For over seven years I have been shaving with an old-fashioned double-edge (DE) safety razor to save money and get a more comfortable shave. Both men and women who have body hair they want to remove can enjoy the savings from shaving like their grandfather did. Unfortunately due to the massive marketing budgets of disposable razor companies, safety razors are simultaneously interpreted as obsolete and inferior while also being forced into obscurity on store shelves.
Technologically, modern cartridge razors are often marketed as presenting a great shave due to having multiple blades, often somewhere from three to six blades. This is arguably overkill as one only needs so many blade passes to cut down the hair in a specific area depending on density, so the excess blades will be dragging along over the skin behind and creating unnecessary friction and irritation.
Additionally I have noticed that safety razors are almost always misleadingly presented as a terrible deal at in-person stores. At my local CVS, a pack of ten double-edge razor blades is offered for $9.99 and I have seen roughly the same at Target and Walmart. It is possible to find 100 packs of DE razor blades online for cheaper, so these are being sold for over a 10x markup! Often no actual safety razor to put the blades in is even sold at the store, leaving people to puzzle over how this ancient relic is even used.
Contrast this with the remainder of the wall filled with “fancy” modern cartridge razors where you can often get the handle with 2 or 3 cartridges for $9.99 to $12.99, and extra cartridges which promise a better shave can be had for $2 to $3.50 a pop. Disposable razor manufacturers and retailers seem to be colluding to keep consumers ignorant of safety razors so that they can both continue to make massive profits from selling overpriced cartridges. Naturally any product which is targeted by entities seeking to profit from you should elicit immediate interest.
Over seven years ago I purchased a safety razor, badger hair brush, a stand, five pucks of shaving soap, and 100 razor blades for a total of $103.98. I still have about 20% of the consumable supplies (blades and soap) remaining from that initial purchase. Admittedly I don’t shave every day or even regularly; I will go through periods of growing a beard for two or three months where I only shave my neck area, then periods of shaving clean one to three times per week for a while. Still, this is dirt cheap over the years compared to what I would have spent on cartridge razors.
Cost comparison
There’s no denying that the startup costs for double-edge (DE) safety razor shaving are higher — they’re made of metal as opposed to the plastic cartridge razor handles that are sold as a loss leader to get customers buying their proprietary cartridges, which is where the real money is. However, the blades for DE razors are so cheap that the initial cost for the razor and supplies quickly closes the gap to pay for itself and start stacking up the savings.
My assumptions for this analysis will be as follows:
For the safety razor: $55 for the razor, $15 for a shaving brush, and $15 for a stand. Replacement blades are $10.99 per 100 count (or 11 cents each), the current price for Astra Superior Platinum blades from a reputable vendor. I will assume blades are thrown out after 3 shaves which is my experience across multiple brands shaving my thick and coarse beard.
For the cartridge razor: $12.99 for the handle and 2 cartridges, the current price for the very popular Gillette Fusion 5 at Target. Replacement cartridges are $33.97 per 12 count (or $2.83 each) from Amazon, the cheapest per-unit cost I could find. We will assume the user gets 6 shaves per cartridge, not because I believe the blades are higher quality than DE razor blades but because users tend to use them long past the point where they start to get dull due to the high cost.
For both cases we will assume the user shaves 3 times per week on average. The cost of shaving soap or cream will be ignored since this is fairly comparable in both cases.
In this analysis the total cost of shaving with the cartridge razor becomes more expensive than the safety razor in a little over a year, by week 58. After 10 years, assuming no new equipment is purchased, the safety razor shaver has saved over $600 compared to the cartridge razor shaver.
Obviously the exact break-even point will vary depending on how frequently one shaves, whether a more premium blade is used (the most expensive DE blades are about 40 cents each), and how quickly one’s hair tends to dull razor blades. The general conclusion still stands though that over the long-term, using a safety razor is a frugal choice to save hundreds of dollars per decade and get a better shave while doing so.
Pros of double-edge (DE) safety razor shaving
There are several benefits to switching to this more old-fashioned method of shaving:
Saves you money: as we just examined!
Less irritation: cartridge razors are designed to “tug” the hair and then cut it, which can cut the hair below the surface of the skin and result in more ingrown hairs. I got many fewer ingrown hairs after switching to a safety razor. Additionally cartridge users likely continue to use the cartridge long after the blades have started to go dull due to the high cost which can be another factor in skin irritation; DE razor blades are so cheap that they can be replaced at the slightest sign of an uncomfortable shave with no guilt.
Much lower environmental impact: Cartridge razors create both plastic and metal waste and are not recyclable in most areas (although Gillette has partnered with TerraCycle to offer cartridge recycling in specific locations). Some areas allow you to drop off DE razor blades in the metal collection area at the recycling center, but even if this is not possible in your area the thin metal blades create a fraction of the volume of trash that cartridges do.
Cons of double-edge (DE) safety razor shaving
There are also a couple downsides to using safety razors:
Improper technique can lead to worse cuts: It’s no secret that razor blades are sharp. The pivoting heads of modern cartridge razors serve as an idiot-proof method of maintaining the blade at the proper angle to cut hair while minimizing the potential for cutting yourself. Safety razors have a fixed blade and the user must maintain the proper angle (generally about a 30 degree angle to the face). Improper technique can lead to a greater potential for cutting yourself than cartridge razors, and beginners especially will likely suffer a few minor cuts on the path to learning proper technique.
It takes more time: Shaving with a safety razor is more time consuming, especially for beginners. Lathering the soap with a brush takes longer than spraying canned shaving gel into your hands, and taking the shaving process a bit more cautiously to avoid cuts is generally wise. Many DE shavers also do a 3-pass shave (with, across, and against the grain) for a super smooth shave.
Personally I feel the benefits far outweigh the downsides, especially for a non-daily shaver like myself. The monetary savings and reduced irritation is worth spending an extra few minutes on the days that I shave, and proper technique is able to be learned quickly.
A note on razor materials
Many entry-level safety razors these days are made out of a chrome-plated zinc alloy or pot metal. The chrome plating has a tendency to flake off over time; if this occurs in the area that contacts your skin it would probably be uncomfortable enough that you would toss the razor. As such I cannot recommend modern chrome-plated razors as a “buy it for life” product. Below is an example of this occurring in multiple areas on my 7 year old Merkur 38c razor:
I would recommend stainless steel for a razor that will truly last forever. I recently purchased a Rockwell 6S razor made in the USA from 316L stainless steel for $96 (the razor retails for $120 but they frequently offer 20% off coupons). One thing I like about the Rockwell 6S is it comes with 6 different base plate options which have varying levels of blade exposure, allowing the user to choose a more mild or aggressive shave.
The company RazoRock also sells stainless steel razors starting at $55 for their “Game Changer” model which I have not personally tried; their razors are made in Canada. This price point is competitive with many of the Merkur chrome-plated razors which are often recommended to beginners, so it’s definitely worth looking into a stainless steel razor for a product that will truly last a lifetime.
Getting started shaving with a DE safety razor
There are many great articles and videos directed at beginners just getting started with safety razor shaving which go over the basics of lathering and shaving technique. I’d definitely recommend watching the below tutorial video by Executive Shaving:
An equivalent or superior tool for a fraction of the cost, now that’s frugal
It doesn’t seem like a conspiracy that disposable razor manufacturers and retailers are colluding to keep consumers ignorant of safety razors — I’ve seen the proof on store shelves. The motive of course is billions of dollars in annual revenue generated by disposable razors and cartridge system sales, which would be slashed by 80% or 90% if every consumer used the old-fashioned safety razor.
I highly recommend double-edge safety razors to both men and women looking to save a few bucks each month on shaving, and I’ve found that it’s especially worth a try for those who are prone to skin irritation.