[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.