"Your status as a shaver is still amateur? We all come here to see if you wanna go pro".
As you know we often post battles between 2 products. Purely to paint a clear picture of what the exact differences are so you can make a clear choice which product you want to use. In this context, it is high time that we put 2 popular shaving tools against each other.
Mainly because we regularly get the question: what is the best razor? A safety razor or the commonly used cartridge razors? Because both really have very different characteristics when it comes to comfortable shaving.
What are the main differences between a safety razor and a cartridge razor?
First of all, of course, there is a big difference in design. But also in materials between these 2 bantams. Safety, durability and the final cost per razor also play quite a role, by the way. Also, of course, the blades themselves. The safety razor has 1 double-sided blade on the fixed shaving head and cartridge razors have 3 to 7 blades grouped in a plastic cartridge.
So a safety razor has 1 double-sided blade in the fixed head. The blade itself is covered by a comb, base plate and top plate. There are also safety razors with a razor head fitted with a butterfly closure. This makes them slightly more vulnerable but even easier to insert a double blade. Because the average safety razor is (much) heavier than the plastic variant, you do not have to put pressure on the skin. This is the case with the very light cartridge razor. Another difference?
With a safety razor you can effortlessly choose from a huge amount of brands of double blade blades. That has to do with its universal fit. You can choose from many qualities of steel and sharpness. You can experiment a lot.
Tip: the safety razor also has a brother. A best safety razor but with a twisted fixed head. A very comfortable alternative to the straight safety razor for men with heavy beards. Read in the article, what is a slant safety razor, all about the functioning of this also very good razor.
What materials do a safety razor and cartridge razor consist of?
Safety razor
- Stainless steel or aluminum body with an optional nickel coating
- Fixed metal/aluminum screw-off shaving head
Cartridge razor
- Plastic holder
- Rubber grip
- Detachable plastic cartridge with a rubber strip, plastic comb and the metal blades incorporated into it
How does a cartridge razor work?
Take for example the Gillette Fusion5 Proglide equipped with a plastic cartridge with 5 blades on board. While we could also take a Mach3 as an example. The design remains basically the same. The advantage of a cartridge razor is that you need very little technique to achieve a reasonably close shave.
The instrument is light to use and the head of this razor rotates with every movement you make across the skin. You have to be very crazy if you want to injure yourself. This is also because the 5 blades are tightly encapsulated.
The cartridge is characterized by the superimposed blades, the lubricant (rubber) strip and the comb. The blades are preset to the ideal cutting angle. Then it doesn't matter so much how you hold the razor. The strip is there to reduce irritation while the comb does its best to flatten the skin so the blades glide more easily over the skin.
The head of most cartridge razors, in addition to rotating with you over the skin, can also tilt from side to side. This keeps the blades on the skin as they go over the contours of the face.
Benefits cartridge razor:
- Due to the materials used, cartridge razors have a comfortable grip. This is partly due to the presence of rubberized lines. This keeps the holder firmly in your hand. Even if your hands are wet or covered with shaving soap
- Shaving is easy. You don't really have to concentrate to avoid shaving mistakes or wounds. Such a cartridge of blades is very forgiving. Whichever type you use
- You don't really need to maintain a cartridge razor. Rinsing it well with warm water is sufficient
Disadvantages cartridge razor:
- You have to scrape several times, up to 6x, with the cartridge over the same piece of skin to achieve results which makes the skin more likely to be damaged. In this case, 6x a shave x 5 blades = 30x scraping over the skin to achieve smooth skin
- Not the best blades if you have sensitive skin
- Blades are generally of lower quality than the steel of the double blades
- Risk of razor burn because you have to scrape over the skin much more often
- Chance of ingrown hairs. The hairs are pulled out of the skin and then cut by multiple blades so that the hair can shoot back under the skin and there is an ingrown hair resulting in inflammation.
- With a cartridge razor it is difficult to know exactly where to start from the sideburn.
- It is more difficult to rinse the hairs and soap residue out of the cartridge
- You cannot use other brands of razor blades so experimenting with other types of blades is out of the question.
- It shaves (much) less smooth than a safety razor while you have to scrape over the skin much more often with cartridge blades
- Financially draining. The disposable cartridges are very expensive!
- Much environmental impact due to various plastic materials and packaging
As you can see, there are quite a few snags associated with a cartridge razor. In our article, which razor is best for youwe go into much more detail about the differences between several razors.
How does a safety razor work?
With a safety razor you need a little more technique than with a cartridge razor. The safety razor is available with a closed comb and an open comb. The safety razor with a closed comb is the most popular.
It is also recommended for beginners. At the end of the base plate is a continuous guide that guides the blade across the skin. Because of this design, the skin is less exposed to the blade. Very comfortable, in other words.
A safety razor with an open comb lacks the continuous guide. Then the base plate often ends in ridged teeth. Because of the open comb, many users experience the safety razor as a lot more aggressive. You also have to shave with more care to avoid shaving mistakes. A safety razor is positioned at 30 degrees to the skin and then you can maneuver it across the face.
Result: You glide over the skin with less resistance. With an open comb, by the way, you have access to more blade surface so you cover even more skin. This allows you to achieve an even smoother result. A safety razor with an open comb is excellent for heavy beard. Just try to conquer those with a cartridge knife ... Good luck.
Advantages safety razor:
- You only need to glide over the skin once or twice to achieve a very smooth result.
- You come with the blade directly under the nostrils
- Much more comfortable shaving for men with sensitive skin
- Much less risk of razor burn, ingrown hairs and acne
- A much smoother finish than with a cartridge razor
- Save a lot of money compared to a cartridge razor
- Much better for the environment (!)
Disadvantages safety razor:
- You could label the higher entry price for a safety razor as a disadvantage. However, you can make it as expensive as you want. You can get a good safety razor for as little as 4 Euros and you will have earned it back in no time with the much cheaper double blade blades.
- It requires more technique than shaving with a cartridge razor.
- The steel of a safety razor, especially the screw thread, needs to be cleaned regularly.
In our blog, perfect shave: using a safety razorwe go into more detail about how this, in our opinion, is the best razor on the market.
Which is more economical to use? A safety razor or a cartridge razor?
To get straight to the point: in the end, a safety razor is always cheaper. Purely due to the double blade blades that you can buy in many variants for very little. The payback period of the safety razor itself depends on how much money you want to spend.
For example, you can buy a very good razor such as the Mühle R89 Safety Razor for less than 4 tens that will last you for years. Or possibly invest in a fantastic Feather WS-D2 Safety Razor. If you maintain a safety razor properly you can actually use it for a lifetime. It does not get more durable and cheaper.
Why cheaper?
Quite simple. Just look at the prices of the average disposable cartridge razor. For a Gillette Mach3 you pay around € 4.00. Per blade. With some competitors of a different brand you can probably get a Euro cheaper. But: this is still a lot of money.
Bizarre really. For a blade that does not even give you a sublime shave. The holder often comes free if you decide to go with a cartridge. Hooray!
But what does a double edge blade razor cost?
Brace yourself... The average price for a good razor in a safety razor averages between 25 and 40 cents. Repeat: The average price for a good razor in a safety razor is on average between 25 and 40 cents. So a disposable cartridge razor is more than 10x more expensive on average. Cuckoo!
Just to be sharp: suppose you shave from age 20 to 80 and on average you use a new blade every week. So 52 blades a year. For 60 years.
Cost of disposable cartridge razor (60 years) - On average 1 new blade per week
3,120 weeks x € 4.00 = € 12,480.
Cost of double edge blade (60 years) - On average 1 new blade per week
3,120 weeks x € 0.40 = € 1248.00
Of course, there are also men who shave 4 or 5 times a week instead of 7 times a week and that obviously affects the cost. But the above example shows the enormous price difference between a disposable cartridge blade and a full steel double blade razor. Even if you only shave 3 times a week, you will still save a lot.
How many shaves does a razor blade last for?
Let's take a closer look at disposable cartridge blades first. Gillette's average Mach3 or Fusion cartridges, for example. On average, you can do 5-7 shaves with these razor blades. These are obviously the averages but also our experience.
Some users believe it after 5 times shaving and there are also men who manage to get 10 shaves out of it. We would strongly advise against the latter.
The same goes for the double blade blades. If you go for the entry-level and cheapest versions, you can use a double blade about 5/6 times. The choice is vast. One of the entry-level blades are the Derby Double Edge Blades. Only $0.10 each and you can already shave very comfortably with them.
The writer of this article is very enthusiastic about the Wilkinson Sword Double Edge Blades After about 8 to 9 times I only notice that it is a little less smooth.
Tip: Check out our extensive range of the best double edge blades. Also try to vary with different sharpnesses and brands. Many safety razor addicts have gone before you and now have the ultimate safety razor and double edge blades combination(s) that make shaving a wellness.
Safety Razor vs. cartridge razor durability
We can be brief about that. Because of the many diverse components a cartridge razor contains, it also creates a lot more waste. For example, it involves quite a bit of various types of plastic, rubber, ink and metal. The holder of a cartridge also only lasts for a certain period of time. So you're going to throw some of those away during your lifetime, too.
Source USA Today: Still, billions of plastic razors and refill blade cartridges get tossed in landfills each year. With a safety razor, you are only dealing with a wafer-thin steel razor blade that you can save up and return separately. That's it. A good holder can certainly last a lifetime. Crystal clear and a no-brainer, then.
Tip: Use a razor dispencer. Then you can safely and properly store the used double-edged blades and be able to dispose of them later in the recycling bin in a controlled way.
Safety Razor vs Cartridge Razor Summary.
Basically, you have to think of a cartridge safety razor like a printer and its toners. The printing system itself is relatively very inexpensive but when it comes to the toners you start spending money. That's the revenue model. That's actually how it is with cartridge razors. There will, no matter what, always be fans who want nothing more than to shave with a cartridge razor.
And again, you have a lot of choice in cartridge razors such as the Mühle - Gillette Mach3 Purist or if you want to go fancy you can also choose a Mühle - Gillette Fusion Sophist.
And the winner is!
It should be clear by now that when it comes to shaving comfort, costs and the environment you can't ignore the best safety razor. Not comparable to a cartridge razor. The latter has become enormously popular due to the enormous marketing budgets spent on it over the last 30 years. Because of this you become a tad conditioned and it is purely out of convenience that you handle a plastic razor. Purely out of convenience.
But you cannot compare it to the shaving sensation and the super smooth effect you achieve with a safety razor. In short, a cartridge razor is no match for the ruler of shaving. The Safety Razor. By the way, also the best razor for women. The ladies are big fans. Just read in our article: why the safety razor is the best razor for women. In short: with such a massive instrument you shave oldskool but always cutting edge. Grandpa was not that crazy!
Tip: check out the 10 best safety razors that we have compiled for you. Easy right?
Should you have any questions or remarks we would love to hear from you. For now? Shave that!
Good luck & regards,
Your friends, The Alpha Men