[Bruno]

In the bad old days I shaved only once per week, or when my wife told me to.
But only the first 5 shaves were somewhat comfortable. after that it was ok with WTG passes, but ATG was torture. I probably all depends on how hard the hairs are.

[JCitron]

Originally Posted by peas_and_corn

A month??? When I used them I could feel them blunting on the second shave! thought I do have a somewhat coarse beard...

Yes, but what if he only shaves once a month?

I know I would get atleast 4 shaves out of a mach 3. Now granted towards the end they werent the most spectacular shaves but there was no razor burn. I also only shaved about once a week or so, so a month per cartridge was reasonable.

Now that I have experienced a straight razor shave, and only an average one at best, you could tell me that str8's cost 3 times as much as cartridges and I wouldn't look back. For me it's not really about saving money as much as it's about the experience. The fact that in 20+ years I will be teaching my son to shave with the same str8 I learned on makes any price worth it in my opinion.

[bevansmw]

I always used electrics prior to using a straight, some didn't work too well (those with the three cutter heads) but I found the ones with the large straight cutting block work a lot better for me. I have one that I used the same cutter head and foil on for about a year before I finally decided to replace it, which still works. Thinking back I only replaced the cutter head and foil on it once, but have owned it since '03, trying to figure out how that worked.

I later bought another electric, recently in '07 instead of replacing the cutter head on the other one again. It's still pretty well brand new but I gave up using it in favor of straights after finding and reading Dr. Moss' straight shaving guide on the internet one night on watch. The Braun 360 model 8985 that was the second one that I had gave pretty good shaves, managed to get a little nick or two the first time I tried using it which never happened before that with an electric.

I always managed to miss a hair here or there though with the electric, primarily the first one I used and sometimes some stubborn hairs just wouldn't make their way through the foil on them to get cut, also tended to get a few ingrown hairs on my jawline now and then. I think economically the electric may be a bit better, as the cutter heads last a long time, it doesn't require a lot of cleaning and I shaved for years without using any prep, water, cream or anything on my face with the electric. I could wake up in the morning and just grab the electric and shave and be fine.

The two that I have cost me about $100 each, and the cutter heads and foil replacements are about $30 each but lasted me a long time (only ever replaced one once in my first 5 years of using them daily shaving as I'm in the U.S. Navy). Both still work, planning on re-selling the braun eventually, just want to sell it with a brand new cutter block and foil still in packaging which I have yet to buy but is available locally at a wal-mart. I never had one of them have a motor burn up on me or any other failure that would cause it to not work anymore.

Would I ever go back to using an electric? Nope. I don't get any ingrown hairs using a straight though I manage to get a bit of razor burn now and then when I'm not careful on my neck or otherwise. I managed to get a few little cuts too so far, nothing big, got once recently that sort of baffled me. The blade barely touched the skin, had absolutely no pressure behind it and yet somehow managed to give me a cut that I could feel right away, didn't bleed much at all though.

I think overall I don't use a straight because it's more economical but quite simply because I enjoy it more and find I get a better shave from it.

[RMC_SS_LDO]

The premise of this thread was to compare a straight razor to other options from an economical perspective.

With that in mind, a straight razor and it's associated necessities will be a cost winner in the long run for anyone who shaves- period.

The principal that the "tool" is not disposable by nature dictates it will become cost effective. How long that takes will depend on the individual and how often he/she shaves. Gillette's reason for developing the disposable blade system was to make money (with repeat sales) by satisfying a need (grooming) and creating a market with a sales pitch. A disposable system of any kind is by nature more convenient in many ways (thus making it initially attractive) but it seldom is cost effective. It is a matter of trade-offs; time versus money perhaps?

As for the actual costs a lot of us incur, these added expenses are a product of the enjoyment derived from the hobby involved with straight razors (additional razors, assorted soaps and brushes, various hones and strops ect) more than the functional aspect when compared to the alternatives. As pointed out by others, a basic straight razor set-up that will work very well for the lifetime of the shaver can be very inexpensive and the initial investment can easily be recouped in a short period of time for most.

With that said, where's the fun in that?!

v/r

Allen

[CJBianco]

Originally Posted by dwessell

So I started thinking the other day about how much I might be saving by doing this Straight Razor deal...Not to mention all of the stuff you've put into a landfill (a box, the container they come in, the individual caps, and the cartridge themselves).

Do you have a small kitchen/postage scale? I'd love to weigh the full box. Find out how many pounds [tons?] of disposable razor parts find way in to the landfills in a lifetime.

Just a thought...

Me

[dwessell]

If you come up with an answer on this, let me know. I'd love to have something up somewhere about it.

dw

Originally Posted by CJBianco

Do you have a small kitchen/postage scale? I'd love to weigh the full box. Find out how many pounds [tons?] of disposable razor parts find way in to the landfills in a lifetime.

Just a thought...

Me

[hoglahoo]

Originally Posted by CJBianco

Do you have a small kitchen/postage scale? I'd love to weigh the full box. Find out how many pounds [tons?] of disposable razor parts find way in to the landfills in a lifetime.

Just a thought...

Me

Amazon's stated whipping weight is 2.4 oz (for the mach3 as pictured, not the mach5 as stated)

[Edit: I meant to type "shipping" instead of "whipping", lol. I wouldn't want an Amazon whipping for my contribution to destruction of the rainforests]

[LIMIT]

Yes, straight razor shaving, over all, would save money IF NOT for RAD. It seems there's always another razor I just gotta have.....and have,..... and have, yadayadayada. Does it ever end?

LIMIT

[captp]

I used to use a trac4 (I think that's what it was). I'd get at least a month of shaves at, maybe 3 shaves a week, so that's at least 12 shaves per blade. So 12 carts a year, about $25?

Shaving soap (haven't used canned cream for years), maybe 4-5 bars a year (Under $3 a bar?), 1 straight ($70), a translucent Arkansas (about $75)(yeah, I know, heresy here to use an oil stone, but I've been using Norton Oilstones for about 35-40 years and I ain't about to change;=)), 1 brush ($65), 1 mug (free, it was my dad's, otherwise about $15) about $225 for a basic set. It would take me about 9 years to start saving money. OOPS, forgot the strop, about $70.

Maybe I should have stayed with my Merkur DE;=)

[hoglahoo]

Originally Posted by captp

I used to use a trac4 (I think that's what it was). I'd get at least a month of shaves at, maybe 3 shaves a week, so that's at least 12 shaves per blade. So 12 carts a year, about $25?

Shaving soap (haven't used canned cream for years), maybe 4-5 bars a year (Under $3 a bar?), 1 straight ($70), a translucent Arkansas (about $75)(yeah, I know, heresy here to use an oil stone, but I've been using Norton Oilstones for about 35-40 years and I ain't about to change;=)), 1 brush ($65), 1 mug (free, it was my dad's, otherwise about $15) about $225 for a basic set. It would take me about 9 years to start saving money. OOPS, forgot the strop, about $70.

Maybe I should have stayed with my Merkur DE;=)

The funny thing to me is that the soap versus canned gel/cream isn't specifically particular to straight shaving or to shaving with a disposable cartridge - either method can be used with either tool. Why are they part of the money calculation? All that should be compared are the differences: straight razor + strop + sharpening method vs. cartridge handle + cartridge blades

New razor: $75 New strop: $50 Sharpening service/method: $30 / year
New M3 handle: $10 New cartridges: $25 / 3 months

100*years + 10 = 30*years + 125
years = 1.6

By the above assumptions, you will be saving money in one year and 8 months. The more you shave, the faster you'll be saving money. If you only shave once a week, or only trim your beard, it may be 4 or 5 years before you're saving money (assuming inflation on the cost of cartridges, but flat cost for sharpening method). If you prefer to buy cheap old stuff, you can save even more with the straight over the cartridge method. With a $10 ebay special, a $30 B/S/T or household item strop as opposed to buying used cartridges (eww) you will be saving money with the straight method in a matter of weeks

You can argue that brushes, soaps, oil etc are used by a higher percentage of straight users as cartridge users, but it really isn't necessary. My first week of straight shaving was only with hot water, shampoo, and fingers. The rest is extra based on knolwedge of what works better and preference

[CJBianco]

Originally Posted by dwessell

I'm going to go through about 120 cartridges a year. Assuming a constant price above, that's $202 a year, without thinking about taxes or shipping. Roughly assuming 63 shaving years (from 17 to 80), that's $12,743 I’ve put into cartridges. Not to mention all of the stuff you've put into a landfill (a box, the container they come in, the individual caps, and the cartridge themselves).

Using the figures above...that's 10 boxes per year for 63 years. The total weight is 94.5 pounds. In the landfill. (Not including the handles.)

Me

[hoglahoo]

Originally Posted by CJBianco

Using the figures above...that's 10 boxes per year for 63 years. The total weight is 94.5 pounds. In the landfill. (Not including the handles.)

Me

(I can't help but think that after 63 years of shaving, one's coffin will outweigh one's wasted shaving supplies)

[CJBianco]

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

(I can't help but think that after 63 years of shaving, one's coffin will outweigh one's wasted shaving supplies)

I agree. That's why I dig cremation. No heavy coffin to further pollute the world for countless generations. Seaside funeral pyres are cool too. (And illegal in most places.)

Me

[xman]

Originally Posted by Spike J

Gentlemen, you talk of cost in Str8 v M3. Not that I want to sound like a treehugger (although I am). You talk of cost in silver, whereas it should be Carbon! A Straight shaver's carbon footprint in a lifetime might total that of a poor deluded cartridge user over a year.

I like the way you think, Spike.

Each gentleman is going to have his own way of costing. I'm one of the poor student types who got by on a few dozen cartridges a year and even gave up on canned shaving foam all together as useless so I'd take a decade or two of straight shaving to economise it, but all I have to do is buy a new razor every year and I'll keep that goal out of my reach.

The honing costs have since been mentioned, but I'm surprised that noone has included resale value. Straight razor shaving is essentially an investment of capital which is a heck of a lot more than can be said for cartridges. I can keep a razor for a few years until I've had my fill of it and then sell it for exactly what I paid for it.

One more thing. Sentimental value. HELLO! Marlow will get a precious little stash when I have shuffled off this mortal coil.

X

[CJBianco]

Originally Posted by xman

I'm surprised that noone has included resale value.

X

True. The razor, stones, and strop are investments. Zero loss. Almost.

Me

[captp]

[quote=hoglahoo;216771]The funny thing to me is that the soap versus canned gel/cream isn't specifically particular to straight shaving or to shaving with a disposable cartridge - either method can be used with either tool. Why are they part of the money calculation? All that should be compared are the differences: straight razor + strop + sharpening method vs. cartridge handle + cartridge blades

When I added up my total, I did not include the cost of soap.

[loueedacat]

Originally Posted by jockeys

3 shaves per cartridge is unreasonable. when I used mach3's I would get AT LEAST a month out of each one. when I was a poor college student it was more like 3 cartridges per semester.

When I was a college student I probably got a semester out of three cartridges, but only because I didn't shave more than once a month. There's no reasonable or unreasonable here, depends entirely on your beard. After 3 uses of a M3, there is a HUGE dropoff for me. I can use it another 3 but it hurts and I get a bad shave, period. No way I could stretch an M3 cartridge beyond a week and now I never use more than 3 times.

I use straights 6 days and DE 1 day per week and M3 really only when I travel, but think M3 is great, but if you want any kind of results you spend a TON of money on cartridges. Of course now I spend more on multiple straight razors and far too many shaving soaps and those blasted strops and soon on hones...........so for me I certainly haven't saved money yet, but at least I dig what I'm spending money on now. Maybe in ten years I'll look back and see some savings, but I doubt it.....those RW and JC and silverwings are just taunting me.

[gatorfan]

When I first got into str8 shaving I told my better half "In the long run, it will be cheaper that using a MIII". Of course she just rolled her eyes and quietly knew with her wisdom that I would be venturing down the dangerous path of another hobby.

Well now my "collection" of vintage blades has roughly cost me about $550.00, not countling strops, scuttles, honing supplies and of course creams, soaps and A/S's.

So the economy end of it, for me at least is a bit nonsense-ical (is that even close to being a word?). But you should see the oohs and aahs when my friends come over and admire the walnut and glass case of str8s hanging on the wall in my den.

PS:

Since I am the only breadwinner in my family of 4 (me, my wife and my two girls - all shave in some form or another) and I am the only one who uses a str8, then I still finance the disposable razor industry. So for me the point is moot.