I ended up buying an $80 Philips electric razor and haven't looked back. Takes way less time, I don't have to use shaving cream, and I don't have to be careful either.
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.
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!
I'm going to give it a try, cheers for passing the tip along!
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 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
I do use an electric trimmer when I don't want a close cut, but I use a safety razor otherwise.
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.
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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.