dollar store razor

[stoaX]

Last December I ran out of razor blades.  I went to the dollar store and bought a package of 8 disposable razors for, you guessed it, $1.  I used the first one for 3 months.  I am now one month into the second one and it is still sharp.  So I am on a pace to spend $1 every 2 years on razors. 

They aren't the best shave I ever had but certainly good enough.  Of course, I would never use them to shave my mustache!

[Allen Farlow]

I've bought those cheap dollar store disposable razors, too, and found them quite satisfactory for the price. I don't need 15 blades on one handle for $8.95.

Here's another area to save on: disposable batteries. So many people think they won't get a good battery unless they buy the name brand and pay through the nose, but I seen a news article a few years back about these batteries and discovered that both the name brand as well as the cheapo store brand batteries are often manufactured in the same factory. Pretty much all that is different is the label slapped on the outside of the battery.

I've bought Duracell and a few other name brands and found they last just a little longer than the store brands and are not worth the extra cost.

[astephens94]

That's a really good deal! How often do you need to shave? use any shaving cream?

I find that I can get away with shaving 2x/week, and that blades last 2-3 months. Any longer than that and it begins to hurt more than it's worth haha

Any tips for making your razors last longer?

[Allen Farlow]

Here's a possible tip to make your razors last longer.

I pick up old magazines from the local library and keep some in the bathroom at home. Well, I was 'studying' in the bathroom the other day and came across an article in an entrepreneur magazine about a guy who began making and selling razor strops...for disposable razors.

A razor strop is a piece of leather that the barber runs his straight razor up and down to keep that super fine cutting edge.

This guy is making them out of denim.

I haven't tried this so I don't know if it works but he managed to get startup capital to start his new business of manufacturing and marketing his denim razor strops.

Give it a try and see if it keeps your razors sharp longer. It might just do the trick. Let us know how it goes.

[stoaX]

That's a really good deal! How often do you need to shave? use any shaving cream?

I find that I can get away with shaving 2x/week, and that blades last 2-3 months. Any longer than that and it begins to hurt more than it's worth haha

Any tips for making your razors last longer?

I shave about 3 or 4 times per week and use a store brand barbasol cream. The only tip I ever heard to keep razors sharp is to keep them as dry as possible when not in use.  Moisture corrodes.

[Gerard]

a guy who began making and selling razor strops...for disposable razors [...] out of denim.

I strop and dry my dollar-store disposable razors on a towel. Just run it the opposite way to how you'd shave the towel. I shave every second day and a razor lasts me about two months.

(I shave when my beard is wet from the shower/bath, and I lubricate my face first with olive oil. Warning, you need to really rinse out the razor before the stropping if you do this.)

[jacksonvasey]

Back when I used to shave down to skin, I would 'strop' the disposable razor on the jeans I was wearing.  No denim strop required.  Now I just use my hair clippers and leave a day's worth of growth.  So I'm working on near zero shaving costs, considering the clippers paid for themselves after the first haircut.

[JoRocka]

Man I wish I could use those disposables. I can get maybe 3 weeks out of one- and honestly it's not worth it for me- they give me a horrible shave- and I get cut constantly.

My shortcut?

steal BF's gilette pro fusion razor.  He leaves one at my house for when he is here once a week.  I typically only shave 1-2  x a week- so- yeah- I just use his.

I'm a cheap bastard like that.

[stoaX]

Cheap bastards of the world unite!

[TheAnonOne]

I kinda got use-to the whole 6 blade monster razors but like most fed-up with the $$$ side of things.

http://www.amazon.com/Dorco-Plus-Blade-System-Trimmer/dp/B008O82O7C

Dorco makes the razors for "Dollar Shave Club" but you can just buy them directly here on amazon. I find that 1 blade lasts me about a month of daily shaves. Longer if I keep I pretty clean.

Cost is admittedly more than the $1 a year, but the quality surely is higher.

[nr]

Checked my mail this morning in my apartment complex's mail room and found a manufacturers coupon for a free fancy pants Gillette ProFusion razor with 2 blades...

Peered down into the waste paper basket and found 12 more thrown out...

One Saturday trip to the mail room netted me 24 free blades!

[stoaX]

Checked my mail this morning in my apartment complex's mail room and found a manufacturers coupon for a free fancy pants Gillette ProFusion razor with 2 blades...

Peered down into the waste paper basket and found 12 more thrown out...

One Saturday trip to the mail room netted me 24 free blades!

It don't get better than that! One more example of how it pays to pay attention to what's going on around you in the present moment.

[GentleGerman]

Another option that helps you not to buy the ridiculous cartridges is using a good old safety razor. You can get a nice Merkur safety razor for 20$ on Amazon and 100 blades for just 10$. While your at it also switch from this nasty canned shaving foam to a nice shaving soap. The cost per use as a bit lower for the soap and it is much nicer. Now you spend like 30$ upfront (without the soap). A razor blade lasts me usually 2 weeks, so you have about 1 year worth of blades. Since the razor itself lasts about a lifetime you will send a ton of cash.

Now the best thing about it. The shave itself will be so much more pleasant and a nice soap you be a little bit of luxury every time you shave yourself.

[dcheesi]

I've bought those cheap dollar store disposable razors, too, and found them quite satisfactory for the price. I don't need 15 blades on one handle for $8.95.

Here's another area to save on: disposable batteries. So many people think they won't get a good battery unless they buy the name brand and pay through the nose, but I seen a news article a few years back about these batteries and discovered that both the name brand as well as the cheapo store brand batteries are often manufactured in the same factory. Pretty much all that is different is the label slapped on the outside of the battery.

I've bought Duracell and a few other name brands and found they last just a little longer than the store brands and are not worth the extra cost.

I've found cheap batteries to be hit-or-miss. Some of them are fine, others only last a fraction of the time that a name-brand battery would.

Nowadays I just use rechargeables (Eneloop or similar "hybrid" NiMH) for everything I can.

[stoaX]

Another option that helps you not to buy the ridiculous cartridges is using a good old safety razor. You can get a nice Merkur safety razor for 20$ on Amazon and 100 blades for just 10$. While your at it also switch from this nasty canned shaving foam to a nice shaving soap. The cost per use as a bit lower for the soap and it is much nicer. Now you spend like 30$ upfront (without the soap). A razor blade lasts me usually 2 weeks, so you have about 1 year worth of blades. Since the razor itself lasts about a lifetime you will send a ton of cash.

Shaving soap is cheaper than foam and at the same time more pleasant?  I will have to check it out..thanks!

[stclurker]

+1 for the shaving soap, I'm never going back to cream.

[FireZoneBlitz]

Another option that helps you not to buy the ridiculous cartridges is using a good old safety razor. You can get a nice Merkur safety razor for 20$ on Amazon and 100 blades for just 10$. While your at it also switch from this nasty canned shaving foam to a nice shaving soap. The cost per use as a bit lower for the soap and it is much nicer. Now you spend like 30$ upfront (without the soap). A razor blade lasts me usually 2 weeks, so you have about 1 year worth of blades. Since the razor itself lasts about a lifetime you will send a ton of cash.

Now the best thing about it. The shave itself will be so much more pleasant and a nice soap you be a little bit of luxury every time you shave yourself.

I came into this thread to say this.  I ordered a 100 pack in February 2014 and I am still not done with the original pack.  I got a DE razor itself as a gift, so it's technically cost me $4.59 per year to shave.

[ketchup]

Another option that helps you not to buy the ridiculous cartridges is using a good old safety razor. You can get a nice Merkur safety razor for 20$ on Amazon and 100 blades for just 10$. While your at it also switch from this nasty canned shaving foam to a nice shaving soap. The cost per use as a bit lower for the soap and it is much nicer. Now you spend like 30$ upfront (without the soap). A razor blade lasts me usually 2 weeks, so you have about 1 year worth of blades. Since the razor itself lasts about a lifetime you will send a ton of cash.

Now the best thing about it. The shave itself will be so much more pleasant and a nice soap you be a little bit of luxury every time you shave yourself.

I came into this thread to say this.  I ordered a 100 pack in February 2014 and I am still not done with the original pack.  I got a DE razor itself as a gift, so it's technically cost me $4.59 per year to shave.

I made the leap and bought a safety razor, shaving soap, brush, and 100 blades about two months ago for $32 total on Amazon.  I'm still getting a feel for how long my blades last, I feel like it varies quite a bit based on how I handle them.  I definitely have to shave every day, and I've been getting two to five shaves out of each blade before I start cutting myself (I'm stubborn like that; still figuring this all out).  So 100 blades should last me somewhere between 6-17 months.

And it gives me a hell of a better shave than the shitty electric razor I used before.

[BudgetSlasher]

Another option that helps you not to buy the ridiculous cartridges is using a good old safety razor. You can get a nice Merkur safety razor for 20$ on Amazon and 100 blades for just 10$. While your at it also switch from this nasty canned shaving foam to a nice shaving soap. The cost per use as a bit lower for the soap and it is much nicer. Now you spend like 30$ upfront (without the soap). A razor blade lasts me usually 2 weeks, so you have about 1 year worth of blades. Since the razor itself lasts about a lifetime you will send a ton of cash.

Now the best thing about it. The shave itself will be so much more pleasant and a nice soap you be a little bit of luxury every time you shave yourself.

I came into this thread to say this.  I ordered a 100 pack in February 2014 and I am still not done with the original pack.  I got a DE razor itself as a gift, so it's technically cost me $4.59 per year to shave.

I made the leap and bought a safety razor, shaving soap, brush, and 100 blades about two months ago for $32 total on Amazon.  I'm still getting a feel for how long my blades last, I feel like it varies quite a bit based on how I handle them.  I definitely have to shave every day, and I've been getting two to five shaves out of each blade before I start cutting myself (I'm stubborn like that; still figuring this all out).  So 100 blades should last me somewhere between 6-17 months.

And it gives me a hell of a better shave than the shitty electric razor I used before.

I switched to a safety razor about 6 years ago. I spent the first year just trying to figure out which blades I liked best . . . believe me there is a difference between brands. The prices range from about $0.076 to $0.28 a blade, but the cost is not an indicator of which will work best for you; that depends on your hair type, preferences, and shaving style (heck my beard changes coarseness with the season, so I switch types of blades).

I would tell anyone staring out to buy one of the variety packs (available on amazon) and try different blades before settling on a 100-count box.

[stoaX]

Post mortem:  The last dollar store razor bit the dust last month.  So essentially for a year and a half I spent $1 on razors.  I was hoping to make it to two years...   All in all, a pretty good deal.