I’ve reduced my shaving costs to almost nothing since using a safety razor. There’s a little bit of adapting needed but once you’ve got the hang of things you’ll never go back to using Gillette again!
Price of blades
I purchased 100 Wilkinson Sword Double Edge blades 2 years ago for £12 and still have 75 left! That’s another 6 years of shaving which works out at £1.50 per year. Admittedly, I don’t shave every day, but even if I did I wouldn’t envisage costs increasing that much. And it’s possible shaving with a safety razor is even cheaper! While researching current prices for replacement blades I found several sellers on eBay selling the same 100 pack I paid £12 on Amazon 2 years ago for £1.99!
Razor
I purchased an Edwin Jagger Chrome Plated Double Edge Safety Razor for £17 on Amazon. I expect it to last a lifetime. [**update** 4th March 2021: I bought Parker 99R with butterfly mechanism — what difference! better shave with fewer nicks and much easier to replace blades ]
Using a safety razor
Here are the 3 tips I wish I’d learnt from the beginning for getting far fewer cuts!
- Don’t apply pressure to the razor. You’ll notice most safety razors are heavy and this weight is used to lightly glide the blade across your skin.
- Move the skin to the left and right of your Adam’s apple. This is a game-changing tip – no more shaving nicks!
- Hold the safety razor so that it’s around 30 degrees to your skin. You’ll feel when the angle is right.
Modern-day razors compensate for when you change the angle and pressure whereas safety razors won’t. These tips will definitely reduce or stop the number of nicks you get!
Final summary
Your on-going running costs are close to zero after purchasing a safety razor. Whether you’re using Gillette, dollar shave club or cheap disposable razors. Making the change to a safety razor will save you money while maintaining a close or closer shave to boot.