An excellent comparison of the cost of double edge and cartridge razors

[gary_dexter]

If external links are not supposed to be posted here then I apologise, but I found this:

http://www.electrogent.com/2012/10/cost-analysis-double-edge-vs-cartridge-razors/

 

[Mandina]

Excellent post. Thanks!

 

[Cynomys]

Folks on B&B do a lot of tongue-in-cheek joking/complaining about how much money they spend on DE shaving when they switched to save money. But the reality is that with DE shaving, beyond the minimum costs of a razor, razor blades, and good quality but inexpensive shaving soaps, how much you spend is really up to you. With cartridges, you have no choice but to spend a lot of money and keep spending a lot.

 

[Toothpick]

that is a fine article! When I used a cartridge I would get 2-3 shaves out of one cartridge before it became to uncomfortable for me. The article planned it for 2 weeks so imagine how much I was spending!

 

[nkull]

that is a fine article! When I used a cartridge I would get 2-3 shaves out of one cartridge before it became to uncomfortable for me. The article planned it for 2 weeks so imagine how much I was spending!

Exactly, I have never gotten two weeks worth of shaves out of a cart (Mach 3, Fusion, etc.) ... At most after 4 shaves it started feeling like my hair was being torn out of my face (not to mention those strips that are supposed to help the shave start falling apart making it worse) ... I don't know how people get so much time from carts...

 

[Toothpick]

$256 is what my 1 year cost would be. using the pricing that the website had for cartridges. That's if I got 3 shaves per cartridge (which was about right for me) and shaved every day. I didn't shave every day with the cartridge but now with the DE I generally do. $66 using the DE, 3 shaves per blade, but thats buying two 100 packs, and i'd have around 80 blades left to roll over in the next year. so it would be less than $66 for one year.

 

[nkull]

I did actually get 2 weeks per cart at times, ... because I would only shave 2 times in a week to save money Now I shave almost every day and love it (actually look forward to it)

 

[mmack66]

Nice article, though it annoys me when people use the word 'razor' when they should use 'razor blade'.

 

[Gone Gray]

Thank you for posting.

 

[moonl8r]

Another thing that was not figured in was the cost of shaving soap/cream vs. the junk in the can. I know that would also contribute to the DE shaving being much cheaper also.

 

[gstarr1]

that is a fine article! When I used a cartridge I would get 2-3 shaves out of one cartridge before it became to uncomfortable for me. The article planned it for 2 weeks so imagine how much I was spending!

+1

 

[wisemenofgotham]

Thank you for posting that article.

 

[Elder Scrolls]

thanks for sharing

 

[rivieraranch]

These variables can be manipulated somewhat. The cartridge razor holder will wear out and become unusable whereas a brass vintage Gillette will last indefinitely. You can buy and sell vintage razors and make some money to defray the cost of acquiring other pieces.

 

[cfender]

My cost comparison is different becuase I use blades that are at least $20 per 100. Also I typically toss a blade after 3 shaves. Sometimes 4 but never 5. However, I never took a cartridge past 7 shaves. I could clearly feel them getting duller after 3 shaves. So my "first year" cost analysis is more like:

DE = $78
Mach III = $164

That's IF I take the cartridge to 5 shaves.

Second Year Costs (using same razor purchased first year)


DE = $30
Mach III = $155

If you calculated the even more shamelessly overpriced Fusion blades the difference is even more dramatic.

 

[takeshi]

These variables can be manipulated somewhat.

You can buy and sell vintage razors and make some money to defray the cost of acquiring other pieces.

Of course they can. YMMV applies here as well. Not everyone's willing to do the exact same thing, use the exact same products, etc.

If one is wondering about comparing one's costs then do the math. It's not going to be the same for everyone.

 

[Mickey Oberman]

I always found that as soon as I trimmed my sideburns the cartridge became useless.

I have switched to a venerable 50+ year old Rolls Razor. No more blade costs at all.

The razor was $25.00 on eBay.

Mickey

 

[celestino]

Thanks for the article.

 

[gadabout]

I think the analysis of the recurring costs in the article is basically valid. Not so much with the up-front costs though. For one thing, most guys are not going to be buying their blades by the 100-pack until they've tried a number of different varieties and have settled on a favorite. Most of this stuff has to come from mail-order purchases, so the high overhead of shipping and handling fees associated with small orders has to be taken into account. That being said, you will still recoup your investment fairly quick. Of course if you spend a lot of time on the boards here, you will probably never catch up, LOL.

 

[acesn8s]

Another thing that was not figured in was the cost of shaving soap/cream vs. the junk in the can. I know that would also contribute to the DE shaving being much cheaper also.

I'm curious about that as well. I think we can assume that the DE shaver will use soap and brush. A cart shaver could use soap and brush or gel/foam.

thinking back, I would guess that I bought 3 or 4 cans of gel a year. I'm running 2 - 3 months or more on a puck of DR Harris/Tabac.