I will look for safety blades at my local Safeway. I’m paying way too much for my blades - they are from the first packet of 10 blades I bought at that shaving store.
Here’s a decent price on decent double-edged safety razor blades from Amazon.
You’ll still pay exorbitant prices if you buy in packs of 5 or 10 at a drugstore or grocery store.
I use a double-edged safety razor as well- a Merkur 34C. I just change the blades on Sunday and Thursday (if I remember), and go on about my business. At 22 cents a blade, I don’t sweat it much, as I probably spend more than that ($23) in any number of other silly things in a year.
I bought a safety razor a few months ago. It cost $35, but the DE blades are (on average) about 10 cents each. I change blades fairly frequently - twice per week, but if I wanted to be really frugal I could easily make a blade last a week (or maybe more).
ROI in 1 month
What would be a fair hourly rate for razor cleaning be?
Well, the profit margin is razor-thin…when they take their cut, it’s only a hair’s breadth above cost. If the market changes, they really take it on the chin.
Certainly the competition is cutthroat.
I’ve used a Schick injector blade razor for 30 years. 7 blades for $5.69 is the current cost.
never had a serious cut. Maybe a nick once every few months.
Safety razor too, and my favorite blades go for 12 cents apiece. Basically, I don’t spend money on shaving (and I shave everyday).
Note to the OP. Don’t be discouraged by the gentlemen who are not enthusiastic about your approach. It’s your obsession. Own it. (Also, try using a hair dryer to quick dry the blades, that will help)
My obsession is keeping my shower curtain from getting discolored from mold; no I don’t dry it with a hair dryer, but I now only have to wash it twice a year.
I think this is a good point. There are probably a hundred ways in which I pay more for something than I should or could. On the other hand, I could probably get a better return on the money I have in savings or investments.
Now that’s what I’m talking about, that’s what I want to get to.
I might even get a KLR 650.
I’d recommend once you have found a razor, to go to places like West Coast Shaving BullGoose Shaving or Maggard Razors and trying out the various razor blade sampler packs and see which ones you like with that razor, and which ones you don’t.
Believe it or not, each razor bends the blades to a specific angle and cut depth, and the various grind angles and sharpnesses of the blades interacts with that to give you a more or less comfortable shave.
Once you’ve found your blade, buy it in bulk.
So, to use my own example, the yellow Gillette 7 O’Clock blades are kind of rough and scrape me, while the Gillette Blues don’t. Dorco, Lord, Astra and Derby didn’t work too well either, while Feather and Personna do a good job for me.
You can even buy sample packs if you want to try a bunch of different ones:
Here are my favourite:
Good to know. I’ll get a sampler pack next to find blades that I like. It’s amazing how inexpensive these blades are. Thanks for the tips, all.
You can get them through Amazon, too.
I use my late father’s old Gillette adjustable. Most blades work okay for me, and I settled on Astra (for the cardboard boxes, not plastic). The only ones that were really awful were 7 A.M. (not the same as the Gillette) and (ironically) Sharp, allegedly both made in the same factory in Bangladesh.
I bought some Feathers to use occasionally, and I’ve found they get a little too close for me: I actually got a very tiny nick from the last one (of course, I also got nicks on my very first safety razor shaves). A lot of people say they’re the sharpest on the market, which makes sense, because they’re made by a company that also makes scalpels and other medical instruments.
It is kind of fascinating that this thread came up as I become increasingly irked at Gillette and started looking for an alternative. I considered Harry’s and DSC, but started reading up on DE and straight razors (In my younger days I tried one of my knives, once, just to see if it was actually that sharp. It was, but left a wicked razor burn. The same with peanut butter as shave cream).
I bought a Merkur Futur adjustable DE razor on Amazon and have a sample pack from Fendrihan’s on the way. My first shave was on setting 3 on a three day growth of beard and found it a little too aggressive with the included blade. It did shave close, though. It will take a bit of practice before I’m comfortable enough to shave in the shower with it like I normally have.
An effective (and easier for us lazy assholes) way to dry your razor blades is isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) – preferably 91% instead of 70%. Water and alcohol are miscible liquids, so the alcohol dilutes the amount of water on the blade and speeds up evaporation.
I’ve had my Merkur Futur for 3-4 weeks now and am very happy with it. I usually set it at 2 to 2.5. I like its heft, and it looks like a work of art too.
I was well into my 50s before I began to shave after my shower instead of before. Duh. A blade that is downright painful pre-shower does a fine job post-shower. I routinely go 4 weeks before changing blades. No special treatment - I rinse them and put them away wet.
So, when I started shaving my legs, Mom and I shared a safety razor. I’m not sure if it was the one my father also used but I doubt it. He was very frugal so the blade was often dull and must have been when I first started because it seemed normal to me. Anyhoo, one day I go to shave and skim a little bit of my ankle off. Dummkopf that I am, I don’t think much of it and proceed to shave my shin with the same pressure I am used to using. You know your shin bone isn’t far below the skin. I mean this was inches of exposed shin! Idiot.
Mom remarked on how gross it was to find a strip of dried out shin skin when next she took the razor apart.
It’s Venus for me – never had a cut with those.