[temp1831]

When I see this, I wonder if the shaving industry is fated to always have high margins, just due to the fact that brand power is very strong in the shaving industry.

People don't trust razors they've never heard of. Too dull. I really like my chinese Weishi brand double edge safety razor w/ standard barbasol, and have shaved for about $5 per year for the last 5 years (capex included), so I feel like an outsider looking in.

[news_to_me]

Honestly I'm not sure why safety razors aren't more common. They aren't that difficult to use after some practice, and they shave equally well. But the cost of razor blades is practically zero! It's such a huge win.

[twblalock]

I would compare safety razors to mechanical watches. When quartz watches hit the market, everyone ditched the old technology.

Now mechanical watches are popular again -- but a cheap mechanical watch manufactured today keeps far better time than a cheap one you could buy in the 1970s. This leads people who have only experienced modern mechanical watches to wonder why they ever went out of style.

Similarly, the market for safety razors today is far different than it was when cartridge razors were introduced. Back in the 1960s consumers could get their hands on just a few kinds of razors and blades, and the blades were not generally as good as the blades available today. There are simply far more, and far better, safety razors and blades available today than there ever were before.

Similar observations can be made about the fountain pen market.

[darkpuma]

The marketing for high margin disposable cartridge systems is highly effective. I find people fear the that a safety razor will be too complicated or difficult to use.. without ever trying one. I bought into this too; before the first time I tried a safety razor, I was predicting disaster. But then the shave went off flawlessly and faster than it would have been with disposable. The supposed difficulty curve just isn't there.

The marketing for disposable systems also misleads people as to the price. Some of the people I've talked into trying safety razors were previously under the impression that safety razors were incredibly expensive, something like $200 or something nuts like that, and they had no interest in making that sort of investment. But in reality the first time you buy a safety razor and blades, you'll be spending less money than you'd spend for a new pack of cartridges. I got my razor for less than $10. It's stainless steel, I've had it for about 10 years without a spec of rust. Perfectly serviceable and cheaper than even a pack of totally disposable bic razors you find at gas stations (I used those once during a vacation; boy was that awful...)

[news_to_me]

I dunno, I did have a bit of a learning curve when I started with a safety razor. They don't flex like the cartridge razors do, so you have to pay a little more attention to how you hold it. After a bit of practice, though, it did become just as easy.

[darkpuma]

The way I was already holding disposable cartridge razors was at the neck of the razor relatively loosely with two fingers, with the rest of the handle loosely supported in my palm by my other fingers. I found this technique transfers to safety razors without modification. I guess I was never really relying on the flexible neck of disposable cartridge razors in the first place though.

[mc32]

Razors[1] must have been horrible if safety razors have the word “safety” in it, but needs practice and care to avoid cuts and nicks. Modern razors make it nigh impossible to hurt yourself, but point taken.

[1]I can picture old western movies, ala High Plains Drifter, with grizzled characters cleaning up before/after some event.

[hanklazard]

Much safer when compared to the straight razors before them.

[vernie]

That was at least a century ago. It's still very easy to fuck yourself up with a safety razor, especially if you're in a hurry.

[hanklazard]

Sure, I was just pointing out the history of the name.

I do it every other day, sometimes in quite a hurry and with a slant-head. I occasionally nick myself but even that is infrequent. And as others have said, it’s dirt cheap. Since starting with a safety razor a few years ago, shaving is no longer a chore.

[naravara]

>Razors[1] must have been horrible if safety razors have the word “safety” in it, but needs practice and care to avoid cuts and nicks. Modern razors make it nigh impossible to hurt yourself, but point taken.

The safety razor was the advancement over the straight razor. It's an entirely different (and at the time, new) technology from what it was replacing.

[asdff]

I tried it once and my sink looked like I sacrificed a lamb afterwards, figured it wasn't worth it to relearn how to shave my face to save a couple bucks a year. I stick my cartrige blades in mineral oil and they stay sharp all month. Before I started doing that they wouldn't even last a week.

[salemh]

After using Dollar Shave Club for a long time, I may start looking at trying a safety razor. Mostly because the shave quality is going downhill.

What’s kept me away from safety/straight razors are: Learning/practice. I already nick myself with a regular shaving blade.

Time: while meditative, I am in a rush sometimes and don’t want to spend twenty minutes with lather/shaving (probably an exaggeration of time).

Choices: it seems too much like a hobby, where I can’t tell what a good “starter” is.

Apologies for formatting, this is phone posting.

[dagxskars]

I split my time between a safety razor and Harry's. I usually shave before getting in the shower in the morning.

Nicks: I have uneven skin. I also damage myself with a cartridge razor. I get nicks with a safety razor. I get bad razor burn with a cartridge razor, depending on how much growth I have. The nicks go away after a shower. The razor burn does not. After my first safety razor shave, I've only gotten minor nicks. Pick up a styptic pencil if worried.

Time: I need two full passes to match a Harry's. Three passes exceeds a Harry's. I can do it in 10 minutes, but, if I'm in a hurry, I use a cartridge razor. Taking 15 minutes, relaxing, getting a great shave is awesome when I have the time. Sometimes I shave before bed so I can do this.

Choices: Several online companies have variety packs of blades. Get one of those, find the blade you like, order a bunch. Buy whatever razor fits your price range. Buy the most popular blade shaving cream (not soap) you think will smell OK. A cheap brush will get you going, though you don't "need" one for shaving cream. You don't need a bowl.

Hope that helps some if you decide you're interested. Watch a few videos on YouTube to get the basics. The critical rule: don't move the blade side-to-side.

Edit: Added styptic pencil note.

[news_to_me]

It does take some practice to get the hang of it, and in that time, you are more likely to nick yourself. For me, it took about a month or so to be as good with the safety razor as a cartridge one.

Now it takes me about an equal amount of time as it did using a cartridge razor, and I rarely nick myself (about as frequently as I did with a cartridge).

There are some good lists for cheap "beginner" razors online - I'd suggest trying out one of those. You can just use your normal shaving cream, too.

The bottom line for me is the crazy cost of razor cartridges. My razor blades cost 25 cents apiece, and that's on the expensive end.

[HenryBemis]

I can speak for me. I remember my father had been using one all his life. I think it is the risk/danger of handling the razors. Anyone with a small child at home would rather have a wilkinson/gilette that are safes (blade-wise). Also cinema has given those blades a bad name.

Now that you mentioned it though, and especially what temp1831 said ($5 for a year's shave), it just got my attention!

[darkpuma]

> "Anyone with a small child at home would rather have a wilkinson/gilette that are safes (blade-wise)."

Fair point, I'd mount a sharps bin high on the wall where I could reach while standing but out of reach for the young kids.

[tomcam]

On the rare occasions I use shaving cream, it’s Barbasol, and I swear it feels like the most luxurious expensive concoction I could put on my face. Nothing feels better to me to matter how costly. I’ve literally spent about $30 on Barbasol in the last 25 years, and that’s largely because I have multiple houses.

[krn1p4n1c]

Same here. It was a epiphany for me when I could scrape off a week of growth with 1-2 passes without clogging up and with a better shave. Washing with something astringent like Dr Bronners before the Barbasol helps a bunch too.

[hanklazard]

Agreed, I only use cartridges on long trips because of the hassle of getting double-sided blades to the destination.

There are also a ton of amazing small batch / indie shaving soaps that pair well with safety razors.