Double Edge Razor Blades
Double edge razor blades are the rectangular looking razor blades that both safety/DE razors and shavettes use.
Although you aren’t able to find the actual razors handles that they go in, you can find DE blades at virtually any store that sells cartridge razors and shaving cream.
Online, DE blades can be found from a variety of different companies. It’s almost mind boggling how many different brands there are. Just a few to get you started are:
- Dorco
- Astra
- Wilkinson
- Merkur
- Derby
- Sharp
- Shark
- Personna
- Gillette
- Bic
- Zorrik
- Super Max
- Blue Bird
- Trig
- Treet
- Lord
There are probably others, but I think I’ve listed the more common ones that you’ll come across.
Benefits of Double Edge Razor Blades
DE blades have many benefits with three primary benefits being that they are low-cost, there are a variety of them, and that they shave really well.
It’s pretty common to find DE blades for between 20 cents and 40 cents a blade. If you buy in bulk often you can push the price down to 7 cents per blade, and on the other end of the spectrum there are some blades that will run you more than a $1 per blade. However, that’s still a bargain compared to most cartridge razors.
With so many different brands, this means you are able to experiment with different brands until you find a brand you like. All razor blades have the same shape and form and will fit all safety razors.
If you find that one brand is too sharp for your liking, you just simply have to try another brand out. A lot of times you can find DE blade “sample packs” that contain a variety of DE blades from different manufacturers. This is particularly beneficial when you are starting out and not sure which blades to buy.
Finally, all DE blades should last you a minimum of 3-4 days. It’s not uncommon to hear stories about them lasting longer than that, but I’m conservative with my estimates.
I’ve talked with men with really heavy beards that will chew through a cartridge razor after a couple of shaves. You can imagine how much money you can shave if you have that beard type. You can find DE blades for so cheap that you could use a new one every day and probably still pay less money than if you were using cartridge razors.