Safety Razor vs. Cartridges: What You Actually Spend in a Year

The short answer: At October 2026 prices, a man who uses one five-blade cartridge a week spends roughly $160 a year on refills. The same shaving with double edge blades costs about $8 a year in blades. A safety razor costs more up front, and at these prices a $55 razor pays for itself in about four months.

Cartridge razors are built on a simple business model: the handle is cheap, the refills are not. You've probably felt it at the checkout. Here's what the numbers actually look like, with every assumption shown so you can swap in your own.

The prices we used

Item	Pack price	Per unit
Five-blade cartridge refills (Gillette Fusion5, 8 count)	$24.99 at Walmart	about $3.12 per cartridge
Double edge blades (Derby Premium, 100 count)	$9.89 at Walmart	about $0.10 per blade

Prices checked October 2026 from Walmart (Fusion5 8 count) and Walmart (Derby 100 count). Cartridge prices at other stores ran higher, up to about $3.75 per cartridge. Prices change, so check before you rely on them.

The assumptions

• He shaves most days. Roughly five to seven shaves a week.
• One cartridge lasts about a week. Many men stretch it longer and suffer for it. Some change sooner.
• One double edge blade lasts three to five shaves. That's the common range in shaving communities and retailer guides. We used four, so a little under two blades a week.

The math

	Cartridges	Double edge blades
Units per year	52 cartridges	about 78 blades
Cost per unit	$3.12	$0.10
Blade cost per year	about $162	about $8

Even if you change cartridges every two weeks instead of every week, that's still about $81 a year, roughly ten times the double edge figure.

What about the razor itself?

A cartridge handle is cheap or free. A good safety razor costs more up front, often somewhere between $30 and $80. CLOSE CALL 001 is $55 with five blades included.

At the numbers above, you save roughly $13 a month by switching. A $55 razor covers its own cost in about four months, then keeps saving for as long as you own it. And because a metal safety razor has no pivoting parts to wear out, that's a long time.

The costs people forget

• Shave soap or cream. You need something either way. A puck of shave soap often lasts months.
• A brush, if you want one. Optional. Here's when it's worth it.
• A learning curve. The first week is slower. That's a time cost, not a money cost, and it fades fast. See what to expect in your first week.

Is it only about money?

No. Most people who switch stay for other reasons: a heavier tool that feels good in the hand, a single sharp blade instead of five stacked ones, and a lot less plastic in the trash. But the money is real, and it's the part that's easiest to prove.

Run your own numbers

Take what you pay for a pack of cartridges, divide by the count, and multiply by how many you go through in a year. Then compare it with about ten cents a blade. Most people are surprised by the gap.