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

The most expensive I have cost $25/100 or 0.25 each. These last around 10 shaves, so not too bad. However, blades such as Nacet at $14/100 or 0.14 each are nearly as good, though with fewer shaves per blade.
 
The best blade per shave is those which perform well with your razor and satisfy your expectations.

For me some blades come to mind:

# Feather Hi Stainless Steel blade with Game Changer 84 Open Comb = 3-4 excellent shave

Feather doesn't provide any exceptional results with my Wunderbar, Lupo 95, BBS razor so it is used only with Game Changer 84 Open Comb.

@ $15/100 = 15c per blade = 3 shave = 5c per shave is very acceptable

# Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum provides very balanced and smooth shaves with BBS Standard and AS plate, Wunderbar. These blades don't provide any noticeable improvements in shave quality with Lupo 95 and Game Changer 84 Open Comb so the Gillette 7 O'clock Black blades are used with BBS and Wunderbar razor.

@$9/100 = 9c per blade = 5 good shaves = 1.8c per shave is excellent vfm

Note : prices have gone up from $9/100 to $16/100 blades.

# Gillette Nacet blades are great blades to use with my Lupo 95 and Game Changer 84 Open Comb. So far it has given me 8 great shaves and I purchased it on sale @$12/100 blades.

$12/100 = 12c = 8 shaves = 1.5c per shave = excellent price and the smoothness is top quality as well.

# Shark Super Chrome is a wild card blade, I have yet to purchase it in bulk but I'm looking for a good price for it.

It gave me 6 great shaves with Lupo 95 and smoothness was great, second only to Nacet blade.

IMO, any blade that didn't perform well and you were disappointed with the purchase can be considered as expensive and on the other hand if it gives you great shaves for any number of shaves and you get pleasure in using them then no matter how much it costs, it is a good price per blade.
 
$15 AUD for 100 Astra Green blades works out to at least 500 shaves for me. I'm very satisfied with the performance of Astra blades, they just work for my face in all the razors I use. Feather blades seem to drag and bite on my face. Sharper doesn't equal better. More expensive doesn't equal better. It all comes down to what works for you. I don't buy feathers because I find them uncomfortable to use, not because they are more expensive.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
@Dalejr has it right. The difference between a $15 soap and a $70 soap is more of a big deal, although for as long as soaps last, not really that big a deal. The difference between a $30 vintage razor and a $300 CNC stainless steel beauty is more of a big deal, but hey, razors can last a lifetime, if it floats your boat, go for it.

But blades? I've just purchased a bunch of vintage DE blades for between $0.70-$1.00 per blade. I use my 70's vintage Schick Plus Platinums for a week. I can't waste two seconds worrying about that, versus using two $0.15 cent blades a week for $0.30 per week. A Schick Plus Platinum blade for a dollar, is like the cost of two Keurig coffee cups for Pete's sake!

And blades are a big deal in the enjoyment of the shave. A very big deal. If the cost of even the most expensive blades really mattered, I might give it some thought, but I just can't work up a couple of brain cells to bother with it, frankly.
 
I don’t consider most DE blades to be expensive, however it does turn my head when they creep up toward the $1 per blade mark. I have been using King C. Gillette blades which are not cheap but are noticeably great blades to me and worth the money, especially when I can get 3-5 nice shaves with them.
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I once walked into an Art of Shaving store. They offered Gillette Platinums at five for seven dollars. I left with my wallet no lighter and my load no heavier. I have not returned. I believe it has closed.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
As in all things "expensive," the initial cost is only part of the story. Med Preps and Feathers are approximately the same price, but I get at least twice as many shaves from the Preps.

These are the most expensive blades I've used to date, and I honestly don't care what they cost. I think all blades are pretty cheap. At the end of the year it just doesn't add up to anything I'd worry about. The cheapest blades I have are around $10 a year, and the expensive blades are around $25. I'm thankfully not in a position where I have much concern for the $15 difference.
 
My Wizamet Super Iridiums cost $0.25 a blade. I usually change blades around 20 or so shaves. Not cause I have to. It is just an arbitrary number.I just bought a 250 pack. Worth every penny.

Edit:

They are actually .50 cents a blade. A 250 lasts a long time and I enjoy them. I get plenty of shaves with them. They are not my only blade, but, my favorites. For me they are worth it.
 
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Whilliam

First Class Citizen
A dime a blade, maybe 15-cents per blade when bought in bulk (100s), is what I average. Thirty cents or more each is, to me, expensive, but such are the costs of Feathers and Kais.

But let's get real. In absolute terms, even "expensive" blades are cheap when compared to carts.
 
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
Same here, only by virtue? of being retired I'm able to spend time instead of money and get vintage blades at lower prices. Most of my stash came in at or under modern blades at a cost per shave.
 
My Wizamet Super Iridiums cost $0.25 a blade. I usually change blades around 20 or so shaves. Not cause I have to. It is just an arbitrary number.I just bought a 250 pack. Worth every penny.

Edit:

They are actually .50 cents a blade. A 250 lasts a long time and I enjoy them. I get plenty of shaves with them. They are not my only blade, but, my favorites. For me they are worth it.
You are paying too much. I get Wizamet SI blades for $45 for 250 blades which comes to 18 cents each. Pm me next time you order some and I will send you a link. 250 Wizamet blades will last you a long time though. I just ordered 100 each of Shark Stainless and Lord Platinum from Jeff Bezos company at 7 cents a blade each. I get 4 or 5 good shaves from each of those.
 

Eben Stone

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

Price/blade is kinda useless by itself. What you should be interested in is cost/shave. And even then it's not really worth worrying about. Just find a blade that gives you great shaves and enjoy.

IMO, any blade (a few exceptions) that costs more than Nacet is expensive, because the extra price isn't doing anything to improve the quality of the shave.

I think Kai blades are expensive, but I still use them. I like the results I get with the Henson medium + Kai.
 
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Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I didn't go as far as calculating the cost per shave but, I did post something about how many shaves I get per blade with an average. I usually pay between 12$-20$ per pack of 100 blades. I do have more expensive blades like Feather. I use a lot of sample packs (which are very pricey compared to a 100 pack). The thread I made could give you an idea of how many shaves I get per blade.

 
Usually I've paid about $.10-$.17 per DE blade when bought in bulk. I've bought Feathers but only if on a good sale, and buy enough that I can wait until another sale. My last purchase in January 2021 was at $.17 per Feather blade. Blades like Astra, Nacet or Wizamet SI, I've bought when the thought strikes me. So, I guess the bottom line is less than ~$.20 a DE blade seems reasonable to me, and more than that starts to seem pricey.

To be safe, I recently added over 500 various blades to my stock, mostly DE, but Artist Club blades as well. I don't really push blades, and often change them before they're totally shot. In the last year I also picked up some new razors, and badger brushes mostly on good sales. Mostly I bought stuff to ease pandemic boredom, but IMHO the current global supply chain issues, climate change regulation with likely carbon taxes, as well as higher inflation, may end up adversely affecting the cost of everything in the coming few years, shaving stuff and blades included. And, I have a son-in-law who shops in my shave cabinet whenever he visits, of course with my blessing.

If you have the funds, I would advise buying some spare blades and shaving stuff now, as today's prices seem quite reasonable, while future prices hold far greater uncertainty now than the past decade's experience might indicate. Those of us that have lived through times with high inflation, stagflation, and high interest rates, can attest that those times were not the most of fun.
 
Usually I've paid about $.10-$.17 per DE blade when bought in bulk. I've bought Feathers but only if on a good sale, and buy enough that I can wait until another sale. My last purchase in January 2021 was at $.17 per Feather blade. Blades like Astra, Nacet or Wizamet SI, I've bought when the thought strikes me. So, I guess the bottom line is less than ~$.20 a DE blade seems reasonable to me, and more than that starts to seem pricey.

To be safe, I recently added over 500 various blades to my stock, mostly DE, but Artist Club blades as well. I don't really push blades, and often change them before they're totally shot. In the last year I also picked up some new razors, and badger brushes mostly on good sales. Mostly I bought stuff to ease pandemic boredom, but IMHO the current global supply chain issues, climate change regulation with likely carbon taxes, as well as higher inflation, may end up adversely affecting the cost of everything in the coming few years, shaving stuff and blades included. And, I have a son-in-law who shops in my shave cabinet whenever he visits, of course with my blessing.

If you have the funds, I would advise buying some spare blades and shaving stuff now, as today's prices seem quite reasonable, while future prices hold far greater uncertainty now than the past decade's experience might indicate. Those of us that have lived through times with high inflation, stagflation, and high interest rates, can attest that those times were not the most of fun.
Thank you for justifying my various ADs. Now I know what to tell my wife when that the 100 pack of Lord Platinum and the 100 pack of Shark Super Stainless blades arrive on Friday! :badger:
 
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I was doing some math( makes my head ache-kidding). Using Wizamets I am getting 10 plus shaves per blade.
Math wise; if I shave four times a week, getting eight shaves per blade, one evert two weeks, that’s 26 blades a year. So my purchase of 250 blades will last 9.6 years.
At an original price of $45.00. Close enough to $4.50 a year.
 
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