Razor blades shouldn't cost so much

If this is the 15th, then I've made it. I've made a disposable razor last 15 days, half a month. This little battle is my personal combat against the ever-rising costs of shaving. Since I first applied a razor to my face some 45 years ago, I've seen the cost of a simple replacement blade increase at an accelerating rate.

The original safety razor with disposable blades goes back to nearly the beginning of the previous century. Those double-edge blades were economical, effective and, generally safe. Unfortunately, you can't find them any more. This was perhaps the first business model in which the money was in the consumable element (the blades), not in the product (the razor) itself, which manufacturers could afford to give away. But razor manufacturers weren't satisfied with selling those simple blades. Schick patented a sleeker, more maneuverable "injector" blade. Wilkinson Sword created the "bonded blade." Gillette, the industry leader, created the double-bladed razor, one with two blades that claimed to provide a closer shave. In 1975, "Saturday Night Live" parodied the multi-blade razor with a fake commercial touting a triple-blade razor.

Now the joke's on us. Gillette has a five-bladed razor. Schick has a four-bladed razor. There are even razors that have a battery in the handle so that the blades vibrate as you shave. The result of all this innovation (or consumer gullibility) has been ever-increasing costs of shaving. I've sought ways to fight back by buying house-brand or off-brand razors and blades. I'm steadfastly refusing to buy the latest razor with a battery in the handle. But any replacement blade you buy, even for an obsolete razor like the one in the back of the vanity drawer, will cost you around $3 a shot. The state-of-the-art replacement blades run close to $3.50 each, even if you buy the larger packages.

So I've resorted to buying disposable razors. It makes no sense that an entire razor with a fixed blade or blades should cost less than a disposable replacement blade for a higher-quality, long-lasting razor. But it does. Disposable razors can be had for less than $2 each. The trick is to make them last as long as higher-quality replacement blades. Fifteen days is my standard. Good-quality, brand-name replacement blades (the $3 to $3.50 kind) can easily last two weeks, so I can change blades twice a month. Making disposable razors last that long is a challenge. It's obvious that the blades the manufacturers put into disposable razors are not on a par with their first-quality replacement blades, no matter how many blades might be in the cartridge.

I read recently that old-timey straight razors are making a comeback, largely for financial reasons. A good straight razor might cost $200, but it will last a lifetime, the article said. Disposable blades will cost more than that over a lifetime. But I'm not sure I want to apply a blade like that to my throat. As for electric razors, I've tried a couple but have never been satisfied with the closeness or the comfort.

Today, I've made a cheap disposable razor last 15 days. But my face and skin have paid the price. I may have to surrender and cough up the $3-plus for first-quality replacement blades, but I'm not going to use a razor with a battery in the handle.

I wonder how long I'll have to wait for a six-blade razor.