I Haven’t Bought a Razor in Over a Year
Aug 21st, 2009 by Nut
The other day I found this post by Clever Dude on the high cost of disposable razor cartridges and it was like I stepped into a time machine.
I haven’t bought razor in over a year.
Instead of going hobo and not shaving for a year, I decided to try shaving with a straight safety razor. You know, the kind your dad used to use back in the day.
How did I come up with this brilliant idea? Well, a lot of personal-finance bloggers have written about it, but I think I first read about it in a shaving post on The Simple Dollar.
So I bought a straight safety razor, bought a sampler pack of blades from West Coast Shaving, and went to town. I could write a whole post about the technique involved in shaving with a straight safety razor, but there are videos and sites dedicated to this, so I’m going to go straight to the numbers.
The Numbers
Cost of Merkur Classic Straight Safety Razor: $32
Cost of 10 pack blades: $4.95
Cost of sampler pack at (40 blades) WC Shaving: $18 (0.45/blade)
Cost of Gillette Mach3 shaver: $9
40 blades (at $2.50/blade at Walgreens): $100
Over the past year, I’ve saved $54 by making the switch. But every year after this one, since I’ve paid for the razor itself and will only be buying blades, I’ll be saving around $82/year.
It may not sound like much, but like I said yesterday: the little things add up.
I know that shaving is very personal for a lot of people and they wouldn’t change this habit for anything, especially not for $80/year (that’s how I feel now!), but I’m curious how many people out there would consider even trying this to save some money… Any thoughts on that?
WARNING: You will cut your face up when you start trying to learn how to shave with a straight safety razor. That’s gonna happen. There are tons of videos and websites out there that have tips, but ultimately it’s going to take a lot of repetition to get it right.
Image by saintbob
Hi Nut, good writeup. Just a little correction, the Merkur Classic is classified as a double edge razor or safety razor, not a straight razor. A straight razor is quite a different beast, but also a very good option to shaving if you are willing to put in the time necessary to learn and maintain them.
The razor type you’re referring to is a safety razor, not a straight razor (a straight razor is more knive like).
I’ve just started using a safety razor after having difficulty finding Murkur razors in stock anywhere, finally finding one in a local store that had had them on order for over 6 months and then was almost sold out in a number of days! I’ve been told that antique stores sell Gillette safety razors in various types for about $10, but I haven’t gone down that route (yet).
I’m enjoying learning a new skill, but it’s going to take a while to be as quick as I was with cartridge razor, but I think the quality of the shave and the savings (money + waste) is worth the effort.
My mistake! I’ve updated the post to reflect the change from “straight” to safety
It is great you are using a Merkur razor. It really permit a close shave while still offering maximum protection from razor burn.
It is great you got a Merkur razor because it really permits a close shave while still offering maximum protection from razor burn. To lessen ingrown hairs, use a badger shaving brush. You may visit my blog anytime you want to know more about wet shaving, Nut. Wet-shaving also means less waste. Just think about all the non-recycleable plastic that goes into multi-blade cartridges and handles, and the aerosol cans that release harmful by-products into the environment. Switching to old-style shaving props won’t gain you entry into Green Peace by itself, but it is a good start.
[...] Shave with a Straight Razor: This one I owe to Trent over at The Simple Dollar. I am going to write a whole post on this at some point, so I’ll save some of the magic for that. But since I started shaving with a straight razor in January, I’ve spent around $30 in blades. The days of grumbling every time I pick up a three-pack of Gillette blades for $11 are over! My blade of choice? The Merkur Classic. Savings: $15/month. [...]