Photo 54977457 © Unteroffizier – Dreamstime.com
In my experience the cheapest shaving blades you can find are always going to be DE razor blades also called safety razor blades. They will usually come in packs of 5 or 10, although for many of the brands you can buy an entire carton that has 100 blades in it. The carton will usually contain 20 packs of 5 razors.
These types of razors will generally run between 8 to 70 cents a razor. The price will usually depend on the brand of the blades as well as the quantity you buy. Like all things the more you buy, the cheaper it is per blade.
What Makes These Blades So Cheap
My guess is it’s a simpler manufacturing process to make safety razor shaving blades than it is to make cartridge shaving blades. The safety razor shaving blades are essentially a flat piece of metal. All they really need to be done to them is formed, sharpened, and stamped.
Cartridge shaving blades on the other hand have to be formed, sharpened, placed into a cartridge, which is placed into a cartridge razor holder. These are a lot more steps than the steps for a safety razor blade.
Also, I suspect, the cartridge razors are marketed more heavily, so a lot of the increased cost goes to marketing the cartridge razors themselves.
Are These Shaving Blades Worth Buying?
If you are willing to learn how to shave with a safety razor then they are definitely worth buying. There is a small learning curve when learning to shave with a safety razor, but once you master it you will find that you will as good if not a better shave at a fraction of the cost.
If you aren’t willing to learn to shave with a safety razor then obviously these blades aren’t for you. However, I strongly recommend you at least give it a try. It might seem a little foreign at first, but I’m sure that you will quickly become proficient at using a safety razor.
Where Can I Buy Them?
You can usually find them at least one brand at Wal-mart and drug stores. Also, if you are in a major city there might be stores dedicated to shaving that will sell them. However, if you want to find the lowest prices look online. There are a bunch of online retailers that will sell them to you at a great price.