the art and algebra of shaving

I switched back from mp3s to CDs.
I discovered eating foods from the earth, before the age of modern convenience.
And just now, I've given up my electric razor to switch back to a semi-traditional wet shave.

- - -

I've picked up an affordable badger-hair shaving brush and a glycerin-based shaving soap. I'm interested in possibly getting a classic safety razor with razor blades. For now, I'm using a Schick Titanium, based on cost. The Schick is $2 compared to the $40 Merkur safety razor.

But what about over the long term?

A box of 100 razor blades is $15. It seems that a blade is good for 2 weeks, and I'm assuming I can use both edges, so it actually lasts a month. That's 100 months for $15 or 15 cents every month.

I think that the Schick should last about a month, so that's 2 bucks a month.

Factoring in the initial $40 investment for the razor blades...

After 21 months, the Schicks will cost $42. The traditional will have cost 3.15 in blades and 40 in razor.

So I guess 22 months is the break even point. But since the box of 100 razor blades is $15, it would actually take 28 months for you to outspend the traditional by using the Schick Quattro.

That said, since it's quite a monthly difference, the savings would really add up in the long term. Of course, if you don't like how it feels, you just spend $55 on blades and a razor that you're not happy with.