Is anyone else a budget shaver?

When the ’Rona hit I started doing safety razors (the double-edged cheapo ones), and even lathering my own shaving cream. Had no experience with it prior. I started it mostly as a curiosity and a cheap hobby to learn a new skill so to speak. Had disastrous results initially, cut myself all over. Now I’m a little better with it, cuts are fewer and far between, gotta learn the angles and whatnot.

What struck was how much cheaper it was. It’s so cheap compared to the cartridge stuff I was using before. I got a 50+10 pack of Gilette’s safety razors on sale and it was like $2.25 (approximately, I’m converting from my local currency). I’ve been using VI-John shaving cream and it’s like 80cents for a large tube and has lasted me months.

Now, as far as the results… well lets just say the cartridge stuff is a lot easier to get nice results. With practice it’s gotten easier of course, but compared to the cartridge shavers it takes a bit more to get a real smooth job.

I’d heard about the alcohol and stropping maintenance for the cartridge razors, but never tried it. Maybe I will - once these blades run out.

Using straight razors since ca. 10 years now and never looked back. You need some stuff, but that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

This is what I’m talking about. One of the very few things where, for me at least, their corporate slogan is spot on. “Astonishingly Superior”

I never liked wet shaving, because I wasn’t any good at it. But later on, I learned what I was doing wrong (or insufficiently) and I enjoy doing it from time to time. I know a guy that won’t use electric. He uses a safety razor most of the time but also uses cartridges. Did you know that some cartridges are able to be stropped? Yes, you can “freshen” them so that you’ll get more shaves out of them.

Given the cost of good soap and the blades, I find it cheaper to go electric. I invested in both Braun & Norelco shavers. They’re terrific. It’s all about technique. I find I can get a very close shave, almost as good as a blade. And if I exfoliate afterward, it feels like I did use a wet blade. The Braun Series 7 is a beast. It is one of the best Braun has made thus far. I’ve had mine for 8 years and the battery is still excellent. My Norelco 3D SensoTouch 1290x is still going strong after 9 years, charging up to 57 minutes (max was originally 60). I’ve changed the heads only 3 times since I’ve had them, keeping the last head as it’s still good. I bought the lesser 1280x shaver used, as a backup & travel shaver. Works just as well (same head). Some people get freaky about a used shaver, but they can be totally disinfected. Overall, very good investment. And the convenience of electric is magnificent. I’ve done full shaves in my car (cruising on the highway).

Haven’t shaved in decades except my neck and that’s too much.

I’ve tried everything including straight razor last year just because and to learn to sharpen it. But all I use now are portable shavers powered by Eneloops.

If you store the cartridge razor in mineral oil after cleaning they last even longer.

I shave my whole head once a week, clippers on whole thing, then cartridge on face only.

The naked blade seems like an accident waiting to happen though. What if someone comes along and bumps your elbow? What if you just woke up and are a little groggy?

I quit shaving several years ago. It’s extra work for which there is no compensation. Now I just buzz my beard off with the clippers whenever I cut my hair. My wife likes a little facial hair. I’m not sure if she likes other forms of laziness or just that one.

They’re not dangerous. Geometry is made for shaving, not killing. Every once or twice a year I have a small cut, but no scars thus far. One rule tho - if it falls down, let it fall.

i’m using this small clipper since 2013

I’m not trying to say it’s an aSsAulT wEaPON. I just worry about accidents with a sharp blade. The idea is appealing to me otherwise because you aren’t throwing something away all the time.

A close shave is important if you wear A N95 mask for covid protection.

Been using tracII style, no pivot, no fancy since the 70’s, guss I’m stuck in a time warp. The newest blades offer nothing to me and I typically get 30 shaves/blade. At this price I get 8 years of shaves for $15. The more money I save on shaving = more $ for that flashlight I really might not need, but I gotta have
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294348142090?hash=item448884360a:g:lbcAAOSwPolhIJQx

That’s a great deal but I have never found a generic Trac II that was any good. My beard is coarse and even though I only shave my neck, I go through Trac IIs pretty fast. Do you think these are close to Trac IIs in quality?
Edit - BTW, they are only $11.98 at Amazon.

yes.

there are lots of ways to save money shaving….here are some that worked for me:

1. as how crazy is this posted: rinsing and drying any blade will save it from corrosion, which is the #1 thing that ruins a sharp blade.
2. proper (and cheap) beard prep will help those older blades keep on keepin’ on.
3. cheap hair conditioner works as well as the expensive creams. for me, anyway.

Get yourself an old Gillette adjustable (Slim or Fatboy) and start on a low number. Unless you have a fairly wrinkled face (I mean that in the kindest way possible) there aren’t any problems that cannot be solved to get a good and pain free DE shave. Also as a bonus, they are the best blades to slice LEDs.

That’s the brand, but not the ook I was referring to. This is listed as “beard cream”. Btfoom what it’s supposed to do, but it’s got good stuff in it, and doesn’t smell like a funeral parlor like some other products do.

I’ll use Gold Bond on my hands, more specifically knuckles, because otherwise they get too dry and literally split, and seems like a bunch of little paper-cuts. And a coupla big ones.

My hygrometer is already at 24% RH; at/below 20% it just stops reading and goes “LL”. Wheee. Hell, just petting my cat, I was feeling little shocks and hearing crackles, so no wonder he ran off after a while. And nope, I don’t have the heat cranked up, as it’s only a chilly 66° in this room.

So yeah, winters are pretty much a dry The Hell over here. I know how Ashy Larry feels…

Hey, that’s how Hitler got his trademark look. Needed to shave his ’stache to get his gas-mask to fit.

Strewth.

Ah yes. I wish the straight razor would have been established in private households for that reason. It never happened at large scale and shaving was done mostly in the barber shop. The safety razor (I like those too) has, and later the cartridge system razors, which added plastic waste :-(. Don’t fear those small cuts. The way you hold it guarantees it cannot cause deep wounds, even when your kid bumps into you while shaving. You’re shaving with almost no pressure, at an angle that can be considered safe.