Everyone who grabs a razor will have different requirements. Your hair could be thick or thin, you may need to shave twice a day or every other day. Maybe your skin is super sensitive and you get razor irritation just by thinking about shaving. Or maybe you want to look like Jason Statham with his signature 5 o’clock shadow (or Don Johnson depending on how old you are).
You will find a ton of information out there – both on the web and in the real world. Some is actual fact but mostly you will find opinion and personal preference. Below we have presented a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of razor and it will help you find the right razor for you.
To keep things simple the discussion for each razor will be broken into 1). quality of shave, 2). durability, 3). cost effectiveness and 4). other factors. Given all the information we reviewed, we believe the safety razor is the right combination of what most people need and want. A way to get back to basics, save cash and look great doing it.
Let’s look at the classic double-edge safety razor first.
Safety Razor
The safety razor has been in the marketplace for well over 100 years. Its immense popularity in the early to mid-1900’s decreased as people drifted towards disposable razors. But it’s ease of use, cost effectiveness and high quality is drawing people back in large numbers.
Do you get a high-quality shave?
Yes.
Safety razors allow one of the closest shaves available with the least skin irritation.
Why? Safety razors have one blade. Just one and it is super sharp. And as a bonus, the common double-edged blades (referred to as DE) has 2 different edges to use. Popular disposables have 3-5 blades each and there is one with even 7 blades (like the Dorco Pace 7)!!
Remember…less strokes over the same patch of skin will give you less razor burn. Everybody hates razor burn…those itchy, small red bumps after shaving. Almost everyone deals with this to some degree. And even worse than razor burn are razor bumps – which is really an ingrown hair. This sometimes occurs after you shave when the hair grows back at an angle into the skin. Imagine taking a few swipes with a 5-bladed disposable – how many times you have scraped a blade across the same patch of skin? Shave smarter!
Safety razor = Less strokes of the razor, less skin irritation.
Shaving with a safety razor works best when you follow a few simple suggestions. These include light pressure (basically just the weight of the razor), short strokes of the blade and frequent rinsing. It will take a few passes in some areas but you will find you get a very close shave with definite reduced skin irritation. If you have not read it yet…see our safety razor shaving tips.
BBS = Baby Butt Smooth
This is a common acronym when people discuss shaving. It is both accurate and hilarious.
Will it last?
Yes.
Most safety razors manufactured these days are 100% metal with no wasteful plastic to throw away every week. These razors are corrosion resistant, durable and feel substantial. These are truly made to last a lifetime. And they will if you follow simple rules. Dry them after each use and sometimes perform a deep clean. That’s it. Some models have moving parts (butterfly open and adjustable razors) and have a slight chance to wear and sometimes break. But this would be very rare.
Is it economical?
Yes.
I am not sure it can get any cheaper per shave. The cost of a good basic safety razor ranges between $30 -$50. It is very possible to pay <$4 a year on blades (52 weeks x $0.07 per blade).
First timers can be very confident that you are getting a solid, quality blade at that price point. Those with some experience or wanting a more advanced blade can expect to spend more.
If you missed the description of different types of safety razors, then click here.
Blades come in several different varieties in different materials and different levels of sharpness. In general, you can find packs of great DE razor blades ranges from $.07 to $.30 each. In general, many people can get a weeks’ worth of shaving out of each blade.
You will pay a bit more if you get the smaller 5 or 10 packs but this allows you to experiment with different blades. In general, they are pretty inexpensive so it may be fun to purchase some different ones to try out what you may like. Once you settle on a good blade, the real economical way to purchase is a 100 pack which could last you around 2 years.
I want to have to point out a recent blog post where I explained my new favorite blade that I got from a sampler pack. Take a look at the blog post: A WIN for the new DE Blade Sampler Pack. My current favorite is the Gillette Platinum and you can see a link below as well.
Other Important Information
Because the razor blade can be removed – it cannot be packed in an airplane’s carry-on luggage. Technically, the safety razor can be packed without a problem but the razor blade can’t be in a carry-on bag. The easiest solution is to have a decent disposable razor ready to pack when you use carry-on luggage. Safety razors can always be packed in checked luggage for those longer trips. If interested, you can read what the TSA says about it.
Simply put, some people may not want to use a safety razor for pubic hair. Because the safety razor has a fixed head the user needs to adjust the angle themselves. And a shaving mistake sounds scary when you are shaving down there. Unless you are an experienced user – a good disposable razor with the all-important pivoting head may be a better choice.
You absolutely can shave your head with a safety razor – but that doesn’t mean that you should. Like shaving pubic hair, many men choose to use a disposable razor when shaving their head. Head shaving can be a daunting task and until you become an experienced head shaver…a pivoting head can be quite helpful.
Disposable Razors : Single Use and Cartridge
Disposable razors have changed quite a bit since they were introduced in the mid-1970’s. What started as a single blade encased in a plastic handle has turned into a high-tech, multi-bladed, big business. Visit the History of the Modern Razor page to review the evolution from a fixed head/single blade to the absolutely over-the-top versions we have today.
Millions of research and marketing dollars have poured into this industry every year for over 40 years. Shoppers are battered by the never-ending bells and whistles coming out in an obvious attempt to inch ahead of the competition in this dog-eat-dog marketplace. Today you can still find the single blade version but the 3- and 5-bladed versions are much more common. Some are one piece and some utilize replacement cartridges but both are still a poor idea for everyday use.
Do you get a high-quality shave?
You will find a lot of opinion out there on this question. Mostly because people have a wide range of shaving needs and the actual products range from horrible to pretty good. Let’s look at one of Gillette’s most popular products. The Gillette Mach3…a standard since 1998. It has 3 sharp, specialty-coated and spring mounted blades in a pivoting head along with a few more features. If you are shaving with care the Mach3 will offer most people a pretty good shave. Gillette also says the Mach3 razor features a “premium handle, expertly balanced and weighted for a great shaving experience”. This statement is frankly a little heavy on the marketing hype. Many would agree that is a good description of a safety razor – but frankly it is difficult to use those words to describe a disposable razor.
Offering multiple blades in each razor was a game changer in the world of marketing and manufacturers promised it would offer the closest shave ever. The marketing people call this hysteresis – but they are really just borrowing a fun scientific term mostly from the world of physics and magnetism. Technically, hysteresis says something can show a physical effect based on the past history of what happened to it. Visit Wikipedia or here for a better techie definition. So loosely applying this idea to shaving describes a process where the individual hair is lifted by the first blade and cut at a lower point because of it. And because the last blade cuts it so low, it retreats back down and comes to rest below the surface of the skin. Not everyone will experience this the same way. Remember, in general, the less strokes over the same area of skin will result in less skin irritation. And a razor with 3 blades could mean 3 passes for every 1 pass of the razor and it is definitely not always a good thing.
Will it last?
No.
The whole concept is questionable. These razors are designed to be discarded after a handful of shaves. This is the Keurig coffee cups of razors and the manufacturers want us to buy plastic just to throw it away. Manufacturers suggest you can get “15 comfortable shaves” from one razor (doubtful for most users). Most people will use about 1 per week.
Is it economical?
For the manufacturers, yes. They are making tons of money.
For you, NO.
There is a lot of variability here. If you buy the cheapest disposable (not recommended) you can pay less than $1 each. A 5-blade cartridge razor packaged with a few replacement cartridges will run $12.99 or so (also not recommended). So depending on what you buy and where you buy it, the total cost can easily be $100-$150 a year.
Let’s talk about the Gillette Mach3 again because it is a best seller for a reason. It typically offers a decent and easy shave and if you buy online you can pay about $2 per razor.
Other Important Information
As discussed previously, people who use safety and straight razors sometimes use disposables for travel or sensitive areas. Having a few on hand is not a bad idea. Using them all the time is a bad idea – both economically and ecologically.
Bonus! Let's discuss shaving subscription services
Razor subscription services are becoming more popular and they claim to deliver replaceable blade cartridges right to your door for cheaper than store-bought prices. Well…the concept certainly is good. At least with cartridge razors you are disposing only the razor heads and reusing the handle. And it is fair to say that the Dollar Shave Club had one of the most amusing ads we have seen in a long time.
But financially speaking, it will never be cheaper than a safety razor. But it might be cheaper than using disposables bought at the store. 
Take Harry’s Inc., for instance. They have been around since 2012 and say they can offer you honestly-priced and high-quality razors. But does it work for you? Is the handle comfortable and worth keeping for years? Are the blades effective? How many shaves do you get and how quickly would you need to reorder?
Recommendation: You would be smart to try these razors before you subscribe. We would recommend to try a one-time purchase and only subscribe later if you like the blades and you feel it saves you money and fits your lifestyle.
Electric Razors
If you remember from reading our history page, the Magazine Repeating Razor Company was founded by Jacob Schick in 1926 with the introduction of the injector razor. He was a persistent inventor and it was not long before Mr. Schick left that company and founded another one, Schick Dry Shaver, Inc. He struggled with his first model, a razor powered by an external electric motor. It took a few years before Schick made a model with the motor and the cutting device in the same handheld unit. But once he did, success followed and the popularity of the electric razor grew. But strong competition followed as well with companies like Braun and Phillips joining him in the dry shaver market.
Using a disposable, straight or safety razor is conventionally considered wet shaving. Dry shaving usually refers to using an electric razor. Technically that description doesn’t really work anymore since some electric razors can be used wet. There are two major types of electric razors: foil shavers and rotary shavers. But the concept for both is the same. The hair enters a perforated metal screen and it cut between two blades. The blades can shift back and forth (as in the foil) or cut with blades that rotate (rotary razor). There are many types and varieties. Modern electric razors have rechargeable batteries, pivoting heads and, surprisingly, the ability to shave a wet face or even in the shower.
Do you get a high-quality shave?
This is probably not the shave you are looking for. The primary complaint of people using electric razors is a shave that is just not close enough. It is convenient. It is easy. It is pretty much impossible to cut or nick yourself. But they will not give a shave as close as wet shaving. If the other reasons to use an electric razor mean more to you then this may be for you.
Will it last?
Questionable. With luck and good maintenance an electric razor should last 5-10 years. Today’s electronics sometimes last that long and sometimes they don’t. The desire to get a ‘new and improved’ model may speed that timeframe up for you. Or you may get one for Christmas – a common time to purchase electric razors. You may remember Norelco’s famous advertisements in the 1970’s and 80’s with stop motion animation of Santa riding through a snowy town on an electric shaving head. Sounds crazy…but it worked.
Is it economical?
Not if you are trying to be the cheapest person on the block. An electric razor will cost $60-$200 or more for the device. At those economics, it would have to last well over 20 years to match the cost of the safety razor with replacement blades. But if you are the type of person that needs the ease of use and convenience – I guess you can overlook a few of those issues.
Other Important Information
If you are a fellow that needs a mid-day shave then these can be invaluable due to the convenience of it all.
Straight Razors
There is a reason these things are called Cut Throat Razors. They are simply a sharp permanent blade that folds into handle. They have been around for hundreds of years and were the standard shaving tool up until the early 1900’s.
Do you get a high-quality shave?
Actually Yes. A high-quality straight razor will give you a clean and close shave. This assumes a lot of things though. It assumes you have a good blade that has been sufficiently sharpened and recently stropped. It means you have prepared your face and stubble correctly and lastly, but certainly not least, you have the skill and patience to perform the task.
Will it last?
Yes! Like the safety razor, the straight razor will last for generations, but only if taken care of. Before and after a shave the razor should be stropped – which means rubbing the blade on a paddle or strip of material, usually leather, to realign the edge. That will take care of the day-to-day care but eventually you will need to sharpen the edge again. You can certainly do it yourself but you would need the right skill and equipment. Probably best to leave it to a professional.
Is it economical?
Ha! This question almost doesn’t apply. Straight razor shaving is not for the faint of heart and is not cheap. The razors can be quite pricey and you will always need some other items such as a strop, professional sharpening periodically (or equipment to do it yourself), shaving creams, brush, etc.
This is important – people do not move into the world of straight razors to save money. These daring souls are choosing to luxuriate in the process of shaving and that only starts with a high-quality razor. You will need a strop and probably a holder for sure. But if you have made the choice to move to a straight razor, you will enjoy investing in the process. That means different shaving soaps, bowls and brushes as well as maybe some pre- and post- shave oils. You will easily spend $250 in that first year as dig into that process and learn what you like. And you just may build a collection of razors (find a guitarist and ask how many guitars he or she has). That doesn’t mean it is not worth it. If it is your thing – revel in it. For most people – too much work, too much effort, too much money. The end result…you will pay more than any other method of shaving and you will not mind one bit.
Important note: do not buy a cheap and poorly-made straight razor. But what do you do if you desperately want to explore the world of straight razors but can’t afford it? Besides the traditional straight razor – you can find a shavette-style razor. These look like a straight razor but have smaller replaceable blades. If you want to explore straight razors but do not want to spend the big bucks – consider starting with a shavette from Parker.
Other Important Information
Straight (aka cut throat) razors can be quite dangerous. It takes a lot of practice, patience and skill.
Like safety razors, you will not be able to carry a straight razor in carry-on luggage when flying.
In addition, a straight razor for your private areas (groin) is a bad idea. A really bad idea. Head shavers would be smart to choose another razor for this type of shaving. It can certainly be done, especially if someone is shaving your head for you. But on your own, better to use a good disposable with a pivoting head.