I Haven’t Bought a Razor in Over a Year
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
August 21st, 2009 at 9:35 am
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.
August 21st, 2009 at 10:42 am
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.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
My mistake! I’ve updated the post to reflect the change from “straight” to safety
September 5th, 2009 at 10:12 am
It is great you are using a Merkur razor. It really permit a close shave while still offering maximum protection from razor burn.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
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.
December 12th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
[...] 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. [...]
August 10th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Great write up Nut! I just wanted to say with all of this Gillette bashing going on that back in the day, Gillette was making these double edge safety razors of such high quality that they still hold up the the best razors on the market today. You can find a lot of great vintage razors on online auction sites or at http://www.razoremporium.com.
December 17th, 2010 at 6:38 am
[...] things every personal-finance blog talks about at one point or another. It’s up there with double-edge shaving and credit-card [...]