By far the most important factor for getting a smooth, fast shave with a traditional safety razor is finding the right shaving cream. If you get the pre-lathered ones that come in a tube or tub, you can avoid spending several minutes lathering in a bowl. Good creams include Keihl's White Eagle or Blue Eagle and Truefitt and Hill 1805, each of which is pretty much universally loved by anyone who has ever tried them.

With those shaving creams, I find that it pretty much doesn't matter what brand of blade I use any more, and I can shave in 5 minutes. If you really wanted to optimize on the margins, you could get a sampler pack of 10 different kinds of blades and find the one that works best for your skin chemistry.