Got a kick out of this ad a few years back.
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I have pretty much shave everyday and a typical Sensor Excel (the old standard 2 blade setup) usually lasts me 2 weeks, maybe 3 if my wife doesn’t decide to shave her legs. I’ve heard of people tossing out a blade after a couple of shaves but that just seems insane.
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Maybe I’ll put a safety razor on this year’s Xmas list.
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Or you could do what your parents and grandparents likely did, which is to just deposit them inside the walls of your house, never to be seen again.
I just learned recently about the razor blade slots built into medicine cabinets up until the 60s or so, which being built into the wall, left a space for you to just deposit them. I’ve got one in my 50s-era bathroom and wonder how many rusty used razor blades reside inside the walls…
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Don’t forget the leg shavers in the household!
I got my wife a Lady Gillette a few years ago for 25 bucks:
Even if you find a ratty, rusted one, they are super easy to clean up; the solid nickel construction means that it doesn’t actually rust. Usually it’s just a patina left from someone leaving it in a drawer with the blade still inserted. A little CLR cleans it right up.
I almost prefer it over my razor; it shaves real close, has a great grip, and I dig the Googie-style stars on the handle.
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I have used Dorco (3 or 4 blade carts) since about 2013 and love 'em. With the usage I get from each cartridge, my total disposables cost is about $25-$30 a year.
I’d easily exceed that cost in bandaids were I to switch to a safety razor. (learned by experience several years ago).
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A friend remodeled his bathroom, not knowing about this, and was rather surprised at the enormous mound of razor blades that came spilling out of the wall cavity. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but it really gives me the willies every time I think about it.
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I switched to a Merkur safety razor after resenting the price of cartridges for my entire adult life. There is a definite learning curve. I lost a lot of blood the first week or two. I still tend to cut myself with brand new blades. I’m sticking with it though.
Strangely, when researching safety razors online I encountered lots of people who are really, really into shaving. Like that is their thing, their hobby, their passion, removing hair from their face. Thanks to the internet, there seems to now be an enthusiasts level to every possible activity or subject.
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You’ll probably want to steer clear of the next initiative of the Artisanal Shaving as a Hobby crowd then.
I’ve heard it involves shaving with a flint knife you chip yourself.
A new one every morning.
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Oh, that’s just preposterous.
I’m working my way up to plucking each hair out with these new smart tweezers I found in the BB store…
-they keep track of the number of hairs pulled and how often you pluck each one, they even have an app.
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Wait? What? Why? So that it’s not the trash where it can slice up the bag?
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Yeah, just wait until the number and color of the hairs you pluck is sold to some marketer.
Especially if the hairs you’re plucking are not on your head.
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I’ve also had good results with Derby blades from Turkey. Haven’t had anything from Russia, but brands from south-east Asia seems to be single-use at best.
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I’ve tried the razors from Harrys.com and so far I’d rate them on par with the Gillette Mach 3 blades I was using before. They start out with a much smoother shave, but because the blades are packed in so much tighter to make room for #4 and #5 it’s harder to clean. This leads to a duller shave faster than the Mach 3, but that dullness plateaus at a better shave than the Mach 3’s dull shave.
The Harry’s blades take advantage of the natural elasticity of plastic instead of an actual spring mechanism. I feel that this lends itself to better control of the razor, but I can see where it’d be off-putting for someone expecting the blades to follow the face/scalp/leg.
I do like the Harry’s handle much better than the Gillette. Quite a bit heftier with a nice grip.
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It baffled me, too. I thought my dad was joking when he told me about it. Ha ha dad, right, the slit in the back of the medicine cabinet is for razor blades, very funny. What’ll they do, pile up inside the wall forever?
Yup!
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When you renovate you get the pile of razor blades just like @AbelardLindsay mentions. I was able to date mine back to the 30s.
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Dumb question for this potentially self-selected group…
Doesn’t anyone use electric shavers as your daily shave and avoid this whole blade thing? I compared the closeness (less) and convenience (more) of electric shaving vs, the sharpness and general nuisance of razor shaving and optimized to electric.
What am I missing?
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I used an electric Braun for many years until a college roommate stole it, and being poor, I tried wet shaving and found that I really liked the closeness and thus not having to do it every morning.
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Poppycock! I’m old, and I started shaving with my dad’s Rolls razor - when are those coming back? Then a single blade for years. I hate the way blades are marketed, and have been since the invention of the Trac II, but the fact is, single blades cut you, and require a styptic pencil in the cabinet or you arrive at work covered in toilet paper patches. That never happens anymore, so I would not go back - not matter how much I resent the blade cartel.
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I have tried several over the years including some expensive models and they just don’t work for me for some reason. I have to keep going over the same spots over and over. The shave takes longer and is nowhere near as smooth when finished as when I use a blade. They also leave me with a burny / itchy feel I don’t get from a blade.
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