# How many blades on your razor? (Answers from both men + women, please)) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 1, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631 "2014-03-01T21:13:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/41 "2014-03-03T00:12:27Z")
> [@steveroo](#): > > Just promise us you won’t come back in here and proselytize about it. I promise. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/42 "2014-03-03T05:14:01Z")
1. powered Mach 3. I started with safety razors which if there was any truth in advertising would be called “one step above attempted suicide” razors. All razors are functionally the same. They use a very thin, sharp piece of metal that scrapes against the skin at an angle which cuts the hair. The difference between a Mach 3 and a “safety” razor is so profound it’s scary. I’ve never nicked myself with a Mach 3. I cut myself on a daily basis with a safety razor. Part of the ritual was to get out a styptic pencil and pieces of toilet paper in preparation for the inevitable. I find the idea that a razor requires a “technique” in order to survive it’s use to be a strange selling point. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/43 "2014-03-03T05:16:44Z")
Fuck everything, I’m doing five blades. No, wait- two. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/44 "2014-03-03T05:49:37Z")
I’ve used the same single blade [Schick injector razor](http://vernsdidj.com/pictures/misc/razors/DE/Schick_adjust1.jpg)since I started shaving 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/45 "2014-03-03T11:26:54Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > No, the price to value ratio, the repeated cycle of new versions to price increases and the fact that they are all junk-lock products (not interchangeable and without secondary suppliers) pushes them a long ways down Scam Lane. > > Some of the best single-edge blades available cost less per pack than a single current miracle cartridge. You may call your choice “value” rather than “scam” if you like. Those of us who have learned to shave properly call a comfortable $25 handle that lasts a lifetime and around $0.10 a shave with an excellent blade “value.” Whoa! You’re paying $36.50 a year for blades, and talking about how _ **I** _ am the one getting scammed? Dude, you crack me up! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/46 "2014-03-03T11:33:04Z")
Missed the edit window, so let me add: Plus I don’t have to buy a $25 handle; if you put together all the handles I’ve owned in nearly 40 years of cartridge shaving, their total cost would be way less than that. Man, you are getting ripped off. **And** patting yourself on the back about how you’ve had to ‘master the art of shaving properly’ in order to have them fleece you. Cartridges: less expensive, no unnecessary learning curve, way fewer nicks. Win, win, win. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/47 "2014-03-03T16:01:49Z")
I use a Dollar General brand of 3 blade razors. Each package comes with a handle and 5 cartridges. Each cartridge lasts me at least 3 weeks of daily shaving. Cost of the package is $3.75, total annual blade expense ~$13.00. Throw in one can of Barbasol shaving cream per year at $2.00 and my grand total approaches $15 per year. It’s a bit much, but I’m worth it! ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/48 "2014-03-03T17:12:03Z")
I use a fifty-year-old [Gillette Slim Adjustable](http://safetyrazors.co.uk/Products/ProductImages/Gillette-Slim-Adjustable-Rhodium-1965-K1_detail.jpg) handed down from my uncle. What I like about it is that it’s adjustable. See the numbers on the handle? For everyday use I have it dialed down to 3 and never nick myself. For special occasions when I want baby butt face I will dial it up to a more aggressive number, pay closer attention and make several passes in different directions. A ten pack of blades (Wilkinson) is less than $2. A puck of shaving soap is less than $2 and lasts for months. Frugal and good for the environment. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/49 "2014-03-03T17:24:14Z")
> [@LibrarySpy](#): > > I use the Power Fusion, and there is no shave better than the first one out of the package. Removes all hairs and feels like I’m shaving myself with butter. > > An eight-pack is about $32, lasts me a year at six weeks per cartridge. I feel okay with that, which is apparently twice as cheap as the Dollar Shave Club! I use the Power Fusion as well, and agree with you about the quality shave. What I don’t get is how you’re getting 6 weeks per cartridge. I am pushing it after two weeks, which is when I begin to notice blade dullness creeping in, and the pulling of hairs instead of cutting them cleanly. Youch! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/50 "2014-03-03T18:30:35Z")
Four for me also. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/51 "2014-03-03T19:04:42Z")
Three-blade disposables, whichever happens to be cheapest when I’m in the shop. Yes, I’m a heathen. The term ‘safety razor’ always cracked me up because in my experience those things are only safe when compared to, say, a machete. ---
**Author:** ![mantic59](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@mantic59](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mantic59)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/52 "2014-03-03T19:56:03Z")
One blade but my razor is adjustable so I can make it more aggressive or more gentle depending on circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/53 "2014-03-03T21:08:18Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > The term ‘safety razor’ always cracked me up because in my experience those things are only safe when compared to, say, a machete. Safe compared to old straight razor I suppose. Try an adjustable as I described above. Dial down tje aggressivness (the amount of exposed blade) and see how you like it. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/54 "2014-03-03T22:12:54Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > The term ‘safety razor’ always cracked me up because in my experience those things are only safe when compared to, say, a machete. They’re “safe” in the sense that it would be difficult (although perhaps not impossible) to actually kill yourself with one. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/55 "2014-03-03T22:27:26Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The Fusion is too many blades (it’s really only 4 blades for shaving and 1 blade for scraping or something). No, it’s 5 blades for shaving, plus a 6th for detail work. It’s expensive, but I replace the cartridge only every 4 months. I tried the powered Fusion, but found it gets a worse shave then the unpowered. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/56 "2014-03-04T04:29:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Not trying to sway you, but one thing I like about the Gillette Fusion is that it has an open-back design. You can flush water through from behind and clean all the gunk from between the blades. As I said, though, I quit spending that much on refills. Exactly. That’s far more important than any of this “better shave” you guys are talking about. The main problem in getting a good shave is getting all the hair gunked up so you can’t continue shaving. And trying to get it out using anything but water tends to dull the blades quite quickly. Not that I use a regular blade anymore. An electric does actually give a worse shave, but at least you almost never have to buy or sharpen blades. (Not that I’ve ever seen a sharpener that works.) ---
**Author:** ![Archeonomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Archeonomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archeonomist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/57 "2014-03-04T12:45:22Z")
One. I use a safety razor now. It just works better for me and my skin. It’s not a very aggressive one, so I haven’t had any trouble with cuts. I do have a three blade Gillette Mach 3 that I use for travels - not sure if I can get the old fashioned razor blades through airport security. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/58 "2014-03-04T15:29:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > . . . then . . . THAN!!! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/59 "2015-06-15T15:40:58Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > If you can’t get a good shave (smooth, comfortable, lasting) shave from a single-blade safety razor, the problem is likely that you never learned to shave properly. The only faint advantage 2-5 blade razors have is that they accommodate sloppy, amateurish technique a little better, at many, many times the cost. It’s like living on McD’s food because you never learned to boil water. You boil your burgers?! ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631/60 "2015-06-15T15:43:33Z")
I’ve used Atra (2 blade) for 30+ years, and I won’t change unless the increasingly harder to find blades become completely non-existent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blades-on-your-razor-answers-from-both-men-women-please/682631.md?page=4)