Opinion
Shaving. The morning trim, a touchup before a big date, or a quick beard snip to convince your partner to kiss you again—all of these encompass a ritual that’s both universal and personal. Whether we’re talking ancient Egypt with seashells or 2020 with battery operated vibrating blades, shaving feels as routine as breathing. There are many ways to achieve the perfect shave, but what do you use? Straight razor, safety razor, battery-operated, cartridge, seashell?
All of these work (kudos for using seashells), but one stands out as a wonderful blend of old and new: The safety razor. Why? Before I make the case for it, let’s cover a little shave history.
Ye Old Razor
Back in ye olden days, excess hair was considered dangerous for many reasons: The person could catch pathogens in their hair, enemies could yank on it during battles, and bacteria could hitch a ride from a beard to a crop, something that could devastate a village. Thus, everyone benefitted from keeping their hair in check. How did they do it? Many would use clam shells to pluck the hairs, while others used seashells and oyster shards to shave, and those two methods remained for thousands of years.
From Straight Razor To Safety Razor
After that, straight razors became the norm in the 18th-19th centuries, but due to their steep learning curve, people employed barbers to handle all of their grooming needs. However, French inventor Jean-Jacques Perret revolutionized this practice by adding a wood guard to a straight razor, which enabled ordinary citizens to practice grooming without a barber. After a few other inventors and iterations, King Camp Gillette (yes, that Gillette) birthed and successfully marketed the “safety razor” with a doubleedged blade, a mix of old traditions and new technology. This version was incredibly successful, but it didn’t stop there: Razors eventually adopted the plastic handle and multiple blades that have become ubiquitous around the world.
A Star Is Born
So, why did this version become so popular? A combo of accessibility and cost: Switching from a double-sided razor blade to multiple tiny blades made shaving safer for the commoner and brought personal grooming to more bathrooms. Moreover, switching to plastic both cut the cost of materials and made the razor lighter and less intimidating. Today, there are dozens of variations of the modern razor, and all of them will get the job done. However, we’ve now reached the part of this article where I make my bold claim: Safety razors are better than modern razors. I said it. Safety razors are better than modern razors. How so?
A few reasons:
Safety razors were created to combine the accuracy of a straight razor with emerging technology, landing on a sweet spot between old and new methods. Also, consider these factors: Cost, environmental impact, efficacy, accessibility, and approach. Also, I should mention that I have used a safety razor for several years now, and in my experience, it has served me far better than any cartridge or other modern razor ever did by a long shot. So, now that you know where I stand, let’s dive in.
Safety Razors Are More Cost Effective
It may seem counter-intuitive, however using almost any safety razor will save you money in the long term versus using a cartridge razor. Furthermore, if you take advantage of our shave club offering like Our Wet Shave Club then you will reap some serious savings!
Let us look at the Half Price Shave Club. The examples below assume you shave 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Click Here to see how often we recommend you change your safety razor blade.
YEAR ONE
Your first purchase is $24.00 Your entire year’s worth of shaving product (razor and blades) ships in one box.
Shipping is Free!
Your total out of pocket (excluding tax)? Yep… $24.00!
YEAR TWO
Want to keep you current razor handle? Perfect! It should still be in great shape.
So all you need is your 100 blades. What does that cost?
A 100 Pack only costs you $10 at The Wet Shaving Club.
Shipping is free!
Your total out of picket(excluding tax)? Yep… $10.00!
Total 5 Year cost of shaving with our Half Price Shave Club Deal? $64
CHECK OUT OUR ONE YEAR SAFETY RAZOR PACKAGES
See the full details on our calculations above including the important disclaimers that accompany them by visiting our Are Safety Razors Cheaper To Use article.
Safety Razors Give You A Great Shave
So, how do safety razors give you a great shave? For one, a razor blade sits flush against your skin, which requires less pressure to shave the hair and reduces the risk of the user cutting themselves from using too much force. For two, one larger blade tends to get clogged less with coarse hair than multiple small ones, resulting in less agitation when fine-tuning your luscious locks. For three, the sharpness of the blade and weight of the handle demands that the user paces themselves, taking more time to make each swipe count.
You Won't Waste Your Time Reading This Part
Convinced yet? No? Don’t worry, I have two more points for you: Environmental impact and accessibility. Most modern razors are made of non-recyclable plastic, whereas safety razors and their blades are recyclable metal. Moreover, safety razors are an open system, meaning that you can mix and match dozens of different brands of handles and blades. By contrast, modern razors present two annoying choices: Either the entire razor has to be thrown out when dull, or the handle demands a limited selection of blades to use, often restricting you to a single brand’s proprietary products.
The Closing Argument
Finally, I will say this: Shaving is an art. The practice of grooming can be meditative. A process where someone is dedicating time to becoming the best version of themselves. When I used modern razors, I would rush through the process just so I could get out the door. Now, my safety razor forces me to slow down, to take my time and actually enjoy the process of grooming. Not only that, but it made me appreciate my tools and take care of them. Using a safety razor convinced me to never go back to modern razors, and after you use one, I know that you won’t either. Our new technologies pave the way to the future, but the secrets of the old masters help guide us on our path. I needed a safety razor, and I have a feeling you do, too.
Andrew Savage
Hey! I'm Andrew Savage, and I am a freelance writer and editor. I focus on both creative and commercial writing, but more importantly, I write to tell the story. Every person, business, and product has a reason to get up and attack the day. What's yours?
The article above is an opinion piece. The Wet Shaving Club nor its guest authors are making claims backed by studies. We are expressing our opinions based on experience with using the greatness that is the safety razor!
The following articles will help you understand how and why we all got duped into using those multi-bladed razors, and more importantly, why you should make the switch to a safety razor immediately.
Using this tool takes a little practice. But once you get started, you will never look back. In fact, if you pair your new instrument with the other fine accoutrements used for a proper wet shave (i.e. shave soap, shave oil, aftershave, and a shave brush) we believe that you will both enjoy and be saddened by your morning shave. You will enjoy the process of the shave, you will enjoy the result of the shave, and you will enjoy how you look after the shave. However, you will be saddened (at least temporarily) that you spent all those years beforehand using a dang cartridge razor!
When you are done reading our articles and have been properly educated on what you have been missing, we would ask that you spread the news. Tell your friends! They will thank you for it.
General Shave Information
The following articles will help you gain an understanding on how you can improve your shave experience, uncover the tools you need, and explain how you got duped into using those multi-bladed razors all these years.
From the products you should be using for your shave routine, to whether or not you need to shave your beard, and everything between. You have questions. We have answers. When you are done perusing all of our information you should:
- Understand the shaving process
- Know what products you need to maximize your shaving experience.
- Learn the proper method of shaving
- Have confidence that the safety razor is the most important tool in your morning shave.
Using this tool takes a little practice. But once you get started, you will never look back. In fact, if you pair your new instrument with the other fine accoutrements used for a proper wet shave (i.e. shave soap, shave oil, aftershave, and a shave brush) we are confident that you will look forward to your morning shave!
Wet Shave Information
