5 Reasons to Use a Safety Razor for Shaving

The shaving ads are everywhere. and they’ve been everywhere and all the time ever since I was a kid and first started noticing the shaving ads. The men’s shaving market is an absolute gold mine.

There are not many products that are recurring, disposable and where people will pay a premium to have a good experience. So, manufacturers have been pushing solutions ever since, well, probably the caveman who found a nice flint…but definitely since the dawn of mass marketing in the 1880s.

And like things that started in the 1880s, like Morton’s salt and baking soda and cereal, men’s shaving kit kind of peaked in the 1880s. A few years ago, I got tired of spending $$$ on Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club or whatever ridiculousness Gillette is pushing. I got started with a good old safety razor. The handle cost $20. A year’s supply of high-quality razors costs $4 (yes, no typo) plus $6 for a year of shave butter.

It’s been absolutely worth it. Also, the entire shaving industry needs to die because safety razors are the perfect balance of value, speed, versatility, and quality.

It’s Cheap

Did I say it’s cheap? Yes, I paid $20 upfront for the handle. And then, in a year, all in, I’ve spent $10. I think you can get two Harry’s Razors refills that it will last a couple days for that. The entire industry is an absolute consumer rip off.*

*And yes, I’m talking about functional value. Lots of people love Harry’s, Gillette, etc for the brand, associations, routine, etc – that’s great! And absolutely not what I’m talking about here. I would say the same about luxury vehicles – all of which are functional trash compared to a Toyota, and yet, provide lots of intangible value that people pay a lot of money for.

And shaving kits are not a product where you don’t really get any benefit or savings from going for value or going for affordability. Since shaving is an every day or every other day routine, even small savings compound over the course of a year. It’s not like forgoing a dessert that you have a couple of times a year at a restaurant where, you don’t really “save” money by being all frugal about the dessert. Shaving is a habit, a routine that is daily or near daily for most everyone. So, all things equal, even if you’re saving a dollar here, a dollar there, it does actually add up over the course of a year.

It’s Reliable

A safety razor is made up of a handle and a single blade. There’s no clip-ins, there’s no plastic, there’s no five-blade-on-a-pivot-head with an ergonomic shape combined with a conditioner and a lather. It’s literally hot water, a little bit of shave butter, a handle, and a blade. That’s it. It works. It’s there. It’s easy to pack. It’s easy to travel with. It’s light weight. It doesn’t break. It doesn’t get clogged. And you know when it’s dull.

It’s Versatile

A safety razor is versatile. You don’t need an electric outlet you don’t need a sink or a counter. You just need a little bit of hot water you can take it camping you can use it basically anywhere where it’s so easy to swap and it’s so light that you don’t really have to plan around shaving. So it makes the whole experience really versatile.

It’s Robust

Most safety razors are steel. The blades are steel or titanium. They’ve got some heft to them rather than the flimsy throw away trash of disposable razors or cartridges.

It’s Just Hard Enough To Be A Challenge

Safety razors aren’t more popular mainly because they require practice (and they don’t have an ad budget like other, profitable products). Unlike electric shavers, you can’t just pick them up and use them immediately. Though counterintuitive at first, after about a week of careful, slow shaving, muscle memory kicks in and you can shave quickly. This small learning curve creates just enough challenge that once you make the switch, you feel a sense of ownership. I love it and hate that I put off the switch for so many years.

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