great option for a razor and only fell further down this list because its basic model doesn’t stand out amongst the crowd—and because of my own preferences (like a larger head). You can find the handle in a pack with two cartridges and purchase a five-count of cartridges for refills.

You wouldn’t know based on the name, but the Joy Women’s Razor is manufactured by Gillette. Joy is supposed to be a simplistic, barebones razor for getting the job done, without the bells and whistles of the Venus razors that also increase the price. Similar to men's razors, this has a smaller, squarer head and a straight handle rather than a "mermaid tail."

Unlike the Gillette models higher on this list, I wasn’t a fan of Joy’s five-blade razor—it didn’t glide well on my legs and created a scraping sensation. It didn’t hurt, but by the time I tested this, I knew that there were better options, including others from Gillette. The result was fine—the smaller head worked well in tough-to-reach areas and I got a clean shave everywhere else, though the blade could use more lubrication. An initial purchase of this razor includes the handle and four cartridges, and there are packs of four, eight, or 12 refills available.

The same complaints I have about the Joy razor stand for the Flamingo five-blade razor, but intensified. I felt friction against my skin while trying to slide the razor up my leg—it was similar to the skidding of windshield wipers on dry glass. My guess as to why: The cluster of five blades is not centered on the cartridge and the extra plastic at the top of the razor head isn’t lubricated, thus causing friction. I had to work more slowly with this one, but I still achieved a clean shave. If you don’t care about the experience but only the results, you can get away with this—it’s just not worth it when there are better options for a similar price.

This comes in a pack with one razor handle and one cartridge. You can also purchase a pack of eight refill blades. The razor comes with a holder that suction cups to the wall, but it did not hold up with or without the razor sitting in it.

The Bic Soleil razors are the only non-refillable option we tested. The cartridge housing the three blades has no flexibility, as it’s cemented to the handle in one position. These feel cheap, but get the job done in a few passes. The small head makes it easier to maneuver the razor in curved areas, but it isn’t as effective at removing hair in these spots as others on this list. In a pinch, these disposables work fine, but you have to take your time and use plenty of soap or shaving cream to avoid missing hair or causing uncomfortable friction on the skin.

The one we tested came in a pack of eight razors, though other sized sets are available.

The Schick Intuition Sensitive Skin has a clunky design that ultimately landed it at the bottom of our ranks. Its four blades sit encased in a razor head that looks similar to a bar of soap and that sits on top of a thick handle. When I pressed this into my skin and slid the razor up my leg, I couldn’t tell if it was removing the hair because I couldn’t feel or see the actual blades. This took some getting used to. I liked that you didn’t need shaving cream to get proper lubrication, thanks to the lather that the head produces. I had to pass over certain areas, like my knees, a few times, but I was able to snatch all of the hair.

I wouldn’t recommend this over slimmer, typical designs because it’s not very intuitive, but it works. You may prefer it if you’re frustrated by water washing away your shaving cream, particularly if you have a small shower that makes it difficult to avoid the running stream.

The razor handle is sold with two cartridges and you can find replacements in packs of three or six.