I did the same until I got a safety razor and found some good blades.

Smoothest shave of my life, refills come out to about $.50/week. The first shave wasn't pretty, but after that it was smooth sailing and I'll never look back.

Makes things like DSC seem quaint; people think safety razors are either:

- archaic - dangerous

But the truth is they are a fantastic, cheap way to get a high quality shave and I don't mind being an evangelist about them if it gets people away from fully disposable razors.

I did the same, until I saw a tip that somebody posted here :) Since then I've been using the same Gillette cartridge (it's been over a year) and it's still as sharp as it was when I bought it.

The trick is to rub it against your bicep or forearm (effectively stropping it) before use. I also do that after use, which helps to dry it up (keeping it even sharper).

I've already saved a small fortune on cartridge refills. Best shaving tip I ever got!

Interesting: http://lifehacker.com/5502841/extend-the-life-of-your-razor-...

I'm going to give it a try, cheers for passing the tip along!

Ditto - I get ~50 shaves per Gillette Fusion Power cartridge, so I'm still working on an 8-pack I got for Christmas 2013.

I do the same with my safety razor, and just always make sure to store it in a dry place, not in the bathroom, just to be safe. I don't remember the last time I replaced the blade.

I bought a double edged about 2 years ago and haven't looked back. I shave my head with them every 1-3 days and find the closeness unparalleled. I am generally less diligent with shaving my face, but it's terrific for that as well. There's a really nice thing about the whole ceremony of it all; making the lather, making the strokes from the different angles, fixing any mistakes.

I live in India and I can get a shave from the local barber here for around $1. These guys use straight razors. I tell you, the shave is closer than anything Gilette or Aldi or DSC or Harry's can do.

> I did the same until I got a safety razor and found some good blades. > Smoothest shave of my life

I have an honest opinion about that... I've done the disposable refills most of my life, but recently was balking at the amount of money I was spending. Did a lot of research, and decided to give a good electric a try. I'm rocking the Braun 790cc. It's actually a great shaver, and in the last year it's cost very little to maintain. Even buying cleaner cartridges and replacement heads periodically, it's MUCH cheaper than disposable blades.

Problem is, the electric DEFINITELY doesn't shave as close. I totally can tell... the few times I've switched it up and used a blade again, the difference is incredible. That said, I am a white guy with very dark, dense stubble. No matter how close I shave, you can still see my beard line. It's Homer Simpson syndrome.

So I'm left thinking in the end that if the electric shaves close enough that I don't look unshaven, it's good enough. Basically, when I get formal in the evening, I just do a quick followup shave with the electric to make sure I'm 'presentable', and I've never had an issue.

I like safety razors as well (it's what I use at home). The blades are cheap and give a good shave.

But they take way longer to shave than a cartridge or disposable razor. I use a gillette mach 3 when traveling, and it literally takes a minute or less in the shower with a bit of soap suds to shave. Using a safety razor is a much longer process and requires more gear.

I went through a similar thought process, but I just resigned myself to shaving with dull blades most of the time.

After the dollar shave club hoopla I researched more into a better way of shaving (electric razors gave me really bad rashes and didn't cut particularly close), and ended up switching to a safety razor[1].

100 refill blades are about $10 and can each be used about four times with the blade being razor sharp each time. I went whole hog and got a fancy tub of old fashioned shaving cream[2] and brush, so every shave is a neat ritual of lathering up the cream. I'm getting pretty good at it.

Each shave costs approximately 2.5¢ for a fourth of a razor and a few pennies more for the pea-sized spoon of really nice shaving cream I use, and it's blindingly sharp and perfect every time.

I might at some point switch to a straight razor, but I have no reason to.

1. Like http://amzn.com/B000NL0T1G but not this exact model - they're all very similar.

2. http://amzn.com/B009BLN3M6 Don't get shaving soap - it dries your skin out and usually smells terrible.

There are plenty of shave soaps that moisturize and smell great. I've got a couple that smell great and produce a fantastic lather.

I don't trust myself with a straight razor, but the DE razor works really well for me. Plus it seems just so sophisticated with the bowl and brush sitting on the bathroom sink.

Same thing here. And if you buy a new head every 6 months to a year, the quality/closeness of the cut is still as good as the day you bought it.

I've had the same electric razor for about 6 years now, the battery still goes a couple weeks between charges, and shave quality is as good as I ever could get with a manual razor. I just don't get why most people prefer the more expensive, more labor-intense option of razors + shaving cream... I guess for some, it's nostalgia?

I too find it mind-boggling that men choose to shave their faces with mass-market manual razors.

However, the conventional wisdom -- and my own experience -- is that even a typical drug store manual razor, if it is fairly new, will give you a closer shave than any electric razor. It's just a function of having a thin metal foil between the blade and your skin, or not having one. And a poorly-made electric razor will give a much worse shave than a blade.

I still shave with an electric razor, though. The hassle of dealing with a manual razor massively outweighs the tiny fraction of a millimeter closer shave a manual razor gives me, especially since by lunchtime the difference is already unnoticeable.

My experience with electric razors is that they take forever to actually cut every hair, and if you've got some stragglers, you have to go back and forth 30 times to get them cut. It's a waste of time. Maybe you got a good one, but I've used 3 or 4 different brands, and it is all the same.

I do use an electric trimmer when I don't want a close cut, but I use a safety razor otherwise.

Electric razors don't shave anywhere near as close as a blade. They also get dull as they age, and start pulling (especially the Philips/Norelco spinning head types). Also, they break -- mostly by the battery wearing out.

I've been through two Braun shavers in the last 25 years. Extended the life of both by cracking them open and replacing the batteries myself. Other than that, and replacing the cutting head and screen every couple of years, they worked fine.

Spinning head shavers pulled like mad, and I hated them.

Every few months I have to use razor blades (forgot electric razor on a trip, etc.), and it's horrible.

I actually bought their 2-year supply back when they were doing that. Details here. I guess it's the best $30 I've ever spent since I'm still using the same blades. Change every couple of weeks depending on how ratty they get (so it's more than a two-year supply) but I've never had any noticeable irritation. I do prefer the occasional Gillette as well as "pass-thru" cleanability as mine can get kindof gummed up and difficult to rinse otherwise.

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Exactly this but with a Wahl Professional Peanut Clipper for like 50 USD.

I haven't tried an electric razor for a while, maybe they are better now but they always seemed to take forever to get a good shave. I buy half way decent 4 blade disposables and get 5 or 6 months out of each one. I shave in the shower with soap. A few weeks in they loose their edge a bit but then come back. The slight corrosion of the stainless steel actually puts an edge back on.

> I only get 2-3 good shaves out of them.

I don't think razors will ever work for people with thick hair.

> I ended up buying an $80 Philips electric razor and haven't looked back.

These tend to work significantly better than razor blades. I've given up though: even electric razors don't last too long on my tough beard. All I do now use Wahl hair clippers: they result in a very uniform and tidy shadow.

I explored straight razors for a bit, but decided to just be lazy and grow a beard. I've used the same $15 trimmer I bought at a discount store for 5 years and haven't been happier.