Excellent points, all. But, if you're not using a pre-shave oil, you're doing it wrong. It makes all the difference, and it doesnt have to be expensive. Drug stores sell it.
Try www.westcoastshaving.com. I've found them to have prices competitive with or better than Amazon on shaving accessories, and they have a massive selection. Early in 2012 I bought a package of something absurd like 20 boxes of blades. I might run out sometime next year.
Seriously.
but I think I'll make the switch.
sharpness is corrosion. If you dry the razor, say with a hair dryer after shaving and then store it in a little jar of baby oil, the cutting edge won't rust. I have not tried it, but it does make a little sense.
said to drag disposable razors backwards (opposite of how you would shave with them) again a pair of blue jeans as a means to sharpen the blades and prolong their life.
i haven't tried it enough yet to see if it works.
i just did a search on it and saw a whole bunch of sites recommending this. maybe i will try it.
with Feather blades, a high quality badger bristle brush and good quality shaving soap is the best you can get. All this other stuff, multi blade razors, electric razors, etc. are marketing. None of that stuff will shave as close, or as comfortable, or for less money. k
Spend some time exploring the linked site.
Check out the one at the link. The initial razor is obviously a lot more expensive than a Gillette Mach-36 or whatever they are up to now, but the blades are 70 cents a piece. If you use one blade every two weeks, you're looking at $52 a year for your current razor and $18.20 for the safety razor. They shave better/closer, too.
Depending on how fancy you get, they can run $25-$100+ for the razor itself.
The blades are double-sided and run about $7 for 10 on Amazon.com. Thus far, each blade has lasted a month with no problems.
Despite taking longer to shave, they have been the best shaves of my life, and I'm never switching back to regular disposable or cartridge shavers. Get a nice badger-hair brush and some good shaving cream or soap and you're all set.
It doubles the life of my blades so there's a definite payoff.