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Save Money on Razor Blades

July 21, 2010 by Lazy Man 22 Comments

Almost four years ago, I wrote an article, Ebay on the Razor’s Edge, about how I saved a bunch on money on razor blades. At the time, I noted that Gillette’s Fusion Power blades can be as expensive as $3.50 a blade, but I found I could buy more than 40 blades in bulk on Ebay for $1.66 a blade. I estimated that it would be my shaving solution for the next 2-3 years.

I was wrong. I still have 22 brand-new blades putting me on pace for about 8 years of razor blades or roughly $10 a year.

In my original estimate I didn’t take in two factors:

  • I learned a couple of tricks to stretch the blades I have longer. First, I found that my Norelco electric razor (similar to Philips Norelco Speed 8240XL Men’s Shaving System), was a great ally. I have had it for ten years and have only replaced the blades once. It does take some electricity, but not much. I use the electric razor briefly in the morning before I shower and shave with the Gillette blades. An electric blade doesn’t shave close enough for my tastes, but this step makes the Gillette blades’ life easier.
  • A year ago, I grew a goatee. I estimate that this reduces the amount of area that I have to shave by 30-50%. Shaving less area is naturally going to make the blades last longer.

Do you buy your razor blades on Ebay? If not, why?

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Filed Under: gillette power fusion, Smart Purchases, Spending

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Comments

  1. benjamin bankruptcy says

    July 21, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    I grew a beard instead, saves me a fortune in razors and in time:) If I’ve got a special event on i’ll clip in with my hair clippers

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    July 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm

    I use a safety razor with double-edged razor blades. I pay about 10 cents per blade.

    Reply
  3. Paul says

    July 21, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    Old school.
    Wet shave with a good shave soap and Safety Razor.

    Reply
  4. Dan says

    July 22, 2010 at 3:14 am

    I had never thought that buying them in bulk on ebay would save so much money. I’ll have to do some searching myself. What I ended up doing to save money is to purchase the store-brand version of the Gilette Mach 3. Those blades are less than half the price of Gilette and work as well in my opinion.

    Reply
    • Lazy Man says

      July 22, 2010 at 5:32 am

      The store brand is a good idea that I hadn’t thought of. Unfortunately, I can tell the difference between the Mach 3 and Fusion Power

      I’ve read some things about using a safety razor, but I’m afraid I’d slice my face up something fierce.

  5. Money Beagle says

    July 22, 2010 at 5:39 am

    I’ve read that many eBay razors are fakes, not actually produced by Gillette though they come in a box. I keep an eye on Slickdeals and whenever a razor deal pops up, this discussion always takes place, and I trust the folks there, especially when they’re so animated. So you may be saving money, but beware that the razors may not actually be of the same quality (and last as long) as you would expect, which can negate most or all of your savings.

    Reply
  6. Kosmo @ The Soap Boxers says

    July 22, 2010 at 7:11 am

    I use electric, and shave as rarely as I can. I can easily go a few days before people notice.

    Reply
  7. Peter says

    July 22, 2010 at 9:24 am

    I read this a few weeks ago, thought it was crazy! I tried it out and it works great:

    http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisebread.com%2Fwant-to-keep-your-dispoable-razor-blades-sharp-use-your-arm&h=d3a62

    Rub the razor BACKWARD (not sideways or in the shaving direction) on either your arm or a pair of jeans. Brings dull blades back to life for a great shave.

    The video has a creepy shirtless guy explaining the process…I haven’t brought myself to watch it yet, just trusted that the article said the same thing.

    Reply
    • Lazy Man says

      July 22, 2010 at 10:38 am

      Peter,

      I had been meaning to try that with some jeans. Actually I have a knife sharpener thing that might work better. I’ll try to remember to do that tonight.

      Mark,

      I also try to dry them well. One of the advantages of the power is that the vibrations make me feel it is drying it better. (Not sure if it’s scientifically true or not)

  8. Mark says

    July 22, 2010 at 10:20 am

    I buy the 4 pack of bics (triple blade pivot head) for about $6 and make them last a lot longer by drying them as best I can after shaving.

    Reply
  9. Denise says

    July 22, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    As a chick, I don’t have anything to add to this article. :)

    Reply
  10. J Trefry says

    July 22, 2010 at 5:16 pm

    I saw that video of the arm scraping thing, and still doubt it, but I do it. What I think is working, is that I thoroughly clean my safety razors with a repurposed toothbrush. Then I store the razor in baby oil. The oil keeps the moisture out between shaves, and actually takes more of the whiskers and soap out of the blades.

    Reply
  11. Glass Is Half says

    July 23, 2010 at 12:25 am

    I missed your previous article about buying razor’s from eBay and have never even considered it but now that you’ve said it, it seems fairly obvious to be honest. After all, you can buy everything else there!

    I’m currently – like some of the other commenters – a disposable guy … when I found that getting 12 gilette fusion disposables (not sure if they’re available in the States as I’m in the UK) was cheaper than buying 6 fusion blades (w/out the stick) I didn’t really see any option. They aren’t as good as the fusion blades themselves but definitely better than a bic and seem to last a reasonable amount of time too!

    Reply
  12. Big - D says

    July 23, 2010 at 6:20 am

    I use real soap and badger hair brush instead of that crap in a can, use a Mach 3, shave every other day (M, W, F), use an old toothbrush to clean the blades after each use, and store it in a cup of mineral oil. Each blade lasts me about 3 months. I bought a 15 pack at costco 3 years ago for like $12 bucks and I still have some in the cabinet.

    Reply
    • Lazy Man says

      July 23, 2010 at 8:45 pm

      Big – D…

      You rock as far as getting the most of your razor blade.

      I haven’t had good luck with the mineral oil… it seems that it destroys the lubricating strips for some reason.

  13. Julie says

    July 23, 2010 at 7:40 am

    At first glance I thought you meant Raiser’s Edge- the non-profit donor software. I was like- oh they’re selling it for cheaper on eBay?! Oops :-p

    Reply
  14. Surfer Guy says

    July 25, 2010 at 1:31 am

    I haven’t tried mineral oil… anyway intresting.. cool post

    Reply
  15. jim says

    July 26, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    I’ve never purchased a razor, I just get the free samples and they always last long enough for me to get a new freebie. It probably helps that I shave about once every four or five days. :)

    Reply
  16. Elizabeth says

    July 29, 2010 at 5:58 pm

    I use razorsdirect.com to order my husband’s razor blades…. I buy them in bulk, a year’s worth at a time…

    Reply
  17. Tom says

    July 31, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    Sam’s Club doesn’t have a wide selection but they are by far the cheapest if you happen to use the razors they do sell.

    Reply
  18. Jon says

    August 1, 2010 at 8:47 am

    As to buying blades in bulk on eBay, there is much suspicion and complaints about receiving counterfeit product. While a good blade is something not to scrimp on, I have discovered that shaving creams are utterly dispensable:

    http://www.lewrockwell.com/tucker/tucker65.html

    Reply
  19. StagH says

    December 18, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    I also use safety razors…they are much cheaper and I havent gotten ingrown hairs since using them.

    Reply

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