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What is considered 'expensive' when considering $/per blade?

Is C0.50/blade considered expensive?
How about $1/blade?

To you what is considered 'expensive' when factoring in price/blade?
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I buy blades online in 100s and Feathers are about £20/100 or 20p each, which equates to roughly 27 US cents per blade. That is as much as I care to pay and excellent blades such as Rapira, Lord, Voskhod are less than half that price. You can pay a lot more in a brick and mortar store but I would not do that. The idea of 50pence or £1 per blade to me is absurd.
 
My $0.02 and worth every penny you paid for them:

Once you find the blades you like and star buying them in bulk, it's easy to find a bunch of different blades for about $0.10USD each in lots of 100. A lot more are between $0.10 and $0.20, with a few between $0.20-0.30. I'd call anything above that expensive.

Double that cost for samplers, which is really just an assortment of individual tucks.

Brick and mortar purchases are ridiculously expensive, and are only recommended for emergency purchases.
 
I think 30 cents would be considered expensive for most blades imo. The only blades I buy pushing that limit are the coated gem blades.

My personal favorite are Voskhod blades which I bought 500 of for about 7 cents a blade the last time I purchased some.
 
In my opinion, a product is expensive when I consider it of poor value. The price tag is one parameter when evaluating value.
I cannot say that price tag is irrelevant but certainly not what defines expensive or cheap.
The blade I have in my stash that is on top of the price tag list is Feather at CAD0.32/blade. I consider it one of the best blade I have. It is made in a country and by people I respect and admire (humble and talented). It is a high quality blade, if not the highest. It gives me perfect 4 or 5 shaves. I can certainly afford to pay for it. The only negative aspect is the fact that they come in a plastic tuck.
The blades I have in my stash that are at the bottom of the price tag list are Lord, Derby, Asco, Treet, Trig and Shark. They are of poor value and use them once in a while just to put them to shame and confirm my better choices. :biggrin1:
The decision about what is considered expensive or cheap goes through someone's wallet first. Nothing stops you from working harder, completing a higher level of education to secure better income, or simply be patient until you inherit money (not taxable in Canada as far as I know). After that, you learn other things to worry about and cost per blade becomes a nonissue or irrelevant.
 
I took all my concerns about cost per blade and threw them out the window a few years back. Up until that point, I had been maintaining two separate sets of blades:
1. my favorites, the ones that worked the best for me and I enjoyed using the most, and were the most expensive per blade
-Kai, Feather, Super Iridium
2. my acceptables, the ones that worked but not quite as well as the favorites, and were notably less expensive per blade
-Astra SS, a couple others I can't recall right now
I would shave most days with one of the acceptables, and save the favorites for when I wanted an especially enjoyable shave.

Then I looked at the difference in cost between the two versus how long a 100 pack would last me. With multiple shaves per blade, and not shaving every day, a 100 pack lasts me several years. So I decided that getting rid of the acceptables and only using the favorites was fine since it only amounted to about an extra $30 CAD every few years. I can afford that to have my favorite shave all the time instead of only sometimes.
 
I think it's different for everyone and it all depends how good a blade is and how much a person is willing to pay. The only DE blades which I would stock up with are Nacet Stainless, BIC Chrome Platinum and maybe Perma-Sharp too. All of these blades are fairly inexpensive (going for around 15$ for 100 blades) and perform outstanding imho.

I also wouldn't pay more than 25$ for 100 blades regardless how good they are and even if they are better than my favorites. For instance, I find Feather blades to be great, but not as versatile, smooth or as long lasting as Nacet for instance. However, if they were going for less than 20$ for 100 blades, I would definitely get a few hundreds and use them in some of my milder vintage Gillette razors.

A while ago I was hoping for the Astra SP to become one of my favorite, since they were going for around 8$ for 100 blades and that's even cheaper compared to most blades on the market. Unfortunately though, I didn't like the Astras and I didn't stock up with them. I wouldn't call them terrible, but they are not amongst the sharpest blades out there and they also last 2 good shaves for me and while they are more than capable of delivery a somewhat decent shave, I just don't enjoy the shaves as I do with say Nacet for instance, so it's not always about the price.
 
The most commonly used double edge 100 packs in the US are between $10-$14 on amazon, ebay, and Bonanza. Feather and Kai would probably be considered premium. Low cost blades would be $6-$9.

My personal experience I bought a 100 Pack of Astra Superior Stainless on amazon in July for $7.56 which is a fluke. Most expensive blade I bought was Personna Comfort Coated $16 a couple of years ago.
 
Price of the blade, for me, is a factor of how many shaves do I get out of it. Schick injectors blade, at my local drug store, are $6.99 for seven blades. I get about ten shaves per blade. I don't consider that expensive. But too expensive for one-and-done shaves.
Wizamet Super Iridium are one of my favorite blades and a sleeve of 250 blades comes to about 18 cents a blade. I can get 7 good shaves from one blade so it comes out to about 2.5 cents a shave. I call that reasonable. If you only get two shaves from them then it is probably not the best value for you. If I chunked a blade after every shave or two I would probably see if I could get one of the Astras or Gillette Wilkinson Sword blades to work for me. I can get three decent shaves from an Astra SS and those go for $9.30 on Amazon so about 3 cents a shave for me.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
In years gone by, I would buy a single pack as and when I need them. Not the most cost effective way of purchasing them these days, but then and now, still the cheapest (and best) shave from a High Street shop. Also, I might only shave three times a week back then, and that one pack would probably last me over a year.

Nowadays, I buy online. Or at least I did. I have a more than adequate stockpile now. All the blades I own now, cost me less than a penny per shave. Middle of the road blades give me 10-14 shaves each, and my preferred ones give me 20+.

I tend to shave 4 or 5 times a week on average now, and my current blade, an Astra Platinum has rather surprisingly just gone past the three month mark. It's been quite a while since I've had a blade put in that kind of mileage on my beard.
 
I have a general rule of thumb and it’s 3 shaves and done fir all DE blades. The comfort and performance is where I like it. Can I go much more? Of course but now we are contrary to the point. Wet shaving for me is all about luxury me enjoying the shave and wishing I could shave a second time every day.
My go to blades are Nacet and Wizamet Si I know I can get more shaves out of and keeping notes has told me what shaves would be rougher and which will be more comfortable.
For a dime a shave total why be the least bit uncomfortable.
I’m not going to do single shaves like a feather though it has its place.
My SE’ are all way more costly and still affordable do to longer blade life in the AC and injector blades I can get 6 from a Feather Professional AC.
 
And anyone using the Bic chrome platinum and have a good supply willing to send me 2 tucks do I can test them? I want a good few weeks to try them not blind buy. Everyone is swearing by them and I have never tried them but they are the same price as Nacet and I like that price.
 
I only use vintage and I've paid 0.50 up to $4.00 USD per blade for my stash. Many will find that crazy expensive but for quality shaves, it's worth it for me personally...
Cosmo Kramer Yes GIF
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I've gone as high as $13 for 30. I think they were Timor SS. Just an aside...I really like the Timor SS.
 
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Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I have found absolutely wonderful blades at prices ranging from $.12 to $.25 per blade. When I factor in the number of superb shaves each provides, they are inexpensive, and I see no reason to pay more than one to two cents per shave.
 
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