Disposable VS Non-disposable RAZORS

[Fairacre]

Now that both Mister and Teen Son are shaving (with 2 more male faces growing up towards that event) I would like to reduce our expense and waste of those plastic disposable razors. Not going back to a straight-edge razor, and also not those replaceable cartridges with the double or triple blades, they're costly & wasteful too.

But I'm thinking of those metal safety razors http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Model-...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1302477694&sr=1-1 -- what do you think of those for economy and ecology?

But looking at the prices of those on Amazon makes me wonder about the economy of this choice. Are they all that expensive, and if so, why? It just looks like a handle that screws into the holder for the blade. In the local stores I frequent I can find the replacement blades for these, but not the handles. Do you know where they could be bought?

 

[Boogity]

You can find the old safety razors in garage and yard sales all over the country. I sure wouldn't pay $28 for one. $1 is more like it. I kick myself for throwing away a box full of them several years ago. You still have to purchase the blades and they get thrown away about once a month. Remember these will be used by guys and they do not have to be pretty.

 

[Dirk Chesterfield]

I have both a Safety Razor and a Mach 3 with the disposable heads. I picked up the Safety Razor at the flea market 20 years ago for about $5. I use both.

A Mach 3 head will last me about 2 months if I shave every day. The trick is to rinse it well and thoroughly dry the cartridge on a towel with each use. The reason most blades get dull is corrosion. I've heard of some guys using a hair drier on their razors after each shave and claim to get 6 months use out of them.

I like to use the Safety Razor on the weekends. It does not shave as close as the Mach 3 and you have to lather and shave your face twice to get as close a shave. If I were to use it every day I would get about a month from a double sided blade. You have to use a Safety Razor slower than a Mach 3 because it has more tendency to cut you.

Most of the reproduction Safety Razors start around $25 and range up to $300. Good quality vintage Safety Razors are even more ridiculously priced unless you find them at a swap meet or garage sale.

 

[abifae]

My step dad just got one of those and loves it.