{"id":14031,"date":"2017-10-05T12:07:46","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T16:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/142.93.176.215\/?p=14031"},"modified":"2023-08-17T15:01:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T19:01:55","slug":"how-many-shaves-per-razor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/how-many-shaves-per-razor\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s How Long Your Razor Blade Should Last"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There\u2019s a reason why Unilever bought Dollar Shave Club for $1 Billion (yes with a \u2018B\u2019) dollars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Razor blades are expensive, and no one likes paying hand-over-fist for cartridge replacements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I will admit, when I was a bit younger and strapped for cash, I would try to extend the life of my razor as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, this begs the question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many shaves can you really <\/em>get per blade?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we will answer this question for each of the popular types of razors<\/a>. Additionally, we will also go over some tips to reduce your cost per blade while also extending the number of shaves you can get from your razor blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let\u2019s dive into the cartridge razor first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By and far, the most popular razor system in the world will be the cartridge razor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not to be confused with the disposable razor that is a single piece, a cartridge razor is where the razor head is ejectable (i.e., think Gillette and Schick high-end multi-blade razors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n With these systems, you keep the handle but replace the head regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how many shaves should you expect to get out of a cartridge razor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It depends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Per the Gillette website, you can expect to get 20 shaves before replacing the razor blade:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Schick Hydro cartridge razor, you can expect only 12 shaves before a replacement is recommended:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note the asterisk in the image above. This equates to the following: 4 weeks x 3 shaves per week = 12 total shaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other companies, such as Barbasol, which depends on Dorco blades, are much vaguer about blade replacement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, when looking at the Barbasol refills, you can see that their cartridges can last you between three and six months – that’s a huge time span:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbasol also discloses the following information further down on the page:<\/p>\n\n\n Harry’s razor has a much shorter lifespan compared to others and will only last you six to eight shaves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few important things to note:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you aren’t interested in trying new brands, then the best way to save money is to buy bulk. Larger blade refill packages will often result in a lower cost per blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To quickly prove this assumption, we went ahead and looked at the price of refills for the Gillette Fusion5, Schick Hydro, and Gillette Mach3 – here’s what we found out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, with every system, significant savings are to be realized when you buy larger quantities. The most pronounced savings was for the Fusion5. A drop of $1 per blade when comparing the 4-pack to the 12-pack is a fairly big savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to save is to change brands or go with an older generation razor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The safety razor, also known as the double edge safety razor or DE razor, was initially introduced in the early 1900s.\u00a0 It has taken a backseat to its electric and cartridge counterparts for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the safety razor is making a comeback – here’s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While not the easiest to learn, nor the longest-lasting blades on the market, safety razors are perfect for men who want total control over the shave experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a more significant reason why men love safety razors today \u2013 they are cheap<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can expect to spend $0.53 or less per blade.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To demonstrate the savings, here’s how much a few popular safety razor brands cost per blade:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s over $3 in savings per blade when compared to a high-end cartridge razor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when it comes to the lifespan of safety razor blades, they are significantly shorter <\/strong>than both cartridge or electric razors. You should change out your safety razor every five shaves<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This assumes that you are making three passes with your safety razor blade during every shave session:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not doing three passes each shave may extend the life of the blade a couple of extra days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that safety razor blades are already pretty cheap, there are very few ways to save additional money.\u00a0 The only recommendation is to test out other blades on the market and see if you can find a bargain blade that delivers the same results as a pricier blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to note that just because a blade is cheap<\/em> doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that it will perform poorly. The lower price point may be due to the labor costs of where the blade was manufactured (i.e., German blades tend to be pricier than India-made blades).<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Many Shaves Per Cartridge Razor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gillette Fusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Schick Hydro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Barbasol \/ Dorco<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Harry’s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Takeaway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Reduce the Cost Per Blade of a Cartridge Razor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Razor<\/strong><\/th> Quantity<\/strong><\/th> Price<\/strong><\/th> Price Per Blade<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Gillette Fusion5<\/td> 4<\/td> $14.50<\/td> $3.63<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Fusion5<\/td> 8<\/td> $24.00<\/td> $3.00<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Fusion5<\/td> 12<\/td> $31.50<\/td> $2.63<\/td><\/tr> Schick Hydro Skin Comfort Sensitive<\/td> 8<\/td> $23.00<\/td> $2.88<\/td><\/tr> Schick Hydro Skin Comfort Sensitive<\/td> 12<\/td> $28.00<\/td> $2.33<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Mach3<\/td> 4<\/td> $9.50<\/td> $2.38<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Mach3<\/td> 8<\/td> $18.00<\/td> $2.25<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Mach3<\/td> 10<\/td> $22.00<\/td> $2.20<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Mach3<\/td> 15<\/td> $29.00<\/td> $1.93<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n How Often Should You Change Safety Razor Blades?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Razor Blade<\/strong><\/th> Quantity<\/strong><\/th> Price<\/strong><\/th> Price Per Blade<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Astra Platinum<\/td> 100<\/td> $7.00<\/td> $0.07<\/td><\/tr> Feather<\/td> 30<\/td> $16.00<\/td> $0.53<\/td><\/tr> Parker<\/td> 100<\/td> $12.00<\/td> $0.12<\/td><\/tr> Shark<\/td> 100<\/td> $7.00<\/td> $0.07<\/td><\/tr> Gillette Platinum<\/td> 100<\/td> $13.50<\/td> $0.14<\/td><\/tr> Kai<\/td> 50<\/td> $24.00<\/td> $0.48<\/td><\/tr> Derby<\/td> 100<\/td> $9.00<\/td> $0.09<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \n
How to Reduce the Cost Per Blade for a Safety Razor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n