Help - Shocked at price of Mens Shaving Cartridges

StressedSteph

Hi all,

Hope this is the right area to post.

I am in the middle of ordering my next Mondays Mr T delivery.

Since My LBM last November, I have been trying (quite successfully) to stick to as close to a £50 weekly budget as possible. (family of 4).

I have found solutions for dishwasher tablets (cutting them in half) and washing powder (egg cup dispenser), but now I have my next challenge......

Hubby usually shaves with Gillette Pro Fusion blades. He just asked if I could order him some more and I have discovered that they are £9.90 for 4 :eek:.

Considering my whole weeks shop is on £50, I really don't want to spend £10 just on razors.

I searched other brands but they were all very similar in price.

So, my question is, what do you money savers do about hubbys shaving?. Do you advise them to just grow a beard or is there a shaving system out there that won't break the bank but isn't awful disposables that make you bleed.?

I know hubby used to have an electric shaver, will check if he still has it and if he could use that for a while. I know he used to complain that it did'nt shave close enough, but might suffice in the short-term.

Any advice would be appreciated. xx

Honeythief

Blades are SO expensive. If you can get your husband back to an electric shaver that will save a fortune, but some men are very particular about getting a close shave and only a razor is acceptable.

How would he feel about using an old-style razor which he can keep sharp himself? There are still plenty of men out there who use them, along with shaving soap and a brush, so they must still be available!

Honeythief

Here's an interesting link on the subject.
http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/learn-to-shave-like-man/

sjprmc01

I stocked up on bic soleil blades for myself when they had them in home bargains/pound shop I did have to search online for a razor for them as they are now out of circulation almost bar the disposables however it really was worth it

Oh got a huge stack of wilkinson sword ones (their last best ones) even though he had prev been using the Gillette again when being sold off

Boots and Sains and possibly semi chem has a Gillette pack that has a razor and lots of blades in it for a reasonable price

Prior to this I used to get my brother to get them from Costco for me bulk bought

http://www.boots.com/en/Gillette-Mach-3-Razor-Gold-Edition-15-Blades-Value-Pack_1293394/

http://www.boots.com/en/Gillette-Fusion-ProGlide-Golden-Edition-Manual-Razor-11-Blades-Value-Pack_1260157/

Tygs

My Hubby stopped using shaving cartridges and went back to old style wet shaving..... less than a quid for 10 blades ( double sided, so that makes 20), £2 odd for a brush, £2 ish for a bowl of shaving soap that lasts about 6 months ( and he shaves daily), biggest extravagance was the razor, He wanted a 'butterfly' opening one, that cost £8 online from a mens grooming site. Reckons he gets a better closer shave than the 'all singing dancing multi bladed' razors....

GreenFairy

For Hubs birthday in April I'm buying him an old fashioned safety razor. Replacement blades last for months and cost a couple of euro. Have been thinking about it for a while and decided for sure at Christmas when I chucked a big pack of razor cartridges into the trolley for him, not realising that they were nearly €20!!!
Sick of gillette and the rest of them bringing out a new fangled "one more blade and a battery" yoke every few months. They're up to five and a bloody bar of soap attached now!

Sorry...I get very ranty about basic supplies being mucked about with in a way that assumes the customer is just a walking cash point.

Miroslav

I use Gillette Fusion and I just wait until an offer is on somewhere (none that I am aware of right now)

I only shave once a week, but they are stupid prices.

I would not recommend cheapie blades if someone values having their face intact.

globalds

I bought this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schick-Tracer-Handle-refill-blades/dp/B00112AI0S
I couldn't find the shaving stick anywhere else.

And then buy the blades
FX diamond that seem to be in every pound shop and home bargains ..8 for £1.99 .Means after about 6 months you are quids in ..
I bought about 20 packs of blades ...But there seems no shortage of stock in shops ..or no one else buys them .

The shave is very good ..much better than a disposable ..same as the Gillette I stopped using

maman

DH likes to use Gillette G11 but they got discontinued here. For a while we bought them on trips to France now he buys them online. I can't comment on the price (although he's a canny shopper so I think he gets a reasonable deal) but what matters is he pays from his own Paypal account!:D That way if the price got silly then it would be up to him to find a solution.

TeaAndToast_2

To get a blade such as a fusion back to working order from blunt all you have to do is rub it across a soft surface such as a jean leg. This works similar to the way you would see people sharpening those cut-throat razors on what I think was a leather belt. If I forget prior to showering, I just use my leg I would get about 2 months out of a blade easy. I told my friend about this and he still has the same blade for 3-4 months.

Mines a pint of Bud :beer:

lushlifesaver

Bf can't wet shave (looks like he's stuff his face in a bag of angry cats afterwards!) so uses an electric. Cost him £75 half price from Argos (and he paid with vouchers) and I can honestly say it gives the best shave I've seen on a man haha. He lets the hair grow two or three days then shave it all off.
Although I do make him scrub his face a couple of times a month as he's had an issue with aggrevated pores/hairs getting stuck under the skin when growing back.

If he is adamant about wet shaving then there are tips you can use to prolong the life of blades - off the top of my head I can only remember keeping them dry after use and wiping down with rubbing alcohol or something like that.

Also you need to cost it out over how long the pack of four will last - if they last a month it's £2.50 a week out of budget, if you can get them to last even longer then obviously the cost per unit/cartridge to you goes down