I Want a Straight Razor to Last My Entire Life

tylerrr · Post by **tylerrr** » Thu May 24, 2012 5:11 am

Any guys/girls here recommend a specific straight razor with a lifetime lifespan?
This is an ERE item that makes sense to me. I'd need a sharpener too to keep it sharp.
Over our lifetime, we can save on blades, plastic razors, etc. by buying a straight razor.
Got any ideas on brands, places to buy one?
thanks.....Tyer

BW · Post by BW » Thu May 24, 2012 6:19 am

I don't feel like running a perfect cost benefit analysis right now but I recommend an electric razor. I bought this two years ago -
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Norelco-7 ... 97&sr=8-14
for $15 after a rebate. This past black friday Norelco sold a similar electric razor for $10 after rebate so it might be rare but not a one time deal.
The quality is pretty low but I've taken care of it and hope it'll last for 5 years for a cost of $3/year (which is probably less than you'll pay for a block of shaving soap each year). I can shave dry and the only maintenance is washing it out after every use and mineral oil every so often. It's a lot quicker shave and more portable than a straight razor too. The only negative is I'll be dependent on a low price once this breaks or the blades dull too much ($15 dollar replacement heads probably won't be worth it)

m741 · Post by **m741** » Fri May 25, 2012 3:18 am

It's not a straight razor, which I think is popular mostly because it's trendy, but I think safety razors such as this are a good deal:
http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Model-180- ... 164&sr=8-1
It' basically three pieces of metal, so will last forever. Doesn't require sharpening. Blades are ~100/$10. I go through 1 blade/week, so that lasts me about 18 months. That's not a cost I'm concerned about.

tylerrr · Post by **tylerrr** » Fri May 25, 2012 4:16 am

thanks for the ideas...I like the safety razor. About 5.00 per month is not bad.
I'm still considering a nice straight razor because I could use a sharpener to keep it sharp. It is basically a zero cost item after initial purchase of the straight razor. I just need to get a quality one with some kind of lifetime guarantee.

m741 · Post by **m741** » Fri May 25, 2012 4:29 am

OK. So I got curious and went back and looked at my Amazon purchases. Found something shocking. I last bought razors, 100 for $8, but in late June 2010! I have about 15 left. That puts the cost at roughly 30 cents/month. Obviously this depends upon how much you shave, and if you dry the blades. I shave twice a week and get two uses per blade (one on each side), but if you're careful I think you can get 4-5. I'm lazy about it though.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SG ... irect=true
I think if I was diligent about keeping the blades dry, I could get 4 years out of that pack of razors.

RelicO · Post by **RelicO** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:20 am

I use these
http://www.pharmapacks.com/products.php ... TAodPnDqZQ
And after the initial super-sharpness, they maintain a nice steady adequateness and they last a long time for me, weeks. Let's say I go through 1 a month (I haven't calculated yet)...That would also be about 30 cents a month, I think less though. And I shave 5-6 times a week.
I got the idea from another thread in this forum. Works great for me. I have to remember to shave lightly.

simplex · Post by **simplex** » Fri May 25, 2012 10:37 am

Using "wet" shaving with warm water has the additional significant cost of heating water (esp. with a running tap). That cost can easily dwarf the cost of using cheap blades for your razor. So an electric dry shearer may be the cheaper option, depending on hot water use (and no shaving cream also).

Mo · Post by Mo » Fri May 25, 2012 12:34 pm

I have a straight razor with a solingen blade. I don't use it-- it takes too much time to shave with it. Because I don't use it, it will probably last a lifetime. It's already about 20 years old. I suspect one reason you can find old straight razors in good shape is that people don't actually use them all that much.
The blade is basically a single piece of high quality steel, so it will last a long time. This is probably true of most decent straight razors. The handle might not last a lifetime in daily use though, conceivably the joint could fail, or by dropping it the handle might crack.
I don't drop my shaver very often, but anything used daily for a lifetime will probably be dropped a few times. I dropped the straight razor once while shaving. It was a frightening experience, but in the end it was a miss.
The cost of shaving has come up on ERE a number of times. Attempting to save money in this area seems low yield to me-- sure you might be able to save money here, but there are probably much easier ways to save more money.

tylerrr · Post by **tylerrr** » Fri May 25, 2012 3:31 pm

"I have a straight razor with a solingen blade. I don't use it-- it takes too much time to shave with it. Because I don't use it, it will probably last a lifetime. It's already about 20 years old. I suspect one reason you can find old straight razors in good shape is that people don't actually use them all that much.
The blade is basically a single piece of high quality steel, so it will last a long time. This is probably true of most decent straight razors. The handle might not last a lifetime in daily use though, conceivably the joint could fail, or by dropping it the handle might crack.
I don't drop my shaver very often, but anything used daily for a lifetime will probably be dropped a few times. I dropped the straight razor once while shaving. It was a frightening experience, but in the end it was a miss.
The cost of shaving has come up on ERE a number of times. Attempting to save money in this area seems low yield to me-- sure you might be able to save money here, but there are probably much easier ways to save more money."
Yes, I hear you....I might just go with some safety razors mentioned above. I shave every day.
I don't like the thought of buying all the individual plastic BIC razors because of the environmental consequences. Lots of plastic being thrown out. Of course, I could send them all to recycling.

Scott 2 · Post by **Scott 2** » Sat May 26, 2012 3:32 pm

I geeked out my shaving around 5 years - Merkur safety razor, Moss shaving skuttle, Truffet and Hill shaving cream, a shaving brush, nice blades, etc.
It's about turning shaving into a manly experience, with a focus on the best shave. It was novel, but also dreadfully slow and much easier to end up with a cut on my face. Oh, and if you go a few days without shaving, you have to make multiple passes to get all the hair.
The two minute shave I can get with cheap disposable and some cheap shaving gel is almost as good. If I skip shaving for days at a time, it's still only one pass with the razor.
I think this is an area where optimizing for time is more effective than optmizing for price.
For some folks, electric razors just do not work well. I have tried several over the years, including some fairly nice ones. They miss hairs and leave my neck red and burny. No thanks.

Post by **jacob** » Sat May 26, 2012 5:35 pm

One problem with straight razors (note, you can get them with replaceable blades: Tondeo TSS3) is that if you fail on a sharpening (once honing no longer works, it needs a sharpening), the ruined blade will be hard to recover. Razors are hollow (concave) ground and that's not easy to sharpen.
The blade and the sharpening tools likely cost more than a safety razor and a decade long supply of blades (see ebay---I just bought some 200+ no-name blades for <$20).

jennypenny · Post by **jennypenny** » Sat May 26, 2012 6:33 pm

Once you're ERE, or at least FI, I'm curious why would you shave regularly? DH has his beard cleaned up and trimmed when he gets his haircut. Seems more economical. I don't think he even owns a razor at this point.

Scott 2 · Post by **Scott 2** » Sat May 26, 2012 8:16 pm

Comfort. I find hair on my lower neck or lip to be unpleasant, especially as it grows longer. Doing something active makes it even worse.

OTCW · Post by **OTCW** » Sat May 26, 2012 8:49 pm

Shaving is definitely a comfort thing for me too. Hair on my neck is awful, but even a few days growth on my face becomes unpleasant.

tylerrr · Post by **tylerrr** » Sun May 27, 2012 5:11 am

"One problem with straight razors (note, you can get them with replaceable blades: Tondeo TSS3) is that if you fail on a sharpening (once honing no longer works, it needs a sharpening), the ruined blade will be hard to recover. Razors are hollow (concave) ground and that's not easy to sharpen.
The blade and the sharpening tools likely cost more than a safety razor and a decade long supply of blades (see ebay---I just bought some 200+ no-name blades for <$20). "
Yes, looks like the safety razor is best option for ERE.
I love this forum! I can even get advice on which razor to buy and people don't think I'm a freak!

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:28 pm

A problem with safety razors is stupid TSA doesn't allow them... I suppose you could always have one blade there and if they find it (unlikely, IMO) then you could just say "oops!" and throw it away.

tylerrr · Post by **tylerrr** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:49 am

This is maybe a stupid question...
what kind of store has safety razors? I want to go look at one in a store before I buy one.
CVS and the regular drug stores don't have safety razors do they??

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:27 am

I've seen used safety razors in antique stores, and new overpriced ones in lifestyle boutiques for rich "mans-man" types.
After poring over this site, I bought a Merkur, and I've been happy with it:

http://badgerandblade.com/

vern · Post by **vern** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:05 am

This trick for sharpening disposable razors works great...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Kxiom83Js
Apparently, some guy has been using the same cartridge for 22 months doing this.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:15 pm

Another dumb question for the safety razor crowd. Sometimes I only shave once a week. Shaving this week old on an electric (or even disposable) can be pretty painful. So I usually use the Norelco's trimmer to get it all short first.
Anyway, can the safety razor power through this week old without too much discomfort? Or do you basically have to shave every day or every other day?