Just switched over to Double edge safety razors and I Have to say Im Digging them. I Used it only 4 times now and Destroyed my face with razor burn but Im also using regular shaving foam. Hopefull the switch to brush and cream will work out better for me with more practice as well.

What Got me to switch over is the price point the reduction in waste it produces, the more natural creams and soaps and the overall better more enjoyable experience it is compared to cartridge razors.

For Mid range quality products it'll cost ya around 80$ to start up. A Good handle will cost around 30-40$, Soap/cream 10-15$, Blades 10-15$ for 100 "Mid Range" razors, Brush around 10-20$ and Mug which can be from a 1$ Bowl/Mug or 20ish For a purpose built one. All Of which Can be purchased On Amazon.com.

For me the soap and blades will cost me only 24$ a year too a year and a half or so.

Once you get used to it you'll see yourself buying soaps and aftershaves, in vanity, but you'll be stunned how much you can save on blades. I'm about to order 200 blades in bulk through the big Internet retailer with the letter A, and that will last me most of my adult life. And I'll pay under $20. My jaw dropped when I first realized that.

Its funny, I was never aware of the high cost of disposable razors until recently (apparently they are one of the items grocery stores up here keep under lock & key due to the high rate of theft).

I've always used an electric razor, like my Dad before me, and now understand the investment in my simple electric razor has saved me lots of money.

I save on blades by only shaving once or twice a week I'm currently using one of the major brand 3 edge blade cartridge system using a tilting head that tracks your face. The tilting head took some getting used to, but I have yet to cut my face with these things.

I use the cheap single edge disposable ones when I shave. I do not shave at all from about Thanksgiving until Easter.

Totally worth it! For Christmas this year my Wife gave me this shave mug and brush set
Then, before I dropped $40.00 on a safety razor I bought this safety razor.
I must say that not only is it significantly cheaper, it's a much closer shave!
I like it so much I'm going to be dropping a ton of hints for a new razor from now til fathers day!

It's also a really nice masculine way to connect with the past. You see I'm outnumbered by the 4 women in my household!

My two safety razors were gifts. I also have five straight razors that need refurbishing. You can get by just fine with a man-made bristle brush instead of the badger. I don't yet have the hang of safety razors.

For more than a year now I have been using cheap disposables and body wash soap daily. No burn and the cheap razors last about 45 days each. I do NOT bang it against the sink to dislodge the scunge.

I bought some Wahl hair clippers about 15 years ago. I use it to reduce the length of both my beard and hair. Overall, it has cost me about $2 a year, plus electricity for hair cuts. I used it in the military for about ten years. I did shave using a branded quad-blade razor. But, I could make that blade last at least month. Anyway, now that I am retired I just go shaggy until I can't stand. Then I whip out the clippers and mow away. Then again, I just view it hair. I also have the advantage of not having to portray a corporate look. Anyway, enough rambling. I applaud all who are finding ways to economize. It frees up money for prepping stuff.

Philips 3-head electric razor for me. I replace the cutting heads every couple of years, so my cost is $15-20 per year. Of course the goatee helps a lot.

The last time I had to shave with a Bic razor, in the field, I slathered on a combination of vaseline and hand lotion. Gross but effective.

I buy a beard trimmer every seven or eight years .

I tend to let it grow out to about a half inch then use a pair of hair clippers to buzz it down. I bought the same clippers my Barber uses and they "where" fantastic. Heavy Duty Built like a solid brick with heavy solid plastic and a nice heavy clicking switch.

Then the Blade broke...Yep there is a plastic lil wafer betweeen the two blades and it snapped. 25$ to replace it.

Hopefully this was a fluke or one time deal since i only used it so often and she uses hers every damn day on 10s of people per day.



Some people cant use one sadly for sensitive skin. The Safety razor is apparently according to many sources the "Cleanest smoothest least irritating" shave you can get.




Merkur, Parker and Edwin Jagger seem to be most popular for handles. You should also check out getting a pre and or post shave cream. Some say it helps some say its Bunk but hopefully for me it will help.



Not only cheap but highly effective, Reduces Waste, And is just overall a nicer tho longer experience while shaving. Its Also pretty darn cheap way to stock up on them for that nice close prepper shave when the end comes

I have a very wiry beard. I follow the example of Paul Bunyan. I pound in my whiskers with a ball peen hammer and chew 'em off on the inside.

I thought Paul Bunyan used a double bit axe.....

I've been shaving with a double edged safety razor for going over three years now. I picked up the razor for $5 at an antique store, they had plenty to choose from. My hair is pretty soft, so the blades last four months or more! Plus, they shave so close that I personally don't need to shave more than twice a week (thank you slow beard growing Native American blood!). Your milage may vary. I use shaving soap from Walmart and keep it in an old coffee mug. My biggest expense was a $12 real badger-hair brush, also bought at an antique store.

Disposable razors are a huge waste of money!!
-Blast

Everyone works out a suitable technique eventually. I shave daily in the shower, using whatever shampoo or soap is handy - I think the hot water does most of the beard softening. I use a disposable razor for a month or slightly more. Using disposable razors, I shave for about a dollar a year. I tried out double edge razors eons ago.

This I a very timely topic. I've been experimenting with different disposables for two months because I'm tired of throwing away money on the almost $20 per 4pk of disposable cartridges. I have a Homer beard that grows back 10sec after I shave so blades dull quickly. 100 blades for less than $15 plus a handle sounds worth a try.

Does anyone who is using a double edge safety razor have a blade recommendation? There are too many to chose from and I would like to limit my experimentation to what works well for others.

Does the weight of the handle make a big difference in the closeness of the shave?

Thanks all

I use Gillette Brand blades, but only because it's what my store happens to carry. I don't think it really matters. As far as handle weight, it shouldn't have any effect. I'm currently using a cheap safety razor that cost less than 10.00. The head is certainly heavier than the handle, still the best shave I've ever had.

Ive only shaved about 7 times now and used only Merkur and Derby blades for them so I cant give you much info on personal experience. I can however Give you info on what I have researched So take it with grains of salt and such.

Derby seems most popular for the cheap mid range blades. The weight and handle length is personal comfort for keeping it at the proper angle. Its A mix and match game till you get the proper setup for you. Picking a good shave cream seams to make a big difference. I tried a few different and it makes a HUGE difference. So far locally available without using a brush "Bump Stop" shave cream worked best with No burn at all.

Thanks Matt26 & Frisket

I recently took up shaving with a razor and blades bought from Duluth Trading. Some complain the handle is a little short but I have no complaints. Definitely the closest shave I've ever had, and only some minor abrasions shaving on the second or third time with the same blade, which I close up with a bit of alum. Total kit was probably $45 and that includes pre-purchasing a year's worth of blades.

Got a reminder yesterday that TSA doesn't like the double edge blades when you carry on, they took them away and also unloaded my razor. No worries, they didn't treat me like a terrorist, and I picked up some Wilkinson Swords (tm) at a local Walmart for $2 to shave with this week.

Shaving with this razor takes me back to watching my Dad shave on Saturdays, and looking forward to shaving that way too. Only it took about 40 years for my beard to toughen and grow often enough to do it.

Gillette Mach 3 Power Razor (triple edge blade cartridge) + King of Shaves Alpha oil + Nivea For Men After Shave Soothing Balm 100ml

Shaving systems are of course quite a personal choice but the above works well for me.

Thanks lono

Thanks am fear liath mor.
I'm looking for which blades people use in their double edge safety razors but I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

Avoid Feather blades at least in the beginning. They're very aggressive razors. Supposedly, the more aggressive blades behave better in the less aggressive razors (more guards etc.), and the less aggressive blades do better in more aggressive razors, as some have said. If you want, I can recommend a couple forums I used to frequent several years ago about wet shaving, where the folks are as full of shaving knowledge as people here are about preparedness.

Thanks Eastree, if you would pm me or send us all the sites that would be great.
Knowledge is a good thing.

So My stuff arrived and Im having fun with the shaving cream. Making a Lather turned out to be more difficult then I expected. Its all a guessing game on water/cream ratio to get the right texture which is suppose to be a thick creamy lather not a fluffy or runny lather and getting this consistency takes around 60-90 seconds if proper water is added.

Also turns out The mug you use is pretty personal. I got 3 mugs, a big tall wide flared soup mug, a big short wide flat soup mug and a small palm sized round cup from a shave kit.

The big huge mug is a pain causing the brush to clang hard at the sides Or worse my fingertips. The small cup is Fine but of course small and harder to control the lather from rising out of but good enough where Ill keep it and use it for travel.

The Short stout flat edged wide mug seems best for me. Since its short my hands not deep in the mug smashing around between the brush handle and mug nor is the brush handle clanging around. It would also turn out the flatness of the sides keeps the cream from rising out of the mug.

Best bet Id say is do what I did and buy a few cheapo 2-3$ mugs to try out. It really can make the difference in enjoyment frothing up a lather. My next try is gonna be plastic Bowls such as melamine/Nylon. It would be nice to not have the clanging and fear of smashing the heavy mug into the sink.

FWIW, I just use a leftover coffee cup, but sometimes I go online at eBay and look at all the old vintage shaving mugs, and maybe I'll buy one someday.

When travelling I don't take a mug with me, but I take the cake of shaving soap, and just drop it in the bottom of a drinking tumbler from the hotel. When I'm done, I just take the cake and leave the glass behind. At least it means they have to wash it !

I have no idea what works best, but I like to drop the brush in the bottom of the sink and run hot water over it for about a minute while I'm doing something else. Then pick it up, shake off some of the water, and use what's left to churn up the lather. The lather tends to be warmish that way. A brush with a bit of water on it makes a good lather, too much is too runny, and a dry brush won't churn up any lather at all. Try things, make mistakes - its only shaving.