I guess I'm caught in between. I've tried safety razors and they don't seem to cut my whiskers down as well as a cartridge. It may be the razor or the blades I'm choosing, or even my bad technique. For whatever reason I get a closer shave with less irritation using the Gillette skin guard. But I love old school soap and shave sticks. Not sure if there are too many other people out there doing what I'm doing.