Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on shaving and expensive razors

[HannibalX]

Anyone ever use one of those as seen on TV blade sharpeners?

They don't work.

Only working one side of the blade will just fold the edge over and the blade will be even duller.

 

[Bignate603]

I use a mach 3 but the things seem to last forever. I've seriously been using the same blade for the last two months.

 

[Q]

The American way, of course, rarely involves denying ourselves something. Instead, we look for a way to get it cheaper.

I really like this quote

 

[JS80]

IMO price of razors have a direct relationship to quality and performance. It's just something you can't replicate without the technology and parts. And it seems like the author concedes that.

However, I do agree that it can get pretty damn expensive. That's why I use an electric shaver.

 

[CPA]

I buy a four or five blade, pulsating or not, Schick or Gillette, whatever is on sale and/or I have a coupon for when I go grocery shopping.

 

[Crono]

I shave in the shower with soap.

Blade lasts months that way.

 

[ahenkel]

I rarely shave with a razor. I may trim it down to 5 o'clock shadow length but most of the time I have a beard. Regardless of what I do shaving irritates the hell out of my skin and in my case a beard looks better than puffy red skin.

 

[JimmiG]

I switched to some store-brand, 2-blade razors about a year ago after using the Mach3 Turbo before. They cost a fraction of what the Mach3 costs. It's definitely *not* as comfortable to use, and I have to change blades more often, but it's acceptable. In fact they have a slightly more expensive 3-blade system but I haven't felt the need to try it because 2 blades work fine. I also switched to a cheaper shaving cream which feels identical to Gillette's.

If you have to compensate for the higher cost by changing blades less often, it won't be very comfortable anyway, so what's the point then?

 

[EarthwormJim]

I went DE a while ago. Cheaper and way better. After a few weeks of practice, shaving actually feels good.

Can you shave with a DE without looking in the mirror?

I shave in the shower with my Mach III, and since I'm near sided I have to do it blind with no mirror.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

I use a mach 3 but the things seem to last forever. I've seriously been using the same blade for the last two months.

i use a Mach 3 also. Have been for lots of years now. I could never shave more than every 2 or 3 days because any razer chopped my face all to hell if i used it more often than that. Im lucky that my beard grows really, really slow. I slowly stepped down to shaving once every week (monday before work). Now i stepped it down to once every 2 weeks.
I swap blades every 6-8 months. Bought a multipack of blades at Smas club years ago and i havent even used half of em yet.

 

[Koing]

I shave once a week or so...the blade lasts forever...also wipe it down! The water oxidising on the blade 'blunts' it or something like that. Some dude did a test and after wiping his blade he was still getting solid shaves after 4months! He dragged it out to 6months!

Koing

 

[edro]

I am so glad my first razor was electric.
I have only used safety razors ~50 times in my life.

I use a Norelco Arcitec now.
The lithium battery lasts months before it needs recharged.
You are supposed to open the blades after each use and rinse away the shavings.
At first it was annoying, but now it is part of my daily routine.

 

[BUTCH1]

I work for Energizer and they let us buy Quattro refills for $1.25/5 pack so price isn't a concern for me, however before Energizer bought our company I used to shave in the shower when the razor's job is easier and then rinse off and let it dry blade side up so they don't rust so easily, got a month out of a premium blade like this. I could never go back to a single blade razor, there is a night and day difference between them and the newer multi-blade ones IMO..

 

[rasczak]

i'm a mutt. i don't grow facial hair too often. sometimes i wish i never even started shaving as what used to be wisps of hair turned into scruff that my wife absolutely hates.

 

[Imp]

I don't have much facial hair, and I'm lazy, so I stick to my electric. Once in a while, I use my Mach 3 cause it feels so smooth afterwards, and I can go 3 days without shaving, as opposed to 2 with my electric.

 

[daishi5]

I cut my shaving costs in half(or more) by growing beard. A quick swipe across the cheek bone and along my kneck and I'm good. I probably spend $15 a year in disposables a year that way.

I'll use the same razor for 3-4 weeks. Plus with that much hair a day or two of stubble doesn't look that out of place so no need for a daily clean shave.

This.

But, I still prefer gillette for the rest of my face. I change my blade maybe once a month, so if each blade costs $1 extra, that is almost nothing. I think I can make up the cost of nicer blades by ordering one less delivery pizza a year. There is no way I am going to suffer each morning for that tiny amount of money.

 

[TwiceOver]

I started using the cheap "Persona" brand 3 blade disposables from Wal-Greens. Sharpest fucking razors I've ever used and so far a 6-pack has lasted me over 3 months and I believe I still have 2 razors left.

 

[Ruptga]

I use electric clippers (like the kind you'd use to shave your head) every four days or so, mostly because shaving just isn't a real priority for me. It does help that I'm blonde and I don't even start looking scruffy until about day three.

 

[crownjules]

Can you shave with a DE without looking in the mirror?

I shave in the shower with my Mach III, and since I'm near sided I have to do it blind with no mirror.

I use my DE in the shower all the time when I'm in a rush. So long as I don't have more than a day or two worth of growth, I can usually get by without even using soap. But it is infinitely more pleasurable when I have the 20-25 minutes to spend on soaping up before each pass.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Looks like journalists think we all want articles on money-saving advice these days. Where was this journalism 5 years ago?

I still use my dual-bladed Schick with Tracer FX refills -- 5 for $5+. Yes, they still sell them at Wal*Mart.
Packaging is deceptive though. The cartridge holder is designed to hold 6 cartridges but they only fill it with 5.
I've never used any razor more grandiose than a Gillette Sensor Excel or Schick Tracer FX - both only 2 blades.

 

[Platypus]

I got tired of shaving every day and for a few other reasons grew a beard. Like vi_edit said, it cut down on buying blades by a large magnitude.

I buy the bulk replacements at costco because they're much cheaper that way.

I usually change my blade every 3 shaves or so because it gets so dull that it takes 3x as long to shave through everything.

FWIW, I've found blades to last longer by using a real brush/soap instead of the instant gel/foam shit. It also gives you a better shave in my opinion.

 

[shortylickens]

This isnt really news. We have this discussion at least once a month.
For reference, I am still using cheap disposable razors and keeping them immersed in alcohol between use. I get maybe 3 good shaves out of them as opposed to 1. I also have about 4 or 5 exotic shave lotions. Mostly cuz I havent found one as good as Aveda, and they stopped making it.

 

[JTsyo]

I've heard the best way to have blades last longer to remove the water after you finish. Water on the blades makes the blade lose it's edge. Same for knifes.

I wonder if a diamond blade would ever go dull. Though you would think a SS blade would be good for a few years against facial hair.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

You got to troll the grocery threads or the cvs threads on slickdeals. Those people get refills for cheap.

One time we were shaving a Marine buddys head a day before he had to go to base for drill or whatever and the shaver broke in the middle so we went ahead and shaved his head with a mach 3. His head was softer than a babys ass.

 

[cliftonite]

I shave every other day and the razor is only comfortable for about 2 weeks. After that it starts to irritate and bleed some at times (Mach 3) I have thick hair.