Cost Savings With DE Shaving

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by GeneRector, Jul 16, 2012.

  1. GeneRector

    GeneRector Active Member

    :) Howdy! Has anyone ever calculated or estimated the cost savings with DE shaving over Disposable razors and can shaving cream? I have a few tubes of shaving cream. I think you can get 40 or more shaves with each tube except some of the bigger size tubes it could be many more than 40. Shaving soap pucks are probably good for about 50 shaves; however, I am just guessing.
    I feel sure that the total cost is less with DE wet shaving as I have been told. Always, Gene
     
  2. NoobShaver

    NoobShaver BGDAAA

    sure. many people have done the calculations. I can shave for a year on less than $30 of shaving gear (soap, blades) provided that I avoid buying extra stuff (shiny razors, new brushes, etc...) Compare that against the cost of supplying yourself with disposable razors for a year and you will see a significant savings. It's been a while since I used disposables, but I know a year's supply would cost me more than $30.

    The catch is that bit about not buying extra stuff. That's what pushes up the cost for most of us. But if you can discipline yourself, you can realize substantial savings.
     
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  3. Hammertime1

    Hammertime1 Member

    It depends on weather or not you become inflicted with highly contagious RAD.
    A 100.00 de blades for $8-15.00 depending on brand and shipping. I get 3-5 shaves with a de depending on brand. I never got weeks out of the expensive carts with my beard, like I have heard some people claim, or ads claiming such. I tired and tried too. Considering the cost even buying the carts in bulk it was geting expensive!!!!
    The shaving soaps I use are about $8-13 a tub or puck between the two brands. I get a few months out of 1 puck. The Gordej shaving cream I rotate in my mix costs me 99 cents and I literally only need a dab. I havent put a dent in the tube either. The savings can be hughe. Add I use straights too and I doubt I will ever buy another De Blade since I bought in bulk to save. I see a hughe savings.
    Buying lots of razors,buying lots blades but not being the type you will youse ever again, trying out lots of soaps or going after the pricey high end stuff, adding lots of expensive shaving brushes. wham it can can get expensive too.
     
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  4. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    My shaving hobby is driving me to financial ruin.

    O.k., not quite. I find that I spend about $100-200 a month on my "hobby," but the actual shaving is cheap, $25 a year, if that. 100 blades $9.20. favorite tube of cream $2.98 x 5 = $14.90. Total cost = $24.10
     
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  5. Smott

    Smott Chew your shave. Slowly.

    Well, my mind was blown yesterday when I took up the topic of wet-shaving with my father-in-law. It turns out that he uses a 3-blade Schick cartridge razor for a month before tossing the cartridge. Still relatively new to wet-shaving, but having read that such things could never happen, I asked him if he experienced tugging and pulling throughout the month, or if he found himself with more nicks and irritation as the days went on. He said no, and his face certainly didn't show any evidence to the contrary. Mind you, this is a man with a very thick, coarse beard. How is this possible?

    I suppose I should see how long I can really get out of a DE blade first-hand, since the blades in one of these cartridges shouldn't be so different from my own DE blades. I'm puzzled by the possibility that a DE blade might not give nearly as many shaves as a Schick 3-blade cartridge. This isn't supposed to happen!
     
  6. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I call that "Iron-Face Syndrome" My cousin uses a mach 3 blade for months before replacing it. I used to get about 2 months out of a mach 3 cartridge myself. Of course, I experienced ingrown hairs and razor burn from the first shave to the last.:( My buddy gets about four months worth of shaves from one feather DE blade before he replaces it. But he's one of the few that seems to be able to use a DE sharpener and have it work for him. Many people routinely get a month's worth of shaves from cartridges, although about half of them would cheerfully use a paintscraper if they thought Gillette and Tiger Woods endorsed it as the "latest and greatest" shaving system.
     
  7. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Not figuring the razor and brush into it (just FYI - razor at a flea market $5, Omega 49 brush $12)
    100 blades = $12 that will last me two years at one blade a week.
    Soap VDH Deluxe = $1.50 x 5 (maybe only 4) $7.50
    Brut AS = approx $7

    $20.50 for the year.
     
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  8. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Only a month! I used to push the Mach to maybe four months..:eek:
    Soon I hope to start leveling out the shaving expenses. Gonna be quite the savings it looks like, in the long run...
     
  9. Smott

    Smott Chew your shave. Slowly.

    [​IMG] This information was not in the DE shaving brochure I picked up at the beginning! Not that I would change my mind, as I like how things are going, but I think there needs to be a more authoritative source for wet-shaving information as there are all kinds of rumors being spread about all methods of shaving. Aren't DE shavers supposed to be the good guys? [​IMG]
     
  10. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    I wasn't alone..it's a fact that lots of cart shavers unfortunately, push their razors way too far. The high cost of those things is what's creating this phenomenon...
     
  11. NoobShaver

    NoobShaver BGDAAA

    No kidding! I don't know how they do it. I had trouble using a cart more than once- I would get irritation, razor burn, and even nicks. Switching to DE blades changed that for me, partly because my technique improved and partly because I could rinse the gunk out of the razor post shave. I think a four pack of the three blade carts I used to use went for $10 or so at the time. That four pack would last me maybe two weeks? (26 * $10 = $260) So the cost to me of using carts was around $260 for a year. 100 DE blades lasts me for almost two years. 100 blades costs me appox. 10 dollars. PIFs, friendly people, and a Colgate soap buying spree has me set for soaps and creams for years to come. I haven't had to buy soaps or creams for over a year. So if I stick to my guns and don't buy anything more, then I will be spending $10 to shave for the next two years.
     
  12. Smott

    Smott Chew your shave. Slowly.

    But say you didn't push it to the extreme. Say you only did one month, like my father-in-law, instead of four months—a very significant reduction. A quick search shows you can get twelve Schick cartridges for under $15. Or in the case of a Mach 3, you can get fourteen for under $27. That's over a year's worth of shaves without stretching it even close to four months.

    I'd have to talk to more people and see more research on this, but it may be time for the "big savings" mantra to be retired. Especially with ADs closing in on every side. [​IMG]
     
  13. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    The savings are there if you want them in DE..you don't need to go nuts. At the time, I was paying up to 3 bucks a cart for the Mack 3, which admittedly is a bit cheaper now. 2$ is better, but $7.35 a hundred Derby's is hard to beat..and personally, I prefer the shave I get from the double E...
     
  14. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    100 Derbys and a case of Arko. Same price as a Mach 3 14 cart refill, plus several years worth of soap. Not the route I would take, but it is a significantly cheaper way to shave, esp. when you consider that some folks only get a week's worth of shaves from a cartridge. Besides, the "big savings" mantra is part of the bait and switch to lure new shavers into wetshaving. You can shave on the cheap...if you want to.;)
     
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  15. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Lol bait and switch. Usually it's a cheap handle and pricey blades. Here it's the opposite lol..though I don't think it's actually been planned that way...
     
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  16. apo1022

    apo1022 Active Member

    I want to know how people are shaving so long with the same blades. At first i tried tried and tried causing irritation to my face but the third shave with any blade caused bad irritation. I used the palm strop technique, i tried a little oil on the blade, i tried cleaning the blades and storing the razor in alcohol, i tried a number of things and i have got a third shave from a few blades but they were not very comfortable for me( causing red bumps to neck). I also shave every day and get a new blade after the 2nd shave so i use 7 blades every 2 weeks. 7 x 26= 182 blades a year for me. But i got almost the same life fro a cartridge as i do a DE blade so it saves me alot of money. Plus saves alot of irritation.
     
  17. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Lol that's when you learn the meaning of heavy cushioning lather...
     
  18. ChemErik

    ChemErik Mr. Personality

    When I used Mach3s it was about $2.50/each After shopping around. I used on average about 2/month or $60/year. But, I also had constant irritation. Now, I pay $10-$20 for 100 DE blades that last about 13 months. Add a nice razor and it's break even year one, but $40-50 less per year after. That doesn't look at creams/ soaps since that can vary so much. Most important, I get better shaves and enjoy them rather than dread them.
     
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  19. Smott

    Smott Chew your shave. Slowly.

    Lest someone mistake my inquisitive posts as a rally cry for cartridges, I'll go on the record with the assurance that I am not considering a switch. I really enjoy my DE shaves (so long as Bluebird blades respect the restraining order I filed against them and stay at least 100 feet from me). I guess I just wanted to point out that DE shavers sometimes embellish their claims to a degree when telling potential wet-shavers about the method. If you averaged the amount of money spent by shaving forum participants, I am not confident that you'd find DE shavers spending less money than an average cartridge shaver—and I know that electric shavers spend less. We often talk best-case scenarios or about the "potential savings", but in a real-world scenario, I think we find that the typical DE shaver spends more than the average shaver. There are also blanket claims made to new shavers about the other methods, which, from my experience, are sometimes spoken in ignorance or from a very biased perspective.

    One of the other challenges has to do with the YMMV nature of this. Someone taking up DE shaving is bombarded with recommendations, all different, and is left to buy a little here, a little there. One product that came highly-recommended doesn't work, so it's time to buy something else.

    I think we should spend more time sharing the many other benefits instead: the relaxing nature of it, the smells and textures, the quality of the skin care, the enjoyable process, the great shaves, the durability of a good razor, the camaraderie, the overall variety and chance to mix things up, and the potential for savings if one chooses such a route. There are, of course, a number of other benefits you could suggest as well. I think this would be a more honest and helpful approach to those considering a change to their popular methods.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I hear my razor's siren song...
     
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  20. apo1022

    apo1022 Active Member

    I switched to DE for a comfort shave so no thanks ill swap my blades regularly and have a nice comfortable smooth shave every time and save money over the cartridge style razor still. I was so feed up with mach3 and fusions over the last 3 years before DE shaving i literally shave with hair clippers Wahl's brand and would trim with no attachments and i did that for 3 years and still received some irritation from that. Before that i did try a Braun electric razor and all it did was pull my hairs out and OUCH that hurts and caused bleeding and irritation. Im happy getting 2 super smooth shaves from 1 blade.
     
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